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Re: Tank vision systems

From: Los <los@c...>
Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2000 17:45:07 -0500
Subject: Re: Tank vision systems



> Just a thought, but if I were projecting to 21xx I would assume
> that a tank would have cameras covering the surface feeding a
> computer that turned the images into 3d feed, if not directly into
> the tank commanders brain, into a set of 3d glasses that give
> the tank crew a full 360 view.  That is assuming humans can learn
> to deal with a 360 view.
>

Will he still have to turn his head to see behind him? Sounds plausible.
If you're talking a 360 degree view all the time, that sounds like a
rewiring of Human senses and perception.

>
> Get out and look?  Why, when your tank is not only feeding you
> the world enhanced but the sattelite imagery is feeding you
> realtime pictures at .5 meter resolution and you have copies
> of a full scan when the satellite is "unavailable"?

BTW just curious, all this talk of "all knowing" sensors. What have the
ECM guys, counter reconnaissance guys, counter sensor people
(Scientists, Research, Materials Technicians, as well as military men
who concern themselves with such matters)  been doing for 200 years? Did
they pretty much give up? All this all knowing capability and not one
power is doing anything to keep the other side from looking in their
knickers? Bullshit.  I'd like to porpose that that in 21XXs if you have
all that wazoo stuff and you fight a technologically inferior foe then
sure you are perhaps all knowing and seeing to some extent. But if the
NSL is fighting the FSE or the NAC is fighting the ESU in a heads up all
out modern war, then it's back to the same paucity of information that
you have in every war since both sides will have the means and
technology to defeat to a greater or lesser extent, whatever wazoo
gadgets the other sides brings to play.

Look no farther than the NTC or the JRTC. There is an immense amount of
sensor data and  real-time information available today. At the JRTC
where there is for part of the battle a real qualitative advantage in
sensor and information, the blue force commander attains to some extent
an edge over the OPFOR. Still even though for most of the battle it's
pretty much just small cells of guys running around like guerillas we
stumble around with varying degrees of	difficulty, depending on who'
the BC is and who is the unit.. That's with GSR, ground and air sensors,
intercept and a whole slew of other digital battlefield assets.

Then you go and see  a battle or partake in a battle at NTC (BTW I have
been to both places fighting with good guys and bad guys), and now you
see two equally advanced forces. Sure you've got all these same assets
but so do they, and both sides are doing everything they can to keep
data from each other. And everyone is still pretty much in the dark
about where they are and what they're doing. (despite some of the
scripted nature of individual battles.)

I don't know what specific countermeasures there will be in 2180s
(though we could probably figure some out fairly easy), though I know
active and passive counter measures as well as operational techniques
will continue to figure prominently in denying the enemy the knowledge
he needs. It's a basic tenant of war. ALl this will keep war in the
realm of uncertainty and chaos.

Los

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