Tanks are Goliaths. They’re covered with layers and layers of thick armour for protection, which makes them huge and slow-moving. Now, DARPA wants to change that.
For the last 100 years, the ability of weapons to punch holes through thick armour has advanced faster than the armour’s ability to withstand protection, says a DARPA release. The agency wants to develop vehicles that are lighter and move quicker to dodge attacks rather than depend on armour for safety.
To do that, it has launched the Ground X-Vehicle Technology (GXV-T) program, which has a few specific objectives: reduce the size and weight of tanks by half; double the vehicle speed; and reduce onboard crew needed to operate the vehicle by 50 per cent. The program also wants the vehicles to be able to access 95 per cent of terrain including slopes and various elevations.
DARPA needs two years to work on these technologies before awarding any contracts for these vehicles, so it will be some time before they’re deployed. On the other hand, two years for faster, sleeker tanks doesn’t seem like a long wait at all. [DARPA via Engadget]
Picture: DARPA