Super Hover Tank

Sorry about that, all I meant was I don't see the point in posting things that could be used that aren't invented yet. Nothing meant by it.

Sorry about that, all I meant was I don't see the point in posting things that could be used that aren't invented yet. Nothing meant by it.

Ok, sorry about the hostilities, I thought you were trying to tell me what to do, and as you saw thats not something that I put up with, I suppose your right if it was something that was supposed to be built within the next year, but as I said he could have put in since its a concept drawing, and of all the future like tech, Anti-Gravity generators will most likely be one of the first made.

[edit on 2/26/2005 by iori_komei]

Modular is better. Design several small units which do one thing and do it well, and you can deploy and employ them far better, probably with greater combat survivability.

I put some thought into hovercraft a while back after reading about some of the problems a war in Korea could pose for an armored force, and here was what I came up with. Keep in mind that I'm trying to keep these vehicles as far under 20 tons as possible and that speed and surprise, not brute force, will be their strongpoint.

I'd want several configurations of a small light hover-capable platform. It's core traits, which I am setting just a bit better than the M-2 Bradley in all respects, would be:
Dimensions: < Length: 20 feet Width: 11 feet Height: 9 feet
Weight: < 20 Tons
Speed: >45 mph
Range: >300 miles
Extras: visual, targeting, and data sharing abilities comparable to M1A2, NBC protection, automated weapons control capability, allowing an insufficiently crewed or even abandoned vehicle to be put in "sentinel" mode.

Configurations:
Infantry Carrier: Features a rear compartment capable of carrying 7 and a top-mounted machinegun (7.62, .50cal, or 40mm grenade)under remote control. No turret.
Cavalry Vehicle: Low-profile turret armed with Bushmaster-II 30mm chaingun, TOW missiles.
Mortar Platform: armed with 3 automated 81 mm mortars, allowing the unit to carry a high volume of indirect fire with it.
Air Defense Platform: Equipped with Stinger Missiles and automatically-controlled anti-aircraft cannons.

Vehiles like these would come in handy, but they goal is not to slug it out with strong enemy units so excessive armor or tank cannons would only get in the way. The goal of a craft like this is that it can go anywhere and "hit them where they aren't".
The enemy can't be everywhere. They have to guard the best river crossings and roadways, and if you take a less accessible route that slows you down enough for them to react. But with vehicles like these, they can't react fast enough- you run right past the enemies front lines.
All these vehicles really need is some basic self defense capabilities and the weapons to tear up supply units or unsupported infantry when it catches them with their pants down.

Uh, did you figure in the effects of Newton's 3rd law? For ever action there is an oppisite and equal reaction! Unless you have a way to counter this effect, your tank is going to go flying the first time you try to shoot the gun. Hover Crafts aren't helded in place by friction, you could literaly put a large one around with one hand while it's hovering!

Just a helpful tip!

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

Good point ghost... I guess I didn't mention that because I was really hoping everybody had just figured it out for themselves.

That's one of several reasons that I think the 30mm chaingun is about the best firepower you'd want on a hovercraft (besides, even the less advanced 25mm will punch holes in most soviet armor at close range. Anything T-72 or older can pretty much count on getting beat up at close range against a fast chain-gun armed vehicle which enjoys speedy and accurate firing. They make 30mm sabot rounds specifically for the job.


Hypothetically though, if you really didn't give a crap how much fuel the vehicle used, you could have a grotesquely powerful engine and counter the recoil with thrust. You'd have to be careful with the design to ensure that the tank could fire to the sides without going over though.

There is really no point in putting such a large gun on a hovercraft though. The whole point of building a fast highly mobile vehicle is to get to vital targets and hit them WITHOUT having to plant your feet and slug it out with heavy forces. Hovercraft aren't for decisive engagement.

And the more fuel you need to stay stable after the shot, the heavier [and bigger] the hovercraft will get. So it's best to have a 30mm chaingun on it, and a dozen or so [depending on size] soldiers on the hovercraft ready for action as soon as it's time to get off.
With a dozen soldiers and a chaingun, you can put a lot of firepower into one place and destroy any kind of force.

But your right, if you can afford to put such a big gun onto a hovercraft it will be useful, but will cost a lot to refuel every few hours.

Originally posted by Nexus
And the more fuel you need to stay stable after the shot, the heavier [and bigger] the hovercraft will get. So it's best to have a 30mm chaingun on it, and a dozen or so [depending on size] soldiers on the hovercraft ready for action as soon as it's time to get off.
With a dozen soldiers and a chaingun, you can put a lot of firepower into one place and destroy any kind of force.

But your right, if you can afford to put such a big gun onto a hovercraft it will be useful, but will cost a lot to refuel every few hours.

If I wanted heavy firepower on one of these things I'd say MLRS or a howitzer, and give it outriggers to stabilize when it fires. Indirect fire doesn't have to shoot on the move like a tank.

Outriggers will add to the weight, and would slow it down, because it'd have to stop and stabilize after everyshot. What if your chasing an enemy in a city/urban enviroment? You'd be vunerable if you kept stopping, because you can't watch every surrounding building!

Originally posted by Nexus
Outriggers will add to the weight, and would slow it down, because it'd have to stop and stabilize after everyshot. What if your chasing an enemy in a city/urban enviroment? You'd be vunerable if you kept stopping, because you can't watch every surrounding building!

Howitzer my friend, an artillery piece used for indirect fire missions with a range of several miles. It basically works like this, you have your nifty light and fast unit full of hovering vehicles and you want to send them through hostile and thus unguarded terrain so that they can make strikes against enemy vulnerabilities, but the target is going to be too hard for your hovercraft, which because they ahve to be light weight are not designed to duke it out with heavier equipment. Enter your howitzers. From a relatively safe distance they can lay heavy fire to support the work of the lighter, faster, direct fire platforms.

I'm not the one who is arguing for huge monsterous craft. You seem to have me confused with somebody else.

Yes, I'm confusing you with someone else. I know how howitzers work! They do it anyway now:
Blow up barracks, bunkers, gun emplacements, then send in the tanks [in our case, hovercrafts].

Hovercraft should have a few 30mm chainguns, and a dozen soldiers + 1 driver with Minimis [used by the SAS]. It would be more than enough firepower to take out anything in your league that got in the way. And if you need cover, call in helicopters or artilery fire.
Then when you get to location, get off the hovercraft, and get into action.

Only downside is your open to enemy snipers and grenades, camoflaged tanks would also be a problem [survived bombardment] so you'd need quick access to heavy weapons.

About Newtons third law..... Ok so you just launch missles UP and would only push DOWN and would not affect you front to back or side to side. Also what is going to power the massive energy this vehicle will need? Nuclear? there were tests for aircraft back in the day to put nuclear reactors in them.

Actually, I think we've moved on from super big tanks, to super small effective tanks. What will power them, air. As long as you don't overcome weight problems you should be fine, as long as you have a good driver.