"This is the tracked armored fighting vehicle that you successfully improved."
On the day he parted with Major Irascu, Hoffman took a train to Constanta, and then rushed to the Volkswagen R&D Center without stopping. Here he looked at the tall tracked tank in front of him, and spoke to the three main R&D
the staff asked.
Hoffman saw a single tracked armored fighting vehicle in front of him. This vehicle had many differences from the previous experimental model that always had problems. The body of the vehicle had become taller, and the lower abdomen had also increased a lot.
It can make people bend over and climb over it. Moreover, the sloped armor of the vehicle body is no longer as sloped as before, and he always feels that the turret is much shorter.
Herke, who was still the most eloquent among the three, stepped forward to answer Hoffman's question. "Your Majesty, Lieutenant Colonel, this is the limit of what we can do now. This tracked armored fighting vehicle is needed because of
To install tracks and adapt to complex terrain, we raised the vehicle body. Now its height is 3.48 meters, which is indeed 63 centimeters higher than the wheeled armored combat vehicle, and the width has also increased, but it is not much more than 2.95 meters.
The width of the meter is mainly to accommodate two diesel engines."
Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman listened to Herke's answer and asked in surprise, "Have you changed the power of the tank?"
Facing Hoffman's inquiry, Wang Chaoqiang, another member of the trio, stepped forward and explained, "We found that a small number of problems with the tracked combat vehicle were caused by vibrations to the gasoline engine. For this, we optimized the chassis.
, but there are still many problems, and we have no good solution. In the end, we thought of replacing the diesel engine with a more earthquake-resistant one. For this purpose, we found a power laboratory and the Ploiesti Machinery Factory, which has the most experience in using diesel engines. Details
understanding of the situation.”
Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman looked at the oriental-faced scientific researcher named Wang Chaoqiang in front of him. He had known him for a long time. He was the only oriental-faced person in the Volkswagen factory, and he was also one of the main developers of the tracked armored fighting vehicle he wanted.
It was difficult to recognize him or not. For this reason, he told Wang Chaoqiang, "Wang, please continue talking."
Wang Chaoqiang, a member of the trio, continued, "We got their latest 80-horsepower diesel engine from the power laboratory. After comparison, we found that the efficiency of the diesel engine is more reliable. However, if only one engine is still loaded, this car
The driving speed of the tracked armored fighting vehicle has not changed much, and then we widened the interior to facilitate the side placement of two parallel diesel engines."
Hoffman asked curiously. "What was the result?"
This time Herke replied. "It can run at a speed of 32 kilometers per hour on the road and 25 kilometers per hour in the wild. And this is the data after we improved this test vehicle. Of course, it is not just about changing the power.
Maybe you've noticed that the turret is also a lot shorter."
Herke pointed to the artillery on the tank and continued to explain. "Because we found that if we did not lower the height of the turret, it would be difficult to operate the artillery. When we tested it, we found that the vibration was too great.
The operators inside are completely unable to use it.”
After hearing Herke's explanation, Hoffman asked, "Have you ever tried to suddenly stop and shoot while traveling?"
"I have tested it before, and the situation is not ideal. Because it is in periscope mode, this 37mm tank gun can hit a maximum distance of 300 meters. No matter how far it is, it will not hit the target. I have no idea how to load this gun.
Meaning, in fact, we can completely disassemble it and replace it with a 20mm machine gun, at least this way we can still hit the opponent in strafing mode."
hear
Hearing Herke's words, Hoffman also felt a headache. To be honest, he didn't know the significance of this chariot cannon that could only shoot at 300 meters. But this was an instruction given to him by the king, and he didn't
Method.
Edel, who has memories of later generations here, has always stubbornly believed that a tank without artillery can still be the king of land? So when developing this tracked combat vehicle, Edel said to Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman,
He wanted to see the tracked combat vehicle have its own cannon on the turret. Although he spoke in a consultative tone, after spending some time with Edel, Hoffman knew he had to get it done.
That's why the two machine guns on the fort were replaced with a short-barreled 37mm cannon. To this end, the number of machine guns carried by the tracked combat vehicle was reduced from 3 to 2. Faced with the reduction in sustained firepower, Huo Huo
Fuman can only hope that this 37mm cannon can be more reliable. All he can do is to make these vehicles take care of each other more during training.
Facing their improved tank, Hoffman began to care about other data. "So what is the fuel consumption of this tank? How far can it run with one full load of fuel?"
"After testing, we found that the fuel consumption of this prototype car is 1.34 liters of diesel per kilometer on the highway and 1.71 liters of diesel per kilometer in the wilderness. This is because it is equipped with two engines. We specially designed it for
Two connected 57-liter fuel tanks are installed at the rear of the tank, which allows it to run 85 kilometers on the road after being filled with fuel. As for the wilderness, it can only run 65 kilometers before refueling."
After hearing the designer's answer, Hoffman felt that the performance was acceptable. So he asked the most important and topical topic, which was the cost of this kind of tank. "So how much did you calculate the cost of this tank?"
The three designers looked at each other, and finally Herc stepped forward and asked, "It depends on how many such tanks the army purchases?"
Hoffman played a trick here. "The military plans to purchase 24 vehicles first and test the results before deciding whether to continue the purchase."
Faced with Hoffman's little trick, Herke was not fooled at all. "If this is the case, then the cost of the first 24 vehicles is 84,000 lei per tracked combat vehicle. As for the future, if the military continues to large-scale
Procurement, our prices will be reduced.”
Hoffman was shocked when he heard the price. "Why is it so much more expensive than wheeled armored vehicles? You can purchase two wheeled armored vehicles at this price."
Herc stepped forward and explained to Hoffman, who was about to jump up. "Sir, Mr. Hoffman, we have not added any profit at all. This is all because diesel engines are more expensive. And the crawler tank has a completely different transmission system.
, we spend more money. This price can only ensure that Volkswagen does not lose money, so it is impossible to lower the price."
For a long time, Hofmann and the three others failed to lower the price of the tracked combat vehicle by 1 lei. In the end, they could only report this price to the General Staff, hoping that they could purchase the combat vehicles needed for their armored battalion.
In fact, the munitions department that purchased the equipment did not lower the price. In the end, it purchased two companies of tracked combat vehicles from Volkswagen based on this price to fully equip the armored battalion.
After Hofmann waited for the tank he needed, he immediately began to experiment with his ideas about future wars. These armored monsters can often be seen marching in the fields around Constanta, and they are constantly practicing Hofmann.
The thoughts in Mann's mind. During the drill, Hoffman discovered that many of his ideas were immature. He relied on the armored battalion to constantly improve his tactics and keep building the sharp sword in his heart, which would one day amaze the world.
However, in terms of armored battalion training funds, this armored battalion has always been a thorn in the side of the Munitions Department of the General Staff. Their training cost for one month can be as much as the cost of two other infantry regiments. It’s just that General Pulieshan, the general staff, doesn’t care about them at all.
This wasteful phenomenon can only make the director of the munitions department lose his temper.
As the main promoter, Edel, in his mind, tanks and combat vehicles are more important than funding. However, he now encounters a more difficult matter for him, and he does not even bother to look at the newly developed combat vehicles.
