Iron Armory "War Tiger" Tank Destroyer:


"Man, here we were getting ready to stomp a group of De-Bees and suddenly from nowhere a round hits one of our Enforcers and blows it in half. I never seen a cannon do that, even the big 200 mm cannon carried on the Iron Hammer tank. We returned fire but the only thing that could reach them was our missiles. They seemed to do not good as the enemy tank destroyed robot after robot. The few of us who survived simply ran. If anyone tries to tell me that our combat robots are superior to everyone else's tanks, I will tell them where they can stick it."


- Interview with Private Steven Nash, Coalition Trooper assigned to Tolkeen Front


With regard to stories that one of our Relocation Units being destroyed by a new advanced tank, the stories are just rumors and there are no facts to back them up. All personnel passing rumors of this new "Super Tank" will be severely punished. Troops and Officers alike should also be reminded that all tank designs are inherently inferior to Robot designs and that the Coalition manufactures the finest military hardware.


- Announcement from Colonel Gloria Porter, Coalition High Command


The recent loss of a Seek and Destroy Unit in the Tolkeen sector by what appeared to be a single tank has caused a large loss in moral. Steps should be done to mitigate this after the announcement by High Command. The surviving troops involved should be ordered to keep quiet about the incident and be transferred out of their unit. As well, If needed, the troops should be debriefed directly by Psi-Net to make sure that they do tell others what happened to the unit.


- Internal Psi-Net Report from Captain Shea Greyson


Iron Armory has produced a very power combat vehicle known as the "Storm Tiger" for several years. While the design has sold moderately well, especially in conventionally powered versions, the 15 inch rocket armed vehicle has never sold up to the desires of the leaders at Iron Armory. Due to this, the leaders of the company began a project for a more effective combat vehicle. One of the specific requirements in the design was a greater payload of ammunition for the main cannon. Soon after the design process was begun, Iron Heart Armament produced a tank destroyer called the “Iron Axe” based on their “Iron Fist” medium tank and armed with a 200 mm cannon. It is believed that the “Iron Axe” design influenced the design of the new Iron Armory tank destroyer.


A variety of designs were drawn up using a variety of different weapons and platforms. Several used the chassis from "Storm Tigers" as a basis but a few used the chassis of the Iron Armory version of the M1 Abrams tank. One of the ones which seemed to show the most promise was mating the 120 mm high velocity rail gun from the Mammoth Tank in a fixed forward mount to the Abrams chassis. The production of the Abrams chassis is far greater than that of Storm Tiger chassis so the tank chassis for the tank was chosen and the cannon was already produced as well. Actual development was greatly aided by the fact that both the main weapon system and the chassis would already developed and under production. The first prototype slid out of the factory less than six months after the original blueprints were approved. There were some problems in design including dealing with the recoil of the humongous rail-gun. The name "Tiger" seemed to fit the design like it did with the other Iron Armory tank destroyer design so the new tank destroyer was given the name "War Tiger."


The design was rigorously tested including in battlefield conditions. One of the testing exercises, the tank destroyer got involved in a live engagement against a Coalition "Seek and Destroy" unit which the testing team did not know was operating in the area. The Coalition unit was composed mostly of Enforcer and other Coalition robot vehicles. The War Tiger was escorted by two Mountain Lion combat vehicles and the engagement was incredibly short with the 120 mm hyper velocity rail gun devastating the Coalition robot vehicles. A planned tactic with using the War Tiger is to escort the Tank Destroyer with normal tanks or other light combat vehicles and use the massive cannon to punch a hole through enemy lines with the other designs acting as protection from light units. The plan if for the 120 mm cannon to engage enemy units beyond the range of weaponry of large robots and other combat vehicles. The tank destroyer performed exactly as expected against the Coalition units. The only weapons which can commonly engage at ranges of the main gun are missile launchers which the War Tiger carriers defensive launchers and point defense weaponry to deal with this. By the commanders chronometer, the engagement lasted a total of only forty-eight seconds.


When first released, the "war tiger" was described as "The most powerful medium tank before or after the coming of the Rifts." As well, the design has already sparked fear in Coalition troops. While production has only begun on the new design, there have already has been multiple orders for the heavily armed tank destroyer and the production of chassis for the War Tiger is already behind orders for the new tank destroyer. The design of the "War Tiger" tank destroyer is quite a bit less expensive than the Mammoth super heavy tank and more mercenary companies can afford the tank destroyer design over the super heavy tank. Production staff is working on boosting the components used in the War Tiger, especially those also shared by the Abrams take produced by Iron Armory. At the moment, production on the "War Tiger" is going slower than expected. There is some discussion about taking the "Storm Tiger" out of production and replacing it with the War Tiger.


