New Type98/99 MBT thread

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
He was commenting vs US issue. Since 2009 and the IOTV US issue uses soft armor inserts with the hard plates. Also newer systems like the Jumpable Plate carrier now being phased in for Airborne and concealed models use stand alone plates.
Dummy plates and weighted packs is basically the same idea. It simulates the weight and in the case of dummy plates it also simulates the shape of the plate and weight distribution across the wearers body.
That all said after thinking about it, being a armored crew it might just be a Kevlar vest they are wearing.
 

HeQin

New Member
Registered Member
If I were the crew I don't want to wear extra plate, as the extra weight just at to the stress of moving around within limited space. However, if I were infantry, I definitely would like to have extra plates.
what is the component of hard plate? steel?
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Plate materials vary from country and manufacturer, Steel, Titanium and Aluminum alloys have all been used but there weight makes them uncomfortable and they will only stop some types of rifle rounds. Most modern types use a ceramic metallic composite like Silicon Carbide or more often Boron Carbide. There has also been work with advanced polymers. The plates are then backed by a soft armor like Kevlar or more modern Spectra which is 40% stronger than Kevlar.
 

delft

Brigadier
Tracks get thrown, engines breakdown these are facts of life for armor crews you can try and prevent it from happening in the field but its going to happen. And as yet it still demands more then two hands and one brain to fix them even the most easily repaired tanks need more then one man
I remember reading nearly half a century ago a book by a British author about tank warfare in which he cited from a Soviet handbook that said that "[something] must be as reliable as your engine", about which he then remarked that to a Western tanker that sounded really odd but that Soviet tank engines were very reliable. I haven't followed tank technology since but has some among us a notion about the relative reliability of tank engines of different manufacturers/countries?
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Tanks are Machines like any other and there care and maintenance is needed like any other. Occasionally they will all break. Modern tracks and Power packs have a pretty long life if maintained and are designed to last years or thousands of miles and operating hours between major overhauls. that all said as we say in the States.... It happens.
pads wear our, pins work loose and more.
Since the Second world war western tanks have followed a easy access system where Engines or Power packs are modules that can be swapped and removed and refurbished.
T55 tanks sold to many a 3rd world nation decades ago are still chugging along as are M48 and M60 Patton Tanks made in the 60s and 70s. That is a high degree of reliability when compared to the average car which barely lasts a decade. the key to that longevity though is care and maintenance. If it's left to rot it will rot but if you keep it in shape it will last. .
 
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