thats america for you.
make a buck and dont worry if lots of US soldiers die.
it would not be so bad if they used half the money to build good stuff.
but they just build crap!

I got lost on that site for a while.
tank lovers check this out!
This is someone dedicated to the history of armor for sure.

its an embezzlement racket, next they are going to design and build a prototype pistol that has curved barrel that points back to you.

after 56 billion dollars in research and development they are going to scrap the project and claim it was to dangerous because soldiers kept shooting themselves in the face.

JP-5 and JP-8 are the two fuels the military uses in every single vehicle. Both are derived from Kerosene and are very similar to commercial grade diesel fuel. JP-8 is also mixed with de-icing agents so it will not freeze at high altitude. Both have very high flash points. JP-5 can only be ignited at 100 degrees, JP-8 can only be ignited at 140 degrees.

You can also use both fuels in any civilian diesel engine. They do not burn any hotter than diesel. However JP-8 usually causes some compression issues. JP-5 works perfectly though.

However, a gas turbine engine burns through a lot more fuel than a standard diesel engine. And in that respect, it pumps out a lot more heated exhaust at a faster velocity than an average engine.

Point in case, in 2004 an LCAC with ACU-5 ran over somebody on the beach. Heated air generated by two gas turbines is pushed under the craft to create lift. So the guy was cooked alive.

Originally posted by allenidaho
JP-5 and JP-8 are the two fuels the military uses in every single vehicle. Both are derived from Kerosene and are very similar to commercial grade diesel fuel. JP-8 is also mixed with de-icing agents so it will not freeze at high altitude. Both have very high flash points. JP-5 can only be ignited at 100 degrees, JP-8 can only be ignited at 140 degrees.

I can tell you, as a soldier currently in Iraq (and currently on duty I might add ) We use JP8 in everything. I think the gators even use it. LMTVs, Humvees, Kiowas, everything uses it. And that high flashpoint comes in handy when you accidentally overfill a tank and it soaks your boots and immediately light up a cigarette. Still felt a little nervous everytime I flicked it.

wow... our tank is your beef? there isn't many tanks in the world that could stand toe to toe with it.. and soldiers on the ground? not sure if its declassified yet.. but I remember them testing a laser system out on the Abrams that would melt the enemy's eyes out of the sockets lol.. too bad it was deemed in human or sum such.. it was a joint test with the brits... not sure they may still use it..

I'm not sure if its mentioned in there but the vehicle that scared me the most was the big 6 wheel 5 ton trucks. Those tires were like balloons, and when you had to slam on the brakes the whole truck would start bouncing like a ball and flip over on your ass.

I saw two people get killed in one coming back from Fort Hood one year. Those big tired vehicles are not safe in heavy traffic when you have to slam on the brakes.

Originally posted by fatalwishes
Those big tired vehicles are not safe in heavy traffic when you have to slam on the brakes.

The MRAP is the armored osh kosh that's top heavy. From what I read of what happened in Iraq, if they are up to speed and have to swerve the dang thing will flip over.

The old Deuce and half's 6x6 and 5 ton version was more stable...just non armored.

Before the Iraq War remember the news stories where Army soldiers were saying they had nobody to fix their tanks to even get them to Iraq? Guess they contracted out vehicle maintenance.

DOD had to pour wheel barrows of money to get contractors in various places to keep things together. Early Iraq War photo's showed HMWWV's with bald tires tipped over along the roads. Poor-no maintenance before they even left.

Marine Corps/Navy was the first branch to contract out motor pool maintenance. Army followed then the Air Farce.

Took some mighty large wheel barrows of money to get the Army rolling where it is today. Getting rid of Army GI mechanics now seems to have been huge boondoggled in retrospect. Congress didn't save 1 penny opting for contracted maintenance...it actually lost BILLIONS. Completely lost control of Logistics/Support.

Thank God we have big wheel barrows and many printing presses.

That's the failing of US Army Vehicles. Why they gave up keeping non-computer multi-fuel powertrains as they were cheap and simple....and opted for highly complicated computer controlled powertrains-transmissions.....wow what a stupid thing to throw into the mix. But it did end up forcing the SECDEF to yank other branches funds and give them to the Army.

That aint never happened. risked our national security propping congress's failed contract it out program.

It's ok. Those Defense Contractors all funneled money back to Congress Critters pockets to get them to stop sweating. War and Thieving on all fronts is EASY money in da BANK.

As a U.S. Army tanker on an abrams, I can tell you diesel was used mainly in training, but switched to jp8 on deployments. And I can tell you one thing, every morning when I woke up and it was dark and frozen outside I was thankful that I had that giant heater/exhaust to stand behind and warm myself up and dry out my clothes or sleeping bag or whatever. Plus it heats up a can of raviloi pretty quick if you poke a hole in it and sit it on the back vents.

The abrams is a beast of a tank, theres a reason its been around for 30 years.But in all seriousness, the Abrams has 3 fuel tanks(2 in front, one big one in the rear). every time we did maneuvers, we would fill up all three of them, and we would have to fill up at least twice a day sometimes 3 times. Imagine the fuel requirements of just a company or battalion sized element. Its not a crime to me what kind of fuel it uses so much as how much fuel it uses.

Well! what becomes the epic fail of the US Army vehicles are Stryker because it's too heavy to swim, Air droppable, and C-130 Transportable, it's armor has only partial protection against 14.5mm machinegun rounds, but NOT against the missiles, RPGs, and 20mm~57mm automatic cannons that rule the battlefield where the fact that that rifles firing 20mm shells are now commonplace, and ALREADY POSESSED by threat countries, Rides atop a deadly tinderbox of flammable vulcanized rubber, the solidified state of the base ingredients for LIQUID ROCKET FUEL, it's lower half are vulnerable to even guns that as light as handguns, most of them has only either 12.7m Browning Machine gun or MK19 Automatic Grenade Launcher that fires nothing but Anti Personnel Frag Grenade that flies at subsonic velocity, It's NBC System are outdated for today's standard, and so on