Posted on 03/02/2017 3:16:53 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee
The Army is now performing concept modeling and early design work for a new mobile, lethal, high-tech future lightweight tank platform able to detect and destroy a wider range of targets from farther distances, cross bridges, incinerate drones with lasers and destroy incoming enemy artillery fire – all for the 2030s and beyond.
The new vehicle, now emerging purely in the concept phase, is based upon the reality that the current M1A2 SEP Abrams main battle tank can only be upgraded to a certain limited extent, senior Army officials explained.
The Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC, is now immersed in the development of design concepts for various super high-tech tank platforms, Maj. Gen. David Bassett, Program Executive Officer, Ground Combat Systems, told Scout Warrior in an exclusive interview.
Bassett emphasized the extensive conceptual work, simulation and design modeling will be needed before there is any opportunity to “bend metal” and produce a new tank.
“We’ve used concept modeling. What are the limits of what you can do? What does a built from the ground up vehicle look like? We are assuming, if we are going to evolve it, it is because there is something we can't do in the current vehicle,” Basset explained. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at scout.com ...
bkmk
The problem here is that there hasn’t been a proper contemporary-tech, large scale armored war between near-equals since 1973.
There is very little to go on as to what makes sense in such a situation should it happen today. If it can happen today.
If they try to leave men in the tanks, the design will be obsolete before the first one gets muddy.
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agreed.. tanks as they currently exist are obsolete.
Hat tip for mentioning Dana Sterling and the Hovertank. :)
The problem here is that there hasn’t been a proper contemporary-tech, large scale armored war between near-equals since 1973.
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Pretty much the battleship v. aircraft carrier situation... I can see unmanned or unarmored all terrain launchers for swarms of UAV’s going up against 1970’s 80’s tank tech...
The new Chinese laser makes all military aircraft obsolete.
They will cut them apart from hundreds of miles away.
The only hope is for us to go back to cloth covered aircraft that can’t be seen by radar.
Wood, cloth and paper with pilots made of steel. That’s the future.
When they can now be destroyed so easily, it’s insane to design and build billion dollar tanks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5xKCzdhAC8
“They will cut them apart from hundreds of miles away.”
Lasers in atmosphere have limited range. 1 km is quoted for that thing, though its probably good somewhat further as an AA weapon - 5km? In the meantime aircraft will be dropping swarms of guided cast-steel (and not vulnerable to a glancing hit from such a laser) Small Diameter Bombs from 40km away.
Ursula Andress (Undress?) was the secret weapon in that thing.
And likewise for Yemen. Several more than one Saudi Abrams take a hit. Not much left of tank. The RPG-30 series is totally devastating. Ask the Ukrainians as well...
All good, but right now a bunch of MOABs or a few Nukes would go a long way toward getting rid of islam nests.
If you are harboring islamists, you are the enemy.
Hybrid electric drive and electromagnetic rail gun.
FR Treadhead ping.
Article says it will have a two man crew. So much for crew rest when doing 24-hour operations, pulling perimeter duty while in lager, not to mention ‘breaking track.’
Thanks for the heads up. I probably still have it in a box in the basement, but will grab the Kindle version to re-read on this pad.
“The new Chinese laser makes all military aircraft obsolete.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3530711/posts?page=29
Assuming it actually works and can recharge rapidly, it still needs to tote around a small portable nuclear reactor to generate the rapid 50-70KW pulses ...
Yep. Figures in John Ringo take on the BOLO series as well.
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