My thoughts have led me down the path of an AI or remotely piloted vehicle that operates between 0 and (let's say) 20 feet above the ground - a nap-of-the-earth UAV, if you like. I'm more interested in a tank-killer than an MBT, just because .... well, just because I am. (and looks like everyone else is going down the path of battlefield supremacy with BFG - I want to be different).DOMENECH1776 wrote:I've been hoping for you to expand on this. Share!onezero wrote:Oh, I just had a Very Bad Idea.....
Like Masao, I tend to think not being tied to the ground by tracks/wheels kinda obviates the need for a turret (and all the things that come with that - higher silhouette, power requirements, more machinery to potentially be damaged or worn out, etc.). Not having humans onboard obviates the need for life support - including armor, to an extent.
If I'm not going to have a BFG .... what will the main battery be? I'm going with missiles - palletized and hung on racks, say one to a side. While I'm at it, they may as well be "smart", as in self-guiding once launched. TOW wire and "hover" seems to me to be a bad combination. So does hanging around in one spot while the missile flies to the target.
If the thing is small enough you can hide the vehicle hull down in all sorts of places, even tuck it inside structures. But you'll need some sort of sensors for surveillance and target acquisition. Seems to me putting these on a mast - like on the apache or kiowa helos - is the way to go. Make it telescoping, so you can vary the height to fit the cover.
I'll probably add some sort of anti-personnel defense - something to keep pesky infantry or partisans from getting too close. But that's the gist of my idea.
Since I've been doing a lot of MaK of late, I've decided to design something with that aesthetic. That led me in the direction of ping-pong ball countergrav units (vice fans), which in turn drives the layout of the vehicle. I'm going with one C/BT ball, something like the Neuspotter and it's offshoots.
Before anyone throws the
let me just say that I have no drawings - I'm doing this the John Douglass(R) way: playing around with parts and seeing where it takes me.
I will say that the end result is most likely 1/20 scale. I have the hull mostly done, so once I get a good coat of primer down I will post pix.
