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GW never really specified when weapon sponsons appeared on tanks, but I would say they have been around for quite some time.

Indeed, even the oldest fighting vehicles of the IoM have sponsons (albeit with a more archaic design than more recent patterns of vehicles).

Fore example, check out these two images. On the left, you have a LR MkII sponson, and on the right is a pic from a predator MkIII, where the sponson is clearly visible.



Both these two fighting vehicles (and their sponsons) were in service even before the Great Crusade.

reds8n wrote: IIRc in one of the IA books, The Taros campaign one would assume, the Tau analyse a captured Leman Russ tank and find there is a bewildering array ( over 200 IIRC) mis-used or non functioning features and design elements on the Russ tank. Ones that if the Imperium understood and/or used would improve the tanks performance immeasurably.

This is more or less the overarching theme of Imperial technology. It's ridiculously advanced, far more than it needs to be to accomplish what it's observed to accomplish, and were its advancements fully realized in execution it would put any other race's tech to shame. As it is it still comes out third, behind Necrons and the two Eldar factions. The Russ, despite being twice the size of an Abrams, weighs less than it, by one ton, and despite having armor less than a fifth the thickness of an Abrams comes out with superior protection, since the Abrams would be something like AV10-11 translated to 40k terms, possibly 12 front (based on comparisons between relatively known quantities: heavy stubbers being equal to M2s, antitank rpgs being equal to krak grenades, javelins being roughly equal to krak missiles, Abram's main gun being like a blast Autocannon, etc), and this is all with a ridiculously impractical shape and profile.

For all we know, more than half the original design of what became the Leman Russ is missing, and what remains is just the crew compartment and engine housing with a turret jammed onto it. It might even just be the engine compartment and suspension, and the parts where you're actually supposed to stick the armor, crew, and guns are all missing. That would certainly explain the boxy shape, if it's just meant to be an internal component of a larger tank that's had some guns welded onto its casing.

owww! and Mk3 Predator uses T34 turret =^.^=

both have the firing arc of 90 degree . right?

And how do those sponson guns were controlled? were they servo things like Hetzer pintle mounted MG 42/ or Apache autocannon. or sponson gunner must standby on the sponson unit themselves?

Lone Cat wrote:owww! and Mk3 Predator uses T34 turret =^.^=

both have the firing arc of 90 degree . right?

And how do those sponson guns were controlled? were they servo things like Hetzer pintle mounted MG 42/ or Apache autocannon. or sponson gunner must standby on the sponson unit themselves?

Yes, all sponsons are designed as having a 90° firing arc.

The question of their control is a tricky one. IG vehicles don't have access to expensive and complex AIs, so they must rely on human gunners to control the sponsons on their vehicles (be it a LRBT, a malcador or even a baneblade).

However, the Astartes can afford MIUs for their sponson weapons. In addition, SM chapters are extremely limited in manpower, so putting an astartes behind each sponson gun would be a terrible waste. Thus, modern SM vehicles are always equipped with AIs to control their sponsons (and even most turrets on their ships!).

But we have to bear in mind that, before the HH, the IA had access to rhinos, predators and LR too. Thus, were these vehicles equipped with AIs before the HH? I would say no, since fitting expensive AIs on the billions of vehicles of the IA would not have been possible. In addition, the design for these older sponsons is clearly archaic and less advanced than in more recent patterns.

Actually, the design for the sponsons on the two images above is exactly the design used by M41 IG vehicles (which are not fitted with AIs).

As for historical inspiration, the Russ seems to take design cues from the British Mk IV heavy tank from WWI



And its larger, British-American cousin, the Mk VIII Liberty.



Add a turret, shorten the chassis (a lot), narrow those threads and, voilá, you have the Russ.

As for the Ragnarok longcat posted, I'd be tempted to point at the Soviet T-35 or early KV series. I don't have the time to look it up, though.

And look at this



Does Miyazaki Akuyaku another inspiration for LRBT? as much as it is an inspiration to the competitor, Warzone grizzly tank.