Mobile Armored Police Assault Corps

NEW TANK EXPLODES TARGETS, NOT SELF

AP Global Wire Services, New Sydney, Australia May 15, 2003.
MasterArms Tech officials were on hand Sunday for the last day of the gruelling qualification trial for the MA1192 Medium Assault Gunship.

Thomas Throckmorton, Lead Quality Enginer for MasterArms, was optimistic that their newest assault vehicle designed specifically for police and corporate use would pass the tests with flying colors. Said Throckmorton, "We've had a few misteps in the past, but our design team has worked extra hard to iron out all of the difficulties. I am proud to say that this model is one rugged platform that has speed and agility as well as good firepower."

The road to building a high-performance assault tank has been a rocky one. Last year during the tank trials, an entire city block was incinerated when the reactor overheated and a caused a fire which ignited the ordinance. It took fire fighters three days to control the blaze.

Phillip Baumwell, director of MasterArms Tech mobile assault division, remembers the incident. "That accident set us back a few months. We lost two of our best test pilots at that trial. It was very tragic, but we learned a lot from our mistakes. Instead of using an explosive or powder propellant for our projectiles, we have developed a methodology for propelling our slugs at very high speeds using a magnetic coil. We have found that not only do we save weight and space, but we can get much higher muzzle velocities with only a small energy expenditure. We have also modified our power plant and added a redundant back-up system so if the primary fails, we can shut it down and use the secondary. We feel that this will increase the reliability of our vehicle and make it safer for the crew."

Orders for the new weapons platform have been staggering. The Tokyo Metropolitan police department has ordered 118 units, 25 more than the ADPolice in NYC. Corporations such as the mega-giant Sony-Microsoft Global Enterprises have also ordered units for private security. Some corporations have not been so optimistic. CEO Takihara Yamamoto of Toyota-Chrysler-Deimler Corp expresses his concerns, "I'm not prepared at this time to take a gamble on such new technology. Our Abrams 7A Main Battle Tanks have served us well since the collapse. We are going to wait to see how well they actually work before we will be willing to spend the 15 million Euros on each vehicle. If they do work as they are advertised, I expect to buy as many as 800 next year."

So far, the vehicle has passed every test with flying colors, and is expected to be ready for production by July. Initial volumes are expected to be 500 per month, inreasing to 1,000 per month by the end of the year. "We are extremely exited about the capabilities this new tank will offer us," says Iria Otomo, a hunter with Tokyo Metropolitan Police. "Lately, we have really taken a lot of casualties out there. With this kind of firepower, I hope that we can turn the tide."

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The first day of trials consists of three main tests: The long range artillery test, the Civillian Patrol and Supression Test, and the Speed Trials.

The long range artillery test requires the vehicle to fire upon both stationary and moving targets at up to 10 km away. The vehicle must navigate a brief course and fire at the targets (some of which are obscurred). The weapon system must have 95% or better accuracy to pass. The MA 1192 passed this section of the trial with a 98.2% accuracy.

The civillian patrol and supression test consists of two stages: a hostage situation and a riot. Each stage requires the vehicle and its crew to successfully handle the situation. Points are given for speed, accuracy, and style and are deducted for property damage, vehicle damage, and civillian casualties. The MA 1192 passed both sections of the trial with a combined score of 1235 out of 1600. Collateral damage and civillian casualties were very high, but the tank broke a new time record and had an accuracy of over 74%.

The last stage of the trials consisted of a 1,400 km course over both land and sea which was completed by the MA 1192 in just over two and a half hours ( a new record ).

The second day of trials consists of three main tests: The maneuverability test, the harsh environment test, and the giant slalom.

The manueverabiltiy test is a low-speed course requiring the vehicle to make a number of intricate turns and elevation changes in a number of different attitudes. Once the course is completed, it must be done a second time in reverse. Some of the areas require the vehicle to maneuver in a space that only is a half a meter larger than the vehicle itself. Points are deducted for any contact with course markers. The MA 1192 passed this test with a score of 1890 out of 2000 possible points.

The harsh environment test subjects the vehicle to difficult terrain such as salt water, mud, sand, tall grass, and weather conditions such as high winds and rain. This test is a gruelling 72 hour torture test of continuous operation designed to test the limits of the vehicle. The MA 1192 has not yet completed this test.

The last stage of the second day of trials consists of a 30 km giant slalom course with obstacles such as large rocks and buildings. This is a high speed course where points are awarded based on time and deducted for each contact. The MA 1192 has not yet completed this test.

Click here for an article on the second day of trials.