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SnowLeopard · 01-19-2007, 10:12 AM

Ever play MetaGaming's Ogre? Bi-Phased Carbide (BPC) armor? A few millimeters of the stuff is quite light, protects against a kiloton blast? Troops can wear that amount, GEV's can carry something similar as can the light tank and missile tank.

But then there was the Heavy Tank, their MBT, and it was loaded down with the stuff. (and Ogres carried 3 meters but that's beyound the point here).

With armor, it does not seem to be an equation of how much one needs, but how much one can carry. In a futuristic reality, I suspect that will be the issue. How much can a tank carry for the cost, for the numbers wanted.

If it is necessary for the tank to fly, then that may be a factor to making it lighter, but I suspect that won't be an issue for two main reasons and a few small ones. First of all, realize that military decisions are often based on how old soldiers think. It may be the greatest thing since whatever, but if it is radially different than before, it may have a hard time catching on. Hence ......

Armor doesn't fly, that's what AirCav is for.

Secondly, flight is more than being light enough, more than having wings of somesort. It's power plant for that purpose, it's fuel that won't vapor lock, it's being streamlined, it's being stressed to fire such a cannon, etc.. A tank that can fly? Sounds nice but I suspect that it will be a very complex system that's not worth the work.

Now, what someone might do is build a GEV tank. That's "easier". It still sounds more of an AirCav issue, but it's not trying to load as much complexity onto the systems.

Basically, though, I expect MBTs to move the heavy bunker like approach they have always been.
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(The Huvies took off, climbing to about 100m's on their air cushions/antigrav units, moving at about Mach 1.--description from Karl Hanson's "Dreamgames" (w,stte), book)

01-19-2007, 10:12 AM	#11 (permalink)
SnowLeopard *Military Professional* Join Date: 07-18-06 Location: Texas Posts: 750	Ever play MetaGaming's Ogre? Bi-Phased Carbide (BPC) armor? A few millimeters of the stuff is quite light, protects against a kiloton blast? Troops can wear that amount, GEV's can carry something similar as can the light tank and missile tank. But then there was the Heavy Tank, their MBT, and it was loaded down with the stuff. (and Ogres carried 3 meters but that's beyound the point here). With armor, it does not seem to be an equation of how much one needs, but how much one can carry. In a futuristic reality, I suspect that will be the issue. How much can a tank carry for the cost, for the numbers wanted. If it is necessary for the tank to fly, then that may be a factor to making it lighter, but I suspect that won't be an issue for two main reasons and a few small ones. First of all, realize that military decisions are often based on how old soldiers think. It may be the greatest thing since whatever, but if it is radially different than before, it may have a hard time catching on. Hence ...... Armor doesn't fly, that's what AirCav is for. Secondly, flight is more than being light enough, more than having wings of somesort. It's power plant for that purpose, it's fuel that won't vapor lock, it's being streamlined, it's being stressed to fire such a cannon, etc.. A tank that can fly? Sounds nice but I suspect that it will be a very complex system that's not worth the work. Now, what someone might do is build a GEV tank. That's "easier". It still sounds more of an AirCav issue, but it's not trying to load as much complexity onto the systems. Basically, though, I expect MBTs to move the heavy bunker like approach they have always been. ----------------------------------------- (The Huvies took off, climbing to about 100m's on their air cushions/antigrav units, moving at about Mach 1.--description from Karl Hanson's "Dreamgames" (w,stte), book)