The Mech: Militarily Feasible?

[ucciolord1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9k4oUNHLJs

That wins so damn hard.

 

[Rawker]

I think since it's been shown in Star Wars as inferior to 3ft tall Ewoks and their ropes -it's clear a bipedal military weapon has some big weaknesses.

If you can find some of those videos about Japanese bipedal robots you'll see even the stat of the art robots have issues mastering walking. It comes down to your muscles, center of balance and all these other aspects only living creatures, not mechanical ones have.

I think we'll see smaller, shorter vehicles in the future. To keep their profiles low.

Great point. If they were to make an AI capable of that, then it could be possible. But I think we've all watched the terminator and we've seen what that kind of AI can do to us.

[sub]Oh, Welcome to the escapist.[/sub]

 

[Starnerf]

Were a mech to be designed, with Bipedal movement, human legs are the wrong ones to use. Tri jointed legs, don't know the proper term, would be much more effective. You know, the legs that Halo's Elites have.

Most quadrupedal predators have a pair of these legs, they give the creature stability while moving at high speeds. Since it is unfeasable to make a climbing mech, this wouldn't be much of a drawback for this mech.

Humans have those legs, too. But we walk on our feet, not our toes like most quadrupeds.

 

[CloggedDonkey]

maybe like the ones from Mech worrier(the legs are made of solid metal and the torso are pretty small), but not gundam or most anime. the army(US) is already working on a mech division anyway, but it's just a concept right now.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

Mechs just look cool in scifi movies, they'll never be used by the military.

 

[Normalgamer]

Instead of mechs, let's look more towards better missiles.
As real life has proven:
Long range-weaponry>Anything else.
Anybody remember Hiroshima?

 

[hittite]

Here's a point that no one's brought up in favor armor suits yet, weight. In the modern US Army, between their weapons, armor and various other equipment soldiers carry between 70 and 100 pounds on a daily basis. Not to mention that more and more "vital" equipment is added all the time. Now imagine, if all of that armor and stuff carried itself?

Imagine a Juggernaut, only now he can run faster than you because he doesn't feel any of the weight that he's carrying. He can run longer than you because his armor does most of the work. And finally, he is firing a very large gun offhand since the added weight and "muscles" of his armor absorb the recoil. Tell me that that isn't a scary thought.

Edit: I forgot to mention the biggest problem with mech suits (hey, I have to be fair and realistic here). Swamps and Jungles. Historically, they will eat any and all military hardware that you throw at them and ask for more. Even if the suit is airtight and hermetically sealed, Murphy's Law will ensure that something will short out.

For instance: in a Sci-Fi book series I read, a group of Marines are stranded on an Alien planet and have to go through several hundred miles of jungle to get to the planets one space port. They have powered armor pretty much like what I described above, along with being absolutely guaranteed to be nature-proof. Unfortunately, a local species of fungus disagrees and starts growing on a main control feed. It gets to the point where they ditch all but 4 suits and only break them out in the most extreme of circumstances.

 

[ace_of_something]

Feasible? maybe. Practical? no. There is no point in using what is basically a tank with a different means of conveyance. One that is more likely to be tipped over.

 

[The Heik]

Here's a point that no one's brought up in favor armor suits yet, weight. In the modern US Army, between their weapons, armor and various other equipment soldiers carry between 70 and 100 pounds on a daily basis. Not to mention that more and more "vital" equipment is added all the time. Now imagine, if all of that armor and stuff carried itself?

Imagine a Juggernaut, only now he can run faster than you because he doesn't feel any of the weight that he's carrying. He can run longer than you because his armor does most of the work. And finally, he is firing a very large gun offhand since the added weight and "muscles" of his armor absorb the recoil. Tell me that that isn't a scary thought.

Are you kidding me? I'm wetting my pants as we "speak"!

 

[A random person]

I personally see smaller mechs (i.e District 9, downsized versions of smaller Arm Slaves) being useful in urban combat or on rough terrain, since they'd have mobility advantages over tanks if you could get the legs right. Keep in mind said mobility is key, however, as that's the whole reason you'd make a mech instead of a tank.

Now big, lumbering mechs like many Warhammer40k designs and Imperial Walkers, on the other hand, are terrible ideas, as anyone who's seen The Empire Strikes Back should know.

 

[HotFezz8]

i believe that tanks themselves are things of the past.

nowadays the yanks have aircraft which can map out every single armoured vehicle in theatre in about twenty seconds, if won't be too long before some bright spark makes the B-1s carry homing missiles, so as far as i can see the enemie's armour will be destroyed in the first day of any future war with america.

and if there is no enemy armour there is precious little need to bring armour of our own. even if you can think of a reasonable reason to bring a challenger it is a massive logisitcal head ache (the main limiting factor for the american advance of the Gulf Wars was the fact their armour kept on out running its own fuel) as well as that you have countless blokes running around not well pacifified areas trying to keep it supplied.

there is nothing armour can do which air power can't do quicker, better, more accurately and safer.

