Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!sun!amdcad!amdcad!military
From: wbt@cbema.att.com (William B Thacker)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: New Soviet Tanks
Message-ID: <1991May16.052901.17941@amd.com>
Date: 15 May 91 14:30:42 GMT
References: <1991May9.063827.12230@amd.com>
Sender: military@amd.com
Organization: AT&T Network Systems - Columbus, Ohio
Lines: 28
Approved: military@amd.com


From: wbt@cbema.att.com (William B Thacker)


Eric_S_Klien@cup.portal.com asks:
>What is an elevated gun vehicle and what is the U.S.'s progress on 
>building one?

I hope Carl doesn't nail me for quoting the entire article ! 8-)   

Apart from the couple of articles that have already been posted, I'd like
to add a few tidbits.

One driving force toward the elevated gun concept is that the elimination
of the heavy turret frees up weight; one current view is that as top-attack
missiles (such as the TOW 2B, which fires downward at the tank's thin deck
armor) will force tank designers to increase deck protection, and therefore
weight.

An analogous system is already in US Army service, in the form of the M901
Improved TOW Vehicle, which mounts a twin TOW missile launcher on a "cherry
picker", together with optics.  The platform can be raised above
intervening terrain (*not* something proposed for elevated gun tanks,
BTW), offering the same advantages as the elevated gun.

-- 
Bill Thacker	AT&T Network Systems - Columbus		wbt@cbnews.att.com
Free the Lagrange 5 !