Renegade334

Huh. Actually learned of him through his comedic short vids on YouTube; didn't know he also did technical commentary on military hardware. Thanks for the ref.

Yup. A number I've seen floating about for the Patriot (err on the side of caution and take this with a grain of salt) is about eight simultaneous engagements for a standard battery - one missile for every quad launcher. Other sources say nine, while the more conservative figures go as low as five. A Patriot battery can be made to work with up to sixteen launchers, but I don't know how common this situation is...or whether the AN/MPQ-65A or the new LTAMDS radar can support a 16-target workload...and whether you really want to do that in the first place. Multiple networked Patriot batteries, on the other hand, could boost the engagement number considerably.

The AN/AWG-9 on the Tomcat from the 1970s-1980s could track 24 airborne targets and engage 6 of them simultaneously. I don't see why the Patriot's AN/MPQ-53 shouldn't be more capable than that, given its larger form factor and heftier processing power. The AN/MPQ-65 for PAC-2 GEM (which I believe is what the Ukrainians are using...?) and onwards should be even better.

It looks like in belongs in a RTS/RTT video game from the 2010s.

An interesting chronological line / family tree for certain US research programs, testbeds and prototypes, 1980-2000: Of particular interest: an obscure entry called the Manned Weapon Station Study (1985-1988), which seemed to have a modified turret (visible change of geometry in the turret cheeks and sides) with a RWS situated uncharacteristically far towards the back, where the bustle rack's blow-off panels should be. And then there is the M1A3 Low Profile Turret (1999). Source unknown, I'm afraid.

For the Abrams, don't they simply remove the rubber pads on every x number of shoes to have their steel underside act as a cleat?

Could be the Rh130, since we're seeing more and more signs the M256 will be superseded by a different gun (XM360 or other; 120mm or larger) in future MBT types. I don't think it's the Rheinmetall L52 howitzer gun that was recently seen at AUSA2023, fitted to a BAE M109A7, because Yuma Proving Ground would have been the choice contractor for such field testing. @Manic Moran might disagree with me, though, since he's better acquainted with these entities and the acquisition/testing processes, and I'm just making quick assumptions.

MLC115 Normal and MLC124 Caution, to be very specific.

A lot of those programs like Block III Abrams and 140mm guns got the axe thanks to the end of the Cold War, the arrival of new political priorities and the Gulf War causing most of NATO to think: "yeah, that equipment we got right now? Good enough." And then the clock started ticking again, the bigger picture shifted anew. And another arms race was born. Transverse AGT 1500 or AGT 2023: Honeywell Enhances AGT1500 Engine Powerpack Configuration for the Abrams Tank (vidyard.com)

AGT 1500 still wants a shot at the M1E3, with a 90° twist...literally.

Jeez, now getting ads about this beheaded babies affair on YouTube. They didn't wait long, did they? Reminds me I should reinstall uBlock on that browser.

It could still be a three-man capsule, but that overhanging mantlet would prevent both crew egress and the opening of a third hatch.

Probably had his selfie camera set to mirrored mode. Not that it matters in the end, we still got the pic.

^--- Don't take this too seriously, BTW. It's probably one of the many exploratory concepts studied or doodled about at Fort Moore. Besides, it's still carrying a M256 - if USAR is really serious about weight reduction, it'll go for a XM360, which is almost a full ton lighter. In other news, Cummins ACE is no longer a direct shoe-in for M1E3:

@alanch90 The RCV-H may one day overlap and maybe even get fused with M1E3, but the other members of the RCV family are still under development and are wholly separate from M1E3. Previously the RCV-H was exploring a robotic light tank concept called ACT3205, but it seems they're now going for a full-fledged unmmaned/optionally manned MBT. The RCV-Light prototype construction was recently awarded to QinetiQ, and there are two possible candidates for RCV-Medium, namely the Textron Ripsaw M5 and the GDLS TRX (the latest variant thereof, the TRX-SHORAD, will even be displayed at AUSA this year). Robotic M113 surrogates were used to simulate RCV-H units in field tests with other members of the RCV ecosystem.