Inside the Chieftain's Hatch Snapshot: "M5" Robotic Combat Vehicle

Textron is submitting what it's terming its "M5" to meet US Army requirements. This particular one is optimised for the Counter-UAS role (i.e. anti-drone configuration, in plain English).
Clark Lindner gives me the low-down.
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[@matthayward7889]

“Oh bugger, the tank is on fire” *watches it burn from a distance* “Oh well”

[@breadman32398]

I think this gets a perfect score for that test.

[@rhamph]

Needed a lawn chair and a case of beer. Best "tank is on fire" ever.

[@LIGHTNING278TH]

@@rhamph Unless it's on your hand receipt.

[@LukeBunyip]

@@rhamph Agreed, and seconded. Cheers

[@Tuck-Shop]

@@rhamphI don't drink but I brought beers for those who do and marshmallows for those who don't.

[@glenndean6]

Note that "M5" is a Textron marketing name; *not* an actual Army type-classification or designation. RCV (Medium) is not even an Army program yet.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Your username seems to ring a bell. Can't quite place it...

[@glenndean6]

@@TheChieftainsHatch ;)

[@spider0804]

They covered this in the first few minutes of the video.

[@phil20_20]

Thanks so much. It's always easier to remember things when you repeat them twice. 😏

[@KiithnarasAshaa]

@@TheChieftainsHatch I suspect M5 is also a reference to _Short Circuit_ - this is concerning as this vehicle might pose some unique complications if it were to gain self-awareness.

[@Paveway-chan]

The "oh bugger the tank is on fire!" test for this is you running out of the control centre after it's been bombed

[@Wesrl]

Running out of the motorcade after one of these lights up because of Shotty batteries

[@MrCantStopTheRobot]

"Oh bugger, the tank is on fire." >Detonate Battery >Logout >Okay >Okay

[@_datapoint]

I like Sofilein’s candid appearance halfway through. 😊

[@francesconicoletti2547]

This has the feel of those pre WW2 US tank exercises THe Chieftain talked about. We know the future is coming, we don’t have that much money for development, there is a lot of entrenched doctrine that doesn’t match the technology and until we actually get these things shot at we really don’t know if we made the right choices.

[@10thmtn86]

As a former SHORAD officer, I am happy to see Big Army looking into counter drone capabilities, whatever they may be.

[@robertsears8323]

To bad they are doing it wrong by using a worthless unmanned thig as all unmanned thigs are total garbage.

[@Grimpy970]

As a lifelong civilian I feel the same way! There's a huge gulf between the offensive capabilities of drones and our ability to jam or destroy them. I think they're going to be more and more popular with terrorist groups as time goes on

[@ScottKenny1978]

I think this still needs a "radar detector" (I'm speaking in civilian here) to say, "hey, there's some signals coming from over this way, like either a drone or a controller." You can passively detect an active radar at 4x the distance it can detect you.

[@taccovert4]

While this one didn't have an anti-missile capability....it's not too difficult to see the system being upgraded from purely anti-drone to anti-missile/anti-drone.

[@dwwolf4636]

One one wonders why we didnt add a few MHTK or Stingers (or better yet something dual role like the Martlet ) To this system. Extending the defensive envellope seems prudent.

[@TheArklyte]

"Bogies are back on the menu, boys!" Nice to see them come back after being absent since Challenger replaced Chieftain. Now I can continue to hit "mah Christie suspension" cult with them and torsion bars over the head and asking why do they think Comet was the last tank ever to use that maintenance nightmare:D

[@j.f.fisher5318]

it does my heart good to see someone bashing the Christie suspension. Seriously, the Soviets are like "we need tech cuz the Tsars weren't into that stuff... oh hey, this guy will sell it to us." Then in short order they stop using it... I wonder why?

[@F14thunderhawk]

its the Ripsaw suspension, which is a hybrid Christie Bogie suspension. Not bad but it has its own compromising issues Christie and Bogie suspension fell out of favor because they do not have the Crosslateral Dampening of Torsionbar suspension.

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

Actually the tzars were into tech. Thr tsars actually industrialised faster than the reds. The Soviets needed to important tank designs because the Civil war and following brain drain crippled them for abit.

