What makes a good MBT?

[hoplitis]

Global and rapid projection of power? It's an american "thing"!

[PlasmaKrab]

Compromise between mobility and protection, firepower being an uncompromisable requisite.
That's my version for the time being, swap around the word in bold in the sentence above to your liking .

Also, no one ever thinks about this (except tankers, I guess), but reliability, maintainability, general sturdiness and affordability are musts. You don't want your mother-of-all-tanks to fall apart ten meters after rolling out of the assembly line...

[Ramm]

What kind of tank would Jesus drive?

[hoplitis]

Ramm said:
What kind of tank would Jesus drive?

I really hope you are not part of the engineering team designing the next generation MBTs!

And BTW "HE" has certainly solved the rapid deployment issue!

PlasmaKrab,
well put! [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/icon09.gif[/img]

[Warwick]

You can now add a fourth attribute IMHO, :- vision.
Having a rating of forty when your opponent has less is a pretty devastating advantage as demonstrated in the last two Gulf wars (walkovers?).

Regards, Warwick

[Urban]

Firepower
Range
Accuracy
Agility
Passive protection
Active protection
Reliability
Survivability
Vision

Note : for the vision just avoid to use IL,TL and other kind of vision device in day light condition, fog, sandstorm, dust, snow ... or you will just see a big green screen .

[pdoktar]

In WinMBT the priorities when purchasing a MBT are following IMO

1. Armour

-When advancing I use my tanks as mobile armored boxes in breakthrough points. So they have to be able to resist frontally as heavy AT weapons as possible. Who needs firepower, if you´re dead when you stick your nose first time out of the bushes. Generally I prefer high CE armor values over KE values because HEAT AT-Weapons are cheap and numerous. And ATGMs are a PAIN.

Active protection systems are cheap in game purchase points and can give you an extra life just when you was about to be lit up by that incoming TOW-2B. Don´t count on it though.

2. Vision

-Now who doesn´t understand the benefits of TI in WinMBT? Go and find out yourself.

3. Firepower

-Preferably a main gun that can fire true HE shells. Although nowadays the HEAT shell can double in HE role. Also good KE pen is somewhat important, however sometimes you still don´t need that 90 pen figure a 60 will do since it can frontally take out any but the heaviest opponents, who must be left to be dealt with specialized equipment (like a section of tank-killing specialized Leo2A6 or heavy ATGM, perhaps of the TA-kind).

4. Mobility

-It´s nice to have speed of 26 hexes per turn. But you don´t use this mobility as you use the three above in a WinMBT game. A few full dashes in a single game is in my tactics mostly utilised then slow advancing.. the main gun might be utilized for a full 50 times so you get the point. Okay you get faster to a hilltop or down from it but you still have to kill those two companies of advancing enemy infantry.

-Hey ho to the armored foe-

[TLAM_Strike]

Don't forget mechanical reliablity and ease of matenace. What good is a tank unless the engine turns over and the gun fires when you need it.

[PanzerBob]

I'm surprised nobody has really mentioned CREWS, the men inside the machines.

Crew training and morale are huge factors in a MBT and in the better MBT's are a big factor in their design. I could cite many battle and campaigns where CREWS made a big difference in the outcomes.

Without the men crewing these puppies taken into consideration no matter how the other factors handled you will have 50-80 ton chuck of metal and grease, at best a steel mobile pillbox, at worst a brewed up wreck!!

[Randy]

I think for the most part that when describing "what makes a good MBT" most answer with the mechanical, weaponry, and armor concerns. Having seen the "Top Tens" on the Military Channel that is what they most often cover. Additionally such aspects as reliability, cost, survivability, and longevity are I believe are also important considerations.