From: Thomas Barclay <Thomas.Barclay@s...>
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 14:54:43 -0500
Subject: GEVs: Engineering and Recovery
Posit a GEV or grav vehicle as an engineering vehicle for mobility reasons. Then say "but how can it do what it needs to?" Mine plow: Polarized Grav Field (Grav-Blade) (also works as standard dozer blade and brushcutter) Mine flail: Turbulent Bi-polar Grav Field (Grav-Flail) - alternating waves of grav and anti-grav (jumping up then reducing the G forces) rip up ground and detonate mines (or destroy them) Towing: Big Grav or GEV hovercraft flatbed. Or auxilliary "gravity effectuators" - grav modules that reduce the apparent mass of the thing you are towing so towing it behind a GEV _is_ practical and so the deceleration issue isn't as big. Also note that in this instance the towing GEV wants to have "over-rated" fan systems. Excavation: A combination of a turbulent grav field and a grav bucket. Or a mundane bucket. Use the turbulent field to break up the ground and the grav bucket (or conventional bucket) to move the earth. Tamping: Grav field enhancer - makes the ground self-tamping. As to the ubiquity of these grav modules: I believe that this would be necessary to make non-mechanical engineering solutions for Grav and GEV engineer or ARV vehicles. Also, with only a small number of them per force (not every vehicle needs to be grav), then you have a much more viable maintenance and cost issue. Also the whole mines vs. GEV thing. If you have mines with exposed sensors (as opposed to buried pressure switches), then various anti minefield techniques suggest themselves - Directed EMP attacks, laser attacks, etc. Neutralize the sensor, perhaps neutralize the mine or force it back onto an alternate pressure fusing. Which reduces the problem to what it was before, and perhaps the GEV can pass. If you used some sort of an induction fuse, you'd need one mother of a system to get enough induction feedback from a GEV a foot or three off the ground, which should make the mines more easily detected and swept. Obviously, John is right in that there is a whole discipline of combat engineering tied up here. However, I find it an interesting diversion to discuss. Additionally, if a minefield is composed of a mix of types, then sweeping operations require a mix of techniques to deal with them but we're into paper-scissors-rock. My point is that most minefields can be dealt with in one fashion or another if you have the right equipment and the time and the trained personel. Short yourself on any of the three, and your breaching operation becomes more... "exciting!". Perhaps two warring colonial governments only have cheap locally produced mines with basic fusing types. One government secretly imports a mercenary unit with higher tech (grav/GEV) and suddenly can penetrate a bunch of minefields that would otherwise threaten normal wheeled or tracked (locally produced) vehicles. There are a number of situations where disparate technology could make for an interesting situation. BTW, I do disagree with John. The ESU have a range of classic tactics that vary from "Take that objective to become a Hero of the Soviet Union.... Or Be Shot!" to "Defend Mother Solar Union.... Or Be Shot!". The ESU (and the IF) can still use wave attacks to good effect. Isn't this why the BMP-60 has strong front armour and weak rear armour to discourage cowardice in the face of the enemy?:) And as to the Legion Etrange not being French... yes it has Foreigners. But the Officers are trained at St.Cyr and are clearly as French as they come. Plus in this last few decades, I think you'll find a fair few French Nationals, along with other nations, in the ranks. I think the "no questions asked" policy is more PR than fact - they do check out prospective soldiers fairly carefully. Of course, in 2183, it would be to their advantage to allow a lot of Colonials in and the change from Legion Etrange to Legion Etrange Colonial clearly suggests that there might be a heavy non-French population in the LE at that time. Although I'm still sure the officers are mostly French. And that the regular French army despises them.