Tanks for the future

[dieseltaylor]

And note the armoured horse suggestion at the bottom of the article!

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-depth/the-big-story/the-future-of-military-tanks/1001769.article

Sample

Transparent armour has particularly exciting possibilities, and transparent ceramics are already showing great promise in this area. Transparent alumina – made by subjecting sub-micron-sized grains of aluminium oxide (Al2O3), the same compound that comprises sapphire and ruby, to high temperature and pressure – was developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Sintered Materials in 2003, and is lighter and stronger than steel. Other transparent ceramic armour candidates include aluminium oxynitride spinel, which is being developed by Raytheon; the company has succeeded in making a window from the material measuring 11in2.

For a tank designer, transparent ceramics would represent a major change. Previous types of armoured glass have not been strong enough to use as windows in a fully-armoured vehicle. Crews can use remote cameras to provide a view of the outside world, which keeps them safe, but at a penalty: it reduces spatial awareness, dislocating the crew from their natural feel of their position within the environment. ’Having armoured materials that you can see through gives you a big advantage here,’ Awad said.

[Elmar Bijlsma]

Hmmm, don't think much of this, really. These days optics are quite good and have all kinds of capabilities that the Mk I eyeball doesn't. And unless you have large surfaces of this see through armour, your spatial awareness really isn't going to get that much of a boost.

[hcrof]

I am also less than exited about transparent armour tbh. Composite armour is probably stronger and when are we going to develop transparent spall liners and radiation shielding? Also, how do you camouflage your big windows?

I can see it being useful in some specialised locations (protecting existing style sights etc) or on light vehicles like the HMMWV or Tigr but not on tanks or IFV's.

Similarly, crazy ideas such as walkers (can't sustain a rapid advance) and hovertanks (honestly!?) are unlikely to be seen in the future IMO. If the MBT is to continue into the future it will remain fundamentally the same. It is a mature technology, nothing revolutionary is going to happen.

Sealed nuclear reactors? Railguns? Now that sounds more interesting! (but you still wont get the fabled "30tonne tank"

[Stalins Organ]

Military applications are noted in the wiki article, of course....

[JonS]

Jeez, you guys have NO imagination

[Stalins Organ]

Sorry Jon - that's on wiki too......