Originally Posted by 2coolforu
(1) Surface area to volume ratio - A tank is effectively rectangular with a relatively low surface area to volume ratio, this is important as it means a set amount of armor can be a lot thicker on this vehicle than it can be on a mech which has a much higher surface area to volume ratio. as it has low volume high surface area parts like the legs, arms, cockpit etc, you simply couldn't armor all these areas to any useful extent without having a vehicle that sinks into the mud.
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Indeed. They wouldn't replace tanks. They would exist in addition to them, to go places tanks can't. They would have less armor, and would, as you say, want to avoid mud/soft ground like wheeled vehicles.
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(2) Mobility - Legs aren't a particularly great way for a machine to get around, wheels and tracks are better ways to apply force and a gigantic vehicle on legs would apply all its weight into the ground over a very small surface area - it would get bogged down easily and even if it sinks a small amount into the ground the friction would be huge. It's very hard to get to high speeds on legs and if one gets taken out you are in trouble nor will a giant mech be moving very fast at all given power to weight ratios.
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On smooth flat surfaces, you are correct. There are plenty of obstacles in terrain where the superior maneuverability of a mech would be a significant aid.
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(3) Weaponry - A giant mech isn't a great mounting for weaponry, there's a reason tanks have one 120/125 mm cannon not two 90mm cannons. The power of the cannon generally grows exponentially with its bore, its better to have a 120mm cannon that is definitely going to penetrate an enemy armored vehicles front armor than two 90mm's that will have zero effect. A mech would also lack a turret and instead have to mount the weaponry on some mechanism that allowed them to turn similar to what SPG's used in WW2, however the reason we don't use these is because they wear out extremely fast and are pretty inaccurate. Lacking a turret would also mean the mech would have to turn to face targets and would lack any form of gyroscopic stabilization preventing it's ability to fire on the move.
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The body could turret like mechwarrior does. And large bore cannon are nice if you can use them, but not the only option. Missiles that can kill tanks are commonly carried by infantry. Also, since their niche is rough terrain, they can expect to not encounter a whole lot of armor. Smaller cannon(like the 30mm on the APCs) would be suitable for anti infantry and air defense work.
If the form is like a standard mech, then the arms would stabilize the weapons if needed.
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Not only that but a mech is pretty tall which means weaponry near the top would create a huge moment around the feet at the bottom multiplying recoil massively but a tank has a very low center of mass and a small moment around its base making it a very stable firing platform.
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Missiles = no recoil, and its guns are smaller, meant for AA, AI, or light AV work.
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(4) Complexity - Just because you can make something incredibly complex doesn't mean that you should, a tank is simple and if something goes wrong you can tell what it is. Not much can go wrong with its tracks or engine and battlefield repairs can be made, however legs would require complex machinery, hydraulics or other complex forms of mechanics to move which makes repairs harder and creates more potential problems.
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True enough now. In the future its impossible to say. Many weapons we use today, especially aircraft, but also tanks and APCs, would be considered extremely complex by the standards of 50 years ago.
A mech would not be a tank. Stop comparing it to one. Because of issues with foot loading, it would be a small vehicle, intended for infantry support operations in rough/city environments or scouting work. Its possible armaments would not include large bore tank cannon. It would field missiles, light cannons, and/or gatling guns. Its complexity would be an issue, but being the only vehicle that can keep up with infantry in certain more extreme environments, it could have a modest niche.
If it could swap gun mounts for proper arms, it could also prove an extremely useful tool behind the lines as a general utility vehicle for moving loads, preparing fortifications, clearing debris, etc. Tbh, thats probably where it would start out at.
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