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Mighty_Zuk

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Everything posted by Mighty_Zuk

  1. Mighty_Zuk
    Not really a good measurement when it only really has armor on the front.
  2. Mighty_Zuk
    Upgrading old tanks like M60 and T-55 is still somewhat economically viable, but only for poor states, or those with very old fleets. For example Taiwan, Turkey, or the Philippines. The two big issues are the all steel construction and integrated armor, and the design that accounted for decades old tech. Another issue that could arise is cracked hulls but those can be fixed in relatively cheap refurbishment processes. Indeed the integration of the heavy steel armor into the construction of the hull, adds a ton (actually, tens of tons) of weight. Parasitic weight. It cuts into the weight of upgrades that can be added thus limiting any sort of applique armor. And the tank is obviously not built to accommodate any of the new tech built after its entry to service. Things like NBC may already have been standard on all tanks we can see on the battlefield today, but proper air conditioning was not. Any new sights, sensors, or gadgets, will require a completely new electrical grid coupled with a new generator, for which a new compartment must be made. The ammunition has to be carried outside a safe compartment or is just placed in a horribly vulnerable place. The engine is likely no longer supported by the manufacturer, or any other part really. The ergonomics were shitty even before any new stuff were added to the turret or driver's station. You either replace so many things that you're ought to buy a new tank at that point, or you make enough cost cutting compromises that your tank is no longer worth shit. I believe that in about 5 years, upgrades like the Sabra but for any tank built prior to the 1970's, will no longer be viable. Economically-wise, that is.
  3. Mighty_Zuk
    The only almost official list of generations of AFVs was invented by Rolf Hilmes, in which he identified 3 different generations of MBTs at the time, corresponding to different technological leaps. Leaps like composite armor, smoothbore guns, thermal visors, automated firing processes (stabilization, laying, etc), and so on. Current day leaps include active protection, automated target identification, sensor and data fusion, and networking.
  4. Mighty_Zuk
    The Puma may have included from the beginning some components that were more capable but more expensive, but bear in mind that quite a few key components are going to be replaced in the Americanized version. Utilizing more expensive but more capable gear is not a merit of any vehicle, but a customer's choice, so it could be gone out the window as soon as the US decides what level of modifications they want for it. Additionally, that alone does not constitute "next gen" capabilities. The "generation" of an IFV or any AFV can be determined not by the quality of its components, but by its architecture and the concept behind that architecture. It's any added capability that is non incremental. More armor on the front or sides? That's incremental. APS? Revolutionary. Giving the commander or gunner more backup sights? Incremental. Giving them a 360° vision system? Revolutionary. You get the idea. In any iteration, whether existing or offered, the Puma does not offer revolutionary capabilities. It would be required to do so for the US Army, but then it cannot be judged by its components. It will be judged by its modularity. In this case, I don't see how it possesses any advantage over the competitors.
  5. Mighty_Zuk
    Agreed. The only thing the Puma can offer over the competitors is cost, and higher cost was never attractive.
  6. Mighty_Zuk
  7. Mighty_Zuk
    I kid you not, Rafael got VoiceOverPete to narrate a part of their DroneDome video:
  8. Mighty_Zuk
    Maybe you should have read what Ramlaen posted above your comment. The Rh-120 and M256 are NOT the same gun. The M256 is based on the Rh-120, but at some point it diverges. It's sort of a K2 vs Altay case. One is based on the other, but the differences are still substantial.
  9. Mighty_Zuk
    I didn't realize they had to invent a screen of their own as if the private sector doesn't invest billions over billions every year in R&D to make any military R&D pointless.
  10. Mighty_Zuk
    One more reason why I think unmanned turrets are the way to go, but that's actually easily fixed. Either reorient the turret via a joystick (FCS), or use any manual override. If the manufacturer does not include a manual override, ask them why they didn't include it, not why they didn't want another hatch.
  11. Mighty_Zuk
    Here's one concept that was posted here a month ago: This is a kit developed by Rafael for the Carmel project, in which Elbit also presented its IronVision system. According to Rafael, it's ready for integration on existing vehicles. Elbit's IronVision is already being integrated to multiple vehicles for service by 2021. The idea here is not to merely augment the vision of the crew, but to allow them to complete the mission completely buttoned down. It's designed to keep them sealed in that capsule because having the crew separated from the turret adds substantially to the protection. Imagine being able to isolate the ammo completely from the crew, like in the Abrams, but actually making a very small turret with a tiny profile. Some call it the T-14 or TTB, whatever you prefer to look at for reference. Except by placing the crew in the back, it's possible to allow them to quickly enter and exit the vehicle under any condition of the turret, quickly resupply, allows creating a universal family of vehicles on the same platform, and almost as importantly, allows shielding the crew from top attack munitions and mines in a substantial increase over what any front-crew design would allow.
