Gun Porn!

Well you have to look at the potential opponents the Abrams faces on the modern battlefield.

"True" Soviet T-72s are increasingly seen on the export market (as Russia tries to move to the T-90) and thus the monkey models are diminishing over time.

You need to consider, the T-90 is what's being scaled up against. Sure the Abrams is strong enough defensively to stand up to one or more T-90s, but that don't mean jack if it can't kill one. T-90 ERA is pretty tough stuff anymore. KE Ps are about the only solution short of top-attack missiles or large air-dropped bombs.

Also, did you hear about the T-72s dumped in a forest somewhere in Russia? Fully operational if you know how to start them up, nobody guards them, they were abandoned. What the hell?

Tropers, we need to plan a field trip to go get us some tanks.

Tropes with Tanks...I like it.

Ok here is what it is. They were T-55's not T-72's. (Pain in the ass to dig up) no night vision, inexperienced crew. The tanks stopped near a hill the humvee's were hunkered down on. The Crew of the Humvees had NVG's. One of the tanks was not buttoned down. The other was buttoned up but the hatches didn't hold. The first one died pretty quick with the hatch open. the other started moving but foundered in sand and was then pretty much blasted to hell and back. It took 200 grenades total to breach the tanks upper armor.

If the crew had been experienced Russian crew that would have ended differently. In short they got lucky.

Another thing to keep in the mind the Abrahms Tanks have also received several upgrades. Improved armor kits and upgrades to various systems. They have even added an upgrade to protect the engine better.

The T-72's that are better on the market are later generation or ones with the upgrade kits applied prior to being sold. The Russians are working on the T-95, its supposedly a impressive beast.

Not that tanks matter as much these days. Open ground warfare is asking to die. Tanks are slowly heading the way of the dinosaur.

edited 28th Feb '10 4:03:30 PM by TuefelHundenIV

I want a tank! It will help with various plans I have.

And I want a Javelin missile to stop your nefarious plans!

What? Why? They're so deliciously evil. Plus I want to test some of those little micro missiles that shoot down incoming weapons.

You mean like Quick Kill?

Active Protection Systems are showing a hell of a lot of promise from American, Israeli and Russian projects. In both soft kill and hard kill variety.

Those systems are so neat. I am still waiting for the infantry portable automatic counter sniper system.

edited 28th Feb '10 9:29:36 PM by TuefelHundenIV

Wait what? Oh, I see. I think you'd need powered armor before a man portable version could be used cost effectively and without a severe weight penalty. I'll always think of them as either AMS or point defense.

They already have something for sniper location in two flavors. Man portable and a Humvee mount.

But DARPA wants it to do much more. They want it to locate a sniper before a shot is fired using some odd science about light and other things pass through the scope and being different etc etc etc.

The idea was to have it paired with a drone, counter sniper unit, micro-missile, or any other system so it can engage a sniper.

That doesn't sound very likely, to be honest. Sounds like the kind of pattern-matching problem that computers really suck at.

The current systems use a of acoustic ballistic sensor of some sort. There are plenty of flaws, namely t hey have to shoot and almost hit you or hit you.

DARPA takes stuff from the pages of Sci-Fi finds some mad scientists and says here make this. My current DARPA favorite is the Z-Man Project, which is an attempt to make a substance that allows you to climb like a gecko. Also their Exo-Frame and Power Armor projects are starting to get some momentum.

edited for clarification and correctness.

edited 2nd Mar '10 11:53:13 PM by TuefelHundenIV

Well, sure. The difference is that I'm not a materials scientist and I have a decent idea of what, in theory, it'd take to allow a man to climb like a gecko. I am a computer scientist and I have no idea how to detect snipers before they shoot at you, not without image-processing software that's at least ten years beyond our abilities and may need to be sentient.

Yeah its one of those pipe dream things that dabbles very very heavily on theories that are the definition of bleeding edge. But that is DARPA, they tend to plan in Decades.