[@tomstokoe5660]

@@matthiuskoenig3378 The Tsars were in charge of Russia for several centuries during which the country lagged behind the rest of Europe significantly in every way including technologically. Meanwhile the reds took the country from a feudal backwater into a spacefaring nuclear power in less then 50 years. Imagine what they could've done without that brain drain, we'd be living on Mars by now.

[@nougan_gamer]

I'm pretty sure those 2 soldiers at the end recognized The Chieftain and strolled about in front of the camera because they want to be in one of his future videos - and they succeeded! 🤣😆

[@trepan4944]

The fact that the brothers from H&H have turned what was once a gimmick vehicle into a serious battlefield piece is just inspiring. Plus I want one of those RipSaw personal tanks 😉

[@robertsears8323]

The ripsaw if good this POS unmanned thing is total shit garbage as it is unmanned and therefor should not exist at all.

[@Valorius]

There is no evidence that this is a "serious battlefield piece" just yet.

[@trepan4944]

@@Valorius cool

[@benjaminchung991]

It seems really, really big for the capabilities that it offers. If the idea is a forward unmanned reconnaissance system, for example, it would seem like such a big vehicle is a lot harder to conceal while offering little lethality advantage.

[@Valorius]

@@benjaminchung991 Needs to be pretty big to mount a 30mm autocannon on it.

[@jaybartram640]

I love the questions The Chieftain asked - real world ones, like how does the suspension work, armoring concept, durability of the wheels, etc. So many channels have no clue into the actual operations. Great post!

[@DeeEight]

The gun looks exactly like the M230LF chain gun, which would match the 30x113mm caliber the rep mentioned and likely simplify the maintenance using a proven gun already in the US Army logistics train. Not particularly lethal against MBTs but it'll make a mess of many APCs, IFVs and similar levels of armor, as well as attack helicopters if using the M789 HEDP round, which employs a small shaped charge warhead that also fragments upon impact.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

Looks like somebody flipped over an Apache and these techno barbarians looted the boom stick in a DRMO yard for their Robot Wars entry

[@ScottKenny1978]

I think this is using a different projectile, time or proximity fused.

[@SecuR0M]

It's just a worse IM-SHORAD yes.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@SecuR0M you mean one without all the missiles on it. Specifically for drones, I don't think that the missiles are needed. And I bet that all the rest of that could be added onto this turret/RWS if Big Army decides they want it. Edit: Though if they're trying to optimize this install for chasing drones, it really should have both the radar _and some signal sniffers to give the radar an idea where to look._

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@killdizzle yeah, probably. A good enough radar on the host vehicle removes the need for proximity fuses in ammo. I do hope this ammo has self destruct tracers. Ammo automatically blows when the tracer burns out, usually by having the last of the tracer initiate a blasting cap.

[@whyjnot420]

Usually we get Chieftain just going on about whatever vehicle and that is fine, but it is refreshing to see him being able to bounce things off someone who knows the details of the specific vehicle. E.g. the bit about suspension travel (even if we didn't get the exact number here).

[@Zombine45]

There was a lot of marketing speak at times when he could have just said "We can't disclose that" or "We haven't figured that out yet" His response to how you keep the cameras clean was a big one.

[@theangrybrit7898]

I realised myself. At least tried to say *something.* I have the utmost respect for how he handled it; definitely earned his pay.

[@heavylifter315]

Yeah, you hear that a lot at armor conferences. It's for the Generals who have no idea what their talking about.

[@flummi6966]

You could construct, 60-90° sapphire bends around the sensors ,to have them rotated or switched out.Make it redundant and have some cleaning system on the inside.

[@NullElemental]

it really comes down to how solid the communication between the operator and the UMV is, short of point to point laser, RF comms can be jammed, and controlling it with a guide wire has its own limitations. still though, if the enemy can't stop you from controlling it, it could be pretty damned effective

[@tanall5959]

Guide wire control... I am suddenly reminded of that scene From Patlabor 2. The two cops trying to sever the spider-tank's guide wire with shotguns. Though that scene does also give an idea for just how chonky such a guide wire would need to be for a vehicle on the battlefield.

