Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

The entire powertrain can be considered thoroughly explained. For now, we'll use the Steyr engine at its maximum horsepower, coupled with a manual transmission and later upgraded to an automatic transmission. This power will then be output to the wheels via a side transmission device. Just thinking about it, you can tell how advanced this infantry fighting vehicle will be. When we were having the meeting earlier, no one even dared to imagine such a layout.

It has to be said, General Qin is bold and innovative.

Next is the suspension system. For the front two rows of steering wheels, we can adopt a modified MacPherson strut suspension, improved into a sliding pillar swing arm independent suspension. As for the rear two rows of wheels, we can use a trailing arm suspension," Qin Yang continued, speaking with highly technical terms.

The hydropneumatic suspension used in the West is very advanced, but this type of suspension requires very high manufacturing precision. With the East's production capabilities, it's simply unattainable. The 'Three-Liquid Tank' they were working on was a leaky mess. So, for now, we still have to use a mechanical suspension, but this mechanical suspension will also be modified.

The MacPherson strut suspension is a front suspension frequently used in cars, a type of simple independent suspension. After improvement, using it on an eight-wheeled vehicle is perfectly fine, because what Qin Yang is talking about is the suspension system of the later generation of eight-wheeled vehicles.

This suspension system is mature and reliable. As long as we create the drawings according to his memory and then manufacture it, it will be fine.

"As for the overall design, there's nothing too particular about it. A normal layout will do. The driver is on the left at the front, the engine is on the right, and the troop compartment is at the rear. The hatch is placed at the rear."

The old Maozi's BTR infantry fighting vehicle has a major flaw: because the engine is placed at the rear, the hatch can only be opened on the side or on the top. For an infantry fighting vehicle, the best hatch is at the rear, because the infantry fighting vehicle will definitely face the battlefield head-on. When the vehicle stops, the soldiers can get out of the rear hatch and use the vehicle body as cover. If it's a side hatch, it will be directly facing the enemy's firepower.

These designs are all mainstream international designs, nothing special to say. Next, Qin Yang plans to talk about the top weapon station.

"We see that the hatches in the West are hydraulic. Can we also make a hydraulic flip-down hatch?" At this moment, a leader spoke.

Times are progressing, and technology is developing. This is like the engine hood of a car. If it's manual, you have to pull it up with effort. If it's hydraulic, it's easy. Moreover, a manual one opens to the sides, while a hydraulic one flips down, so when the hatch is opened, it can also become a ramp, making it easier for soldiers to get out of the vehicle, saving them from spraining their ankles.

Can our infantry fighting vehicle's hatch also be hydraulic?

Qin Yang shook his head: "I don't think it's a good idea."

The domestically produced eight-wheeled vehicle did use hydraulic hatches, but after testing, they were replaced.

Why?

Under normal circumstances, there is no problem, but in high-altitude areas, when the soldiers used the hydraulic hatch again, they were surprised to find that the hatch became like an eighty-year-old grandmother, moving slowly and leisurely, which could definitely drive people crazy.

Inspection revealed that at low temperatures, the hydraulic oil was too viscous, eventually leading to slow operation. On the battlefield, this is deadly, so they were all changed to normal side-opening doors. Only one type of medical vehicle used a flip-down design, because it was convenient for pushing stretchers or wheelchairs, but this was a mechanical flip-down, not a hydraulic flip-down.

This is only the 1980s, and this problem cannot be solved at all, and there is no need to solve this problem. Just avoid it perfectly.

There is a big difference between infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. Weapons are one of them. For a long time, the domestically produced Type 63 armored personnel carrier only had a machine gun, which was just for show. Infantry fighting vehicles, after the soldiers dismount to fight, also need to use weapons to cover the soldiers' charge. The West generally equips small-caliber rapid-fire guns, and the old Maozi are the most awesome, directly installing a 73mm smoothbore gun, which is powerful enough.

The country also knows about the shortcomings in this area, so it has been improving. Historically, after the country opened its doors in the 1980s, many foreign technology infantry fighting vehicles emerged.

The most famous is the Type 86 infantry fighting vehicle. It looks very similar to the old Maozi's BMP-1. In fact, it is a surveying and mapping imitation model. However, the old Maozi's low-pressure smoothbore gun is not reliable, so later they introduced the American 25mm 'Bushmaster' autocannon and supporting turret to improve and upgrade the Type 86 infantry fighting vehicle, codenamed NFV-1 infantry fighting vehicle.

At the same time, the country also changed the original Type 63 armored personnel carrier to use small-diameter road wheels, turning it into the Type 85 armored personnel carrier, and then installed the British-produced FV510 'Warrior' infantry fighting vehicle turret on it, transforming it into the NVH-1 infantry fighting vehicle.

It can be seen that the biggest difference between infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers is weapons. As long as the weapons are powerful, they can be the strongest backing for soldiers on the battlefield.

Now, this wheeled infantry fighting vehicle must of course also have advanced weapon systems, but everyone is not worried, after all, this kind of weapon is the specialty of Factory 960.

"Install a turret on top of the vehicle body, operated by two people, using a 30mm autocannon as the main weapon. At the same time, anti-tank missiles can also be added to both sides of the turret."

For infantry fighting vehicles, it is certainly impossible to directly confront tanks, but if you encounter them, you must have the ability to fight back, which requires the installation of anti-tank missiles. In China, the Red Arrow 73 is a common missile.

Therefore, this scene can be seen on the later-generation 09-type wheeled infantry fighting vehicle. Two anti-tank missiles are sticking out on both sides of the small turret, which looks a little funny, but no one will question its combat capabilities.

Anti-tank missiles can not only hit tanks, but also blast through enemy fortifications if they encounter them.

"General Qin, the old Maozi use large-caliber artillery, and the West uses small-caliber autocannons. Are you planning to take the Western route with this design?" A technician asked.

"What technical route to take depends on what our needs are. Infantry fighting vehicles use small-caliber autocannons, using the main gun of the infantry fighting vehicle as an auxiliary support firepower, enough is enough. The old Maozi want to pursue powerful firepower. These two methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it still depends on the needs of the army," Qin Yang said: "Does the army only intend to use infantry fighting vehicles as transportation tools for carrying soldiers, or does it intend to let infantry fighting vehicles go to the front line for fire support."

"Let's listen to General Qin. General Qin's plan must be correct." The leader of the troops directly stated his position. What else is there to say? Just listen to General Qin!