The Ultimate APC |
There are three major problems with today's armored personnel carriers. First, many have evolved into light tanks with little room to carry infantrymen; the Bradley is a good example (right). This has made them very expensive to procure and sustain on the battlefield. They've also become much larger (10 feet tall with the Bradley) with internal ammo stores which can explode and kill the few infantrymen inside. Moreover, vehicles like the Bradley have commanders who want to fight with their weaponry, rather than hiding their light armor from enemy fire. The Army's new LAV III "Stryker" is an even worse example of a poor APC design. What is needed to support infantry is an eight-ton infantry support vehicle with heavy armor as discussed here: Tankita. The second APC problem is that troops are carried inside a large metal coffin and sit staring at each other. The big threat to APCs on most battlefields are RPGs. Even 33-ton Bradleys are penetrated upon impact by a simple RPG striking on its side. Moreover, the infantrymen inside cannot defend the Bradley and cannot quickly debark. APCs must be designed so that all soldiers can fire from the vehicle. They've tried firing ports in APCs, but they were deemed unusable when the vehicle was moving. The third problem is that APCs lack "tank roofs". APCs should have "tank roofs" mounted three feet above the top to provide overhead armor protection, and shield the sun, rain, and infra-red signature from above. They should be easily removable for ship transport or storage of the APC. The ultimate APC should be an APC, with no weaponry, just a driver and room for a ten man squad. This will make them much lighter, smaller, cheaper and reliable. The basic design should be modular, with snap on pods which can be easily replaced or removed entirely if the vehicle is needed as a cargo carrier. It would look like the XM1108 variant of the M113 APC (below) The driver would sit in the center with two armed infantrymen on each side who each have a bullet proof window/hatch in front and to the side which they can open and fire from. They also have a top hatch where they raise their swivel seats for action in any direction. Each passenger side would have shielded mounts for two 7.62mm machine guns. These mounts are for embarked infantrymen and not "crewed" with gunners. The "vehicle commander" is the squad leader. Rather than one big coffin, this APC would carry four two-man pods; two facing outward on each side. As the pods snap-in, they also plug in for electrical power and communications. The upper one foot of each pod is heavy duty bullet proof glass, allowing the two soldiers a 360 degree view. The outward window can open to allow the soldiers to fire outside the vehicle, and is large enough for them to use as a hatch as well. There is also a two-man size hatch on top which opens outward. This permits plenty of fresh air, and allows the two soldiers to sit on the roof of the APC, or fire from the hatch while standing on their seats. The bulletproof roof hatch also serves as a shield for two grunts standing on their seats as it opens toward the side of the APC. So these two soldiers can close up their hatches completely while under enemy mortar or artillery fire, in cold weather, or in chemical environments, and fire from inside by opening their window hatch if they need to. Or they can pop up and fire in any direction from their roof hatch, or sit on top while the overhead armored canopy (tank roof) protects them from the sun, rain, or explosions overhead. The great advantage of pods is that if an RPG strikes the APC, it should only damage one pod. Soldiers from the other pods will remain unharmed and able to continue firing. Obviously, damaged pods are easy to replace. The pods also provide better protection should the APC chassis suffer a hit, like from a mine. Pods will also be more comfortable since they will afford some privacy. It's difficult to read, think, or sleep stuck in a single box with eight guys. Troops will also feel safer and be safer as they can see in all directions and have two escape hatches (front window and topside) just inches away. Enemy guerillas will be intimidated by this APC since they will see five soldiers with weapons ready looking at them from each side of the APC. The tank roof provides "armor spacing" for protection from "top attack" shaped explosive charges. For protection against RPGs, armor spacing can be provided with metal mesh storage racks attached to the sides, front, and rear of the APC. This provides the squad with ample storage space, while these supplies help diffuse the blast from the RPGs after they detonate prematurely when they hit the metal storage rack some 18-inches from the APC itself. This cannot provide complete protection from RPGs, but APCs are not fighting vehicles, that's a role for tanks and tankitas. APC should just carry infantrymen who debark when close combat takes place. Overall, this ultimate APC will be very inexpensive to develop, build and maintain. Since it will be light enough to float, it should include water jets and bilge pumps so it can be fully amphibious. New rubber "band tracks" can allow light APCs to operate better on hard surface roads. It may be possible to modify existing stocks of M113A3s as ultimate APCs. The ultimate APC will not be a fighting vehicle, but can provide a safer platform where infantrymen can spot and engage enemy guerillas, commandos, or stragglers who suddenly emerge from the roadside. It is also much safer should the APC suffer a hit, and its modular pod design allows quick repairs and even use as a tracked logistics flatbed vehicle with a gunner on each side. Carlton Meyer editorG2mil@Gmail.com ©2003 www.G2mil.com Letters The Ultimate APC Hopefully this is something along the lines of what you were thinking. I couldn't find any m1108 gifs, so have done it "KIFV" style, which I think is more practical. One version has a simple Russian style turret. the other a modified M60z type. A Soldier can sit in his pod, and above him with comfortable headroom is a individual hatch that opens back. In front of him, at chest or shoulder level is a firing port set in an armoured window -this window may have armoured sutters. He can fire through the port or open the window and fire from this without leaving his seat. He can also crack open the hatch to fire upwards, or get his buddy to do this while he uses both hands. Individual hatch is lighter and quicker to open, and the divider will be a useful hand hold when clambering in and out. It also allows one man in the pod to watch his assigned quadrant heads up while the other rests, but does not leave a big hole for a molotov to enter. To shoot or operate heads up, the hatch is thrown back, the soldier puts his feet on a "fire step" such as an ammo box and hikes his seat up. He is still sitting but his shoulders are level with the hull top and he can rest his weapon on the hull top. There is no need for the outward folding hatch since his front is shielded by the armoured window etc -if you want we can build crennels into the top of the window. Pulling a "panic handle" drops his seat (and head) down. The rear opening hatch does, however, protect the rear or the soldiers head from plunging fire (a tactic my father encountered in Malaya, and why he maintains that any armoured truck needs a steel divider between the men's backs. For debussing you can throw the hatch back and the window down -a middle support added to the tank roof would provide a useful handhold.
Phil West Ed: This is a great depiction. Phil thought two turreted machine guns would be better, with the M-60 type cupolas (although preferably with scopes rather than vision slots) and a provision for fitting .50 HMGs, 40mm AGLs or 30mm ASP cannon if more firepower is needed. This requires they be placed farther back, behind the driver. All four window hatches are closed, with two of the top hatches open. The canopy on top is an steel "tank roof" to provide overhead protection from artillery frags, top attack munitions, hand grenades, snipers high above, and the sun and rain. Adapt old M-60 tanks Here's an idea.. you know all those old tanks? m60s and the like,?
remove the turret, magazines etc. Stick a tank roof on
it, some hatches, I dont know what position would be best for that. beef
up the armour a tad, say apply some refractory ceramics- to resist HEAT, you'd
have an APC that was almost as tough as a tank, if it needs weapons
how about a remote turret on the roof, unmanned just give it a pair of M2
.50 cals- that should prevent the vehicle commander trying to use it as a
tank.
seeing as these older style tanks are a lot cheaper, diesel, and with all
the ammo outside the hull catastrophic fuel fires and ammunition
detonations would not occur. And I think that by removing that dirty great turret the silhouette would
be much lower < harder to hit> and you should get a lot more
speed out of the thing. I'm unsure of the weight of a turret and gun but
its got to be several tons. Ed: I agree, these would allow for some instant well-protected APCs. In response to "the ultimate APC", I have a few thoughts to consider.
|