Anemos Major wrote:Purpelia wrote:I understand what you are saying and agree to some extent. It's just that personally I have a philosophy when it comes to these things. And that is that gun > armor. I can explain the details if you like. But right now It's just that far too often I see people who argue the opposite and I just wanted to see if anyone else felt like me for a change. So it's not really starting an argument as much as it is just pooling.
It's actually be quite interesting if you could explain the details. It's not that I disagree, mind you, just that I agree with you to some extent in some areas, but don't necessarily see how that approach is applicable elsewhere.
Well here is a short version. The logic is that in battle initiative is everything.
Having more armor might allow you to survive a first strike. However it's also planing with the full intent of taking said first strike in the face. And this in it self is inherently bad. What it means is that you plan for, design for and expect your opponent to have the initiative in the engagement. And if this is true, what's stopping him from simply waiting a few more minutes for you to roll down the street and present your back to him for a cheaper shot? Or just firing several more missiles at you until one does penetrate? It's the standard problem with infantry tanks. Unless you give them enough armor to be virtually invulnerable across all angles they just become sitting ducks.
On the other hand, a vehicle that specializes on less armor and thus more mobility combined with better sensors and greater firepower in terms of both capability and range can when used properly detect and engage enemies beyond their capability to ambush you. It can destroy their hideouts, detect enemies at range and force them to fight on your terms and perhaps most importantly maneuver much more freely to avoid expected ambush points. It can cross rivers without needing a bridge, move through narrow alleyways without tearing everything up and blast its way into buildings instead of crashing into them. You only need to have enough armor to survive things that can outrange you (like anti tank rifles etc.) or that can maneuver even more freely (various autocanons up to the 30mm range mounted on light vehicles).
Think of it this way. You have two squads of infantry, one riding in a Namer like HIFV and another riding in a BMP-3.
The former is designed with the idea that you just ride through town hoping you don't get ambushed. And if you are, than the troops inside are safe for long enough to rush out and start shooting. If this happens, the only recourse they have is to hope they can rush in and clear the building manually.
The later is designed with the idea that your troops will dismount beforehand and clear the way for the vehicle, directing the fire of its 100mm gun to obliterate any ambush. Yes, your infantry might get fired upon and you might take some losses. But the moment their first shot is fired your 100mm gun is going to make sure it's the last. This means your enemy can't expect to retain the capability to simply fade away after an ambush. And unless he is fanatically suicidal this means he will start taking shots from greater range where he is less accurate but also less likely to be detected by your infantry. And given that a vehicle is always going to have superior sensors to infantry this further stacks the deck in your favor.
Adding more armor only means your enemy has to fire a few extra RPG's. Adding more gun means he has to engage you far more carefully.
The same logic applies in a symmetrical combat scenario. If you have a bigger, long ranged gun you can ensure that your enemy can not maneuver freely to engage your weak points because moving to bring his weapons to bear puts him in range of yours. So for as long as your vehicle has enough firepower to beat his armor reliably at ranges exceeding the capability of his weapons to beat yours he has to avoid fighting you.
It's really the logic behind why we don't see heavy tanks like the Matilda II with huge amounts of armor and little guns any more.
