Comment on When the budget has no limit.
Brainsploosh@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
AT-ATs are a terrible main combat vehicle.
Enormous target profile, of which most is very vulnerable gangly legs and joints. It doesn’t even have much firepower to motivate the ridiculous size. It’s also a quite slow transport with a low complement and slow deployment.
It is however a versatile tool of terror, as I believe is it’s purpose.
Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 5 hours ago
The legs are made of durasteel. Do you know of any munitions that can dent durasteel?
Brainsploosh@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
Reading up a bit, it seems some lasers might penetrate AT-AT legs judging by how there are more armored variants. Also, there’s an argument about flechette launchers and ship turbo cannons being able to get through similar amounts of Durasteel.
It also seems Durasteel is weaker than titanium, and we have plenty of kinetics test can go through titanium
But using real life logic, if they can be shaped they can’t be invulnerable. Also wouldn’t you be able to gum up a knee or foot joint with something like a tree, or even just durasteel shrapnel? Then it’s not about denting as much as using leverage to burn the motor. Even just fouling up the lubricant would cause huge maintenance costs.
Also, as the legs are articulated, explosives would be able to trip them by moving the legs from out under them.
Also also, the huge troop compartment and wide sides should be very easy to hit causing overpressure injury, which beyond being disorienting (bad for assault troops) significantly shorten the utility of the troopers, seems expensive and unnecessary when the option is dropships, shuttles, or land cars.