[@TheArklyte]

Laser communications can be jammed with smoke(with metal particles). So yeah, one more scene to add to sci-fi:D No one says it can use only one method.

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

Jammers would have to be within effective range which is determined by how big of a powerplant the emitter can be powered by. Terrain is also a difficult factor so jamming from the air is the better option but jamming from the air exposes the emitter and the aircraft to AA, which in turn potentially means a much more expensive and complicated piece of aircraft and tech is in danger. Jammers also have a nasty habit of lighting up like a christmas tree on a tuned in receiver system making the detection and pinpointing of such aircraft much easier. Not sure if it would be worth jamming to be perfectly honest, yeah you'd disable or limit the robot but that seems like a very bad trade-off when comparing the cost of the robot to the cost of the ECM aircraft.

[@cmdrantezscar3368]

@@tanall5959 there are also the complete oposite of those, miniscule fiber optic wires who are strong as steel wire, but more bendable and almost transparent, so it can hide in grass and terrain if not dirrectly sought after.

[@jarink1]

@@LazyLifeIFreak If the operator and UGV are within a kilometer or two of each other, standoff jamming would be very impractical. Jamming works by delivering a stronger signal to the receiver. Inverse square law makes jamming at range exponentially more difficult the closer the receiver is to the transmitter. A potentially better option might be delivering small jammers with arty, rockets, or air into the area where the UGV is operating.

[@critterjon4061]

The Chieftain is panicking because he can’t find the hatch

[@herrakaarme]

He didn't even get to have a look at the engine.

[@jimtalbott9535]

Happily, I know of a very friendly nation currently experiencing a special Operation problem that would be very happy to give these a real-world test under formerly-near-peer adversary situations.

[@j.f.fisher5318]

lol, right?

[@somedudeonline1936]

They won't sell it to Ukraine because we don't want our more modern tech being captured and copied.

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

It's still near-per. It's called *near* peer war for a reason.

[@majungasaurusaaaa]

@@matthiuskoenig3378 Not even near. It's a 3rd world adversary with nukes.

[@bullettube9863]

This vehicle will be a good chassis to build other capabilities on. In stealth mode it could bring up supplies and take away wounded from the front line, it could be used to clear mines or just do basic recon at night. Lots of possibilities!

[@scipioafricanus6417]

What a salesman way to say "smoke launcher".

[@ScottKenny1978]

To be fair, multi spectral smoke is a bit different from classic smoke.

[@scipioafricanus6417]

@@ScottKenny1978 But that's the ammo, not the launcher isn't it?

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@scipioafricanus6417 this is a big fancier than the fixed smoke launchers usually carried.

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@scipioafricanus6417 I mean, as I understand current armored vehicle smoke launchers, you have one load of smoke for the vehicle ready to use, and that load of smoke covers 90-180⁰ of arc. Something goes sideways, you pop smoke, reverse back over the hill, everyone catches their breath, then the loader hops out to refill the smoke launchers with 8-12 grenades. Maybe the Gunner, too, just to speed things up, while TC is on the .50cal for overwatch. This doesn't have crew onboard to reload smoke, so it carries more and needs to be smarter about where it puts those grenades.

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

Well it's a smoke launcher with some slightly more sophisticated aiming and targeting capability

[@Odin029]

I thought I saw Sofilein in the background and a miniature M1 tank, but then again I could be seeing things.

[@DagaYute]

Love Chieftain asking the real questions: what time do I have to be up to PMCS this vehicle?

[@tacticalmanatee]

It's a big worry for the people who may end up actually using these. A tank has a whole crew to help maintain it, but these will not only have no crew, but will likely be fielded in larger numbers. Going from 4 guys per tank plus the mechanic unit, to 4 tanks per mechanic unit (plus the existing manned tanks that will still be in the same unit) poses some issues. The easy answer is to significantly enlarge the integral mechanic units, but the Army is trying to reduce manning as much as possible so that's not likely.

