NationStates Jolt Archive

Xylion Industries is quite pleased with its latest in what is hopefully a long string of ground vehicles. The AR-290 Vulcan Tank is specifically designed for speed and firepower delivery. It is designed for direct, toe-to-toe confrontation on reasonably level terrain.

AR-290 Vulcan Tank
Specs:
Crew- driver, 3 gunners, communications officer
Weight- 62500 kilograms
Hull dimensions- approximate length 8.330 meters x width 3.50 meters
approximate length- with main gun forward, 11.50 meters
approximate height- 2.50 meters
Speed- 59 kilometers./hour by road
40 kilometers./hour cross country
Range- 450 kilometers. by road
250 kilometers. cross country
Armament- 3 30mm GAU-8/A Vulcan cannons on independant turrets.
Price: 7 million USD

http://www.army.lv/Tehnika/Samohod/shika/Shilka(5).jpg
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/gau-8-fig14.jpg

COMMENTS PLEASE

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C'mon people, comments?

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Come on, I worked pretty hard on this one. Can't I at least get one comment?

My comments:

Pros

-Powerful anti-infantry, anti tank (lgiht tanks only) and anti air (maybe)
-Heavly armoured

Cons

-As heavy as a challenger, but doesn't have as powerful a gun
-Slow

I think someone has misconceptions on the GAU-8... It's built for killing tanks. Main Battle Tanks. Using a 30mm DU penentrator against infantry is just silly.

However, the recoil of 3 GAU-8s is going to be huge. HUGE. And you'll run through your ammo in around 3 minutes of firing.

However, the recoil of 3 GAU-8s is going to be huge. HUGE. And you'll run through your ammo in around 3 minutes of firing.

Two words: resupply vehicles

Loading a full load of 30mm is going to take time, and plenty of it. If it needs that kind of support, you're going to have to stick it with AA duty.

Its designed to be used in tandem with Challenger or Abrams tanks, it would be firing that much. A good five seconds of vulcan fire from one of the turrets would gut most MBTs. And there are three turrets with 100o of rotation.

Wait, each gun has it's own turret? I hope by turret you mean a gun mount for vertical elevation, because there's no way you can fit 3 turrets that can control a GAU-8 each on one vehicle.

Yeah, that's what I mean. Thanks.

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Sheesh. If you want a tank killer, just slap a TOW missile launcher on a Humvee. Cheap, effective, and fast.

Sheesh. If you want a tank killer, just slap a TOW missile launcher on a Humvee. Cheap, effective, and fast.

Crude. The AR-290 does it with style. :lol:

Yes, technically you could do that, but a Humvee's range is limited and it can't take much punisment. The AR-290 is designed to take on multiple foes and can extend itself farther than a humvee can. Plus, it has heavy armor.

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Price now added. Sales shall begin....now.

BUMP for a new day.

OH dear, why does no one actually pick up on the fact that since the original gatling gun noone uses a gatling style system for a ground to ground weapon?

Why is this? because modern gatling guns are designed to spray the maximum number of rounds soemwhere close to target, thus over comming the dificulties of hitting a small fast rapidily manouvering hard to hit target (ie a jet) or hitting a ground target from a manouvering not terribly stable platform (ie a plane or helo).

Ever seem footage of a A10 cannon strike on tanks in iraq? i don't suppose you noticed the large number of dust puffs around the target that indicate soemthing close to 75% of rounds missing?

This proposed weapon system is simply well overkill against most targets and of limited utility against MBTs, yes in IRAQ t-72s were killed by 30x173mm GAU8 and 30x170mm RARDEN rounds but those were very luck shots and yes it is only now that decent APFSDS ammo is becomming available for 30mm systems.

Such a alrge gun system requires a large vehciles when the job could be done far far better by a sinlge light vehcile with a rapid fire (say 600-1000rpm) 35-40mm gun which will be far more accurate, longer rnaged and have better penetration perfromance.

soz double post

You fail to realize that this will not be used for 1-on-1 tank engagements. It's designed to serve Feazanthian forces against much larger ground assault groups. Feazanthia doesn't have that large an army, most of its resources go into the navy and naval air force.

3 chainguns is a bit much considering....... (http://securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/0900/929.htm)

A Gau-8?
Man.. that things is mounted on A-10's and is about 6 meters long.. and the recoil, pilots say their planes practically stop moving then they fire it.

And to mount 3 or 4 of those on a tank?.. i think it would be better to design bee-hive flechette rounds for smooth bore 120mm guns, or place some 12.5 or 7.55 gatlings of a tank chassis for anti-infantry or some 35-40 mm gun instead.

But still.. one well hidden spotter, some artillery emplacements or small groups of infantry with antitank rockets and your invention goes down the drain.

Example, Hellfire missiles can be launched from some 5 kilometers away, a single infantry man with a laser spotter and your tank will be toast without firing a single shell.

This design would be more useful for AAA guarding factories, runways and such.. but with modern fire and forget air-to-ground missiles they would not be much use at all..

I seriously recommend you start raising infantry.. if your air and naval assets are destroyed or thinned enough to let enemy infantry get to your soil, you are done for because you will not have ground troops to defend your real state. :)

And the pic of the tank, well, those look like 23 mm cannons against flying craft or light armored vehicles.

Just my $.02 Varos