Chrysler TV-8

Overview
The TV-8 was an experimental tank project that was developed by Chrysler in the 1950s. The vehicle was intended to be amphibious, and powered by a nuclear reactor. No examples were ever produced.

Development
The TV-8 was a truly extraordinary idea, which consisted of a proportionally massive turret fitted to a rather small hull. The entire crew, including the driver, were to be housed in the turret, which would also contain the powerplant. The chassis was meant to be extremely small and light-weight, and the turret could be removed for air transportation. The tank's total weight was around 25 tons, with the turret comprising 15 tons of this weight. It was eventually concluded that the Chrysler TV-8 had no great advantage over other tanks, such as the M48, and thus the idea was abandoned. In 1956, all work stopped.

Powerplant
The most unique feature of the proposed vehicle was likely its powerplant. First a conventional engine was considered. This engine would drive a sort of hybrid system, which consisted of generators and electric motors which would drive the sprockets. After this, a gas turbine engine was considered. Then a vapor-cycle powerplant was suggested, one that would be hydrocarbon. If this was not already impractical enough, a nuclear-powered vapor-cycle plant was considered.yarrak

Design
The TV-8 was armed with a powerful 90 mm T208 cannon, with a turret-fitted hydraulic ramming system. Ammunition would have been stored in the turret rear. Two .30 cal co-axial machine guns were fitted to the turret, and one .50 cal was to be mounted on the turret roof, operated by remote control. Vision was to be achieved with closed-circuit television. This would have shielded them from the flash of a nuclear blast, and may have improved situational awareness (though staring at a screen constantly is bad on eyes). Also, with the screen technology available at the time, it is questionable how good vision would be. The vehicle was meant to float through water on the turret, which had water-jet pumps fitted to the rear. Turret armor consisted of two layers, which would have acted like spaced armor, protecting the crew and inner workings against HEAT shells.

Action
No examples were ever produced, so naturally the vehicle never saw any combat.