[@DagaYute]

@@tacticalmanatee 1SGT just gets to play the "how many E-4s can I stuff in the back of a LMTV" game

[@Redmanfms]

The real question you have to ask yourself is what Patriots will do to you (and your family, wink wink) when these are used against Heritage Americans.

[@alexgallagher4594]

@@Redmanfms why brother with this UGV when the government can drone strike you with a knife missle from high altitude with a UAV. Jfc you larp lords

[@cmck472]

@redmanfms. What the he'll are you on about? Or what the he'll are you on?

[@OneLeatherBoot]

Underground mining equipment; specifically loaders within stopes currently run off tele remote cameras, including recovery of broken down/ stuck loaders. Basically a 2nd tele remote loader will pull up behind the broken/ stuck one and lower a towing hook. This disengages the hand brake & gear box once engaged of the first vehicle, allowing it to be towed out. It can't fix a broken or thrown track :-)

[@somedudeonline1936]

The crew of a tank can't fix a track while being shot at either. There is a reason they call it a mobility KILL.

[@OneLeatherBoot]

@@somedudeonline1936 I'm aware, hence the cheeky smiley face.

[@rulebretgne5244]

Nick is really good at finding tough questions!

[@daveleyerle2525]

Super happy to see you are doing some current systems and future systems, thanks a million!

[@sketchesofpayne]

People keep saying "Skynet" but I could see it end up being more "Johnny 5." The operators always having to rein the vehicles in because they keep wandering off to look at stuff and trying to chat up the other drones.

[@Tank50us]

And then have an odd obsession with Dr Pepper....

[@PobortzaPl]

Johny 5 is alive!

[@Mahbu]

The issue of "Skynet" is whether or not we genuinely lean in full and complete autonomy of the unmanned vehicles. I don't think people have the stomach to remove a human operator completely. There's a question of ethics that may hinder any attempt. Most people would feel more 'comfortable' if it was a human deciding to pull the trigger on target acquisition or lethal action. The main point of autonomy would be overseeing more mundane things like getting to and from Operation Areas, loitering overhead, or patrolling.

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

Skynet dates back to 1969 on this side of the pond. It was a bit rubbish really.

[@DrLoverLover]

@@Mahbu Capitalism will do anything when it feels its existence threatend. Including killing everyone

[@HappyDuude]

Love seeing the cutting edge on the channel as well, awesome. An amazing follow up would be on how would a doctrine be likely developed for autonomous vehicles

[@m35benvids87]

Important questions, can it charge your phone. Does the top have sufficient grip so soldiers to ride and probably surf the thing in groups? How much heat can it put out so guys can gather around and keep warm?

[@alltat]

If it can't charge your phone already, the soldiers will very quickly modify it so that it can.

[@AlRoderick]

Back when I used to work construction when they leave a truck idling a lot of horses gather around the exhaust for warmth, I can imagine those Marine corps pack donkeys clustering around the anti drone drone in the mountains.

[@silmarian]

How many soldiers will use it as a nice, flat sleeping spot and wake up 8km away when it rolls out under electric power?

[@TJ_Low]

silmarian This actually begs the question, does this thing have a camera (or at least sensors) on top so the controller knows if someone is napping or surfing on it?

[@silmarian]

@@TJ_Low No idea, but I suspect that standard procedure will be to have someone have a walk around before they send it out. Even with cameras, sometimes it's better to just send a guy or gal over to go through a checklist.

[@Kaiserland111]

I don't exactly know why, but tankettes (manned, not drones) have always interested me. The German Wiesel 1 is a fantastic example and I've heard it has good reviews from the soldiers using them. I'd like to see an optionally-manned version with a 2-man crew for a tiny recon vehicle.

