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Re: Those crazy Russian bastards have gone and don
By:Grizzlei
Date: 5/7/15 4:21 am

: So, I was arguing with Grizzlei a while back about the Scorpion's design.
: There's a common criticism that two crewmen are woefully inadequate to man
: a tank. Grizzlei made a good point when she said that the separate roles
: of driver, gunner, and commander are absolutely integral to the operation
: of a tank in a warzone, and you can't force those roles onto fewer tankers
: without overworking them. I said that automation would let the tank itself
: take care of most of the duties, and maybe the crew could be reduced to
: just a commander and a gunner.

: Well, the Russians are going to give it a try. At their annual Giant Missile
: Parade this Saturday, they're going to unveil the Armata-14 tank, their
: first new MBT since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most news outlets
: like CNN are reporting that the Armata-14 will have a two-man crew, with
: just a driver and a gunner. Most outlets are going with this number, which
: indicates that the Russians spend a lot of time bragging about it.

: Others (Like the BBC) report that two men can operate the Armata, but the
: actual crew size will be three. Which sounds a little more plausible, and
: it wouldn't be the first time that the Russians have oversold their
: hardware.

Russian use of three-person crews dates back to their main battle tanks of the mid-Cold War with the Soviet T-72. Three person crews including a commander, driver, and gunner were assisted by an automated loading mechanism for the tank's gun. T-14 looks to be the exact same.

The implementation of either three crew with an auto loader or a four-person crew including a human loader is pretty dead split down the middle of armored forces throughout the world. Western militaries and those of their global allies tend to prefer a four person crew while the nations of the former Soviet Union and the Communist Bloc, and the People's Republic of China use auto loaders.

You could go back and forth about the advantages and disadvantages about both. It's really all about the sort of tank you want and can afford, and the added responsibilities you want to put on their crew. The latter point is a guarantee for both camps.

Personally, I'd go with a human loader. The Middle East has been a proving ground between Eastern and Western doctrines for the past century, and it's usually the West that comes out on top. Centurions, Challengers, and Abrams all showed great flaws in Soviet and derivative designs and in the way they were used. Essentially they were always outnumbered but were rarely ever outclassed.

: Given another 500 years of tech development, though, and maybe automating it
: down to two crewmen won't be such a bad idea after all. If a tank breaks
: down, a Pelican can return it to the depot faster than a full-sized crew
: can repair it, if they could repair it. And in the kind of war the UNSC is
: fighting, maybe main battle tanks are considered to be disposable?

Scorpion is really nothing more than some titanium plating with a gun to poke people with and an engine to move it forward. I've never really saw it as all that effective in the main battle tank role. They're far too cumbersome for close engagements, too slow in fast maneuvers, and too big to transport from ship-to-shore. I see the Scorpion as more of a direct contender to the Wraith than anything. They packed a good gun aboard a heavy platform to take on an equally flawed design. So yeah, in this case I would call Scorpion very disposable.

I couldn't say the same of an actual main battle tank between 60-75% of Scorpion's size and mass, armed with the same 90mm gun, a coaxial machine gun, and remote weapons stations for the commander and/or loader. Something with some good maneuverability to really get around Covenant advances with speed and power, not lumbering around like some old person out on a leisurely drive.


Messages In This Thread

Those crazy Russian bastards have gone and done itQuirel5/7/15 1:12 am
     Re: Those crazy Russian bastards have gone and donGrizzlei5/7/15 4:21 am
           I thought this was about Halo Online :( *NM*gamerguy20025/7/15 11:13 am
                 Oh no you don't!Grizzlei5/7/15 2:57 pm
                       ^ThisQuirel5/9/15 4:23 am
                             Re: ^ThisGrizzlei5/9/15 1:38 pm
                                   So... gun talk.Quirel5/11/15 12:43 pm
           Re: Those crazy Russian bastards have gone and donQuirel5/9/15 4:15 am
                 Re: Those crazy Russian bastards have gone and donGrizzlei5/9/15 2:42 pm
                       Re: Those crazy Russian bastards have gone and donQuirel5/9/15 5:29 pm
                             Re: Those crazy Russian bastards have gone and donZackDark5/9/15 10:07 pm

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