  12. Mighty_Zuk
  13. Mighty_Zuk
    Seems like a show of customizability again. The trend is clear - unmanned turrets. But those who want a manned turret can often get that option from the same manufacturer, even within the same turret. A single hatch may be less comfortable for exit and entry, but it's doable, and more importantly it saves a ton of space on the roof to add things. On such small turrets, every square inch is valuable real estate. Even on the large turrets of MBTs you will more often than not see an issue of over-crowded equipment. For normal exit and entry, I suppose they'll just have to take turns unless the Aussies decide they value ergonomics highly enough to sacrifice available space. In any case when that's not possible, one can lock the turret in place, and exit through a hole in the basket. Not all designs permit that. In some it can be very dangerous, but it's also doable if there's will. Not complicated either, as it takes just not welding a piece of metal to the basket, and adding a simple interruption command to the turret controls. In the Merkava 4 there are now 2 hatches - TC's and Loader's. The single hatch variant was an early production one. The idea was maintaining the integrity of the roof armor. How he got out is fairly easy: Use the back door. It's actually more comfortable in a lot of cases, and allows for a safe evac when the tank's exposed. Only the driver has to actually rely on his hatch. I'm now advancing the idea of a rear-placed hatch-less crew capsule with a back door, center placed unmanned turret, and front placed powerpack.
  14. Mighty_Zuk
    Again, Kaliyah or FGCG, not Carmel. And you're taking this photo and early parameters at face values. The FGCG program was supposed to be a decision between a wheeled solution or a tracked solution. The Eitan was a byproduct of this program, so things obviously change. The 30 ton weight category probably talks about the core family of vehicles which will center around the APC variant. An MBT is part of that program but not yet developed, or shown, because as they've said, they don't know what kind of requirements they want to put forward. Yet. The requirements will be worked out when the key technologies of the FGCG are further developed, and alongside them the concept they want to build a new MBT around. The same approach is taken by the US. Develop a whole bunch of relevant technologies, bunch them all up, try to build a viable doctrine that takes all of them into account, then try to build a chassis and turret that would fit them all. There is absolutely no sense in starting an MBT development program either in the US or in Israel, right now, when there is already a lot of progress being made in the NGCV and FGCG projects respectively. As soon as these are done, run a short program to design a hull and turret, and that's it. Again, just because an official program doesn't exist, doesn't mean there's no progress being made that is specifically relevant to it.
  15. Mighty_Zuk
    They're showing multiple options the customer can go with. The focus on this one is killer-killer capability. They're also offering the turret with a COAPS with a hunter-killer capability instead. A smaller looking sight only indicates it's a day channel. They showed the RWS in one configuration with a night channel as well.
  16. Mighty_Zuk
    This is the sight they're using: https://elbitsystems.com/media/COAPS_2016.pdf
  17. Mighty_Zuk
    I disagree with your disagreement. This is an entirely new turret from Kongsberg.
  18. Mighty_Zuk
    The Carmel program seeks to create a family of vehicles by 2027. Much like the NGCV, the star of the program is an IFV, because it is the most prone to doctrinal changes and thus required to be the most adaptive combat vehicle type. And again similar to the NGCV, a tank development program is included there. And I should clarify again that Carmel is a program for technology demonstration and cockpit concept design. It ends in 2019. The full program is named Kaliyah (bullet). It stands for Future Ground Combat Group.
  19. Mighty_Zuk
    I don't think it's a terrible vismod but just a cheap one: FYI, these are definitely not new. They've been around for a very long time.
  20. Mighty_Zuk
    The MCT-30 is not suitable for integration with ATGMs. If you want a Javelin or any other ATGM, you gotta either mount it on the side of the turret like this: or like this: Both of them are absolutely terrible options, because it makes them highly susceptible to damage from environmental effects and weaponry that would not really bother the turret's armor. Additionally, the US Army may want to couple this effort with the APS program.
  21. Mighty_Zuk
    It could be good for Norway. Despite having a large users' club, the Leopard family has not seen anything but incremental upgrades at best. On the other hand, no country is currently running an MBT development program in which the timetable defines operational capability in 2025 or earlier. For Israel it could be 2027-2030. For the US we can expect a similar timeframe, perhaps closer to 2030. For Germany and France it's going to be 30's (with France delaying their purchase til 40's). So they'll just have to buy the latest iterations of the current gen solutions. It'll essentially be buying tanks with a standard service life of 30-40 years, but only a few years before the big tank makers make the giant leap forward.
  22. Mighty_Zuk
    Exactly how old is this one? Was it part of the recent exercise with the 401st? EDIT: Seems to be at least somewhat new, but the really new variants do not have flat sides, even though they have the same crane.
  23. Mighty_Zuk
    It does have it locked in, but buying at least a couple armed AMPV would make sense, considering the OMFV won't enter service until 2027.
  24. Mighty_Zuk
    They don't give us anything, and certainly don't owe us anything. Have some humility. This sense of entitlement will do you no good.
  25. Mighty_Zuk
    Why don't you give us 50 million dollars so we can do that?
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