Talk:AFOH/@comment-27015223-20151010234951



Manticore MBT

OOC: This tank was created with tech based off of research done on already existing tech IRL, though to the limits of classified information.

IC:

The Manticore is a main battle tank designed to replace the Martel MBT. Design criteria included fitting of a new 150mm smoothbore main gun based off of the Roland SPG's cannon for dramatically improved firepower, with a premium placed on the tank's, survivability and off-road performance. It has a crew of 3 (commander, gunner, driver)

The Manticore is armed with a 150mm smoothbore main gun that is derived from the Roland SPG's cannon. It has an autoloader that feeds from the ammo storage in the turret bustle to the breech, giving it a fire rate of 10 rounds per minute. It utilizes a swing-breech mechanism meaning that the gun does not have to be lowered back to an auto loading position after each shot, requiring re-aiming every time. Instead only the breech swings into position, allowing the gun to remain on target. The tank holds 42 rounds of APFSDS, HEAT, Smart-Top Attack Munitions (STAM), and Flechette rounds. It has a coaxial 12.7mm machine gun, and a commander's remotely operated dual 12.7mm machine gun turret with AA capability.

It is equipped with an advanced FCS linked to an Extremely High Frequency Radar system deployed on the frontal arc of the turret. The system is capable of a "lock-on" mode, which can acquire and track specific targets up to a range of 10 km. It also has a stabilizer that reads the upcoming terrain to "predict" upcoming movement and a trigger-delaying mechanism to enhance accuracy. This allows the crew to fire accurately while moving as well as engage low-flying aircraft.

The Manticore is protected by a classified armor suite. It is described as being much more efficient and effective against shaped-charge penetrators and long-rod penetrators than RHA, and contains a variety of different materials ranging from ceramics, to plastics, to metals. The armor is also said to act as Non-Energetic Reactive Armor. The RHA equivalents are classified but sheer thickness is as follows: frontal turret 960mm, frontal hull 650mm, side turret 400mm, side hull 360mm. The tank's armor can defeat APFSDS from its own main gun. The Manticore also has integrated "heavy" Explosive Reactive Armor that is effective not only against shaped-charge jets, but long-rod penetrators as well. It does this by utilizing a variety of techniques including thicker plates and more powerful explosives. The tank also utilizes a hard-kill Active Protection System unlike most others. Arranged around the hull are "Directed Energy Reactive Armor" sensor-countermeasure modules. When a sensor detects a threat, the countermeasure ejects a jet of "directed energy" (an explosion) to destroy or disrupt the threat enough so that it cannot penetrate the vehicle. It has a reaction time of 580 microseconds and can destroy threats at 10m not depending on the speed of the threat. It is one of the fastest APSs ever devised, and is also effective against APFSDS. The lack of fragmentation and use of thin directed energy jets minimizes collateral damage, and the lack of moving parts makes it light and low-power. It has 360 degree coverage. The soft-kill APS includes visual and infrared screening smoke grenades and a radar jammer as well as radar and laser warning receivers.

It has a road speed of 78 km/h, an off-road speed of 56 km/h with a 1,600 hp engine and an active in-arm suspension unit that allows it to "sit", "stand", "lean", and "kneel", giving it many tactical advantages. It is also capable of fording rivers 6 meters deep using a snorkel system.