RE: Name that doodad, greeble, keg of beer, or whatever.

On Wed, 12 May 1999, Thomas Anderson wrote:

> The device which LFC Diamond is puzzled over is the Type 1415
> Intermediate Altitude Holographic Maser Imaging Array (IAHMI),
deployed
> on both the FWA06 SPG and the FWT42 SPAA.

I'm sorry, but this is incorrect. The Type 1415 IAHMI array is smaller,
and
mounted co-axially with the AFV's gun barrel, so that the array can
"see"
what it's shooting at. In some AFVs, the IAHMI is mounted on the front
of
the turret, and in others it is mounted on the turret roof.

BAT Industries was the first manufacturer to incorporate the IAHMI array
into their AFVs, but unfortunately the early versions of the array were
quite vulnerable to enemy fire. The glass tubes in the cylinder
shattered
whenever the vehicle was hit; when this happened, the tank crews said
that
they were, "as blind as a BAT." :)

-- Rick Rutherford