Body Armour

rfisher · #1 April 22nd, 2008, 05:27 PM

Looks like weighty armour won't be a problem much longer!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7351399.stm

Suhiir · #2 April 24th, 2008, 10:44 PM

It was bound to happen sooner or later.
I suspect the big stumbling block for them will be whatever they use to power them. I can't imagine any battery would last long enough to be worthwhile.

Marcello · #3 April 25th, 2008, 04:13 AM

Quote:

rfisher said:
Looks like weighty armour won't be a problem much longer!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7351399.stm

Not so fast. For a start developing these unarmored exoskeletons into powered armor will still take some time, probably several years. Then even once that happens you will not be able to turn everyone into the Mobile Infantry. Money issue aside it seems to me that a soldier fitted with such thing will not have the same set of abilities that a regular infantryman has. He will be much better protected and equipped. But he will be also bulkier and much heavier. This means he may not be able to go in the same places a normal soldier, even with body armor, can go. He will be also more resource intensive to keep in the field, meaning a further increase in the tail to teeth ratio, which may not be desiderable in some scenarios.
I could see some units being equipped with that, but not something everyone can be issued with like a bulletproof vest.

Marek_Tucan · #4 April 25th, 2008, 06:09 AM

For example some sort of Combat Engineer/Assault Breacher platoon per Bn? Or even Bde?

Marcello · #5 April 25th, 2008, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Marek_Tucan said:
For example some sort of Combat Engineer/Assault Breacher platoon per Bn? Or even Bde?

Sort of. They could be used to supplement tanks and regular infantry in a Fallujah style scenario I guess.
A limited number might be useful as an intimidation "don't mess with us" factor even in lower intensity situations.
But I can't see much more than that especially early on.
Cost, logistical issues and inherent trade offs will limit their use.
In the longer run robots will be preferable anyway.

rfisher · #6 April 26th, 2008, 04:27 AM

On the subject of robots, have you seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww

Wdll · #7 April 26th, 2008, 06:07 AM

None of these will matter when the alien masters arrive.

Speaking of which, any mod that lets you play as any of the countries, against an alien invader?

hoplitis · #8 April 26th, 2008, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Wdll said:
None of these will matter when the alien masters arrive.
...

"...when"? What do you mean "when"? We're here already! [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon27.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon27.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon27.gif[/img] [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon27.gif[/img]

Marek_Tucan · #9 April 26th, 2008, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Wdll said:
Speaking of which, any mod that lets you play as any of the countries, against an alien invader?

IIRC, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

There was some I believe German-made (I specifically recall unit names in German) mod for mebbe even good ole' Steel Panthers 2 themed on War of the Worlds, generally WotW redux with more Martian units (not just tripods) and also nice steampunk Terran units (steam tanks etc).

rfisher · #10 April 28th, 2008, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Wdll said:

Speaking of which, any mod that lets you play as any of the countries, against an alien invader?

Ha ha! The question I was too scared to ask!

It was that thought that made me ask about body armour in the first place, as I was half tempted to have ago at a mod myself.