My question is how effective would walkers be in today’s military? I compared it to a tank to help figure this out.
In Leviathan, walkers are a kind of Clanker machine used to travel and to fight on land or sometimes sea. They are based on Darwinist fabricated beasts and were invented to fight with them. Walkers are used by the military and by some civilians for travelling. I will describe some of the type of walkers that the Clankers use in Leviathan. I will also show the pros and cons and if walkers would be effective in the military.
Walker:
Walkers in Leviathan
One type of walker in Leviathan is The Herkules. It is an eight-legged walker and it moves pretty fast for a walker. Another one in the book is called The Stormwalker. It is a two legged walking machine and Alek drives it. Let’s focus on the Stormwalker.
Stormwalker:
Stormwalkers are war machines, used for light battles and scouting runs because they can run pretty fast. It takes a lot of training to drive one. They have dual machine guns that produce a lot of noise and smoke. The guns are operated through vision slits but they should have bullet proof glass to protect the shooters. They have to wear face masks. If the walker is knocked over it is hard to get it up again. They move around by using their two legs that are heavily protected by metal. The main body is large and bulky. There are fuel tanks mounted outside the main body above the legs. It is designed this way so that the crew don’t get killed if the fuel tanks explode. If they do explode then they will be without fuel. There are a few places for the crew to look outside to see what is going on, including a hatch on top. The engine block is mounted on the back and the Stormwalker has a balance system to help it stay upright.
Another Stormwalker
Findings: Effectiveness of a walker compared to a tank:
Tanks and armoured vehicles in general have most of the armour in the front. The side and rear armour is 1/3 or 1/4 the thickness of the front armour. Since the walker is not as long as a tank, it can have heavier armour on the sides. Smaller walkers require one or two men crews vs 4 or 5 crewmen in traditional tanks. Walkers require less manufacturing resources to build them. Tanks have the treads to help them move cross country and they work best in open country. They can shoot at their targets a mile away. Tanks are not as effective in built- up areas like in cities, forests and where there is rough terrain. That’s where the walkers have the advantage. They are very mobile and can move around obstacles and over rough ground easier. Also tanks usually have to stop when they are shooting but not the walkers. The treads of a tank are much weaker than the legs of the walker when it comes to direct fire.
Here is what the inside of a stormwalker looks like
Overall, I think the effectiveness of a walker in the military depends on the situation. When comparing a walker to a tank, the location is important. Tanks are good for flat open areas. Tanks work best in teams. Their role is to break through and destroy as much as possible. If it is not an open area and there a lot of trees or rocks or urban obstacles, a walker would be better. The smaller walkers are even more agile because they are lighter and can move faster. The world is becoming more populated and developed now so a walker is good for those areas.
Creative Element:
My creative element is a picture of the ideal war machine. I took the best parts of a walker and a tank and put them together. All the different angles stop the enemy from using radar on it. There are port holes on every side so the crew can see from every angle. There are guns on every side and one big missile launcher. It is smaller than a Stormwalker so it won’t tip over so easily. Scott Westerfeld might want to use it in his next book.
Here are some of the links that I used for research:
