Futuristic tanks and infantry fighting vehicles of the future. place: destroyer Zumwalt

Although many innovative combat vehicles have been created in history, which were successfully used during military battles, there were hundreds of times more purely paper projects and experimental samples. Often the projects were, to put it mildly, unusual.

1. Boirault machine

To successfully conduct trench warfare, people began to invent new ways to overcome terrain. One of these inventions was Louis Boirot's machine, which was later called the "ancestor of the tank." One of the main problems of trench warfare was that conventional vehicles could not cross ditches. Built by the French War Ministry in 1915, the machine for overcoming barbed wire obstacles, proposed by engineer Boirault, was a huge metal track consisting of six 4-meter sections. The 30-ton structure was propelled by an 80-horsepower engine and was terribly slow. Maximum speed was only 1 kilometer per hour, and the turning radius of the car was 100 meters.

2. Krupp Kugelpanzer

The observation vehicle "Krupp Kugelpanzer" was a real Wunderwaffe ("miracle weapon" or, as the term is now dubbed, "wunderwaffle") of Nazi Germany. Its name translates as “spherical tank,” which in itself is unique. The Kugelpanzer never saw action on the battlefield, but it existed (the USSR captured one of the prototypes in 1945). After examining the kugelpanzer, it was discovered that it was a mobile light armored point for adjusting artillery fire. It was powered by a single-cylinder, two-stroke, motorcycle-type engine producing 25 hp. and had very limited space for one person.

3. Mantis Tank

Some tank projects were not designed at all for big guns and heavy armor. For example, an experimental vehicle, nicknamed the praying mantis, was intended to solve the problem of shooting from behind cover. The tank, developed by 1943 in Great Britain, implied the use of a long armored “pencil case” in which 2 people lay. This “pencil case” was raised above the cover using hydraulics and fire was fired from it.

4. Tank sapper T10

In addition to overcoming the ditches, the tanks faced another big problem - mines. We began to specifically develop armored vehicles, which could pass harmlessly and clear minefields. The T10 "mine detonator" had an unusual design that looked like a tricycle. At the front of the car there were two huge wheels, each 23 centimeters in diameter. The rear of the tank rested on a 15-centimeter wheel. The tank was designed to drive through minefields and clear a path, and for this purpose its lower part was armored with 3 cm of steel. The tank was controlled remotely.

5. Kettenkrad

The Kettenkrad (SdKfz 2 or Kettenkrad HK 101) was a half-track, lightly armored off-road motorcycle that could carry an armored trailer with two soldiers and 500 kilograms of ammunition. The Kettenkrad was patented and released in June 1939, and was intended for paratroopers. It was designed to fit on the Junkers Ju-52, one of the most famous German air transports of the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. Despite this, Kettenkrad was mainly used ground reconnaissance, especially on the Eastern Front in 1941. These armored motorcycles were so reliable that they were even used as artillery tractors.

6. Warm-T

Unlike other minesweepers, which primarily detonated mines by running over them, the Soviet Progrev-T detonated mines by heating them. Built on the T-54, the thirty-seven-ton minesweeper looked more like a futuristic laser cannon than a tank. Instead of a gun, it had a MiG-15 fighter engine, with the help of which the tank “blowed” a hot jet stream onto the road in front of it, exploding all the mines. The supply of kerosene was enough to clean 6 kilometers of road.

7. Goliath Beetle

Sometimes it's easier to blow up a tank than to try to penetrate its armor. It was this principle that was used in the concept of the Goliath self-propelled mine. The Goliath Beetle was developed by Germany during World War II. It was a miniature (150x85x56 cm) remote-controlled tracked tankette that could transport about 90 kilograms of explosives. Initially, the Beetle was equipped with an electric motor, but due to the high cost, the power unit was later replaced by a 12-horsepower gasoline engine.

8. Mendeleev tank

The super-heavy Mendeleev tank was developed between 1911-1915 by Russian scientist Vasily Mendeleev (son of the famous chemist D.I. Mendeleev). The tank was equipped with a 127 mm cannon, solid armor (100-150 mm) and a machine-gun turret on top of the hull, which could be “retracted” inward during enemy fire.

9. Land cruiser Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster

The Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster was designed to combine raw artillery power with vehicle mobility. The huge 42-meter, heavily armored (350-200 mm) tank was equipped with an 800-mm Dora gun and had retractable spacer legs that extended and rested on the ground when it was necessary to fire from the main caliber (after all, the recoil from a shot from such a gun was simply colossal). Self-propelled artillery was also equipped with smaller guns and anti-aircraft guns for defense. The project for a 2,500-ton land cruiser included a 100-person crew and four 6,500-horsepower engines, which were used on submarines.

10. Screw (rotary) tank

In 1907, James and Ira Peavy used a self-propelled vehicle to transport lumber through mud and snow. Subsequently, the possibility of using auger-rotor machines was explored in the military industry. During the Allied invasion of Norway in 1940, it became apparent that it was difficult to control conventional vehicles in the snowdrifts.

Inventor and journalist Geoffrey Pike proposed a screw tank design to the War Office in London as a possible solution to this problem, but the project was not given the green light. Screw tanks reappeared during cold war, when Russia was experimenting with cars on the ZIL-29061 chassis. None of these tanks went into production this way.

Let's leave the tanks to the military. But in peaceful life, tanks that will be no less reliable than real tanks are of much greater interest.

It was competition work presented at the competition 3 D modelers - "Fighting vehicle of the future". As it turned out, there were a lot of submissions for this competition various works, more or less realistic. I decided to select in this article, in my opinion, the most realistic examples of alternative technology of the future. Well, you can see all the works at the link that I will post not much higher.

1. Planetary armored personnel carrier M 577 APC (Armored Personnel Car) of the military starship team from the film

"Aliens" A fast, squat car, all-wheel drive and with all four reinforced

and steerable wheels, well armed and spacious inside - what else does a spaceship need?

paratroopers?

It seemed to me that such a machine could well be used on Earth. The scope of application cannot be immediately thought of. But the first thing that suggests itself is work in the police, in, so to speak, in a zone of mass unrest, and where high speed of movement with serious fire resistance is needed (for example, pursuing robbers). Although, in principle, such a vehicle is quite suitable for a conventional armored personnel carrier of the future.

2. Tank - a kind of fantasy on the theme of Warhammer tanks. ... humanity left its shelters, came out of bunkers onto a land contaminated with radiation, but already suitable for life. In a situation where it was necessary to help each other, people started a war again. A war for territory, a war for power. Now no one fought for freedom... "Combat vehicles" - now this was the name for any armored piece of iron capable of moving and shooting. They were collected from the remains military equipment left over from the first nuclear strike...

3. Mobile command center.

The near future is a period in the development of military equipment when new technologies will be combined with old weapons systems, proven by time and combat practice. IN in this case I present to you a mobile command center equipped with the Shiva strategic artillery system, which fires shells with multiple warheads at a distance of up to a thousand kilometers, which allows one shot to cover a destruction area of ​​up to three kilometers. According to unverified facts (that is, rumors and speculation), the creation of this complex is based on the technologies of either aliens or ancient civilizations. Moreover, the most powerful guns from the entire complex are considered to be the ones at the top (that’s what it means, don’t believe your eyes, but if you remember the weapons from the movie “Men in Black”...). Targeting is assisted by a satellite communications system. There are also sixteen silos with medium-range missiles of the "Thunder" type. The complex has its own air defense systems, which include six air defense systems ( anti-aircraft missile systems) of the "Patriot" type and one air defense system of the "Osa" type, hiding in the mine, as well as a remote-controlled cannon. At the stern of the complex there is a hangar with a landing pad for helicopters and other devices with vertical way takeoff and landing. The method of transportation is caterpillar. The exposed “legs” are latches that help to firmly secure oneself in position. On the go, they are retracted inside the body.

This seems to me to be a good base for a land cruiser. Only instead of a futuristic mast, this combat vehicle would have a turret from a battleship that would look very natural, like on E-1000 "Rat".

4. Mechanical Combat Unit No. 510 33rd reinforced airborne regiment
(based on the story "Relic of War" by Keith Laumer).

In my opinion, this is one of the most realistic projects. And at the same time, it is quite original, especially the chassis.

5. Multi-wheeled fighting machine- “Mantis.”

Mobile artillery installation, small sizes. Weak armor is compensated by high speed and armament (I hope). Used in the first intercontinental war in 2022.
Armament - 8 plasma anti-personnel cannons (in groups of four at the front), 8 plasma anti-aircraft guns (at the rear), 2 armor-piercing cannons can be replaced at the front (they are mounted on the side), 2 cannons long range(on the back").
Electric drive on all wheels. Turbines are not for traction but for electricity.

Also, this work is quite realistic for me.

6. Just a fighting vehicle of the future.

7. Light ground missile cruiser.

8. Tank of the future.

Ankh modified with a plasma cannon. At enormous speed, he is capable of mercilessly delivering fatal blows to the enemy, overcoming obstacles. A tank is a car bringer of death and destruction.

9. Chinese tank future - Xin Li Hao - 53.

10. Heavy support vehicle - TMP "Gorozhanin".

At one time, we told our readers about the project being implemented by the Polish defense company Obrum and the famous British company BAE Systems. As part of this project, which began in 2013, the development of a new generation tank, the PL-01, is underway, the first prototype of which was presented in 2014. It should be noted that this prototype was more of a mock-up, but by the end of this year the first fully functional prototype of the tank will appear, which will take part in a comprehensive testing program. And if these tests are successful, then production of such tanks will begin in 2018.

The design of the PL-01 tank is based on the Swedish chassis light tank CV90120-T, due to which it has some similarities with the Anders tank, built on the same platform. The weight of the PL-01 tank will be 35 tons, although information from some other sources suggests the weight of this tank is 45-50 tons.

The PL-01 tank will have a 940-horsepower (700 kW) engine. diesel engine, automatic transmission and a number of other auxiliary systems. The chassis will sit on the ground with seven wheels on each side, the drive wheels driven by shafts equipped with anti-twist mechanisms. All this will allow the PL-01 tank to reach speeds of up to 70 km/h on paved roads and 50 km/h on rough terrain.

The tank will be able to overcome descents and ascents of up to 30 degrees, trenches and ditches up to 2.6 meters wide, cross water obstacles without preparation, up to 1.5 meters deep, and with preliminary preparation - up to 5 meters. The maximum distance that the PL-01 tank can cover on one fuel fill is 500 kilometers.

The main armament of the PL-01 tank will be a 105 or 120 mm gun, capable of firing both conventional shells, and anti-tank missiles. The automatic loading system ensures a rate of 6 rounds per minute. The tank's ammunition load includes 45 rounds, 16 of which are located in the turret, and the rest are in the storage area located at the bottom. In addition, the tank is armed with a 7.62 mm UKM-2000C machine gun with 1000 rounds of ammunition.

As additional weapons The PL-01 tank can be equipped with 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns, a 40 mm grenade launcher and a smoke screen system.

The main highlight of the PL-01 tank will be its multi-layer ceramic armor, which will provide protection corresponding to the NATO STANAG 4569 Annex A level 5+ standard for the front part of its hull and turret. A side surfaces hulls and turrets can be equipped with additional armor, providing protection against projectiles of various calibers. The entire tank will be covered with a special compound and an active camouflage system that absorbs radiation over a wide range, making it invisible to radar and infrared detection systems. And installed on the tower active system defense will intercept incoming shells and missiles. With help additional system remote control the PL-01 tank will be able to operate in unmanned mode.

As it turned out, a lot of different works, more or less realistic, were submitted to this competition. I decided to select in this article, in my opinion, the most realistic examples of alternative technology of the future. Well, you can see all the works at the link that I will post not much higher.

1. Planetary armored personnel carrier M 577 APC (Armored Personnel Car) of the military starship team from the film

"Aliens" A fast, squat car, all-wheel drive and with all four reinforced

and steerable wheels, well armed and spacious inside - what else does a spaceship need?

paratroopers?

It seemed to me that such a machine could well be used on Earth. The scope of application cannot be immediately thought of. But the first thing that suggests itself is work in the police, in, so to speak, in a zone of mass unrest, and where high speed of movement with serious fire resistance is needed (for example, pursuing robbers). Although, in principle, such a vehicle is quite suitable for a conventional armored personnel carrier of the future.

2. Tank - a kind of fantasy on the theme of Warhammer tanks. ... humanity left its shelters, came out of bunkers onto a land contaminated with radiation, but already suitable for life. In a situation where it was necessary to help each other, people started a war again. A war for territory, a war for power. Now no one fought for freedom... "Combat vehicles" - now this was the name for any armored piece of iron capable of moving and shooting. They were assembled from the remains of military equipment left over from the time of the first nuclear strike...
Author - FIA_man.

3. Mobile command center.

The near future is a period in the development of military equipment when new technologies will be combined with old, time-tested and combat practice weapon systems. In this case, I present to you a mobile command center equipped with the Shiva strategic artillery complex, which fires shells with multiple warheads at a distance of up to a thousand kilometers, which allows one shot to cover a destruction area of ​​up to three kilometers. According to unverified facts (that is, rumors and speculation), the creation of this complex is based on the technologies of either aliens or ancient civilizations. Moreover, the most powerful guns from the entire complex are considered to be the ones at the top (that’s what it means, don’t believe your eyes, but if you remember the weapons from the movie “Men in Black”...). Targeting is assisted by a satellite communications system. There are also sixteen silos with medium-range missiles of the "Thunder" type. The complex has its own air defense systems, which include six Patriot-type air defense systems (anti-aircraft missile systems) and one Osa type air defense system hiding in a mine, as well as a remote-controlled cannon. At the stern of the complex there is a hangar with a landing pad for helicopters and other vehicles with vertical take-off and landing. The mode of transportation is caterpillar. The exposed “legs” are latches that help to firmly secure oneself in position. On the go, they are retracted inside the body.

This seems to me to be a good base for a land cruiser. Only instead of a futuristic mast, this combat vehicle would have a turret from a battleship that would look very natural, like on E-1000 "Rat".

4. Mechanical Combat Unit No. 510 of the 33rd Reinforced Airborne Regiment
(based on the story "Relic of War" by Keith Laumer).

In my opinion, this is one of the most realistic projects. And at the same time, it is quite original, especially the chassis.

5. Multi-wheeled combat vehicle - “Mantis”.

Mobile artillery installation, small size. Weak armor is compensated by high speed and armament (I hope). Used in the first intercontinental war in 2022.
Armament – ​​8 plasma anti-personnel cannons (in groups of four in front), 8 plasma anti-aircraft guns (in the rear), 2 armor-piercing cannons can be replaced in the front (they are mounted on the side), 2 long-range cannons (on the “back”).
Electric drive on all wheels. Turbines are not for traction but for electricity.

Also, this work is quite realistic for me.

6. Just a fighting vehicle of the future.

7. Light land-based missile cruiser.

8. Tank of the future.

Ankh modified with a plasma cannon. At enormous speed, he is capable of mercilessly delivering fatal blows to the enemy, overcoming obstacles. A tank is a machine that brings death and destruction.

9. Chinese tank of the future - Xin Li Hao - 53.

10. Heavy support vehicle – TMP “Gorozhanin”.

11. Self-propelled howitzer, with the possibility of remote control. Means of destruction: a coded electromagnetic wave that has a destructive effect on all electronics in the affected area, so any computers affected by the influence fail. In the future, the world will be saturated with computers, and their inoperability during combat operations may have detrimental consequences for the enemy.

12. T-72 with an electromagnetic "rail" installation.