As previously described, the "War Tiger" uses the basic frame of the M1A15 Abrams tank. The front of the tank is sloped with the main gun deeply imbedded into the hull. Due to high power requirements, the initial prototype used a fusion reactor. As well, all production models are fusion powered although it is planned for later models to be available with a fuel cell systems instead of a fusion reactor. The top speed of the "War Tiger" is the same as the Abrams which is around seventy miles per hour on roads and sixty miles per hour off-road. As a result, the "War Tiger"is faster than both the Mammoth and the Storm Tiger. The War Tiger was originally planned with a crew of three but it was decided to increase the crew to four. The electronics carried on the "War Tiger" are similar to other Iron Armory designs. The amount of armor carried on the War Tiger is about the same as is carried on the Iron Armory Abrams but the War Tiger is better protected due to not having a turret to protect as well.


The 120 mm cannon has a limited traverse of twelve degrees for side to side, thirty degrees upwards and eight degrees downwards. One advantage the 120 mm rail gun has over the 380 mm rocket launcher on the Storm Tiger is that the projectiles are much smaller and the War Tiger carries over three times as many rounds. It also carries over twice as many rounds in comparison to the Iron Heart “Iron Axe” tank destroyer design. The auto-loader design on the Iron Armory design is more efficient and also allows a greater rate of fire. On fuel cell powered versions of the tank destroyer, the cannon will be powered by four fuel cells and will carry four less rounds. As a secondary weapon, the War Tiger carries a Vulcan cannon on the top of the vehicle in a mini-turret. The laser is similar to the Vulcan laser carried on the Iron Hammer and is believed to be a direct copy. The laser mount is controlled by the secondary gunner and is effective against both aircraft and ground targets due to having a 360 degree rotation and a high angle of elevation. This gun is planned to be powered by its own fuel cell on fuel cell powered tank destroyers. The tank destroyer also has two rapid fire pulse laser cannons with one controlled by the commander next to the top mounted Vulcan cannon and one is mounted coaxial with the 120 mm rail gun. On each side of the tank destroyer is a missile launcher. Available missile launchers include medium range missiles, short range missile launchers, and a mini-missile launcher. For self defense, the tank destroyer has two smoke dispensers. These dispensers can also used to dispense anti-personnel gasses and prismatic aerosol although mostly smoke is carried.


Model Type: I.A. MTK-15
Vehicle Type: Tank Destroyer
Crew: Four (Driver, 2 Gunners, and Commander).


M. D. C. by Location:

High Velocity 120 mm Rail gun:250
[1] Coaxial Rapid Fire Laser Cannon:50
Vulcan Laser Mini-Turret (Top):120
Cupolas on Top (1, Left Side):80
[1] Cupola Rapid Fire Laser Cannon (1, In Cupolas)50
Variable Missile Launchers (2, Sides):50 each
[1] Smoke / Gas Dispensers (2):20 each
[2] Main Body:800
[3] Tractor Treads (2):120 each


Notes:
[1] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a “called shot,” but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.
[2] If all the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the vehicle is completely shut down and is unsalvageable.
[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of a tread will immobilize the tank until it is replaced. Replacing a tread will take 1D6x10 minutes by a trained crew (two replacements are carried on board) or three times as long by the inexperienced. Changing the tread is only advisable when the vehicle is not under attack.


Speed:
Ground: Cruising speed on land is 70 mph (112.6 kph) on roads and 60 mph ( 96.6 kph) off road maximum.
The vehicle is designed to traverse virtually all terrain and can climb at up to a 60% grade although at a much slower speed (About 10% of maximum road speed). It can also climb barriers and ford trenches. The vehicle can also handle side slopes of up to 30%.
Underwater: Can be equipped with snorkel to run underwater down to 15 feet (4.6 meters)
Maximum Range: Fuel cell versions have a maximum range of 600 miles (1126.5 km). Fusion powered versions are effectively unlimited in range. Presently, only fusion powered versions are available.


Statistical Data:
Height: 9.2 feet (2.8 meters)
Width: 10.8 feet (3.3 meters)
Length: Main Body: 27.2 feet (8.3 meters) and with Gun Forward: 35.4 feet (10.8 meters).
Weight: 73.2 tons (66.4 metric tons) fully loaded
Power Source: Fuel Cell System or Nuclear (Should have an average lifespan of 10 years), only fusion is presently available.
Cargo Capacity: Minimal, enough for equipment with crew.
Black Market Cost: Fuel Cell System version is planned to sells for 10.2 million credits and fusion with 10 year life sells for 44.8 million credits.


