The Macabees
28-01-2005, 03:49
OOC: For all those who remember me as a deutsch, I've come back to re-start my NationStates history/experience. I've already gone over it in another thread and I've gotten a green light from my old IC nemesis. The most important part, however, is that this thread is not closed, as I never close my roleplays, however, if you do join keep numbers small as even if you try to overrun whichever side I'll still make it come out the way I want.
IC:
[The Plains of Mons Andalus]
An ear piercing silence plagued the rotting field as dozens of men continued their gruesome, and tedious, task. The stench of death was simply too vile for the human nostril to sense. Some, however, were sickened merely by the sight, so much indeed that the smell of death was soon coupled with vomit, only to cause further excretion. Dozens, hundreds, perhaps even thousands of men lay strewn across the plains of Mons Andalus; victims of a corrupt regime, they were simly abondoned. Their green uniforms belnded them into each other and it was all the harder to grasp the full horror of the situation. Sporadically, the black chassis of a knocked out Abrahm or T-80 augmented the scene of pure hell. Fumes of smoke still piled into the air from the butchered ground where artillery had blasted the once lush landscape. The men had seen pictures of the deat at the Somme, 1916, and the mountains of skulls from the Rwandan and Cambodian genocides, in 1994, and the 1970s respectively, and it was safe to say that this superceded them all. As far as the eye could see bodies littered the earth, while occassional burnt out tanks, and shells that had failed to ignite, supplemented the dead. One survivor, private Einhardt Erickson, sat on a one hundred and fifty-five millimeter shell smoking a Kool brad cigarrete. He turned to his colleague, dead on the ground, half his head blown off, and said, "So, this is the famed capitalism? This is what we fight for?" His slaughtered friend never responded.
Field Marshall Wilhelm von Strasburg analyzed the grim scene from his command post on top the neartest hill, away from the smell. With him was his personal entourage, his chief of staff, his two corps commanders, and his six division commanders. They all witnessed the same scene and all gaped, jaws hitting the floor. Strasburg turned around to look at his Chief of Staff, Generaloberst Jonach Catalan, a man born of foreign blood. von Strasburg despised Catalan, for his chief of staff was a 'lesser being', however, Catalan tended to ignore the fact when going to business. Strasburg stared for a second and then snapped, "Got something to say Jonach?" Catalan shook his head and Strasburg continued, "Erdhard, what were our casualties?"
General der Infanterie Erdhard Gass, commander of the II Infanteriekorp, cleared his throat before responding, "Well sir, totals come to twenty thousand six hundred dead and at least as many wounded. The Soburgutians suffered at least six times the casualties, however, all in a single day of fighting. For all the dead, however, we have guaranteed the fall of Soburguntia, as the road to the capital is wide open - only sixty kilometers further."
Catalan had waited enough, "Road to the capital open? Are all of you completely blind, or insane? Much of our army is now slaughtered by shells, bullets and tanks. One more battle like this and we face complete destruction. So what if we capture Soburgutia? The Hassel's will just reinforce whatever remains of the Soburguntian army and engage us again -"
"Silence!", interrupted Strasburg, "Speak only when spoken to! Catalan, go help count the dead. Edhard, tell the men to move north. Soburgutia is ours."
Catalan shook his head and solemnly left without another word. What Strasburg failed to understand was that Soburgtia was not the key to uniting the old Empire, as past events had shown. The one hundred year civil war had not stemmed and over eleven million men were dead because of it. Catalan's fatherland, Macabea, had once been the weakest of all the states, but since the day of the Imperial break up it had grown, gobbling up her neighbors one by one, until it occupied half of the old Empire. Soburguntia occupied a half of the rest, but it was not the most powerful. It was a mere political safety area, designed as a bufferzone between Macabea and the other contestant for the Empire, the Kingdom of Hassel. In fact, the conquest of Soburguntia would only widen the front, thining out Strasburg's depleted army. The King of the contestant, King Lailach von Fiselich, could ill afford to supply yet another army, but after every battle it seemed more like a fact that he would have to do so.
