RE: Tank vision systems

An interesting topic. What you are referring to is "Situational
Awareness"
(or, SA). the fact is that sensors are not yet as good as being able to
pop
your head up and look around. Sensors don't give you the "feel" of your
environment in the same way that human senses do. They are a critical
tool
for allowing you to narrow your focus and attack, but by themselves they
will get you killed. The Israelis, US, and WWII German tankers all
constantly fought unbuttoned so that they had less chance of being
blindsided.

When you are in a big steel can like an M1 (and I've driven m48s,
m60a1s,
Sheridans and M1s) it is VERY different from having a look about with
your
Mk1 eyeball. Get ya killed quick if you don't have excellent SA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laserlight [SMTP:laserlight@quixnet.net]
> Sent: Friday, February 04, 2000 3:00 PM
> To:	gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
> Subject:	Re: Tank vision systems
> 
> >Today a tank commander has much of this available sitting in
> his seat  -  yet
> >Israeli tank doctrine can get a tank commander FIRED from his
> job if he
> >buttons up OTHER than under artillery fire - Why because the
> tank commander
> >buttoned is the tank commander blinded to the all around
> situation. US
> >doctrine also calls for staying "heads uo" in combat.
> Why?????????? Because
> >we have the best tank to tank kill ratio (us and the
> Israeli's ) of any
> >nation around.
> 
> 
> Doctinre calls for staying unbuttoned because we have the best
> kill ratio?  Your logic is missing a beat here.  And don't the
> Israeli's also have the highest loss rate of tank commanders?
> 
> In any event, we are NOT talking about TODAY--at least the
> Pro-Sensors side is not--we're talking about Two Hundred Years
> From Now.  If you have good sensors--Virtual Reality here!--why
> in heaven's name would you want to put your head out of the
> tank?  There's nothing mystical about the Mk 1 Eyeball.  Sure,
> you can blind any other sensor if you put your mind to it--so
> what?  A quick hit with a laser will blind your tanker just as
> thoroughly.