Heinlein style powered armor in our lifetimes (The Japanese show us the way)

[CWL]

JShirley,

Yeah, I know that smart munitions like the ones I'm talking about won't steer themselves, but they WILL detonate in near proximity of enemy powered armor (PA). Say defending infantry with XM-generation weapons get assaulted by powered armor, they can fire at enemy with 25mm munitions set to defeat PA. These will then detonate within 5 meters of enemy PA unit and hopefully defeat them.

Scout units and predator-style drones can also seek and 'lase' these units for effective fire control.

Since infantry usually operates in squad level and larger, artillery and air-delivered munitions can be keyed-in to detonate on proper signature. Arty salvo will take out PA, air munitions like cluster bombs can do the same.

Anything with a heat signature is a danger out in the modern battlefield.

 

[Orthonym]

I wonder how clumsy it would be.

Think of the trouble people have had designing space suits and diving suits, trying to duplicate the motions of the human in the suit with exoskeletal joints an inch or two outside of him. Seems like the the thinner the suit, the more it would follow the motions of one's own joints, but the thicker the suit, the more room in it for servos and armor.

That aside, if it can be made to work, I want one.

Edit: spelling

 

[AJ Dual]

The 20-25mm airburst munitions will be fragmentation style, and the heavier armor a powered suit could carry would likely defeat it.

Now if it's something like an oriented self-forging copper penetrator. Whoo boy. Don't know how soon they can fit that into a 25mm package though.

Although this is all moot. There is no likely chance you'll see powered armor in a WWII/Korea style land battle against a standing first-rate milirary opponent ever. The DOD is much more interested in preventing casualty drain like we see right now in our occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Powered armor would be invalulable in preventing political damage and bad press from mine, sniper, and grenade ambushes.

 

[Owen]

An exoskeleton doesn't need to be armored to be militarily useful. Imagine if the suit allowed a soldier to exert several hundred extra pounds of force, just when it was needed....need to get to that second story window, just jump. Why use a rifle grenade, when you can throw a grenade 150m? It gives our troops some serious advantages, without requiring a nonexsistant power source.

Just a thought

Owen

 

[curt]

Power supply shouldn't be much of a problem if the thing can give you the ability carry several hundred pounds with ease, just strap a midsize car engine to it

yeah and put four wheels and a bed on it and you have a pickup truck that can haul more than a few hundred pounds at a considerably faster pace.

I think a powered suit would have much more applicability behind the lines stacking crates pulling engines etc. I wouldn't want to try sneaking up on someone with my servos whining or try to figure out how to get through a fn doorway.