Re: GEVs/Grav

On Tue, 30 Nov 1999 13:56:15 -0500, kaladorn@fox.nstn.ca wrote:

>** Pardon? Unless you eject a counterbalancing projectile, you'll
>still have recoil. 

As explained, you'll still have recoil. Just not a lot...

>** Counter:
>1) GEVs could have limited hop capability to pass over trenches and
>some obstacles. They are less likely to set off mines (more
>distributed weight, higher off the ground).

On the other hand a bouncing mine into those fan blades is going to
cause a
mess. And as we've talked about elsewhere, "bouncing" isn't ground
effect,
would require lift, and that isn't likely.

>2) Speed - 

Granted you have speed.

>AND
>cover lots of terrain it can't - rivers, lakes, areas of loose sand or
>dirt or mud, landing zones, streams, defiles, trenches (with a hop, or
>with some built up velocity), swamps. Many places conventional
>tracklayers get stuck, it'd fly. It's fans are inside armour. Not so
>some of the spindles and cogs on track layer systems.

Yep, that too. Just hope you don't have hills and undulating terrain
between
the lakes and swamps. *S*

>3) GEV may well allow heavier armament. 

That's something I hadn't considered.

Of course, there's still the hockey puck phenomenon any time the thing
is hit
by a projectile (even a non penetrating one).

>In the abscense of fusion power, the situation is different. And
>unless the GEVs have fins and ducts, tracklayers will corner harder
>and faster. But the GEVs should have the advantage in the long run
>sheerly because a GEV tank can then double as a PBR and can operate in
>more terrain types.

Except for hills and rough terrain. It would depend on the planet, but
on
earth it wouldn't be much use outside of lakes, swamps, and deserts. 

>** Sure. Powerful fans could push you up a slope even if you are
>heavy. This whole argument of mine hinges on the presence of cheap
>efficient fusion. But the GZGverse already presupposes that. So I'm
>not just inventing the idea.

But, as mentioned elsewhere, you have to have lift, not just ground
effect, in
order to get it up a slope. Lift is probably not even possible in a
fusion
world. 

Allan Goodall		       agoodall@interlog.com
Goodall's Grotto: http://www.interlog.com/~agoodall/

"Surprisingly, when you throw two naked women with sex
toys into a living room full of drunken men, things 
always go bad." - Kyle Baker, "You Are Here"