[@HereticalKitsune]

Super fascinating concept and vehicle! Thanks for sharing~

[@evilreddog]

looks interesting, see it as infantry support vehicle and am more curious how much stuff it can carry, like a mobile rearmament point for soldiers, when they spend the ammo, rockets, food and water in the field, also light troop transportation. But in that case a 40mm with programable fuzes would probably be a better option then the 30mm chain gun. having the option to secure gurneys on it for a quick field extract of wounded sounds like a good idea

[@anthonyirwin6627]

I really think that 40mm guns would not be able to achieve the volume of fire needed to do AA work against most low-flying crafts that you'd want to shoot at, plus the brrrrrrrt ability would make it useful against the event that a lot of sombodies showed up. still, great points there

[@evilreddog]

@@anthonyirwin6627 i downgraded the AA capability intentionaly in my points, well not entierly as the new NAMMO 40mm air burst/programmable rounds does make up allot of it and the range is not significantly reduced over the 30mm. So you get a increased frag capability, that helps with lighter drones and better anti infantry capability at the expense of slightly lower range and light anti armor capability.

[@tacticalmanatee]

30x113mm has significantly higher velocity and flatter trajectory (both very important when dealing with small moving targets like drones at range) than 40mm but a "mule" version aimed at infantry use at maybe the platoon level, without the radar and other specialized anti-drone systems, would be useful with a 40mm for infantry support, or maybe some sort of remote-controlled mortar (with good enough programming you could even use the 40mm like a light high-RoF mortar). Though I'd go with something smaller for a mule, since this thing would have trouble fitting through many types of terrain that foot patrols encounter all the time.

[@robertsears8323]

I was liking it till the stupid guy said it was unmanned at that point I just anted to melt it down with the evil POS that made it inside.

[@benjaminchung991]

The 30x113 also has a proximity fuzing option available which would be very nice - though as you say I'm generally of the opinion that you probably want larger caliber to get more filler for the C-UAS role.

[@juenger1701]

the chieftain bolo episode draws ever closer

[@doitatit]

Very cool! Nicely done!

[@lhkraut]

Love the guys at the end. The ultimate situational awareness!

[@Sleepy.Time.]

Sofilein sighting at 9:15

[@autothrust330]

Ryan mc beth showed the way to this great tank related channel. Thanks!

[@keab42]

Fascinating. Thank you for this.

[@MililaniJag]

Thx! Was having Chieftan withdrawals! Cheers!

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

[@SpeedVaultz]

Also is that Sofilein in the background!? At 9:09.

[@tacticalmanatee]

yep, maybe we'll get a fun collab video

[@CharChar2121]

This is so cool. I'm excited to see which one the army will go with and if the Marine Corps will buy any at all.

[@aaronsbarker]

9:10.... is that Sofilein in the background?

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Yes, she was at the same event.

[@kentsavick2516]

The 3rd guy walking in front of the camera did it on purpose. ;) Hmm, was that Sofi Lein in the background? It's also good to see our military anticipating and learning some lessons from recent conflicts, you know which one I mean. These could be very useful in many roles, especially for support and recon. Mechanized version of a fly swatter! :D

[@RyTrapp0]

I've actually been meaning to ask our gracious host here about his thoughts on the M5 for a while now, and just kept forgetting lol, so this is a nice surprise! I'm REALLY intrigued by this thing, it's a fascinating concept for a support vehicle, and in a variety of potential roles(as a basic mobility platform). I really like a lot of the design choices they made with the M5, given the current state of this future-leaning technology, it seems like a pretty smart, balanced design. BTW, it's worth checking out Textron's videos on it, they cover a lot more of the features(there's some clever stuff here). But I'd definitely like to hear a tanker's point of view about implementing this with other armor today and how unmanned support platforms like this could offer potentially expanded capabilities. Possibly make a tanker's job a little easier. Also, shout out to the Howe & Howe guys, incredible how far they've come! From two brothers that wanted to build a homemade 'high performance tank', to being an arm of an international defense supplier, that's just unreal! I still remember watching the OG OG Ripsaw video that went viral when I was in high school, back before "going viral" was a popular thing lol. Running through an old shack, destroying a mud pit, the good ol days lol. Pretty amazing that they took some backyard engineering and straight up 100% evolved it all the way into legitimately potentially military capable designs(give them the full credit when they finally get over that hurdle). You just don't hear of these sorts of stories today, the military isn't as interested in DIY garage ideas as they were back in, say, the early 1900s LOL.

[@austing5951]

Seems like something that could be implemented into platoons to give some more expendable scouting facilities, and require less soldiers on the ground. And that way there's someone there to hook up a tow cable if it does bog itself.