Couldn't Find the original articles on the counter/Anti Sniper systems but these ones work better any ways. The second one has a larger variety of systems on it's list.

Counter-Sniper System Article 1

Counter-Sniper System Article

Just for Fun

Assorted DARPA Projects

DARPA Website There is a way to get into the projects list but I am being lazy.

Prepare for BeamSpam

edited 2nd Mar '10 11:59:47 PM by TuefelHundenIV

Their exoskeletons are coming along rather nicely, in the next few years I can definitely see them seeing military use for assistance in cargo loading and unloading.

Combat though? Way too expensive and fragile at this stage.

But Tuefel is right about them thinking about the long term. If the world gets Powered Armor, the US military is getting it first.

I hope I'm still in when that happens, that would be fucking awesome.

The type theorized right now is more of a load bearing exoskeleton for infantry troopers, so we could comfortably carry like 300 pounds of gear. If you dig around the future warrior program there's a bunch of concept figures they made wearing it. It's like a framework around your legs and arms that moves with you.

For one thing, the history of infantry has always been a battle between the stuff the army would like them to carry and what's practical to carry in the field. Make 'em carry too much and your troops are worn out and injured from stress injuries; too little, and they run out of ammo or don't have the tools they need.

Yeah, which is why that's sort of the next step in exoskeletons. Big bipedal armored mini-mecha aren't even close to practical yet, especially for urban warfare, which is pretty much what infantry are good for. At our current level of tech and for the forseeable future, power sources are a problem, and a biped can't maneuver on rough terrain terribly well. Plus these suits couldn't do much against armor, a tank could whoop an exoskeletons ass, as could any sort of anti-tank weapon and a grenade going off close enough.

A load-bearing device, however, would be awesome. Being able to carry 300 pounds of gear comfortably opens tons of new possibilities for body armor and ammunition, as well as all the gadgets and gizmos they are coming up with for American troops these days.

We need some Planetside-esque MAX units.. Terran Republic Dual Cycler MAX here I come!

edited 3rd Mar '10 1:12:08 AM by Barkey

Prepare for Beam Spam

When is there going to be a man portable version of the M-THEL?

It would be cool enough on aircraft since it would literally make backup guns like the M61 Vulcan obsolete. It may also make long distance air to air missiles obsolete as well.

Which would pull a World War 2 in regards to air to air combat with respect to what it did for infantry fighting.

In English, infantry engagement ranges had been increasing for over a century by the time World War 2 came about. It wasn't uncommon or impossible to have a 600-1800 meter range engagement from 1870 to 1920. But in WW 2 the submachinegun, abundance of automatic weaponry and the change to more modern tactics like blitzkrieg drastically shortened the ranges infantry fought each other at.

The same would likely happen to aircraft with that laser. For the last 60 years missiles have been made further and further ranged (though I don't see long-ranged missiles like the Phoenix being re-adapted to things like the F-22 anytime soon). Yet with a laser, those missiles could be easily intercepted.

And even used to pretty much lash apart other planes.

But this does beg the question, does this mean reflective mirrored armor will be needed for all planes?

I'm personally not too excited about a man-portable small arms type laser. Just not my thing, I'll stick with ballistic weapons.

... Unless it's a Cadia-Pattern Hellgun. Then I'm in.

The reflective mirror armor would kill any stealth abilities, you'd probably be better off not being detected. Although some sort of ablative armor around the important bits but under the stealth skin wouldn't be too bad.

After following the link, I find it hilarious that the first pic of a "Star Wars laser" is an ion cannon.

edited 3rd Mar '10 10:38:33 AM by Deboss

Damn, I Thought It Meant porn with guns.

(is disappointed)

edited 3rd Mar '10 4:41:08 PM by SirPsychoSexy

Such exists, Sir Psycho Sexy. It's pretty easy to find posing-with-firearms or writhing-with-firearms soft porn, but I believe the more hardcore type does exist as well.