The original Howe & Howe Ripsaw tank was an impressive high-speed treaded machine that changed warfare as we know it. And once it was put into the hands of the military’s top contractors, it was made even better. Now, the fifth generation of this vehicle — the Ripsaw M5 Robotic Combat Vehicle — has been unveiled and it looks like it’s set to alter the battlefield landscape forever, yet again.
There are some pretty major differences between this new edition and its predecessors. For starters, this version of the tank is completely unmanned — meaning it’s controlled from a remote location via a “hardened wireless connection.” The M5 also boasts field modularity that allows for different loadouts depending on the mission — including options like a mounted cannon, a Javelin missile system, anti-mine equipment, and more. It can even deploy its own suite of airborne drones for surveillance and pathfinding. And it can do all that while traveling at speeds up to 40mph over virtually any terrain. Obviously, this is not a vehicle that will ever be available to the civilian population, but it’s an impressive piece of war tech, nonetheless.