However, geopolitically the invasion of Soburguntia was sane, as it proved to those occupied by Macabea that the Kingdom was still powerful, and that it still held the initiative. As a result, King Lailach was able to supress resistance in his territories.
So, in full force the 1st Infanteriearmee marched northwards to Soburguntia City, with all the splendor of an army from Macabea. Six columns divulged north taking complete advantage of the open road to Soburguntia. The dust of the mechanization covered the atmosphere, clouding the view. Tank after tank headed north, truck after truck, leading miles behind. It seemed as if the 1st Army had never endured that phyrric victory at Mons Andalus.
[The Battle of Soburguntia]
Generaloberst Gunter von Misselshurg peered through his binoculars towards the distance, catching the massive dustclouds rising heavily into the air. He lowered his binoculars and turned to his Chief of Staff of the X Panzerkorp of hassel and ordered, "Begin the counterattack."
By twelve midday Strasburg's 1st Infanterie Divisionen, under Generalleutnant Alfred Scholoe, half Jewish, half Arab, a very strange mix, had reached the small town of Fidelskor, which soon became the focat point of the day's fighting. The Hasselian 30th Panzer Divisionen, under Generalmajor Eirch von Tiltas, counterattacked at Fidelskor at around 1230 hours, smashing into the head of the 1st Infanterie Divisionen's tenuous position in the area. A single armored squad entered Fidelskor and soon met parts of Able Company from the Macabee position, resulting a fierce firefight. A Javaline missile bore right into the side armor of a Hasselian T-80, blowing the cupola shaped turret sky high and brewing the crew up almost instantly. A quick shell from another T-80's gun, however, incinirated the Javaline team alive, leaving a house devastated in its wake. By 1245 hours both sides had been reinforced and by 1345 hours the fighting had turned into a slugfest in the center of the city. The scene was hideous, filled with dead bodies and charred tanks. By 1520 hours the panzer division's mechanized infantry brigade had joined the fight at Fidelskor and enjoyed considerable success in pushing the Macabee infantry to the outskirts of the town. Much to their frustration, thought, at 1600 hours six A-10 warthogs appeared in the horizon and soon made it to the area, knocking out at least twenty Hasselian T-80s and killong dozens of their men. Heavy firefights again ensued and the Macabee forced were able to regain their half of the town. By 1850 hours the 30th Panzer Division decided to change the tactic and Generalmajor von Tiltas ordered sixty of his tanks to flank Fidelskore from the west and the maneuver immediately shattered the Macabee flank protection, putting the 1st Infanterie Divisionen in extreme danger. However, local counterattacks managed to push the panzer attack back, leaving at least thirty tanks burnt out behind, by 2000 hours.
Until 0700 hours the next day the scene quieted down considerably, except for firefights between infantry in Fidelskor. Tracers illuminated the night as they crisscrossed the area. The cries of the wounded never faltered and at some point a shrill scream pierced the sky. Machine gun fire ratled away, and frequent war crimes marked localized offensive procedures. In one special case Corporal Ian von Liezig, sone of Major von Liezig, thre himself hilding a grenade at a Hasselian tank to save his platoon's position in the twon. The grenade shattered the muzzle. Sporadic explosions illuminated the sky with bulbs of red and orange.
It became apparent to both sides taht the battle would not end quickly and that it would be marked by slow slugfests, chewing up men like meat. Indeed, by the day's end the Hasselian 30th Panzer Divisionen's tank strength fell from two hundred T-80s, fifty IFVs and sixty reconaissance vehiclesto some one hundred twenty T-80s, no IFVS, and less than ten reconaissance vehicles - it had simply been mauled. However, the 1st Infanterie Divisionen lost a full two thousand dead, seven hundred wound and twenty missing, accounting for just under half of the division's total strength.
