Future of the Tank

E

EuropeanAmerican

Active member
Warfare is moving more and more towards urban fighting, I was wondering if any of you guys know what the future of the tank will be.
 
Maybe the idea of light, meduim, and heavy tanks will come back into popularity. After WWII, every world army adopted a Main Battle Tank and ditched the light, meduim, and heavy tank classes.

Light tank for tight urban areas like NYC or other cities like it. Meduim for suburban areas like Miami; and the heavy tanks for places like the entire state of Montana.
 
Do you need a light or medium tank as well as heavy one. One of the best things that you need for urban warfare is an upgraded APC which will give it more hitting power and will carry infantry to deploy were necessary
 
I do hope that military planners dont make the assumption that war , although moving into urban areas, is not going to strictly going to be ENTIRELY urban.

There will still be fighting on wide open ranges of the planet, as well as the wild blue yonder.
 
Brads aren't Abrams, but they're still big and loud.

...not that I have first hand experience beyond standing beside one.
 
IEDs are more effective against APCs than MBTs. There will always be a role for the MBT. IEDs are also part of the wave of the future and need to be figured into the equation as well as terrain.
 
A heavy tank loses a lot of it's mobility and power in Urban conditions. The gun can only shoot what ever targets it can see and that wont be very far in some of these cities, also it can't speed around like it can in open country and this makes it very vulnerable from all sorts of attack. This means that vehicles like the Bradley and the British Warrior will have to be used more in this sort of role or at least an upgraded version of it.
 
Upgraded as in armor to defeat the IED would be a most definite plus. I've seen some pretty horiffic footage of some bad encounters in the litter box.
 
The main risk to western tanks in the Middle East appears to be from modern AT missiles and anti personnel mines. Look at the number of Merkava tanks lost by the IDF in Lebanon as a prime example.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3297431,00.html

The next generation of tanks needs to improve survivability in these 2 key areas. Most modern tanks, such as the Leopard 2 A6 for example, have been retrofitted with additional mine protection but a new generation of tanks needs to take this threat more seriously, as well as being better protected on the flanks and from the rear. Future tanks will also need to be air portable so I do see them coming down in weight. One way to reduce weight is to make them robot controlled. So IMO I see the future of the tank as:

1) Far more protected against urban warfare threats
2) Robotically controlled
3) Lighter as to be air portable
4) Equally protected from all sides
 
Doppleganger said:
The main risk to western tanks in the Middle East appears to be from modern AT missiles and anti personnel mines. Look at the number of Merkava tanks lost by the IDF in Lebanon as a prime example.

Willpower will overcome the "anti" **** that we develop. But "We" like to kill ourselves. That is, business does. They sell the crap. the soldiers don't.

All of this is the eastern Front revisited. The Germans sold the Russians technology for money. This tech turned out to be Germany's undoing. We are doing the same with China....Mark my words.
Click to expand...
 
The future will include tanks, heavy tanks, until an alloy that is lighter than steel is discovered for armor. The concept of network centric warfare will be the ultimate 360 degree defense. Battlefields, no matter if they are urban, alpine, desert, or airborn, will be controlled by the most advanced surveillance methods and immediate communication between the ground, air, space, and the kill platform. Also, schools and orphanages can't be under construction at the same time the enemy is being eliminated. Marines can't be followed around by a reporter with a camera. Suppression of news from the front will have to be classified as top secret and release of such will be punished by death, without regard as to whether the leak is from a Senator, staff, or
military person. Wars will be short, more humane, and won by those who are committed to win above all else.
 
Project 1
120mm lighter gun.
Advanced composite armor.
1500～1800hp diesel engine　and AIP.
50t～60t?
Improved version of 3rd gen tank.
3,5th gen tank 2010.

Project 2
140mm gun.
Advanced composite armor.
2000hp diesel engine and AIP.
70t～80t(too heavy to carry?)
4th gen tank in 2030.

Project 3?
50mm Rail gun?
Laser Defence System?
Hydrogen battery and Microwave generater powered by satellite　or Airplane?
30t～40t?
5th gen tank in 2050?

IED will be the most threat to tank.
 
For an army well equipped and trained with modern AT missiles, tanks are just big expensive easily spotted targets.

Just based on cost alone, I'd rather be buying my forces AT missiles than tanks.

I think that tanks will remain, but they have passed their zenith.
 
Well seeing as how we've beat this horse way past death, we have no clue. The Penetagon plans on having the M1A2 SEP in until 2036, and then the FCS has a newer combat vehicle called the 2036 FCS. Orignality aside, it will be armed with a MAC gun or more simply put a Magnetic Accelorator Coil, lobbing 120mm rounds at speeds in excess of current rounds.

The tank has yet to see its demise. In my opinion tanks are at their current zeinth. Being around most of my younger life, they are at their zeinth. You can't possibly put anymore armor, or tech or bull on a tank than what we have now, but tanks are just going to either follow the crowd or follow the same path they are on now.
 
I have a idea, dont call me crazy, but the future tank like the one I am about to describe, might be a good idea.

Any way here it is,

While planners are scratching their heads, wondering, how to we send heavy, slow(I know the speeds for the Abrams, and M 113, and Bradly) into a tight , hot spot, with RPGs, IEDs, and gernades, and mines can be used in devastating effect to armored forces.

The answer?

Make a power house of a tank, dont worry about range, build one hell of a engine, strap some electronic discharge machine guns, or some fifies, commupter control them via tank crew, make a auto reload system with a devastating effect, pack armor on, composite armor, not the heavy stuff(dont want to underpower her!) Giver a heck of a lot of ammo, and desgin a battle plan that keeps the tank within resuply at least once every 2 and a half to 3 hours in a heavy combat situation.

