|
|
Slide 16 of 24
MBT-70 Details:
MBT-70: Too Ahead for its time, or yet another Army R&D program that results in no fielded tanks?
U.S. Army Light Forces development was not doing much better. The highly successful Vietnam Armored Cavalry (ACAV) M113 Gavin and M551 Sheridan units were disbanded because there was no CAVALRY BRANCH to protect these units as "Armor Branch" sucked up all funds for heavy tank duels against the ussian tank hordes. Realizing the Army's light forces needed better mobility the Army in the early 1980s played around with the motorized 9th Hight Technology Test Bed (9th HTTB Division) using rubber-tired trucks and dune buggies. The 9th HTTB was supposed to have an Armored Gun System (ie: code name for Light Tank to not piss off the heavy tankers) but the Army refused to buy such a system to fight surprise, meeting engagements with enemy armored vehicles. Details:
9th HTTB Division Deja Debacle All Over Again!
WHAT IS DISTURBING IS THE ARMY IN THE 30S/40S NEW WHEELED VEHICLES WERE INADEQUATE FOR COMBAT www.geocities.com/dimarcola/mecz_cavalry_doctrine.htm YET THE "TECHNOLOGY BUG" MADE THEM THINK "THIS TIME" IT WOULD WORK. Hubris and folly go together.
It didn't without at least a modicum of PHYSICAL firepower.
The failure of a motorized force against even an enemy light infantry force with explosives and RPGs can be seen today in Iraq:
Iraqi Debacle: wheeled army failures
The tragedy is the "wheeled bug" would strike again in 1999 with the Shinseki LAV-III madness and it lingers today as the Army plans to expand and put Soldiers into quasi-armored HMMWV trucks which do not even work today much less 10 years from now.
And despite it all...the Army seeks to expand and put its new Soldiers into MORE wheeled trucks!
God save the U.S. Army!!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-A_2htFMkg