Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Crazy Idea Time.

Ok, this is my crazy idea.  But has anyone thought or considered taking the gun system from the Stryker Mobile Gun and fitting it to the hull of the M1 Abrams?  That should (at least theoretically) shave about 30 tons from the weight of the vehicle and since horsepower would remain the same, it should literally turn into a hot rod.  If a further modification is done and its engine is switched out to an MTU turbo diesel then fuel savings might be found while we're at it.  Just tossing it out there.

Thanks to Military Today.com my vision of the future in a slightly different form is illustrated with the Chieftan Falcon Turret.  BAE has teamed with KADBB so its technology that we could acquire rather easily. 

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7 comments :

  1. MarcaseTuesday, June 08, 2010 12:53:00 PM

    It would exchange a 105mm Stryker cannon for the 120mm Abrams one.
    The main reason the Stryker has a 105mm was that those are old M-60 guns; the Stryker MGS was considered a 'cheap' system because of those second-hand tubes. That plan fizzled as the RWS got over-budget, over weight and had some nasty technical gripes.

    Having said that, re-fitting the Abrams with a remote 120mm could indeed cut some weigth, especially if an autoloader would be fitted.

    But the US Cavalry loves their loaders, simply because it is an extra pair of eyes, an extra (machine) gunner and an extra dismount. Which is a good thing.

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  2. MarcaseTuesday, June 08, 2010 2:08:00 PM

    That Falcon turret is nice - better protection to the still somewhat vulnerable Stryker-type set-up.
    And the Australians already have diesels in their Abrams.
    If, for COIN operations, that Falcon could also accomodate a 40mm GMG and if at all possible a 60mm mortar, it would be a real winner.

    Not so crazy Solomon!

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  3. SolomonTuesday, June 08, 2010 2:12:00 PM

    What I like is that BAE has teamed up with these guys. That means that if the US Army or Marine Corps funds a demonstrator that it could happen quickly.

    I think that would be a bigger and more positive change than the GCV...if we could do this then we could simply upgrade the Bradley with add on armor and get it up to 40 maybe 45 tons....

    Money saved all around.

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  4. elgatosoTuesday, June 08, 2010 2:18:00 PM

    you should like this!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNv04HC6VSc&feature=player_embedded

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  5. Aussie DiggerTuesday, June 08, 2010 9:36:00 PM

    Australian M1A1 AIM tanks run on diesel fuel, that is correct, but they still run the exact same Lycoming Gas Turbine engine that is in EVERY Abrams tank. It's just that it is tuned to run on diesel, rather than JP8 as the Americano's do...

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  6. MarcaseWednesday, June 09, 2010 1:16:00 AM

    Hey, thanks Aussie Digger. Thought you guys had new engines installed.

    I wonder what the mileage is when running on diesel, compared to JP8.

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  7. AnonymousWednesday, June 09, 2010 8:32:00 AM

    Actually it is a great idea!

    ReplyDelete

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