While stationed at Fort Knox as an instructor, I got to see, well, some of the stranger ideas that the various defense contractors were trying to sell the military. One of the things that was fun about being on post was when several of the my fellow instructors (and myself) got to evaluate some of this new gear.
This thread should be called....Why Engineers Should Never be Allowed to Design Combat Gear Without a Soldier Standing Behind Them, Holding a Blunt Metal Object.
Among some of the odd designs that General Dynamics proposed for the M-1 were:
To help the tankers munch their MREs...it was proposed to mount a microwave oven in the turret, failing that, there was a proposal to mount a hot plate next to the driver, along with a coffee pot. Had to stop and consider the coffee pot, but I had to vote no (and to think that people say your vote doesn't matter?)!
There was a large debate about the secondary armament, there were these choices:
7.62 is so passe! GD wanted to be cutting edge so they had a demo that mounted a co-axial .50, a .50 on the TC hatch and a Mark 19 on the loaders hatch. It was fun to watch on the firing range, but ammo storage was a bit of a problem.
The original tanks had Royal Navy designers, this is why so many naval terms are used on tanks to describe the various fittings...to carry on this historical legacy, it was proposed to mount a periscope on the TC coupla...one that rose to a height of 10 meters, had a laser-rangefinder and a turret override that allowed the TC to scope his target, range to it, and then snap the turret online with the target. On the demo, the periscope jammed.
It was proposed to mount a Cummings V-12 multi-fuel in place of the turbine. The new power plant failed to give any improvement over the turbine.
The proposal to mount an auxiliary power pack to save fuel. Just picture a sheet metal extension hanging off the right rear hull, and mounting a Honda generator, you get the idea.
The mockup of an M-1, with a TC coupla about 1 meter higher than the normal one, mounting a .50 on one side and 2 Stingers on the other.
Yup! Your defense dollars, hard at work!
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