NationStates Jolt Archive

This is Daistallia*s new tank.
Any comments would be appreciated.

(originally posted in NS, posting here in hopes of garnering some comment...)

IT IS NOT FOR SALE OR EXPORT!

T-1 Mahakala
Weight: 51,032 kg
Length/Width/Height: 9.5m; 4.5m; 2.2m
Gun Overhang: 1.5 m
Crew: 4 (Commander, driver, gunner, and loader)
Engines:
two-stroke multifuel turbocharged V12, 450 BHp.
multifuel Gas turbine, 970 BHp.
Poweroutput total: 1420 BHp
Gearbox: Automatic 3/3
Mobility:
Power/Weight Ratio: 28.4 hp/tn
Max Road Speed: 70km/h
Max Off Road Speed: 40km/h
Fuel Carried: 750 liters
Road Range: 450km
Off Road Range: 250km
Groundclearance: 0.50m
Tracklenght to ground: 2.85m
Track Width: 40cm
Track Ground Contact: 22,800 cm2
Ground Pressure: 2.2 kg/cm2
Turn Radius: 4.43m
Fording: 1.2m
Gradient: 70%
Side Slope: 35%
Obstacle performance ditch: 2.3m
Obstacle performance vertical: 0.8m
Main armanent: 135mm high velocity smoothbore cannon
Transverse: 15 deg R/L
Elevation: -10 deg to +15 deg
Amount of main ammunition: 60
Used types of ammunition: APFSDS-T, APFSDS-DU, HE, HEAT, Smoke.
Secondary Armament:
2x linked co-axial 8.5mm MGs, 2 8.5mm MGs (commander and driver positions)
4x2 Smoke grenade launchers
Armor: Multilayer spaced RHA steel/ceramic/Depleted uranium composite plate
Hull:
Front: 500mm@70 deg
Side: 150mm@0 deg
Rear: 150mm@0 deg
Top/Bottom: 50mm@0 deg
Cost: 3 million USD
Electronics: Thermal imaging/day sights for gunner and commander, Integrated electronic controls and Multi-funtion displays for the gunner, commander, and driver, 2 VHF secure radios, electronic fire control,
Notes and Features: This is a turretless design, based on the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 (S-Tank). The ammunition commpartment is blast-resistant and features blowout panels. Filter and over-pressure NBC protection are standard, as are an environmental control system and fire suppression system.

Not bad, as long as you remember the serious limitations of the design. Considering the unit it's based on, it's fine, but compared to other tanks, the armor's a bit light.

These are the only things I can really find wrong:
1) This is by far the biggest problem, and is only mentioned because you say it's based on the Stridsvagn. If it is, the most notable feature is a completely fixed gun. That means it has no elevation or traverse. Instead, the gun's elevation is controlled by the suspension, and is rather limited (-10 to +12 deg). The gun is likewise traversed by steering the whole tank. Because of those limitations, I'd qualify it more as an assault gun or tank destroyer than a tank.

2) Rear armor is generally lower than side armor. Generally speaking, the side armor should be no more than 25-33% that of the front, and the rear is never more than 25%, and usually less than 20%. The Stridsvagn design is on the low end here, as there's almost no sloping on the side or rear armor, which is only really done on turrets and the Glacis plate.

3) 8.5mm guns, while nice, aren't necessarily the best. 7.62mm ones are better as the round is more common, so they'll often accept the other guy's ammunition :wink:

4) Price can probably be dropped a bit more. Remember, if you have no turret or mechanism for moving the gun, you'll save a lot on construction costs. Simpler is cheaper after all.


Benefits you might not otherwise notice:
1) Exceptional suspension makes it better over rough ground and obstacles, as well as a more comfortable ride.

2) The low placement of the gun means that it's more likely to strike the hull of an enemy tank than the turret, even against low-profiled Soviet tanks. With Soviet units, the hull is often not as well armored because western tanks, with their higher profile, don't have as much chance of hitting it.

3) An offshoot of number one: less moving parts makes for lower maintenance requirements, both in cost and man hours.

Thanks. I*ll change the armor and drop the price. The gun already traverses 15 deg L/R (one of the changes I put in on the original design). :)

deleted for space saving :)

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Armor: Multilayer spaced RHA steel/ceramic/Depleted uranium composite plate

I assume the occupants are shielded from the Depleted uranium element with lead or something else.

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Armor: Multilayer spaced RHA steel/ceramic/Depleted uranium composite plate

I assume the occupants are shielded from the Depleted uranium element with lead or something else. :roll: lol lets not start that again

The elevation is still too much. I forgot to mention this earlier, but the max for any tank is +20 deg, and you should be well under that because of the way the gun is mounted, so just stick with the -10 to +12. That's actually better than most tanks, as it has better depression, which is often more important. And if you do have the traverse and elevation features, the price should be around $3 million.

Oh yeah, and rather than posting the whole thing all over again, try just editing the original one. There's no point in taking up all that extra space.

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Armor: Multilayer spaced RHA steel/ceramic/Depleted uranium composite plate

I assume the occupants are shielded from the Depleted uranium element with lead or something else. :roll: lol lets not start that again

Any climate/environment control systems like airconditioning?

side and rear armor reduced to 150mm
side and real slope eliminated to 0 deg
vertical tranverse reduced to -10 to +15
price lowered then raised to 3 million
environmental control and fire suppression systems added