RE: Tanks and Tripods

First, I have been associated with Tanks and Tankers for over 20 years. 
On
a
modern MBT you need 4 crew.  Part is to share the load, part is to learn
the
trade, and part is to be able to continue the fight.  One crew member is
25%
casualties on a 4 man crew. For a 3 man crew its 33%.  A 4 man tank can
function(degraded) with only 2 crew.  A 3 man tank is degraded by one
casualty.
 Some time these are non-combat losses (field duties, sick call, etc.).

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The tank and tank crew are an optimum current mix of men and technology.
The one point we must look at is that as the battle field changes the
effective optimum mix will change.  If a four man tank is to big a
target it
will get smaller.  If protection gets more effective tank size may grow.
With antigravity your tank and my fighter may be the same vehicle. Any
technology that adapts man to the battlefield.	The systems that does
the
job, is easy to use, is tactically flexible, and easy to keep running is
the
ideal.	Be it tank, mech, bolo, attack chopper, or war horse change is
the
only constant.

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Tank hatches and fingers don't mix.