Quote:
Originally Posted by Raellus
The one thing I don't see in a T2k scenario (any timeline) is the widespread distribution of fire-and-forget ATGM systems. "Wireless" ATGMs were just coming on line in NATO armies, c.1996.
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The thing is, the Tankbreaker program (it
was a real weapons program here in the US) would have had to have some major funding and R&D to appear in T2K; the real Tankbreaker (and it's associated program which also has a mention in T2K, the Assault Breaker program, which became the Skeet and SFW Bomb) was bloated, over budget, and behind schedule (again, as was Assault Breaker). There were some other FF ATGM in development, such as TOW 3 (which later got another name and then got cut from the budget for costs), and the Swedish N-LAW (which after being years behind schedule, is finally seeing some action in Ukraine). FF ATGMs are simply
expensive -- to develop and produce, despite how cost-effective they turn out to be. That's why the Javelin took so long to develop.
(And the Assault Breaker did finally produce actual weapons -- the Skeet submunition rounds for weapons ranging from the 120mm mortar to the ATACMS missile, and the CBU-105 Sensor-Fuzed Weapon - a type of cluster bomb. I recommend looking them up.)
As for certain pet projects that were given some extra funds and development in T2K -- we've all done that.