I wonder if they could come up with a new missile to work in the 152mm gun/launcher that was used on the M60A2/M551. That 6” gun packs a wicked punch, and surely the missile technology now exists to do what was promised in the Shillelagh missile for long range engagements.
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Mount a Javelin in an armored box on each side of the turret with the Javelin fire controls inside the turret. That would give you two antitank missiles and the 152mm for everything else.
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the classic one five five round with the right fuse will penetrate close to twenty inches of concrete, so it’s claimed. Actually about sixteen to seventeen inches on a good day. Yet if it were twenty four inches, and the round has a good hit, you’re pretty much jello from the concussion. Or at best; extremely loopy! The real advantage of the big bore is with canister munitions. A Sheridan could clear out a foot ball field with one round. The HE round from a big bore is total distruction on buildings with very deep penetration.
I do see an issue with the new tank right away. The track (over all width of the tank) is wider than a Bradley or just about anything but an M1 tank. This is not good, as the new tank can’t break trail for the folks following him and vice versa. I see a lot of walking out front
gary
honestly, your rarely shooting at more than 1200 yards, and often in the 300 yard area
gary
Back in the day the real issue with the round was the propellant pack. In the desert it would be just fine, but it didn’t like humidity. The missile was expensive, and not nearly as good as Ford claimed it was. Perhaps a new design from the ground up? I have no idea what kind of rand the Sheridan gun launcher claimed, but I’m sure they could improve upon it by now.
gary
looks like the tank is a go. They just cut contracts for 500+ initial units over a three year period (really 30 months). Being as the unit is an Allison design unlike the X1100’s; they’ll also do the spare parts and the GAO won’t be in there to turn everything to mud.
More interesting things came forth with the contracts. The gear box is an internal braking type with an internal lock up in it! (this is key). This means that it can also be used in a SPG with no mods done to it. This wouldn’t have happened if they were not thinking of a new SPG series down the road.
gary
I bet it will weigh close to 50 tons when they start adding all the dodads to it.
Only the last two are light tanks.
The Woodland camouflage one is the FMBT and I don’t know what happened to that one. Some think it was just plywood and a mockup as nothing on it is really functional.
The top one looks like a fire support gun…turretless and exposed.
It’s interesting how the US Army went from wanting to put the crew into the hull and then actually putting them back into the turret.
The BAE M8 AGS has been revamped from the second from the bottom photo.
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