Whose batteries?
Power Armor?
- Thread starter solarz
- Start date
broadsword
Brigadier
Saft probably. Old name in the military circle.
The French integration of exoskeletons and bulletproof vests is just an example. No country currently has batteries that can support soldiers for long-term operations. This type of equipment is essentially intended for urban SWAT teams
I think exo suit should prioritize high mobility and firepower over super heavy armor unless material science has advance to a point where heavy armor wont impede movement. For an infantry being able to move fast probably will fare much better than taking shot.
We might have our first capable battery from the images of the PLA using powered exos in the fields.
I think the most realistic use of power armor in the short term (20-30 years) would be simply to give troops the ability to carry heavy weapons like LMGs, rockets, explosives, ammo, and or any other heavy tech in large quantities and for long distances without tiring out the soldiers. Being able to carry a couple more rockets or hundreds of extra ammo would be extremely beneficial for certain troops.
As for armor & protection, police and SWAT would definitely make use of this. They have the money and infrastructure to support it.
Ability to carry heavy weapon/gear over difficult terrain.
We haven't seen too many of them operate in difficult terrain, mostly urban/flat. Exo suits will have limited utility in heavily bombed out urban environment where there will be no easily accessible doorways/stairs all the time, can't imagine getting up/down a destroyed stairwell in any sort of powered armor.
IMO it probably still boils down to cost. Equipping a soldier is already expensive, giving them powered armor would balloon costs to unacceptable levels.
plawolf
Lieutenant General
Room clearing in urban combat is actually one of the most justifiable use cases for power armour in the medium term. Since that environment allows you to maximise the benefits of power armour (heavy, all round ballistics and fragmentation protection as well as raw strength) while minimising the downsides (endurance, questionable mobility over open unstable terrain, and susceptible to shape charge warheads).
Room clearing is one of the hardest, most difficult and costly elements of urban combat. Especially if there are civilians trapped in buildings with bad guys so you can’t just use heavy weapons to erase the room/building from afar.
Having power armoured, heavily reinforced armoured troopers be the spearheads for room clearing will save a lot of lives, since no one is going to be holding a room with an RPG.
Since you are doing room clearing, you control the initiative so can dictate the pace of combat operations, so can take regular breaks to change batteries. Since you are focusing on urban combat, you won’t be weight limited anywhere as much as if you want to design the armour with cross country capabilities in wet, muddy fields.
You don’t need to equip every soldier with such a heavy armour suit, just a couple point men from each squad would boost the overall urban combat capability of the whole squad massively.
The raw brute strength of power armour could also give troopers additional tools and options they would not normally have. Such as kicking down heavy, reinforced doors, clearing debris and even smashing through thinner walls all add tactical options to your team to potentially clear rooms quicker and safer.
Room clearing is one of the hardest, most difficult and costly elements of urban combat. Especially if there are civilians trapped in buildings with bad guys so you can’t just use heavy weapons to erase the room/building from afar.
Having power armoured, heavily reinforced armoured troopers be the spearheads for room clearing will save a lot of lives, since no one is going to be holding a room with an RPG.
Since you are doing room clearing, you control the initiative so can dictate the pace of combat operations, so can take regular breaks to change batteries. Since you are focusing on urban combat, you won’t be weight limited anywhere as much as if you want to design the armour with cross country capabilities in wet, muddy fields.
You don’t need to equip every soldier with such a heavy armour suit, just a couple point men from each squad would boost the overall urban combat capability of the whole squad massively.
The raw brute strength of power armour could also give troopers additional tools and options they would not normally have. Such as kicking down heavy, reinforced doors, clearing debris and even smashing through thinner walls all add tactical options to your team to potentially clear rooms quicker and safer.