One of the best weapons in a soldiers arsenal is agility and being able to move quickly. However, history has shown us that armoring is also incredibly important and that these two desires usually tend to clash. Being heavily armored means that you’re more likely you are to survive an attack, although this comes by sacrificing speed and the ability to move quickly. However as technology continues to advance, people are realizing that speed doesn’t need to be sacrificed for the sake of armoring. New materials and technologies are allowing for increased protection with minimal weight.
Due to the fact that armor-piercing technology is advancing faster than armoring technology (which comes with the added cost of a lot of weight), companies are looking for ways to increase protection while simultaneously avoid adding absurd amounts of weight to both soldiers and vehicles. While heavily armored knights and cataphracts have been replaced by tanks, scientists and tech experts are focusing on the same problems that have been plaguing armies for millennia, how to increase deployment-speed and maneuverability without sacrificing armor and survivability. Finally, there seems to be an answer around the corner. DARPA has created Ground X-Vehicle Technology (GXV-T) that promises to reduce vehicle size and weight, reduce the number of crew needed, and reduce the noticeable signatures that the enemy can use to find soldiers while also increasing vehicle speed and increasing the type of terrain they can be used on. It seems as though the future is arriving.
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