Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Tele man
The two competing XM1 prototype (Abrams tank) vehicles we tested at YPG both got 1MPG and 1GPM...GM with variable-compression-ratio diesel and Chrysler with turbine.
The joke was the turbine won the competition because it could run on Peanut Oil (Carter was president at the time).
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It becomes more of a joke if we recall that the first Diesel engines ran on peanut oil. But anyway, IIRC nowadays the MBTs are getting rid of the turbines and resorting to 2-stroke Diesel engines again, not just for the sake of fuel savings but also for reliability under harsh environmental conditions. Surprisingly, the weight and packaging of some of those Diesels is lighter and more compact than the turboshaft engines with a comparable power.