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Post by Kubo Caskett on May 12, 2016 4:35:39 GMT
It just occurred to me after reading about how tanks made trenches in warfare mostly obsolete and how trenches made cavalry horses mostly obsolete. If the Tank trumped those methods of warfare, then what would trump the usage of the tank in a future war (or an ALT war pre-2016)?
My only theory is that a vehicle that has the power of a tank but not necessarily conventional looking as a tank would make the tank less common than it is today; something like the Metal Slug tank from the titular series (though that series is hugely ASB might I add) or more likely IOTL the DARPA Ground X-Vehicle thingamabob:
But IDK that's just my thoughts on the potential end to the usage of tanks in most combat situations, what are your thoughts? |
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Post by MinnesotaNationalist on May 12, 2016 5:57:01 GMT
Planes and drones, in many cases, have replaced tanks. Even at the end of WWII one could see the decline of tanks to the Plane. Whoever controls the skies controls the wars. Ground troops are still needed to actually patrol occupied territories and fight the conventional battle, but air fleets make up arguably the most important part of any modern military.
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Post by rescribor on May 12, 2016 6:10:01 GMT
I see it as another round of sword versus shield. The new thing is that, from WWII on, shield was not only armour, speed and low silhouette but mainly combined arms - tanks working close with infantry. Nowadays air is necessary in that combined arms (at least no enemy air advantage).
All the rage now is "swarm" - smaller unmanned units cooperating semi - autonomously with manned bigger one, on land, air and sea. Maybe that will be the future of combined arms.
So I do not think tanks/APC's/other manned combat vehicles will vanish soon.
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Post by whiteshore on May 19, 2016 7:32:40 GMT
Tanks would IMHO become obsolete when giant robots/mecha become feasible AND practical.
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Post by Kubo Caskett on May 19, 2016 20:01:24 GMT
Tanks would IMHO become obsolete when giant robots/mecha become feasible AND practical. That would be an interesting premise, the only two franchise I know of that had mecha becoming the more prominent weapons of war are Full Metal Panic and Front Mission. |
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Post by guyverman1990 on May 28, 2016 3:35:23 GMT
They could make the successors to tanks be levitating vehicles.
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Post by Oceano on Oct 17, 2016 7:48:32 GMT
Tanks are great for the big scrap in Europe everyone was waiting for until 1991. Nothing even today can match the sheer power of a properly-supported armored spearhead.
Tanks are great in open ground with no air threat, but they suck in urban warfare.
I think tanks won't go away any time soon, they will just become a more situational weapon.
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Post by warsie on Oct 27, 2016 4:35:10 GMT
Tanks would IMHO become obsolete when giant robots/mecha become feasible AND practical. That would be an interesting premise, the only two franchise I know of that had mecha becoming the more prominent weapons of war are Full Metal Panic and Front Mission. Starship Troopers, the novel and the rebuttal, The Forever War... |
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Post by Tyranna on Mar 20, 2018 5:37:46 GMT
...Maybe there is a case for far bigger tanks (a-la WW2 WIs) to protect occupants and weapons from IED's? Something about 40ft high with a wheelbase 20ft off the ground and weighing something in the region of 200 tonnes, with a helipad on top and wheels as big as the biggest Monster Truck wheels but with metal springs instead of tyres, like some designs of Mars rovers have? Such an enormous vehicle might not be able to go down the narrowest streets, but it sure would strike terror into any remaining Taliban, and also could be used as a mobile base for a decent sized platoon?
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Post by Don Quijote on Mar 21, 2018 0:54:42 GMT
...Maybe there is a case for far bigger tanks (a-la WW2 WIs) to protect occupants and weapons from IED's? Something about 40ft high with a wheelbase 20ft off the ground and weighing something in the region of 200 tonnes, with a helipad on top and wheels as big as the biggest Monster Truck wheels but with metal springs instead of tyres, like some designs of Mars rovers have? Such an enormous vehicle might not be able to go down the narrowest streets, but it sure would strike terror into any remaining Taliban, and also could be used as a mobile base for a decent sized platoon? As far as I know, most Main Battle Tanks today are already perfectly capable of withstanding an IED blast, unless it's unusually powerful. Gigantic tanks are just impractical in most situations, and don't solve any particular problem, while having many of their own - ridiculous cost and fuel consumption, low speed and range, lack of manoeuvrability, difficult to transport, etc. |
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