[@garyswift9347]

problems I've heard about are mainly connectivity. That little drone that pops out the front could include a signal relay, like a wifi booster

[@DrLoverLover]

Nice to see the red banner flying.

[@alluraambrose2978]

Don't know the answer or doesn't want to give the answer = vague answer + something positive on this vehicle and hammers down on this positive thing. What a salesman xD

[@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785]

If they can ever find a way around jamming or hi-jacking(maybe signal is encrypted on a frequency that can't be jammed easily) Imagine these being backed up by supply vehicles and a few repair vehicles and a couple human units as a sort of sheep dog unit, and all being controlled by a point click and drag system like Command and Conquer on some kind of coordinates system with an aerial map, like a top down view. War becomes a game for those counties which can do that.

[@Juel92]

I definitely think unmanned vehicles are the future. Can't wait to see more as they develop.

[@natehughes8043]

My dude is asking legit, on the ground questions regarding maintenance and function of all the do-dads, and Textron is sidestepping like a champ! lol

[@benlewis4241]

The Russians actually used remote controlled tanks against Finland in 1940- they were called Teletanks- they are really interesting!

[@teddill4893]

Was that a Sophie sighting!?!?!?? Thanks for the look into the pipe line of what is in test.

[@janwitts2688]

I could see this as very useful during a multi pronged attack where a particular route is deemed too dangerous for manned vehicles..

[@tonymirarchi]

M-5, The Stuart would be proud.

[@CharChar2121]

Shit, that's cool. A worthy successor.

[@JoshuaC923]

Very cool

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

Slap a Trophy system on that badboy and slave it to an Abrams, put it on the flanks so it can intercept close range RPG's and intercept missiles at longer ranges.

[@Liamv4696]

In today's episode of "There is no inside for the Chieftain to hatch"

[@OliverFlinn]

im patiently waiting for the moment something like this, but with some kind of automatic artillery system, mortar or rocket artillery system rolls out of the production line.

[@lewiswestfall2687]

thanks

[@mememetal6631]

This is interesting. I see silent option being a thing on auxolary vehicles and semiautonomus options more and more. I do like its idea but still electric warefare units (which are common thing mentioned in the air side of things) can pop up and have to be countered. The high agility and high durability as well as the maintanence, longrange operationality are great ideas. But im still concerned with the override that f.e. iraq had done to a drone and latency of remote control. I can see it evolve in testing to be more durable but EW i doubt they come across in testing despite the airforce's expirience. Recon was mentioned which is something i love in this idea. Remote semi autonomus, mobile observation units are highly valueable in my opinion. Against low tech enemies effective and against parity one loss reducing, tho still can be saved imo by observing-running methods on preset routes with autonomus driving to only give away the positions when its neccesary and is in relative safety. For dronecounter platform i had an idea that was a T-14 Terminator with a load of weapons that can serve well against infantry, drones, armour and helo; radar and optical systems for IDing and firing solution and path calculations. Which obviously have to be manned but this "M5" can actually be introducing less extra resources and be an ideal intern vehicle or full purpose one. But you also mentioned tanks which are hard to get right even with gained space from no crew. Ive been thinking about those a lot and while tank games do provide a base for them to imagening how they can be implumented control vise, there is always the mobility kill and repair issues. Altho dedicated recovery vehicle, control centre unit(IFV or APC loaded with the remote operators) and a manned unit with override capibilities and if need be the semi autonomus option then as ordering capibilities to designate while the "autonomus" tank takes care of it. TL;DR: consider Electric Warfare counters and counters to that too and semiautonomus platforms for new tasks is great for minimal increase in resources consumption and can be faster implumented from testing to fielding

[@asterisk606]

I definitely see potential of these in the areas the vehicle is designed for, like defensive and support roles. For unmanned main line combat vehicles, though, I think the reliance on cameras and sensors can lead to some situations of the vehicle getting disabled quite easily if it was put in the line of fire. It goes hand in hand with the question of how to keep the sensors clean. If one of the cameras or sensors get hit by gunfire, rockets, or any other ordinance, how effective will the vehicle be after that? Even bullet proof glass will splinter after being hit and make visibility out of that camera/sensor window difficult.