Weapon Systems

  1. High Velocity 120 mm Heavy Rail Gun (1): Main weapon mounted in the hull of the tank destroyer. It has a long range and is very devastating. This rail gun normally fires a solid dart of ultra dense high strength materials that does massive damage to targets that it hits but can also use explosive warheads against lighter targets. Explosive rounds are very effect against soft targets. The barrel can traverse from side to side up to 12 degrees and can elevate up to 60 degrees. The weapon system gyro-stabilized and has an advanced fire control. Weapon is controlled by the main gunner. When fuel cell version is available, the fuel cell version will be powered by four fuel cells and payload will be reduced by four rounds.
    Maximum Effective Range: 5 miles (8 km) for direct fire and 12.4 miles (20 km) for indirect fire
    Mega Damage: A single round does 5D6x10+60 M.D.C. (optional rule is that cannon gets a critical on a natural 18, 19, or 20 due to its high penetration). Can use High Explosive rounds that do 1D6x10 with a blast radius of 20 ft and High Explosive Anti Tank that do 2D6x10 with a blast radius of 10 ft.
    Rate of Fire:Maximum of four per melee from automatic loader.
    Payload: 48 rounds in main storage in an automatic loader (44 in fuel cell version). Anti-tank rounds are most commonly carried with high explosive rounds being commonly carried for long range use against infantry.
    Bonuses: Has a special fire control computer that helps to aim the cannon. Gives +2 to strike with rail gun and cannon does not have minuses to fire when tank is moving.
  2. Vulcan Laser Cannons: This cannon is a copy of the IH-44L Vulcan Laser on the Iron Hammer Tank that was manufactured by Ironheart Industries. The cannon is mounted above the tank destroyer in a mini-turret which is controlled by the secondary gunner. The weapon is quite powerful and is effective against both ground targets and airborne targets. On the nuclear powered version, the laser cannons pull power directly from the fusion reactor of the fighter. On the fuel cell version (when available), the laser cannons are powered by a fuel cell.
    Maximum Effective Range: 4,000 feet (1,200 meters).
    Mega Damage: 3D4x10 for an instantaneous burst from cannon.
    Rate of Fire:Each cannon can shoot up to six times per melee (Normally combined) but is restricted to the gunners number of hand to hand attacks.
    Payload: Nuclear Reactor: Effectively Unlimited (Draws Power off the main engines). Fuel Cell Version: 200 bursts total. It takes approximately two minutes for a trained crew to change the hydrogen tank that powers the weapon, assuming that a spare tank is available. Untrained crews will take about six minutes to accomplish this task.
  3. Rapid Fire Machine gun Style Laser Cannons (2): Two light lasera designed for anti-infantry and anti-aircraft use that allows for all the bursts available to a machine gun except full melee. One gun is controlled by the tank destroyer's commander and the other is controlled by the main gunner and is coaxial to the 120 mm high velocity rail gun. The commander's mount can be controlled from within the tank destroyer but the gunners on early versions were exposed.
    Maximum Effective Range: 3,000 ft (914 m)
    Mega-Damage:
      2D6 for single shot (Costs 1 attack)
      4D6 for ten round burst at one target (Costs 1 attack)
      2D6 for ten round burst at 1D4 targets (Costs 1 attack)
      1D6x10 for thirty round burst at one target (Costs 1 attack)
      2D6 for thirty round burst at 1D8 targets (Costs 1 attack)
    Rate of Fire: Equal to combined hand to hand attacks of gunner
    Payload: For Fuel cell versions: 600 shots. With the Fuel Cell version, It takes approximately two minutes for a trained crew to change the hydrogen tank that powers the weapon, assuming that a spare tank is available. Untrained crews will take about six minutes to accomplish this task. For fusion: unlimited shots.
  4. Variable Missile Launchers (2): Mounted on either side of body. Vehicle can be constructed with one of three different type of missile launchers. The type of launcher is normally built onto the vehicle at the factory and would take a mechanic about 8 hours to switch from one launcher to another.
    1. Medium Range Missile Launchers: Longer ranged than the other launchers but less missiles are carried. Usually used for long range bombardment or anti-aircraft roles.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, medium range missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
      Mega-Damage: Varies with missile types, medium range missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
      Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), or six (6) missiles.
      Payload: each launcher carries 3 medium range missiles for a total of 6 medium range missiles. Carries 6 medium range missiles as reloads inside vehicle
    2. Short Range Missile Launchers: More commonly carried for use against incoming missiles and aircraft with a shorter range than medium range missiles but more can be carried.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, short range missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
      Mega-Damage: Varies with missile types, short range missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
      Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), six (6), or twelve (12) missiles.
      Payload: each launcher carries 6 short range missiles for a total of 12 short range missiles. Carries 12 short range missiles as reloads inside vehicle
    3. Mini Missile Launchers: Mostly used for short range bunker busting and against other armored vehicles. Much shorter range and not independently guided although more mini-missiles are carried than short range missiles.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, mini-missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
      Mega-Damage: Varies with missile types, mini missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
      Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), five (5), ten (10), or twenty (20) missiles.
      Payload: each launcher carries 10 mini-missiles for a total of 20 Mini-missiles. Carries 20 mini-missiles as reloads inside vehicle
  5. Smoke Dispenser (2): Mounted on either side of the tank destroyer and launches smoke grenades. While other types of grenades can be used, they have been rarely carried. Recently, there has been consideration for the use of prismatic aerosol and decoy grenades to help protect the vehicle against lasers.
    Effect: Creates a cloud of smoke 40 ft (12 m) in diameter. Other special effects per grenade type
    Rate of Fire: Two per melee
    Range: 1,200 feet (365 meters)
    Payload: Carries 12 smoke grenades per launcher.


Sensory Equipment:



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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).


Copyright © 1998, 2003, & 2008, Kitsune. All rights reserved.


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