Way too frigging time on my hands....

[Steelwolf]

While modern armour is a challange, I was checking into some of the R&D going into the next generation MBT.

Anyone famaliar with the portable runway mats used by the Airforce? 4x4 mats which are a sandwich of honeycombed aluminum between two 1/8" steel plates. Once set on flat ground, they are equivalant to 2ft of concrete, able to handle anything up to the C5A Galaxy.

Well it seems some firms are looking into the same idea for armour. Another Idea is actually a rehash of an old idea from ww2, plates of steel with a space between them and the main armour. The round expends itself on the outer armour.

There is research into lamanated armour which actually uses steel, graphite, glass, rubber and steel.

But I would feel that it would be better to use up all the spares until one came up with an industrial base to come up with a unique design.

As far as the Merkava goes, the fact it is an MBT that can carry 8 troops in addition to the crew, has the engine mounted forward to add to the protection of the crew, and has the lowest frontal target picture of any MBT in use today.