Originally posted by 13069356: Curious on how a crew stays nice and cool in your iron box, 140 degrees outside, and sitting next to a running engine.
All I could find on the internet is that it is a NBC Air Filtration over pressure system.
I believe the turbine is seperated from the crew compartment by the ammo storage area so there is not a lot of heat transfer there. The ammo storage area is thickly armored and I think is designed to blow through the top of the tank if the rounds cook off instead of into the crew compartment.
They have a thick armored sliding door that opens and closes fast when they go to load a round to keep it isolated from the crew compartment in case of accident.
So they don't really sit next to the engine, they sit next to the Ammo and safeguards were taken there.
I think the engine is based on a turbine from a Huey Helicopter but not sure there.
You're partially correct...Although I am/was a tanker, the M1-series didn't yet exist when I was doing the M60A1-thing. But...from what I know, and I do try to keep up with enhancements (at least those not classified), there is technically no ammo-holding area between the engine and crew compartment, so-to-speak. What you say is basically right-on with the sliding ammo door; however, that is behind the crew compartment (behind the Loader position), and actually above the engine (in the back of the turret), when main gun is over front glacis. The crew is separated from the engine compartment by a fairly thin plate (on the M60-series, through this "access" plate is where we disconnected fuel lines, etc., before removing the power pack for maintenance...or worse). Again, as stated, I try to keep up with the 'newer' stuff but...'lo and behold, I could be inaccurate...and defer to the current round of tankers (e.g. Army-of-120...).
They had M1's in 2AD but it was kind of secret then and I could not get in the crew compartment I was able to look in the drivers hatch. Thats all though. They threw off a lot of heat via their rear exhaust fan which was nice in the cold German winters when you were at the wash rack shivering.
You get the picture, 140 degrees outside makes it even hotter inside. NBC units will just blow some more hot air along with the turret blower. its not really a good way to cool down.
Tankers just have to deal with the heat best they can when its hot like that.
We had coolers issued and ice brought to us daily in slabs just big enough to fit in the cooler. It lasted about a day but was usually melted by night.
Maybe they will put airconditioners in the new FCS 40 ton with all the computer and viewing screens. Then tankers can beat the heat.
Tanks will never have AC. Its not just like a design flaw. GDLS has just decided not to do it. I mean here in the US we have some of the best and brightest engineers in the world. We have guys who built a space telescope, it lets you see other galaxies. We can send a damn remote control robot to a different planet.
But can we put a AC unit in a tank? No.
The VCSU isn't a AC unit as much as we want to say it is. Its more like there to make it feel like 125 rather than 135.
Sean, don't trust claims on Russian Military equipment the Russians have a tendency to exaggerate on their capabilities it always blurts out into the open everytime one of their client states gets into a war and sees what POS' they were sold.
I remember the cold war the Russian overselling was a problem as well. Their snorkeling equipment didn't work too well. Bore evacuators did not extracate all the fumes from the crew compartment, their crew compartments back then were tiny. They had captured T-62's, T-72's, BMP, PT-76, etc at Hohenfels from Israel when I was in West Germany.....I actually did get to crawl and look inside those.
El Crapola! Of course I can say that never having being on the firing end of one or having operated one.....only saw them parked.
Although this was not a Army website the official Army does err on the side of caution and takes a worst case scenario (whats the worst they can do) look at Russian equipment when evaluating the threat.
I can't say I'm surprised. I'm sure there's a handful of tankers that would say they don't need one to save face, but if it was installed they likely wouldn't complain.
I am a Tanker and my unit just fielded the newest version of the M1A2 SEP. There is to AC. There is a AC (VCSU) for the computers and thermal sights but nothing for the crew. I was on tanks for 15 months in Iraq and what we did to stay cool was turn on the NBC system to circulate some air. When you are covered in sweat any moving air feels good. Other than that we would just suck it up and fight.
Computer components tend to fry if they get too hot, so (equipment evidently being more important than people) cooling is provided for some items.
An air conditioner from a Cadillac would probably do the job!!
" The final variant (so far) is the M1A2SEP or Systems Enhancement Program. This upgraded several internal systems and allowed the APU to be moved from the turret bustle to the inside of the left rear hull (Under Armor APU or UAAPU). The engine was changed as well and the CITV now uses a 2nd generation FLIR. The biggest difference in the SEP is the new engine, smaller, more fuel-efficient (hence the removal of one fuel tank for the APU) and the same power. It also has a new Thermal Management System (Air Conditioner, mainly for all the electronic components) and part of it, the Vapor Compression System Unit (VPSU), is now in the turret bustle rack where the EAPU used to be in an M1A1/A2. There are also some new electronics installed in the SEP. All SEPs are rebuilt tanks that may have been M1IP or M1A1. Very few units in the Army use the M1A2SEP"
Originally posted by greywolfghost: An air conditioner from a Cadillac would probably do the job!!
Ha-ha-ha-ha, Amen to that. I've seen snow come out of those suckers in a Caddy. Only seen that in the military happen on a C-130 A/C system on a flight to Huntsville, Alabama.