[@Riceball01]

Was that Sofilein in the background about midway through the video? It was at the point where the guy in the dark suit who was laughing with a soldier walked away and drove off in a black van. There was someone with him that looked kind of Soflilein, at least from the back.

[@jimsquire9048]

I'm pretty sure it was. I'd put $ on it.😁

[@chrissheffield5468]

Giving a 19A, with extensive experience in online gaming, access to a remote controlled combat vehicle will result in the radical redrawing of topographic maps.

[@thomaswilloughby9901]

Chieftain rock'in the 11th ACR shirt. "Black Horse"!

[@no0ns]

Ha, at first I thought the answer at 8:28 was censored due to the beeping noise :D

[@DSlyde]

The rep was good, informative and on point with questions. Much better than a lot of the reps you see that can only read the script they were given. One question from a tank noob though - he kept mentioning a band track. What is that vs a traditional track?

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

It’s one piece, unlike regular track which is scores of individual links pinned or bolted together

[@DSlyde]

@@TheChieftainsHatch thats what I guessed, but I couldn't confirm. Thank you!

[@sneakyfeats2353]

These things are really coming along in terms of development.

[@CanuckWolfman]

M5? Oh no... *"This unit must survive."*

[@OmegaReaver]

A moment of silence for those lost aboard the USS Lexington and USS Excalibur.

[@rgmolpus]

It looks like the back half of the M5 is empty; so put a pickup truck bed in it as a combat mule. Load your supplies in the bed, let the thing trail behind a squad as they stomp across the landscape. Canvas cover over the top, you're ready to go!

[@DymondzTrucking1962]

That would make a great long range scout vehicle for the armored forces.

[@coreymerrill3257]

That's some grinding wheel technology for the road wheels . Polymer molded to a rigid structure . Instead of integrated diamond particles in the polymer, they probably use a glass or carbide "rebar" to increase, structural rigidity, traction and durability. As the polymer wears it would expose carbide , the carbide being many times harder than most things it would contact I nature, would take a seriously long time to wear out to get to the next layer of carbides , and so on. Same a a sintered diamond or polymer diamond polishing lap or even steel bedding compound that uses powdered metal for strength .used for rifle making. It can take a lot of pressure and shock. That would make a very long wearing and tough wheel for heavy use , a wheel that could be potentially remolded in field by mechanics using a premix and a jig . Engine can be the heat source for thermal curing .it even sunlight if the jig is made like a solar oven... You are welcome . This is my idea and as such if it is used ,I want %75 of gross income from it. And now counter offers...go!

[@ulissedazante5748]

The mini-me micro tank inside the robot tank it's the cherry on top.

[@50_foot_punch99]

God I would love to get inside that back panel and just look at the wiring

[@phil20_20]

So, how does it know who to kill? "You can't destroy the M5!" - Dr. Daystrom, Star Trek TOS. Does it tension it's own trac? Definitely no stop button, but I'm sure they can fit a large coffee maker on the back!

[@J_K944]

I know this is a worthy endeavor in the future of combat systems, but I still can't help but think of the Soldierboys in Haldeman's Forever Peace.

[@PobortzaPl]

"Anybody can get something stuck" - sounds like a beginning for at least an hour long story...

[@michaelmulligan0]

Interesting vehicle

[@T0MB5T0NE]

Hey is that Sofilein coming in the shot at around 9:10?

[@LIETUVIS10STUDIO1]

This gun makes sense. This is essentially an upgraded and strongly modernized version of the WW2 era AA we saw. Drones are after all light, fairly slow moving targets. You just need to soup up the optics to spot the darn small things.

[@juliusEST]

But thats what the radar is for

[@Galvars]

Praise the Omnissiah! A combat automata!

[@scipioafricanus6417]

Heretek!

[@Exospray]

odd I thought that was a heresy

[@Colonel_Overkill]

It is. Abominable intelligence. The legio cyberbetica work off of basically organic brains running an OS from a disc. Arguments can be made for a titans manifold machine spirit but thats the closest to AI you will find.

