> In particular, the technology for a completely unmanned, turret with an autoloader replacing the human loader and camera systems replacing "stick your head ou

> In particular, the technology for a completely unmanned, turret with an autoloader replacing the human loader and camera systems replacing "stick your head out and have a look", has been around for decades; there are reasons it's had only limited use. It seems to be headed for wide use now -- all new major afv designs are now as small boxes as possible with remote-controlled turrets on top. Look up the Russian Armata and the German ifv Puma. > Anyone know what the "Active Protection System Launchers" are actually launching? Anti-missile/bomb defense. > Unless they've left off most of the armor for the display model (which is possible), this can't possibly be a main battle tank; there's no way it's got enough armor to take a shot from a full-size tank gun. Armor has greatly improved since the 80's. Especially ceramics have improved by leaps and bounds. This, combined with the much reduced and streamlined internal protected volume, and greater allowed armor volume make a high level of protection possible with much lower weight than current designs. Even still, they only promise STANAG 4569 5+ for the 30t main design, and require 5t of additional applique to be fully resistant to guns from front. In the eternal technological contest between armor and weaponry, we are currently at a very high point for armor. The combined development of radar-guided active defenses that defeat all slow projectiles and semi-reactive ceramics that shred and destabilize ke projectiles as they travel through them, given a 60t weight budget no reasonable design using current-level armor and weaponry could penetrate itself from any angle. Of course, given enough time this will just result in better guns, but as direct upscalings of modern tank guns have proven to be unworkable and abandoned by everyone, they will have to use some exotic new tech. In the meantime, if fighting against 80's tank guns, yes you can get full protection on frontal arcs at 35t or less.