For these anti-Tang alliance tank R&D engineers, they can no longer focus all their attention on the opponent's tanks.
On the battlefield, the tanks they designed need to face increasing threats, not only enemy tanks, but also individual anti-tank weapons, and more and more air threats.
This is the biggest headache for them: It can be done by increasing the thickness of the armor, it can be done by increasing the power of the tank, it can also be done by installing larger artillery... But is the cost of doing all this really worth it?
They tried their best to create a behemoth with enough firepower and defensive performance to fight against the Type 96 main battle tank, but does this behemoth only need to defeat the tanks of the Tang Army?
Obviously the answer is no: the technical engineers of the coalition found that they were facing a wall and a system. The opponent did not crush them in one link, but in all links.
They had no way to deal with the aircraft in the sky, and they had no way to deal with individual anti-tank missiles. The emergence of chemical shaped munitions made armor vulnerable. In that era, many tanks chose to run naked to reduce their own damage.
Cost. To put it bluntly, in the era when armor-piercing bullets had just appeared in the area, armored defense technicians let themselves go and simply gave up treatment.
It was not until later that more advanced armor theory and technology emerged, and ceramic armor, composite armor, explosive reactive armor, and depleted uranium armor were put into service one after another that modern main battle tanks returned to the era of thick armor.
Obviously, it is impossible for the technologies controlled by the coalition countries to come up with so many advanced armor and projectile technologies. For a while, they could only bite the bullet and use traditional methods to fight against the Tang army's terrifying weapons.
"Are you kidding? The top armor must be more than 40 mm thick? How can this thing run?" In the factory building at the rear, a pointed-eared elf engineer asked the officer in front of him with wide eyes.
His tone was full of disbelief, because he really didn't know if the other party made this request because he didn't understand what adding a few square meters of thick steel plate meant to a tank.
The officer also looked innocent, spread his hands and explained helplessly: "No way, sir, according to frontline statistics, the number of tanks destroyed by 30 mm caliber cannons is not much less than the number of tanks destroyed by tank guns.
In other words, at least one-third of our tanks were killed by the enemy's air force."
For the officers and soldiers on the front line, tanks that can defeat the enemy are just one of many requirements. Too many of the tanks in their hands were destroyed by various aircraft of the Tang Army.
Therefore, in terms of demand, they urgently hope to have a tank that can withstand the attack of the opponent's aircraft: at least the armor on the top is thick enough to protect the tank from being penetrated by the Tang Army's 30mm caliber cannon.
There is no way, thunder and lightning is now a nightmare for the coalition armored forces: every time such an aircraft swoops down, it will always destroy the enemy, causing heavy losses to the attacking coalition tank forces.
But the liaison officers and technicians standing here discussing these technologies don't know that the Tang Army has begun to equip its frontline support aircraft with advanced air-to-ground missiles on a large scale.
The elf engineer was extremely annoyed and continued to question: "Then what? Then you want me to design a big turtle? Let the tank carry the turtle shell on the battlefield?"
The performance of this tank, which is still on the drawing board, is indeed much better than the various tanks currently in use on the front line. Moreover, this tank is jointly developed by several countries and then produced uniformly, which can further simplify the logistics support of the coalition forces.
The new tank has many advantages, but it is not completely without flaws. Its cost is very high and its production efficiency is low. It is just that in terms of performance, it completely crushes the old model.
And in terms of some invisible performance, it is not as good as existing tanks: for example, in terms of mileage, it can easily create anxiety for its commanders.
"We really have no choice, sir. If the top cover is still very thin, these expensive tanks may be destroyed on the way to the battlefield." The officer continued to defend himself helplessly.
If new tanks begin to be mass-produced, the overall number of tanks added to the front line will inevitably show a downward trend within a certain period of time. If the loss rate of tanks is still high by then, the situation of the front-line troops will become more passive.
Therefore, before replacing new tanks, frontline commanders hope to reduce the losses of frontline armored units as much as possible so that the replenishment speed of new tanks can adapt to the loss speed of frontline tanks.
"Then you want me to double the thickness of the top of the tank so that the speed of the tank is about the same as that of a turtle?" The elf engineer sneered and continued to ask questions. He always asked questions and seemed to want to use this method.
Express your dissatisfaction.
He should indeed be dissatisfied, because the new tank design has been revised several times. If it is revised again, he will have to struggle for a while. He is really fed up with this kind of thing.
When the officer said these words, he also felt that his request was a bit excessive, so his voice became lower and lower: "We hope that you can maintain the original tank traveling speed, but add such thick armor..."
The elf engineer spread his hands and raised his voice suddenly: "Are you kidding? What else can I do? The tank's cruising range is already at its lowest. This thing can only drive less than 200 kilometers on a tank of fuel! The tank's engine is also
It’s already the most powerful engine we can find!”
Then he paused, and then asked continuously: "Okay! Even if you can find a better engine, what about the fuel consumption problem? Do you agree with the 170 kilometers of battery life?"
"We hope to increase the battery life from 200 kilometers to 230 kilometers... The generals on the front line said..." The officer knew that he was probably going to be scolded, so he bit the bullet and said another new idea of the front-line commanders.
Require.
Sure enough, the elf engineer broke out. He threw the pen in his hand on the table and shouted angrily: "You can let them design it themselves! I won't do it anymore! Who would do such a bad thing?"
Who did it! You let them do it by themselves! Let them do it by themselves!"
His voice echoed in the workshop, and several human engineers standing next to the drawings also looked dissatisfied at the military representatives who made various unrealistic demands.
The representative also knew that he was in the wrong, so he quickly smiled and said: "Sir! Sir, please don't be angry... I, I am just conveying the needs of the front line... we can still discuss it, this matter can still be discussed!"