Military Ground Vehicles of Your Nation [NO MECHS] Tranche 7

[The Kievan People]

Whats the threads thoughts on the BMP-3? I ask because there never seems to be a consciousnesses, its either the worst IFV to ever roam the battlefields or Jesus in IFV form

The great BMP-3 debate hinges on two main issues:
1. Is the rear mounted engine an acceptable compromise to keep it stable in the water, or a classic example of Russian designers (alleged!) failure to consider human factors?
2. Is the armament a great leap towards making the infantry self-sufficient in firepower or does it try to do everything while failing to do any of it well?

The BMP-3 is a very unorthodox design. Combat experience has validated the classic IFV (autocannon, atgms, engine in the front) while the BMP-3 remains an unproven novelty. Controversy is inevitable.

[Assorted Sucrose-Based Lifeforms]

Engine(?): 1,800hp

Top speed(?): 50-65km/hr

Weight(?): 45-55 tons

This is all I can come up with. Any criticism, comments, suggestions, questions, or advice?

Merkava can shift a 65 tonne tank at 65km/h (on road) with only 1500hp.
With that much hp (and the right suspension) you could boost your top speed.

[Padnak]

What sort of suspension arrangement does the tank have? because that is a big factor in top speed-

[Stormwind-City]

Engine(?): 1,800hp

Top speed(?): 50-65km/hr

Weight(?): 45-55 tons

This is all I can come up with. Any criticism, comments, suggestions, questions, or advice?

Merkava can shift a 65 tonne tank at 65km/h (on road) with only 1500hp.
With that much hp you could boost your top speed.

Thanks!

[Assorted Sucrose-Based Lifeforms]

What sort of suspension arrangement does the tank have? because that is a big factor in top speed-

Meant to mention that, I learned that myself whilst reading up on upgrades to the Challenger 2.
*that's it edited

[Stormwind-City]

What sort of suspension arrangement does the tank have? because that is a big factor in top speed-

High hardness steel torsion w/ rotary shocks

[Novorden]

novorden ure drunk

ure not a truck

ure a lorry

Beep Beep! I'm a military logistics vehicle!

This is all I can come up with. Any criticism, comments, suggestions, questions, or advice?

I have a slight niggle that your art is that of an early cold war design (see Leo1 and centurion), whilst your stats are more for a late war tank.

Merkava can shift a 65 tonne tank at 65km/h (on road) with only 1500hp.
With that much hp (and the right suspension) you could boost your top speed.

Limiters! Stopping your tank from ripping itself apart.

...when American, German, and Japanese tanks mate, you get Centurions.

Also, Wut?!

[Stormwind-City]

This is all I can come up with. Any criticism, comments, suggestions, questions, or advice?

I have a slight niggle that your art is that of an early cold war design (see Leo1 and centurion), whilst your stats are more for a late war tank.

Merkava can shift a 65 tonne tank at 65km/h (on road) with only 1500hp.
With that much hp (and the right suspension) you could boost your top speed.

Limiters! Stopping your tank from ripping itself apart.

...when American, German, and Japanese tanks mate, you get Centurions.

Also, Wut?!

It is part Abrams, Leo 1A3, and some Japanese tank from the '60s or '70s with some modification. I used them for the looks, mostly. (DAT L1A3 turret, mmmmmmmm)

[Assorted Sucrose-Based Lifeforms]

Merkava can shift a 65 tonne tank at 65km/h (on road) with only 1500hp.
With that much hp (and the right suspension) you could boost your top speed.

Limiters! Stopping your tank from ripping itself apart.

A Scorpion tracked armoured Vehicle can reach 72km/h, if it's the treads you're concerned about.
Personally, I would use the extra power generated to charge electric reactive armour, as opposed to boosting the speed.

[Stormwind-City]

Limiters! Stopping your tank from ripping itself apart.

A Scorpion tracked armoured Vehicle can reach 72km/h, if it's the treads you're concerned about.
Personally, I would use the extra power generated to charge electric reactive armour, as opposed to boosting the speed.

Tell me more...

[The Greater Luthorian Empire]

Limiters! Stopping your tank from ripping itself apart.

There is little problem with going over 65 km/h especially in a tank that light. He could make 75 km/h at least, many NS tanks claim 85 km/h with their speed governors in place, although that seems a bit wanked. I would say he could easily do 70-80 km/h.

[Assorted Sucrose-Based Lifeforms]

Tell me more...

Electromagnetic Reactive Armour Video
Wiki article

[Padnak]

If I had a 65 ton heavy tank (1950s tech question) that fitted two 800hp diesel engines side by side giving it a total of 24hp per ton (ish), how fast could this thing reasonable be going?

[Novorden]

A Scorpion tracked armoured Vehicle can reach 72km/h, if it's the treads you're concerned about.

The scorpion weighs 8 tonnes and is designed for high speed reconnaissance, a 45 tonne tank is not. Plus it's not just the risk of throwing a track, the engine, gearbox, axles, theses are all things that will have their lifespans severely cut without a limiter.

Personally, I would use the extra power generated to charge electric reactive armour, as opposed to boosting the speed.

A- Electric armour is still in development today and is more for light(er) vehicles which don't carry much armour.
B- With the current prototype it uses a tiny amount of power (less than what it takes to start a car)

[Stormwind-City]

Tell me more...

Electromagnetic Reactive Armour Video
Wiki article

Hmm, this requires further consideration on my part.

