Tinnitus is a swine of a condition!

Hi

QuoteI have never been in any AFV, so curious about the experience of those who Have?

Well if Chieftain, Fox, FV432,and Ferret count (and a driving a Challenger 1 once at ATDU Bovington) then....smelly, bruising, very noisy (headache inducing), dirty, wet in bad weather, etc. but you do get used to it and learn how to make yourself as comfortable as possible. The drivers seat in Chieftain was known for being a good place to sleep.

That said, if you asked me if I would swap for an infantryman in the back of an FV432 then it would be 'no way', we lived a life of luxury compared.

Cheers Paul - ex AJAX,    2RTR.

It would be an interesting survey

"what is the most comfortable AFV in the world?" ...

The answer is easy - NONE

Quote from: Big Insect on 14 June 2021, 02:46:02 PM
It would be an interesting survey

"what is the most comfortable AFV in the world?" ...

I'd put money on the Merkava.
Very good chance that the designer's kids will be riding / driving it.
Front engine and plenty of room (2 spare seats) inside.

Interesting - a sort of MBT/APC hybrid - was/is it successful in combat

Sound like it might be good for fighting in a BUA - MBT with onboard infantry protection - but in a fire-fight against T62/T72s etc?

I also suppose it depends on your definition of 'comfort' e.g.

1). not being asphyxiated or poisoned by the external environment

2). being reasonably capable of fighting upon arrival at destination

3). surviving a reasonable hit from enemy munitions (I think a direct strike by main armament of an enemy MBT or top calibre ATGW might be a tad tricky) but good protection over anything but a direct hit or close miss by artillery might be a good idea.

4). ... what else?

From the sound of it, the Merkava is NOT an APC. it is a Tank which can carry 6 well protected troops who can deploy to give the vehicle local protection against RPGs etc... while It covers APCs with infantry moving up. WW2 Soviet 'Tank Riders' Under Armour! A very 'Isreali' idea! BUT, I'm not an Israeli, so not sure if this is actually how they use it. Later models have enhanced 'crew vision', anyway!
Tank to Tank... probably pretty good... but the days of 'massed' Egyptian or Syrian Armour have been 'taken care of'!

Can't see British Army/MOD taking to the concept... but, 'Owt's better than Nowt'

Whilst it can take 6 infantry the rear compartment in the Merkava is normally used for ammunition.

Quote from: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 15 June 2021, 07:08:21 AM
Whilst it can take 6 infantry the rear compartment in the Merkava is normally used for ammunition.

Never underestimate the value of rapid reconfiguration for different missions.
Need to evac a patrol who are holed up in a basement, clear out the 120mm rounds fomr the rear, stick with what you have in the autoloader, and you're rolling.

Meanwhile the rest of the world is looking for the big spanner to configure their appropriate mission pod.

I had a quick browse of the Merkava variants.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namer

QuoteThey are more heavily armored than the Merkava IV tanks. According to the IDF, the Namer is the most heavily armored vehicle in the world of any type

(With a pinch of Dead Sea salt (cos Wikipedia)).

Quote from: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 15 June 2021, 07:08:21 AM
Whilst it can take 6 infantry the rear compartment in the Merkava is normally used for ammunition.

The gun has surprisingly good elevation. As Monsier le. Frog says, the back was mostly intended as easy ammo storage > transfer & restock so they could be parked on the Golan Height and shell the crap out of Syria. Counterfire would be limited in effect as theyd not only be in prepared positions but also much more heavily armoured than a conventional SPG. And able to fight Syrian tanks immediately if the Syrians got fed up with constantly having their days & nights ruined by 105mm HE!