Hello fellow captains!
In the 2023 development preview video released yesterday, in addition to the improved member system, planned tank balance adjustments, new R-series heavy tanks and tank destroyer branches, night battle maps, and dynamic environmental elements, the most eye-catching thing is undoubtedly this new double-barreled tank under the waving flag.
The short 7-second demonstration clip is full of useful information. It is not difficult to find that this "new mechanism" is actually the overheating bar mechanism that is relatively common in FPS games. That is, the number of shots will no longer be limited by the remaining bullets in the magazine/ drum , but each shot will accumulate a certain heat value, and when the barrel is overheated, it will be unable to continue shooting.
In addition to the overheating bar mechanism itself, some details revealed in the video are also worthy of attention:
- The heat bar of the semi-curved artillery is located on the upper right side of the aiming ring and is marked with "Celsius". The heat bar will grow every time you shoot. After stopping shooting, the heat bar will not disappear immediately, but there will be a delay of about 2 seconds. After
- overheats, it is not clear in the video whether you need to wait for the heat bar to subside to a certain extent or to clear it before you can resume shooting.
- From the start of shooting to the barrel overheating, the duration of continuous shooting was about 2.5 seconds, the number of shells was reduced from 774 to 759 rounds, and the gun sounded 14 times. Based on this, it can be roughly determined that it adopted the "left and right bow" alternating shooting method , which is equivalent to a single-shot cannon with an ultra-fast firing rate.
- Excluding possible misses, failure to penetrate, etc., the target vehicle E-50M lost approximately 1/4 of its health. After conversion, the average single-shot damage of the gun should be between 40-60 points.. Comparing it with the data in the game, it is initially judged that the caliber of this artillery may be between 37-57mm.
▲ There is obviously a flying situation in the video.
In reality, there are indeed "double-barreled monsters" with similar appearance. They are the J series. A number of fully tracked twin self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery systems were developed between the 1950s and 1990s. The earliest of them is probably the LP-257 solution based on the T-34/85 chassis.
LP-257 was proposed by Minoslav Kotyk, an engineer at the Brno Arsenal, in June 1955, using the 57mm R-10 anti-aircraft gun that was still under development at the time. This 62-diameter weapon can launch projectiles with a muzzle velocity of more than 1000m/s, with a maximum shooting height of 10km and a maximum range of 14.2km. In the air-to-air mode, a 50-round magazine is used, which is loaded through a funnel-shaped device at the rear of the gun; when targeting armored targets, it can be switched to an internal ammunition supply system and loaded with 12 armor-piercing rounds. The maximum theoretical rate of fire of the dual-cannon system can reach 400 rounds per minute.
▲ LP-257 line diagram
The artillery system is protected by 25mm armor and can rotate in all directions. The unique gun mount can achieve a maximum pitch angle of -6/+120. Of course, it can not only be installed on the T-34/85. From the beginning, it was designed to be used in trucks, trailers and even on the ground, so there is also a matching remote-controlled shooting solution. However, this plan was not recognized by the military bosses. It was not until the vz.53/59 "Lizard" 30mm vehicle-mounted self-propelled anti-aircraft gun appeared in 1959 that the J-series army had a real field air defense system.
▲ vz.53/59 "Lizard" 30mm vehicle-mounted self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
vz.53/59 "Lizard" is actually the product of putting the twin 30mm ZK.453 anti-aircraft gun developed during World War II on the Praga V3S truck. The gun has a theoretical rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute. It is also good at fighting tanks with air defense and . Compared with the "big brother" ZU-23, the rate of fire is slightly slower, but it is more powerful and has a longer range. After being installed on the truck, it was replaced with a 50-round magazine, which greatly improved the continuity of firepower.
▲ The gun can be removed from the vehicle and used alone.
The wheeled vz.53/59 was used until the 1980s. Its export version even played a very active role in several local wars at the end of the 20th century. In response to its lack of sighting and fire control problems, STROP-1 came into being. It is based on BMP-1. According to the requirements of the military, while retaining the twin 30mm cannon , it is equipped with an optoelectronic search and targeting system, laser rangefinder and an electronic ballistic computer.
▲ STROP-1
In fact, in terms of appearance and structure, STROP-1 has some similarities with the "double-barreled monster" revealed in the video. However, considering that the former was produced in 1984 and has exceeded the limitations of the game's timeline, the developers have every reason to stitch together and recreate the two pieces of equipment from different eras to develop a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun/heavy infantry fighting vehicle that is "only a blueprint" and "has not yet built a prototype."
What do you commanders think of this new double-barreled cannon truck with a superheating strip mechanism? Will it be a new generation of circus car, or another flashy big toy? Everyone is welcome to leave your opinions in the comment area! If there is a chance, the author will bring you the fantasy of the machine gun tank research and development technology line, so stay tuned!