Basiclly, a big, fast , bulldozer, with a turret that can pour lead, smash, and blast shells all over a city block, can you imagine having a 60 ton blur burst over a low wall with the turret machine guns, and possibly gernade launcher blasting every where, knowing exactly where the friendlies are, and were not to aim?

I dont know about you, but in that case, I would cry...

And dont say its not realistic, or unreachble, 100 years ago, fast transcontintial flight wasnt realistic, London to New York in a matter of Hours? And today, thats not break through technology, I am just saying, give it effort, consideration, and input from planners, to scientist, to tankers, and you will achieve that...Until then, tanks need to undergo a complete transition from mainly, anti armor, back to its orginal purpose, troop support.

Think, man kind has reached, unbelivable goals in the last centry, making a tank that can dominate via power and fire power in a urban envioment, should be a average challege.

Just another revalution in mankind's best profession, killing one another......
 
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Just felt like pointing you basically more or less described the M1A2 SEP.

800px-OCPA-2005-03-09-165522.jpg




Power Plant: AG5 1500 Honeywell_Lycoming 1500HP Multi-Fuel Turbine, procuding 25hp per ton.

Top Speed: 45 MPH (60 MPH "ungoverned")
Armerment: M256 120mm, M240D 7.62mm Coaxial, remotly operated M2HB using CROWS, M240 7.62mm Machinegun, M2QB remotly operated anti-sniper bore mounted.

Armor: 420m Chobham (Worchester) composite armor, with depleted uranium, and RHA.

Other odds and ends:

Blue Force Tracker (Tracking friendly vehicles with LT, and enemy by satillite)
CITV (Commanders Independant Thermal Veiwer)
UAAPU (Under Armor Auxiliary Power Unit)
EBC (Embedded Battle Command)
Dual Redundant Data and Utility Bus Architecture (MILSTD 1553D)
IVIS (Intervehicular Information System)
TMS (Tank Managment Software)
POS/NAV (Positon/Navagation System)

Then comes the lovely ammo which I will not go over because there are 10 types used by the US military. Want info on those go do a search at Global Security. globalsecurity.org



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...9-165522.jpg/800px-OCPA-2005-03-09-165522.jpg
 
Cadet Seaman said:
Just felt like pointing you basically more or less described the M1A2 SEP.

800px-OCPA-2005-03-09-165522.jpg




Power Plant: AG5 1500 Honeywell_Lycoming 1500HP Multi-Fuel Turbine, procuding 25hp per ton.

Top Speed: 45 MPH (60 MPH "ungoverned")
Armerment: M256 120mm, M240D 7.62mm Coaxial, remotly operated M2HB using CROWS, M240 7.62mm Machinegun, M2QB remotly operated anti-sniper bore mounted.

Armor: 420m Chobham (Worchester) composite armor, with depleted uranium, and RHA.

Other odds and ends:

Blue Force Tracker (Tracking friendly vehicles with LT, and enemy by satillite)
CITV (Commanders Independant Thermal Veiwer)
UAAPU (Under Armor Auxiliary Power Unit)
EBC (Embedded Battle Command)
Dual Redundant Data and Utility Bus Architecture (MILSTD 1553D)
IVIS (Intervehicular Information System)
TMS (Tank Managment Software)
POS/NAV (Positon/Navagation System)

Then comes the lovely ammo which I will not go over because there are 10 types used by the US military. Want info on those go do a search at Global Security. globalsecurity.org
Click to expand...
Kinda what I meant, thats NOW,think of the future?

Give it some effort, and some time, and you will have a improved tank that could be basiclly, a "supertank" And I mean no Muas either, a true "run -n- gun" tank that excels in over powering lines of fire.

What I mean is, dont call me crazy, please dont, but,think about it, we have smart bombs, special ops gear that can see almost perfectly at night, pilot locator recivers, all kinds of goodies at our finger tips that took years to prefect. (By our, I mean U.S. , U.K. , Germany and other modern western nations.)

And the tank, has been around how many years now? Coming close to a century, I mean, the new A2 the Army has upgraded is a very fersome match to any tank, and you dont need to write a essay to figure that out!

But, out of all the improvements I keep seeing to the Abrams line of MBTs, they all look , and seem to still be oriented for Tank on vehicle, tank on tank warfare.

I think, that if were are going to upgrade Abrams to deal with the insurgants that fight in tight urban areas, the Abrams may need one helluva overhaul for my idea, which would inculde ligther, and still strong and durbable armor, and increased engine and power output(I know it would be hard, cause the tank is big, and a gas guzler) , and bascilly, place some in turrent mounted machine guns (prefferably using electronic discharge cartirages like on the metal storm) or two, yes two, 20 mm like on fighter aircraft.

And last but not least, it may be kinda odd, and will seemingly stupid, put in one heck of a autoreloader , I know why the Army wanted the breech load in in the 70s, it kept up the accruacy , as well as reliabliltiy , but that was then , when the Abrams would be fighting basiclly outnumbered agaist large numbers of Soveit Tanks. The autoreload I am proposing would help raise the number devastating 120mm rounds that can be put downrange on a tight city block for instance, in support of infantry. And that more engine power I was talking about, woudl come in handy, to help the tank has good mobility , and momentum , if it has to over come obsticles, such as roadblocks, and low clay walls.

I know this all sounds crazy, but, who said you would have to do this to ALL Abrams, of any model?

Sorry about skirting the topic any, but after seeing what was done with some Up Armor Hummvees, I just had to turn my head to the Abrams and think...
 
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