Johannes replied to me:
What are the suits supposed to do?
* Cover a lot of area, fight anything weaker then them, if they
encounter something heavy, call for the cavalry. Stealth is good for
that, flying is good for deployment or retreats.
That didn't work all that well for battlecruisers. Sometimes you have to
stand and fight, and then the suits should have a good showing against
enemies in their own weight class. (I wonder how many NATO troops got
worried about their high-ground-clearance, high-silhouette MRAPs when
the crisis with Russia started.)
* Carry heavy enough weapons to kill a tank equivalent, but are cheap
enough, that if the tank hits some of them first you still come out
ahead. Get enough armor that area attacks become unviable. Flight to
get fast, where you are needed. Stealth is more optional.
Rico in Heinlein's Starship Troopers talked about killing tanks, but
then he was an unreliable narrator. I expect that a suit can kill a tank
with luck and a good position, much like a soldier with an RPG against a
current MBT. Go for the rear armor, pop up and shoot, check your life
insurance first.
* Ambush heavier enemies, or enemies in larger numbers. Essentially a
sniper. Stealth is your primary ability, plus you might want the
ability to get away fast.
When you expect immediate counterfire by the rest of the enemy platoon,
doesn't this merge with the previous option?
* Policing civilans in already held areas. No need for stealth, amror
good enough for typical civilian weapons, flight for chases.
The armor would have to be good enough for booby traps, possibly
stronger than for the field forces.
BTW since i just got that idea: If you have good flight abilities with
good endurence, would it make sense to scrap the leg motors and have
the suit hop like a chinese vampire, if you don't want to stay off the
ground long? That would be a suit i'd like to see in a movie.
Johannes
That was used in Traveller T4, called a Battle Pod. But I'd go for a
human-shaped suit for use in buildings/space stations/starships, I think.
It sounds as if you are clearly on the pro-flight side of the debate.
Regards,
Onno
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