[@Galvars]

@@Exospray Heresy is to install there Abominable Intelligence. As long it obey controller commands and is controlled by sacred Machine Spirit it's sanctioned.

[@simonthesultan2159]

As long as it doesn't have an AI it's not heresy. If it starts thinking you grab the galvanic shotgun...

[@3phemaral]

The concern with all of these remote systems is electronic countermeasures. You’re going to need to add support vehicles or integrated capability to take out whatever tries to jam them.

[@gabrielmalaguti5512]

The only problem I can see with your solar panel idea is the dust issue you mentioned for the cameras.

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Hmm. That looks like the 30mm on the Apache. Cheers Chief.

[@TheNecromancer6666]

I would be very interested in the opinion of a former Bradley Commander on the different current IFVs. The Bradley today is underprotected und undergunned. Also it combines light armament with a heavy manned Turret. Compared to for example KF41 Lynx on the heavy weight and CV90 Mk4 on the lightweight spectrum. Also I would postulate that a modern IFV needs a combined armament of an Automatic, ideally externally driven Maingun of at least 35mm, plus two ready fire ATGMs with reloads. Ideally one would have a 50mm gun with 4 ready use ATGMs.

[@gdziewojsko]

Where is track tensioning?

[@bobh9492]

that turret seems to be all the army needs to add to a tank or ifv, same for the small drone... the vehicle itself, if you cant find a place for it in the formation, seems superfluous. as static defense i feel the same, put it in a small container, deploy as needed.

[@sejembalm]

Does this have the optional Dalek package where it screams "Exterminate!" through loudspeakers when engaging soft targets?

[@alan-sk7ky]

19:27 I want to know the Chieftain would get in, let alone get out of the half size M1 next to this thing, is it his personal sports tank perhaps?

[@vertik7]

Battle Management System - a smartphone and Xbox controller. "Oh bugger, my batteries died", - options: 1. ask enemies for spare batteries, 2. use solar/handcrank. 3. Turn on automatic mode that shoots at everything if there is no operator detected.

[@agactual7901]

And So it Begins: Sad, the coming end of My favorite Chieftain Video Era.... "oh bugger, the tanks on fire "

[@CharChar2121]

Using video game systems to make UI work was brilliant. That said, I would prefer a KMB setup.

[@THEDIABLODOG]

In a urban environment without infantry support one enemy combatant with a can of black Krylon Fusion paint could disable the whole vehicle

[@danpatterson8009]

Autonomous operation in a combat situation is a very, very tall order which I suspect will only be approached by degrees. Even with humans, forces have to be coordinated and individual units cannot forever make decisions based only on their immediate environment. The stepping stone will be remote operation by some sort of insanely robust and redundant data link, then brief periods of autonomous operation bracketed by remote updates via that link, with autonomous periods increasing in duration as the Army gains experience and hones the system. There are also the questions of interrupting autonomous operation via the data link (the "WHOA" option), and what should the vehicle do when the data link is lost or jammed?

[@ulrichkalber9039]

I would just place two rolls in front of the camera between wich a sheet of plastic is moving, when one section is dirty you just roll to the next section. giving it a folding seat would allow to drive it over public roads, for the same reason detachable extra tanks would be helpful.

[@rulebretgne5244]

The only problem I see with it potentially swimming is that because it doesn't have a crew, it is likely a very dense vehicle. There might not be enough air inside to float.

[@APwhiskey]

Looks like it could find a good home with Airborne units!

[@fukuufukingfuk]

9:08 That's totally Sofilein in the background

[@dariustiapula]

The beginning of the BOLO tank. *FOR THE HONOR OF THE REGIMENT!*

[@GeneralJackRipper]

Imagine lighting off a radar within line of sight of enemy positions.

[@TheBrewjo]

The welding on that rear plate near the sockets looks pretty rough.

[@johnknapp952]

Need to stick that turret onto current vehicles (M2/3, Stryker, etc.) with one vehicle per platoon, or 1 in 4. If you're going to have a dedicated vehicle like this you might as well also put some Stinger type missiles on it also.