NationStates Jolt Archive

(OOC notes: This is my first attempt at an original design, so feel free to pick nits and otherwise give advice. The tech is post-modern.)


Designation: AN-1 Combat Car
Type: Multi-role light combat vehicle
Crew: One driver, three gunners (may vary depending on variant)
Propulsion: High performance ground effect system: main fan for
supporting the vehicle and 4 secondary fans for maneuvering and propulsion
Power plant: 800 kW microfusion cell
Maximum speed: 115 km/hour
Maximum range: 510 km (the fusion plant needs to be refueled about once a month)
Length: 8.1 meters
Width: 4.2 meters
Height: 4.9 meters
Amphibious: Yes
Armor: 45mm thickness laminate resistant to HEAT rounds; uses a modular system similar to that of the Israeli Merkavah tank, so it can be easily upgraded/repaired. Armor is sufficient to render the vehicle almost completely immune to RPGs. Attachement points are provided for reactive armor, though this is usually only done in areas of heavy combat.
Armaments (turret): Hellfire laser-guided missile launcher; 20mm vulcan gun
Armaments (other): .50 calibre heavy machinegun x 2, one mounted on each side of the vehicle
Targeting systems: Hellfire missiles are targeted via laser designator; the vulcan gun is slaved to this system. The .50s are aimed by the crew inside.
Electronics: Radio with range of 110 km; radar with range of 10 km; onboard computer manages other vehicle systems (ie, I don't know what else it'd need :p)
Countermeasures: IR jammer; 8-tube smoke grenade launcher.
Other: Has full NBC protection for the crew

Variations

Command variant, replaces turret with additional sensors and electronic systems.

Cannon variant, carries a 90mm gun in a centerline mount.

RPV control variant, hellfire systems removed and replaced with the equipment to control up to 6 remote piloted vehicles

Support variant: Replaces turret armament with an 80mm mortar

(OOC: I'll add more variants if I think of them. Note that this thing is NOT for sale to the public; I'm just posting it here for review. Since Axis Nova has no hope of outgunning some of the huge tank armies people like to have, I'll instead focus on light, fast missile-armed vehicles that can shoot-n-scoot, and armed RPVs. The basic design of this is effective against most things; it can be a threat to tanks, helicopters, infantry, and AFVs. However, it's not as heavily armored as an actual tank, so it has to keep on the move.)

Axis Nova

Looks good to me. Nice job!

No NBC equipment?

Would be a bit heavy for a shoot-and-scoot, no?

Jeruselem: Thanks, I'll add that in >_<

Mapalgetia: The fusion cell allows a powerful enough drive system to overcome the weight.

Axis Nova

OOC:
One suggestion: on the priamry varient ditch the Vulcan it isn't much use against anything but aircraft, the ideal choice for replacement would be a 35mm cannon with a twin ammo feed: smart sensored fuzed rounds (AHEAD/OICW style) for delaing with infantry and aircraft and APFSDS ammo for delaing with vehciles, also ditich the .50s as with a cannon for your main weapon they aren't needed although an additional 7.62mm weapon would be nice.

ALso perhaps consider making the pirmary versions missile launched modular to allow the use of SAMs and ATGMS.

OOC:
One suggestion: on the priamry varient ditch the Vulcan it isn't much use against anything but aircraft, the ideal choice for replacement would be a 35mm cannon with a twin ammo feed: smart sensored fuzed rounds (AHEAD/OICW style) for delaing with infantry and aircraft and APFSDS ammo for delaing with vehciles, also ditich the .50s as with a cannon for your main weapon they aren't needed although an additional 7.62mm weapon would be nice.

ALso perhaps consider making the pirmary versions missile launched modular to allow the use of SAMs and ATGMS.

OOC: I disagree with the utility of the vulcan gun; such weapons are quite effective against infantry and APCs, and can swat a chopper out of the air before you can say "Boo!". Also, Hellfires ARE anti-tank missiles (and quite good ones at that), though they actually can hit anything the laser can... Also, you'll notice the cannon version is a variant. The .50s are my personal preference; they'll do great at chopping up even armored infantry.

These units are probably best classified as "heavy recon"; they arn't armed for super heavy combat against hordes of opponents because that's not what they're supposed to do. What they are good for is skirmishing and recon.

I'll be making a "missle tank" design presently.

Other things I have in the works include converted cargo ships that carry 200 fire-and-forget anti-ship missiles...

Axis Nova

OOC: I disagree with the utility of the vulcan gun; such weapons are quite effective against infantry and APCs, and can swat a chopper out of the air before you can say "Boo!". Also, Hellfires ARE anti-tank missiles (and quite good ones at that), though they actually can hit anything the laser can... Also, you'll notice the cannon version is a variant. The .50s are my personal preference; they'll do great at chopping up even armored infantry.


Please point out any succesful employment of the M61A1/A2 Vulcan in any ground to ground role.
It isn't actually a terribly good gun, oh it is fantastic at putting huge amounts of lead in the air in a scatter gun fashion which is very nice for fighter pilots and for dealing with light aircraft where a couple of hits from the puny 20mm round is enough to do the job, but agaisnt ground targets it simply doesn't have the accuracy or punch to deal with anything bar big bunchs of infantry and trucks.

Oh and they are rahter useless aginst modern gunships (primarily the Hind and Apache both of which can take hits from bigger rounds).

Did i at any time say that the Hellfire isn't an ATGM? and while it can theoretically hit aircraft if the designator operator is good enough (after all some spec ops have used designators to giude paveways into flying helicopters) it doesn't really have the speed or agility to hit a rapidly moving target let alone a warhead designed for the job.

Your varient is actually technically a Gun carrier, the term cannon generally is applied to medium calibre (20-50mm) automatic weapons.

I know exactly what sport of role you are aiming for, but i woudl liek to point out that even using your post modern tech they really don't outperfrom any modern units that do similar jobs.