(oh and before anyone says it, if you don't have air superiority your going to die. all your shiney armour vehicles (or boats) will be are targets, e.g. the falklands, gulf 1, and gulf 2)

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Now big, lumbering mechs like many Warhammer40k designs and Imperial Walkers, on the other hand, are terrible ideas, as anyone who's seen The Empire Strikes Back should know.

Except that in WH40k, the Mechs are hundred foot tall walking cathedrals. They rely more on Sheer mass than any form of stability.

At least until four shadowswords aim for a single leg with their volcano cannons. Then the cathedral goes boom

 

[A random person]

Now big, lumbering mechs like many Warhammer40k designs and Imperial Walkers, on the other hand, are terrible ideas, as anyone who's seen The Empire Strikes Back should know.

Except that in WH40k, the Mechs are hundred foot tall walking cathedrals. They rely more on Sheer mass than any form of stability.

At least until four shadowswords aim for a single leg with their volcano cannons. Then the cathedral goes boom

True, maybe I shouldn't have used 40k as an example since I doubt there's any cable that long or strong.

Of course, if they were more mobile, maybe they could avoid the problem you posed more easily.

 

[Firia]

Metal Gear Solid (REX) was actually a pretty decent idea; bipedal nuke launching platform. Nuke launching platforms were a hot topic during the Cold War, and the idea of a platform THAT mobile launching a nuke from any terrain would have aged Kennedy 10 years older in a heartbeat. That's a perk for mechs.

We have nuke launching platforms- they're called frigates. They're much better because they float out at sea, nice and relatively safe from the action.

In context of what you quoted, I said terrain, not sea. But points for effort.

 

[Lotet]

I we have them then we need to make 'em for speed. give the Mechs roller skates like in Code Geass.

you folks know how it's easier to hit targets in video games than it is in real life? mainly because you're not actually fearing for your life. now, lets put a mech into you game of choice, think you can hit that fast and constantly moving targets joints with your rocket launcher? and by the way, if the joints were the weak spots then the entire thing would collapse under its own weight, this is a goverment funded vehicle, the elbow would NOT be a spinning hinge, nah, we can make waaay better stuff than that, I bet you could make a better elbow than that, couldn't you?

still think you can hit the joint before it reaches your position? sure, Mech are utterly useless compared to infantry for "holding ground". heck, Tanks get thier asses whooped without infantry to follow them around

we're not making a tank on legs, we're making a Mech, make it 15ft and it could smash a modern civilian building, back it up with Infantry to provide covering fire so the enemy will keep thier heads down

you think it's Untactical? then try using Tactics. no single military unit can win a war, not infantry, tanks, gunships or even Nukes, there's a counter for ALL weapons whether you know it or not, you need the other units to compensate for the weaknesses of the rest

Good Day Sir!

 

[Canid117]

the power suit from Mech Assault 2 would be useful but anything bigger would just be a big awesome bullseye for a hellfire missile

 

[Pendragon9]

So help me, you better not have made this thread after seeing Avatar.

Seriously, I think mechs may serve a purpose in the future, if we ever have rough terrain where even tanks can't get in and where aircraft can't get to.

We just need to give it time.

Also, we need to invent shields. Because shields > every mech weakness.

I we have them then we need to make 'em for speed. give the Mechs roller skates like in Code Geass.

you folks know how it's easier to hit targets in video games than it is in real life? mainly because you're not actually fearing for your life. now, lets put a mech into you game of choice, think you can hit that fast and constantly moving targets joints with your rocket launcher? and by the way, if the joints were the weak spots then the entire thing would collapse under its own weight, this is a goverment funded vehicle, the elbow would NOT be a spinning hinge, nah, we can make waaay better stuff than that, I bet you could make a better elbow than that, couldn't you?

still think you can hit the joint before it reaches your position? sure, Mech are utterly useless compared to infantry for "holding ground". heck, Tanks get thier asses whooped without infantry to follow them around

we're not making a tank on legs, we're making a Mech, make it 15ft and it could smash a modern civilian building, back it up with Infantry to provide covering fire so the enemy will keep thier heads down

you think it's Untactical? then try using Tactics. no single military unit can win a war, not infantry, tanks, gunships or even Nukes, there's a counter for ALL weapons whether you know it or not, you need the other units to compensate for the weaknesses of the rest

Good Day Sir!

You sir, have made my day. GG