Invisible Tank Appears at London Arms Fair

Hevva

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Invisible Tank Appears at London Arms Fair


BAE Systems' new tank may have been there all along.



This week's a controversial Bahraini delegation [http://www.dsei.co.uk/] and, as a finishing touch, an invisible tank. You can watch BAE's sneaky new tank hiding in some bushes in the accompanying video.

The tank hides using BAE's Adaptiv technology, which is based around a skin of hexagonal panels that can each change temperature at a rapid pace. The flexibility of these panels means that they can quickly adjust their temperature to that of their surroundings, rendering them invisible to infrared and thermal imaging sights. The panels can be be hardened, allowing them to serve as armor plating. Soldiers could also use the panels to mimic the shapes of other vehicles, or write cool messages on the side of the tank like "USAF 4 HALF-LIFE 3" or "PC GAMERS SUCK."

The project is currently being developed in Sweden under the supervision of the Swedish Defense Material Administration (FMV). Project leader Peder Sjölund says that, "Earlier attempts at similar cloaking devices have hit problems because of cost, excessive power requirements or because they were insufficiently robust. Our panels can be made so strong that they provide useful armour protection and consume relatively low levels of electricity, especially when the vehicle is at rest in 'stealth recce' mode and generator output is low."

If armed with both BAE's Adaptiv technology and the British Ministry of Defense's anti-RPG electromagnetic tank shields [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99282-Scientists-Work-on-Force-Fields-for-Tanks], the tanks of tomorrow could combine the best fictional parts of both the Enterprise and the Normandy. Also they could save actual lives, which is cooler than impersonating sci-fi.


Source: HuffingtonPost [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/09/14/invisible-tank-stars-at-l_n_961587.html?1315998139]

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w9496

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Jun 28, 2011
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Wouldn't it be in trouble if anybody saw it though? People's eyes don't have thermal imaging, so 1 guy could see it, and call in an airstrike or something.
 

Jakub324

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Jan 23, 2011
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Dear Santa...
Seriously, that's pretty fucking impressive. If the Taliban used night-vision, we'd have them beat within a month.
 

ShindoL Shill

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Jul 11, 2011
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wait so we have forcefields, nanotechnology and invisible tanks now?

kinda makes Back to the Future seem bland and redundant...
 

Simalacrum

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Apr 17, 2008
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But... wait, we never really take on anyone with any large amount of high-tech equipment? Since this is invisible only to such things like heat sensors and other such devices that any of our enemies could never hope to afford, doesn't this make this particular gadget rather redundant? Who the hell are we meant to employ it against?
 

Machine Man 1992

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An invisible tank is all well and good, but where the hell is my predator active camo? I want to run around while invisible goddammit!
 

wooty

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Aug 1, 2009
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All we have to do now is wait for our dear leader Cameron to either not impliment this system or eventually scrap it along with the rest of the armys tanks
 

Slycne

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w9496 said:
Wouldn't it be in trouble if anybody saw it though? People's eyes don't have thermal imaging, so 1 guy could see it, and call in an airstrike or something.
I don't know the ins and outs of modern tank warfare, but I believe at the typical engagements ranges( over 2 miles) spotting visually can be extremely difficult. A tank could already be behind the cover of a berm or chilling in some foliage so the heat signature becomes the primary method of identification.
 

rembrandtqeinstein

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theheroofaction said:
But you know what this thing doesn't work against? regular vision.
You know what works against regular vision? Night(tm)[footnote]I couldn't figure out how to make a trademark symbol[/footnote]
 

Sassafrass

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Simalacrum said:
But... wait, we never really take on anyone with any large amount of high-tech equipment? Since this is invisible only to such things like heat sensors and other such devices that any of our enemies could never hope to afford, doesn't this make this particular gadget rather redundant? Who the hell are we meant to employ it against?
Best use I can think of it is this.

Sneak slowly towards target.
Load a new shell that is basically a mini-nuclear bomb.
Fire at target who has been pissing you of, ie a neighbour or someone you really wish you didn't sell those guns too.
Run the fuck away.
???
Hope you have only one head in a week/profit.

I'm guessing that's pretty much what it'll be used for, if it ever is used. :p

But that's pretty cool nonetheless. Still want my invisibility cloak, though.
 

ryo02

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theheroofaction said:
But you know what this thing doesn't work against? regular vision.
erm paint it green or whatever colour the landscape where your going is ... yeah or try a net with some leaves glued to it throw that over the tank probleme solved.
 

Knusper

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That's pretty cool, I was expecting to be able to faintly see it.

Though to be honest I'm surprised that we have any tanks left to stick that nifty stuff on to.