It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 198 | Sharp Commentary

Objectively speaking, Shank actually quite admired the abilities of the Ivan Rus' people.

Despite limited technical resources, we have achieved ingenious systems engineering through various creative approaches, ultimately resulting in excellent overall performance.

Humans are also a part of a systems engineering process.

As for whether the practice of treating thousands of officers and soldiers as consumables is right or wrong, that's a matter of opinion.

"...The technology isn't that advanced yet. As far as I know, even the most cutting-edge technology isn't enough. The combat effectiveness of a single vehicle can't compare to that of a female military vehicle crew. However, multi-vehicle coordinated operations can completely close the gap."

After saying that, Shang Ke added nonchalantly, "Besides, we don't exclude female soldiers. They are very suitable to be tank commanders or gunners. In terms of manpower, who in the world can compare?"

The dean nodded slightly.

The Chief of the General Staff agreed, saying, "That makes sense."

The idea of ​​an Ivan Ross Guards Tank Brigade with a tank crew consisting entirely of female soldiers except for the driver was indeed too radical and unnecessary, but Shank believed that choosing one of the two options was acceptable.

Nothing is more important than perception; the efficiency of battlefield information acquisition is paramount, and it is most appropriate for the commander or gunner to be a Type I supernatural ability warrior.

There's no controversy about this; everyone agrees.

The rest is unnecessary. Equipping tanks with vertical stabilizers is insignificant for a large-scale federal government, let alone the most basic radio equipment.

In addition, the technical and tactical specifications for the medium tank project "Project 175" have been finalized, and no major changes will be made to avoid delaying the development schedule.

The vehicle weight requirement has been relaxed to 30 tons. If the prototype vehicle already weighs 30 tons, there will be plenty of potential for future improvements, especially since Project 175 uses torsion bar suspension, which makes it easy to increase the weight.

The early version of the Panzer IV weighed 18 tons, while the later version weighed 25 tons, an increase of two-fifths.

The early T-34 weighed 26 tons, but after being fitted with a three-man turret and an 85mm tank gun, it weighed 32 tons, an increase of one-fifth.

The diameter of the turret ring was also a data point that Shang Ke was very concerned about. The specification was 1600 mm, but he felt it was not big enough and requested that it be increased by 50 to 100 mm.

"The changes in the vehicle's specifications are minimal, which is good. It won't delay the development progress of Guangda Heavy Industry and Hualian Industrial." The head of the armored vehicle development team of the Equipment Bureau felt there was no problem.

"I need to ask, when will the prototype be available?" Shank asked.

"The length, width and height of the vehicle body do not need to be changed. Increasing the turret ring by five to ten centimeters will not affect the width of the vehicle body. According to the replies from both companies, there will definitely be no problem to compare the prototype chassis in early March."

"It's pretty fast."

The 175 Project was initiated last summer and autumn, and more than half a year has passed since then. During this period, it has been scrapped and restarted many times due to changes in indicators, but the prototype vehicle is already ready.

This alone demonstrates the industrial capabilities of the Great Unified Federation.

Next, the dean talked about the T-34 that Shang had unexpectedly captured and asked the head of the development team to introduce the Equipment Bureau's analysis results on the T-34.

The Mingkang arrived in Guangzhou during the Chinese New Year. Subsequently, the tank and a large amount of paper documents were transported to the capital special zone. "The tank has an excellent anti-ballistic shape, but the running gear is outdated, the internal layout is also poor, the turret is very small, and it is very troublesome to take out and load shells after firing."

How backward is it?

"The drive sprocket and tracks are still using a toothed meshing method, which is over ten years old. The differential and final reducer are very rudimentary and crudely made. And the gearbox is placed so far behind the vehicle body, without any auxiliary mechanisms..." The person in charge complained at length, and finally said in a contemptuous tone: "It's hard to explain in a few words. In short, it's not worth mentioning. If my country were to manufacture it, it would be two or three times better."

Shang Ke thought to himself, "That's the characteristic of Russian weapons. Don't worry about whether they're rough or not, just ask yourself if you can use them!"

The dean pondered for a moment and asked, "Is there a need to replicate it? Does Project 175 have any disadvantages compared to it?"

The director's words made the people in the Equipment Bureau a little unhappy. They hated being questioned, especially when Ivan Rus's crude products were being compared with their own country's.

The person in charge replied without hesitation: "No, the design of this car is very good, but there's nothing else to say about it."

He looked at Shang Ke and said earnestly, "We really owe a lot to Colonel Shang in this regard. It wasn't easy for him to travel all the way from Hurricane to several countries."

Chief of the General Staff Cheng Yun picked up his teacup, took a sip, and casually commented, "He's a reliable person. I think it's very suitable for you to lead the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division."

Shang Ke hurriedly shouted, "It's my duty, it's not hard work, the interests of the motherland come first."

The dean remained silent upon hearing this, only offering a slight smile.

With the Chief of the General Staff's approval, there's no need to worry about many things.

Cheng Yun thought that Shang was a very interesting young military officer, with both ability and courage, and his sense of responsibility had also been tested.

It would be a lie to say I didn't admire him, especially since Shang's amazing perseverance and courage in the defense of Budapest earned Cheng Yun's high praise.

"Only capable people can shoulder great responsibilities; good generals have always been hard to find," he said.

The T-34 provided many inspirations and warnings to the federal military industry under the Great Unification. The sloped armor design is quite effective in improving protection capabilities. The large slope of 55 to 60 degrees can almost be immune to armor-piercing rounds of the same caliber and armor thickness. The two-person turret is a huge disadvantage, and a three-person turret must be used.

At the same time, it also served as a reminder to everyone—don't be arrogant or underestimate your opponents! Even with outdated technology, you can still create great things.

Shank seized the opportunity to highlight the advantages of the innovative design of the 'semi-reclining driver's seat' and 'transverse engine' to the crowd, using a slightly exaggerated approach to enhance credibility.

Both of these designs were widely used in Soviet tanks during the Cold War, and they can reduce the height of the vehicle and shorten the length of the engine compartment, thereby significantly reducing the overall weight.

Then, the agenda moved to light tanks.

Because the Federal Defence Forces' hypothetical enemies included British India and Australia, the Defence Forces placed greater emphasis on light tanks than other major powers.

Compared to Project 175, which underwent repeated revisions in its bidding process, Project 180, a light tank project, proceeded steadily. However, due to its high technical difficulty, its progress was actually slower.
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The initial requirement for empty vehicle weight was no more than 15 tons, but this was later relaxed to 17 tons.
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The frontal protection must be able to withstand Russian-made 14.5mm anti-tank rifles and 37mm armor-piercing rounds fired from a distance (1000 meters).
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Side protection requirements are not high; it is sufficient to be immune to Russian 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine guns and British .55 caliber (13.9mm) Boys anti-tank guns.
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Initially, only a 40mm tank gun was required, but it was later upgraded to a 65mm long-barreled tank gun equipped with a vertical stabilizer.
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The vehicle must be able to achieve a maximum speed of 60 km/h on highways and a maximum reverse speed of 35-40 km/h to facilitate a quick retreat from danger. It must also be able to turn on the spot, which is very demanding.

(End of this chapter)