Let's talk armor.I for one believe that there are few cooler things in today's world then riot police.
>>954today's Russian gas masks as so inferior to the classic horror gas mask they had.
That Dragonscale that is ten times better than KEVLAR yet the Military doesn't use it.Wut iz dis madnes.
>>956lol troll
>>956that's just a shame.>>957I am beginning to have bad feelings about the future of +4.
>>956http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Skin_(body_armor)#Military_testingarmy claims it's not as good as they say it is. contract was voided.
>>958Dragon skin sucks bro, everyone knows itThe ceramic disks were glued in with crap glue from Mexico and it melted in Afghan heat, making the entire thing as worthless to protecting bullets as a standard uniformAdditionally, the glue froze in sub zero temperatures and made the entire thing kind of like ancient armor, impossible to move inThe type of thread used to connect the layers was not kevlar, but a nylon thing which often broketl;dr good concept, but that particular product is shit
>>958+4 is doomed because people call out trolls
That's not a troll, it's just Vorked being Vorked.
>>960>>kind of like ancient armor, impossible to move inHey man, don't knock older Armor. People used to be able to do sommersaults in this shit.
>>1022anyone know how much distance could an average knight cover in one of these? can't be too far.
>>1024The average knight had been trained to maneuver on the battle field since about the time he could stand, so I'd say they could get pretty far.
While I am in no way an expert (or even an enthusiast) on armor, I would assume that a sensible designer wouldn't put a soldier on the battlefield in something he couldn't move twenty feet in or wear for more than an hour.
Look into the history of armor its actually pretty interesting.One thing that you notice is how after centuries of innovation, armor developments stagnated for fucking ever.Also no, those movie armors that are just a clunky mess of plates werent the norm. Much in the way a military tunic isnt standard troop gear.
>>1028>One thing that you notice is how after centuries of innovation, armor developments stagnated for fucking ever. bullets are really powerful.>>1027I dunno. maybe armor that's very specific in purpose. like against high caliber fire. I would have a unit put it on. then charge the sniper/high caliber machine gun and then take it off.but then I guess that would only apply to slower moving combat.
>>1029The use of guns is overrated, they were pretty much just support or a long time.
>>1037still, after they came up with the matchlock, made enough of an impact to drive the knights in shining armor extinct.
>>1039No, Armor was still featured prominently in warfare for more then another hundred years.
>>1028 >One thing that you notice is how after centuries of innovation, armor developments stagnated for fucking ever. In many places of Europe, espcially Brittian, military tactics in general 'stagnated'. Adopting gunpowder over the bow and abandonment of chariot useage for example didn't occur in many more isolated areas for a long period of time, even after their neighbors and foes adopted them. Came down to doing what they knew best vs the slow shift of tech advancement. After all, the tech is only as good as the people are skilled at using it.Anyway, remember the XOS Exoskeleton?:http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-04/building-real-iron-manCombination exoskeltal hydralic human enhancement and plated armored underbody.
>>1066first, awesome historical war related get.second, is it just me or is anyone else bored of all these really cool concept weapon designs that are NEVER followed through.
>>1067Some private contractor will build a prototype for some military, and other private contractors will say "hey, why do that when we have a better idea that costs less?" The original idea gets frozen while newer ones get pushed through, etc etc.Can't say I don't like that self-refreshing system. It's brought a whole lot of wounded soldiers some high quality prostheses.
im still amazed the XM25 is being finalised
I want to go on record as saying that the first military powered armour will be a 'soft' undersuit of muscle-fibre-like material, with external armour plates. Articulated 'hard' exoskeletons won't come til later.
>>1075I say you have already been disproved.though you might argue the definition of "power armor"
>>1078robo backpacks =/= armour
Left - Japanese inventionCenter - Iron ManRight - American invention
>>1080they don't seem all that different. problem just seems to be lack of arc reactor tech.
>>1079It would probably be trivial to put some plating on it to wrap around the user's body.
>>1081Plus HAL is intended to be a commercial/medical product while XOS is fully intended to be used for military. You never really know, but I'm guessing HAL's not built to be nearly as abuse-proof.
>>1078This: >>1079I'll take you up on your offer of arguing the definition of "power armor" by stating that by the phrase 'power armor' I mean a system of armor, conformal to the human body that is self-propelled, or augments the propulsive capacity of the wearer to a degree such that their carrying capacity is enhanced by the system, not degraded. HULC certainly fulfils the second requirement.Additionally, I will concede the argument when such a system passes the field trials of a state military force and is distributed to it's general infantry.
>>1088I agree to that definition and concede my argument.
>>1081One is smaller, lighter and doesn't need a gigantic umbilical to function
been thinking about power-armors and came to a big question: even if we ignore weight, does a material exist that will stop assault rifle fire AND still be flexible enough for a person to wear?
>>1153
>>1153>what-do-you-think-the-troops-are-wearing-now.jpg
>>1158as much as I gathered modern armors shatter like plates when stopping a bullet, in assault rifle fire I meant a few bursts.
>>1153I answer your question with another: is cost also a consideration?Because if so, no. If not, well, would you like a list?
>>1160just one material would be enough.
>>1162Non newtonian fluids coupled with high strength fibers could stop assault rifle rounds (5.57 to 7.62) dead in their tracksHell, if you want cheap, a simple bathroom tile with some sticky tape on the far end has enough tensile strength to stop a 9mm slug
>>1163>tensileI'm an idiot, please rape my faceI was thinking of kevlar as I wrote that, substitute it for compressive
>>1160Tiny, monocrystalline steel loops connected into microscopically fine chainmail.
>>1163>Non newtonian fluidswouldn't those just leak out?
>>1168Maybe if you were holding them in an inverted cup
>>1169Even then it would take days
>>1168They could be packaged in small bubbles, laid over a tear resistant base material. Think bubble wrap injected with cornstarch solution. The wrap might even be layered once or twice.Of course, that would still leave gaps wherever you took a round (and fuckhuge bruises).
>>1171well I guess that can be solved by overlapping the pockets.
It looks like the Human Universal Load Carrier has been cleared for live testing in 2011.http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/10703219"But Kosh. This just helps them pick stuff up and move it around. That isn't armor."You're right. But it IS the future 'structure' of armor. Think about it: If these lifting structures pass as something that does give a viable non-hindering advantage to soldiers in the field?The next time they're deployed they won't be used to carry just supplies. They'll be deployed as the support structure for armor that can protect against automatic weapons, something very difficult to achieve without reducing movement and visibility.
>>1681>200 lbs.that's like a browning heavy machine gun loaded with 120 rounds.I wonder if it also helps in taking the recoil.
An alternative that no one seems to be considering: rather than making the armor lighter, or giving it an internal propulsion system, why not make the troops stronger via steroids and/or genetic engineering?
>>1687because that makes them bigger targets and most soldiers won't do that voluntarily. modern warfare is all about trying to hit something and trying not to get hit your self.