[Imperializt Russia]

Tell me more...

Electromagnetic Reactive Armour Video
Wiki article

>guy doesn't know how HEAT works
>guy doesn't even know how EMRA is meant to work

[Stormwind-City]

A Scorpion tracked armoured Vehicle can reach 72km/h, if it's the treads you're concerned about.

The scorpion weighs 8 tonnes and is designed for high speed reconnaissance, a 45 tonne tank is not. Plus it's not just the risk of throwing a track, the engine, gearbox, axles, theses are all things that will have their lifespans severely cut without a limiter.

Personally, I would use the extra power generated to charge electric reactive armour, as opposed to boosting the speed.

A- Electric armour is still in development today and is more for light(er) vehicles which don't carry much armour.
B- With the current prototype it uses a tiny amount of power (less than what it takes to start a car)

Good, I can have electric armor and have an excellent speed for long, flat roads/terrain.

[Gvozdevsk]

I seriously wonder sometimes if I'm the only person on NS who exclusively uses real world vehicles. I have my own tracked IFV, but save for the 40mm CTA cannon it's more or less a K21.

[Risen Britannia]

Limiters! Stopping your tank from ripping itself apart.

There is little problem with going over 65 km/h especially in a tank that light. He could make 75 km/h at least, many NS tanks claim 85 km/h with their speed governors in place, although that seems a bit wanked. I would say he could easily do 70-80 km/h.

Oh I'm not saying that 72km/h or even 100km/h is impossible, I'm simply saying that be mindful of what you are putting your tank though.

EG: The WW2 Cromwell tank could go 64km/h, however it was mechanically unreliable, whilst the Comet tank (a development of the Cromwell) was far more reliable partly due to it being limited to 51km/h.

Also: Your car can probably go +100mph, how often do you actually drive it that fast? Especially if you have a logistics vehicle that has to keep/catch up.

[Talon Independent Nation]

Given the power levels, there's really little issue with switching power to the coils, you simply need a power delivery and control system heavily reinforced enough to handle the power going through it. Actually actuating the switch in power between coils is a simple matter of sensors detecting the position of the projectile in the barrel.

Batteries would have to act as an intermediary power storage system, for sure, backed up by capacitors or flywheel systems to deliver the actual pulsed power to the coil or rail system itself.

Also, on the subject, Polans coilgun stronk.

No, there is a issue with switching.

Switches are vital components of an electromagnetic gun system that are often taken for granted -- until the system designer begins to seriously consider implementing a gun concept... Given today's technology, these current and voltage levels result in massive, voluminous switches; often switching requirements can only be met by connecting several switching elements in series and/or parallel arrays. Other important factors that affect switch selection include switch speed and expected switch life. Gun system volume and weight constraints demand that switching technology be pushed to the limit.

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a251463.pdf

And coilguns need a LOT of switches.

The issue you point out is a valid problem with large scale coilguns, and the paper was quite interesting, however I would like to point out that it is over 20 years old (if the date on the front page is correct).
While switching is still a serious issue with the levels of power involved in a coilgun of a tank's size, materials science has come a long way in the past 20+ years, and the ability to manage higher energy levels without destroying your platform is becoming more of a reality.

Granted, a unit practical coilgun or railgun for main battle tanks isn't feasible with current technology, and will likely be preceded by ETC weapons, however with the rate of current advancements it appears that these systems could be prepared for practical deployment within a sub-50 year period.

[Imperializt Russia]

A Scorpion tracked armoured Vehicle can reach 72km/h, if it's the treads you're concerned about.

The scorpion weighs 8 tonnes and is designed for high speed reconnaissance, a 45 tonne tank is not. Plus it's not just the risk of throwing a track, the engine, gearbox, axles, theses are all things that will have their lifespans severely cut without a limiter.

Personally, I would use the extra power generated to charge electric reactive armour, as opposed to boosting the speed.

A- Electric armour is still in development today and is more for light(er) vehicles which don't carry much armour.
B- With the current prototype it uses a tiny amount of power (less than what it takes to start a car)

I worry you've just turned electric armour into NS' new ETC.

[Risen Britannia]

I seriously wonder sometimes if I'm the only person on NS who exclusively uses real world vehicles. I have my own tracked IFV, but save for the 40mm CTA cannon it's more or less a K21.

Most of my vehicles are have real world elements at least (see my MAN 8x8 last page)

I worry you've just turned electric armour into NS' new ETC.

As the design is still being changed on a monthly basis so has no solid numbers publicly available, i don't think we have to worry about it just yet.

...on the other hand:

Woa, electric reactive armor, what has this world come to?

[Stormwind-City]

The scorpion weighs 8 tonnes and is designed for high speed reconnaissance, a 45 tonne tank is not. Plus it's not just the risk of throwing a track, the engine, gearbox, axles, theses are all things that will have their lifespans severely cut without a limiter.


A- Electric armour is still in development today and is more for light(er) vehicles which don't carry much armour.
B- With the current prototype it uses a tiny amount of power (less than what it takes to start a car)

I worry you've just turned electric armour into NS' new ETC.

ETC?

[Svodenland]

Woa, electric reactive armor, what has this world come to?

[Order of pheonix]

Does anyone have any suggestions of what websites or programmes I might use to create a graphic design of a tank? I've been looking at Sketchup.

Sketchup is crazy easy to use. Even if you have other programs in mind, just spend an hour giving it a try. It may not be as flexible as some programs like blender, but I never found that a problem.