Posted on 01/24/2006 7:18:06 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4
When the Stryker entered service in Iraq with it’s slat armor “cage” (to protect against RPGs), there was some criticism, and some crude humor, directed at that particular rig. But the slat armor did the job, and now Russia is offering it’s similar BTR-80 vehicle, equipped with slat armor. While the United States abandoned wheeled armored vehicles after World War II, Russia kept theirs, and constantly improved their BTR series. While not as heavy, or as high tech, as the American Stryker, the BTR vehicles are popular with many nations, especially for use by police and paramilitary forces. The current export model of the BTR-80, the BTR-90, is equipped with a turret and a 30mm auto-cannon and weighs about 16 tons. The BTR-80, introduced about twenty years ago, is actually more similar to the U.S. Marine Corps LAV, which entered service about the same time.
ping
As an Alabamian, I can tell you that if it saves U.S. lives, buy it...from here, from there, wherever. Our economy here in Alabama will be just fine. Take care of our troops, first.
Now, with that said; slat armor is just metal. Steel-workers in Canada, Russia, Alabama, Japan, China, wherever...can all make it competitively. The price difference is *not* large. On days when the U.S. Dollar drops, Alabama steel is often the world's cheapest, in fact.
Carrying the water outside, rather than inside, makes sense. Likewise, it makes sense to use two inert liquids in place of your diesel. Carry the inert liquids in tanks that are located just inside the main side/rear armor, such that your "fuel" tanks add extra armor protection at no weight cost.
Mix the two inert liquids together just prior to injecting into the engine/turbine to make your actual propulsion fuel (i.e. a binary gasoline).
Binary fuels are common in high explosives...each "fuel" being entirely stable on its own...but once mixed, powerful.
You can do the self-same thing for diesel. Once you've converted to a binary fuel system, you can use your fuel tanks as additional armor (placed just inside your existing armor to provide small arms protection for your source of propulsion).
No, but I want our troops protected, first. Do what it takes for initial protection; we'll deal with replacement vehicles if we must!
I meant replacement of Hummers with improvised armor. I do not know much about Strykers. Why aren't they used more?
No... to heavy.
And for the guys talking about who invented it, while the idea did see some use in Vietnam, the first use of a "catching" device to prevent the RPG (or similar round) from making contact with the armor of the vehicle was the Israelis. They used 1/2" link chain.
I could be wrong, but this is what we were told.
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