Army combat vehicles to be electric

[FiF]

Thought this might be of interest in here.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/13/army-c...

It is behind paywall, but you can register to read it for free.

Anyway the headline is "Army Combat vehicles could be electric in 3 years" but when you dig down beyond the comment current fleet could be the last to be fossil fuelled, it's more like we hope to have a prototype in 3 years, and the current fleet development programme maybe the last to be universally fossil fuelled. Which is quite different from the headline.

They haven't figured out how to provide power to drive a main battle tank yet, unsurprisingly. However the way I look at it, is that when the military want to utilise and develop a technology, things happen, nothing like defence spending to put a rocket under something, which would be for general benefit of electric vehicle technology generally.

Anyway some other stuff linked below, if it's all old hat to you guys, apologies, will crawl back into my old fashioned trench.

https://www.qinetiq.com/insights/how-electric-prop...

[Lowtimer]

FiF said:

nothing like defence spending to put a rocket under something, which would be for general benefit of electric vehicle technology generally

Very much looking forward to this electric vehicle with a rocket under it

[Teddy Lop]

FiF said:

They haven't figured out how to provide power to drive a main battle tank yet, unsurprisingly. However the way I look at it, is that when the military want to utilise and develop a technology, things happen, nothing like defence spending to put a rocket under something, which would be for general benefit of electric vehicle technology generally

maybe if the septics felt there was a need, but I can't see a British MoD side project surpassing the behemoths currently behind battery and electric vehicle development.

[FiF]

Teddy Lop said:

maybe if the septics felt there was a need, but I can't see a British MoD side project surpassing the behemoths currently behind battery and electric vehicle development.

Americans are looking at it apparently, yet only publicly open information is related to non tactical vehicles.

[Gandahar]

They got rid of the excellent FN Fal 7.62mm rifle for something that got clogged up with sand and then had a lot of money and time sorting out. And that's just a rifle.

Nice to think of an environmentally friendly vehicle shooting things up though and laying waste .

[otolith]

I think the environmental argument is probably bks, and would love to know the real motivation.

This was the first thing I thought of, and it looks like it’s something they’re doing;

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2019/01/us-m...

Maybe there are noise or thermal profile advantages too? Reliability/maintenance? Electromagnetic weapons like rail guns?

[FiF]

Been working on guns with non metallic composite barrels using embedded induction coils to propel the ordnance for quite a few years now.

[wisbech]

Carting around lots of flammable liquids can’t be sensible militarily speaking - fuel trucks are rather fragile and vulnerable.

[anonymous-user]

An electric Main Battle Tank.. no, probably not. But whats the actual use of a single MTB these days? A large number of battery powered small, semi-autonomous tracked drones, now that's a different matter...

[anonymous-user]

Given that the British Military still uses, and intends to continue to use, vehicles built in the 60s, it’ll be some time before this becomes significant in any way.

Probably introduce them alongside the eco friendly death ray, to save the pollution of traditional ordnance.

[NDNDNDND]

Lowtimer said:

FiF said:

nothing like defence spending to put a rocket under something, which would be for general benefit of electric vehicle technology generally

Very much looking forward to this electric vehicle with a rocket under it

That's the Tesla Roadster 2, isn't it?!

[Saleen836]

Didn't this subject come up on Top Gear between Clarkson and James Blunt?
Clarkson found it funny that those in charge were worried about what comes out the rear of a tank but not bothered that it fires depleted Uranium shells out the front!