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Quoted By: >>27741731 >>27741759 >>27741846 >>27741863 >>27741906
2Chantagon Wars Edition
> What's this thread about?
Not as usual, this thread is for the collaborative conceptual brainstorm and design of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle by the Treadhead community. There are no particular restrictions nor rules on any idea, although a separate category for “realistic” and “general” may also be applied and consensus shall be reached via a series of polls, and a good deal of common sense.
Another conflict that had an immeasurable impact on the perception of applications for the vehicle world-wide was the South African Border War, referred to as the Angolan Bush War in more prosaic terms. In terms of design, the Ratel was a striking AFV from the outset; one of the first wheeled IFVs in the world, it had its roots more firmly embedded in the history of armoured cars and trucks as opposed to the wheeled monsters that had characterised mechanized warfare from the 1940s onwards. The Ratel in South African service had many variants, but its reputation would be built on the back of Ratel 90, armed with a 90 mm GT2 gun. These fast, rugged and reliable vehicles would garner much attention for its ability to skirt around their more heavily armoured opponents; the definitve success of the Ratel 90 in destroying T54/55 MBTs in Angolan territory during Operation Askari in 1984 remains a highlight of its distinguished service history. Furthermore, the Ratel was obliquely less susceptible to the highly lethal TMI-46 anti-tank mines in use at the time of the war, aided in part by its wheeled design and lighter weight than their Olifant counterparts. All in all, the South African armed force’s Ratel serves as an interesting counterpoint to heavier iterations of the IFV concept that many other militaries pursue, and much like Israel or South Korea, is an example of specific tools being utlised for unique national defence requirements.
> What's this thread about?
Not as usual, this thread is for the collaborative conceptual brainstorm and design of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle by the Treadhead community. There are no particular restrictions nor rules on any idea, although a separate category for “realistic” and “general” may also be applied and consensus shall be reached via a series of polls, and a good deal of common sense.
Another conflict that had an immeasurable impact on the perception of applications for the vehicle world-wide was the South African Border War, referred to as the Angolan Bush War in more prosaic terms. In terms of design, the Ratel was a striking AFV from the outset; one of the first wheeled IFVs in the world, it had its roots more firmly embedded in the history of armoured cars and trucks as opposed to the wheeled monsters that had characterised mechanized warfare from the 1940s onwards. The Ratel in South African service had many variants, but its reputation would be built on the back of Ratel 90, armed with a 90 mm GT2 gun. These fast, rugged and reliable vehicles would garner much attention for its ability to skirt around their more heavily armoured opponents; the definitve success of the Ratel 90 in destroying T54/55 MBTs in Angolan territory during Operation Askari in 1984 remains a highlight of its distinguished service history. Furthermore, the Ratel was obliquely less susceptible to the highly lethal TMI-46 anti-tank mines in use at the time of the war, aided in part by its wheeled design and lighter weight than their Olifant counterparts. All in all, the South African armed force’s Ratel serves as an interesting counterpoint to heavier iterations of the IFV concept that many other militaries pursue, and much like Israel or South Korea, is an example of specific tools being utlised for unique national defence requirements.
