British Challenger 2, page 9
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reply posted on 24-3-2005 @ 07:40 AM by Lucretius
Originally posted by rogue1


I stand corrected, however the DU plates are encased within the steel armour not bolted on as Lucretius said.
I came across another intersting article where it staes that early Abrams used Clobham but this was discarded for the steel encased DU.

It seems that US armour R&D is mostly concentrated in areas such as nanotechnology and ceramics. No doubt there will be some type of breakthrough in the next few years, considering the current climate.


It's hard to explain... the DU plates are not bolted onto the exterior... but function as "add-on" plates within the armour... They are fitted internally to protect the crew from ammunition explosions and rear penetration.

They actually do not guard the tanks sensitive systems... and they are indeed solid plates of DU... not "interwoven"

The Army made the decision for a new tank series in 1972 and awarded developmental contracts in 1973. The first prototypes of the M1, known as the XM1, reached the testing stage in 1976, and the tank began to arrive in battalions in February 1980. The M1 enjoyed a low silhouette and a very high speed, thanks to an unfortunately voracious gas turbine engine. Chobham spaced armor (ceramic blocks set in resin between layers of conventional armor) resolved the problem of protection versus mobility. A sophisticated fire control system provided main gun stabilization for shooting on the move and a precise laser range finder, thermal-imaging night sights, and a digital ballistic computer solved the gunnery problem, thus maximizing the utility of the 105-mm. main gun.


DU plates were added afterwards

www.globalsecurity.org...

I would have to add that in terms of Nano-technology, the chinese are currently the world leaders as it formed the backbone of their government funded scientific reasearch for the past 2 decades.

Chobham armour is ceramic... so maybe the US is looking into developing it's own variant of chobham?... i'm not sure how much of the tech Britain sold the US

[edit on 24-3-2005 by Lucretius]


reply posted on 28-10-2006 @ 06:55 AM by fritz
Originally posted by wildcat
The US is already replacing the M1A1 and we have a working prototype already. Its a 2 manned stealth tank which auto loads and you sit in it on the front of the tank, not in the turret.


According to all the websites I have seen, and a couple of Forums like this site, the US/UK joint venture has been dead for over a year, with the US leaving about $4.5M for the research to be continued by the UK.

I did see a short film of a futuristic polycarbonate 135mm armed tank, whilst on a course at the Royal Armoured Corps Training Centre at Bovington in Dorset. But whether it is this vehicle you refer to, I have no idea.

It was indeed a two man tank that sat very low on the ground, giving it a silhouette similar to, or lower than modern Russian MBTs, looked to be quite wide, was manufactured with sloping sides to the turret and gun barrel too, was of a diamond sleeved construction, with the fume extractor and MRS at the muzzle.

It was manufactured in a very dark green/black camouflage pattern, with the green highlighting the naturally darkened areas such as road wheels, underneath the turret and bustle.

I'm not too sure what the powerpack was, but this tank was very, very quiet. The exhaust vents were [surprisingly] on top of what appeared to be the engine deck, rather than being mounted on the side and rear of the fuselage.

That's all I can remember about this vehicle and to be honest, I cannot even remember it's name.
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