Further problems plagued Strasburg by the end of that day. He could not supply his men until the day after, which meant that his forced were going to suffer from severe ammunition shortages. The logistical chain was simply too long, reaching for a full one hundred kilometers. Put simply, not enough time had been put into the construction of foward logistical bases. The same problems had hampered Macabee operations in the past. For all the warnings Strasburg had failed his army once again.
Catalan had asked to be drived into the city to survey the damage done and estimated if it was wise to continue with the offensive the next morning. As he drove he witnessed the tired, lice ridden, soldiers of the division and he quickly went to work to sum up the situation for Strasuburg that night. He came to the conclusion that the men had not been give enough time to rest and refit, as they were again thrown into battle after the bloody melee of the day prior against the army of Soburguntia. Moreover, the division had shown poor offensive skill and that the charactiristic urban battles had bogged down the advance. He then wrote a telegram to Chief of General Staff Joan von Hickels explaining that, "Strasburg displayed poor leadership. Instead of using mechanization to his advantage he decides to throw more men into the meatgrinders. His diregard for human life is just another level of his ineptitude." He then left for Mons Andalus...
The Macabees
28-01-2005, 22:43
[The Battle of Soburguntia]
At 0700 hours Generalleutnant Schloe called for heavy air support over Fidelskor and in response off airfields at least one hundred and fifty kilometers down south ten B-2 scrammed into the air, as well as some twenty F-18s. The B-2s flew high, and around one hundred kilometers from the town of Fidelskor opened up their bomb bays and let loose a torrent of thirty Tomahawk Cruise Missiles. The cruise missiles freefell for about fifty feet before their solid fuel rocket boosters pushed them at at least Mach 1, racing towards the small town. The missiles had been programmed to strike arbitrarily in the northern half of the town, thinking that they would most likely miss the Macabee soldiers in the southern half. They thought right. The missiles hit one after another into Hasselian positions, knocking out buildings and killing dozens. One struck just ahead of a Macabee defensive outpost in a street corner sending shrapnel their way. Bulbs of fire spread like mushrooms into the atmosphere.
The Macabee offensive of the day started right after the strike and when the last missile hit several companies began to move foward, trying to roll over panzer positions. To take care of the heavy tanks Javaline missile launchers and anti-tank support were pushed up, and heavy firefights between anti-tank deployments and tanks ensued. Mortar rounds were popping in and out, sending waves of debris into the air, clouding the route of advance for much of the Macabee infantry. Once the Macabee soldiers had advanced, perhaps, a block they ran into heavy defensive positions that the missiles had evidently failed to touch. Consequently, but 0725 the offensive had again bogged down, only ten meters after beginning the advance. Heavy Hasselian fire support was able to keep the Macabees as bay, as tanks raked the streets with machine gun fire smaller machine gun posts complemented the fire, killing dozens of Macabee soldiers. Men fell with wounds in their necks, stomachs, ribs, and other areas.
However, the mere weight of the advance pushed the defenses of the 30th Panzer Divisionen back a couple of blocks before Generalmajor von Tiltas ordered an immediate counteroffensive at around 0800 hours. More tanks were put into the fray, taking back several key installations, however, as most tacticians knew, tanks failed to do well in urban combat, and thus the effects quickly showed themselves as dozens of the tanks were being knocked out.
Finally, at around 1000 hours the division was forced to pull down as most of the tanks were knocked out. After combat reports dictated a full one hundred and seventy-six tanks out of two hundred destroyed in the two days of combat. In short, the division was no longer usable for the defense of Soburguntia. However, in return the 1st Infantry Division had lost most of its strength, as in both days of combat there were a total of nine thousand casualties. The division was ordered to dig on the northern outskirts and look out for further counteroffensives. Then Strasburg ordered his 2nd Infanterie Divisionen foward to dig in in front of the town and await further instructions for the assault north to Soburguntia.
The offensive would be delayed, however, by a strong aerial attack from Hasselian aircraft, dropping large bombs and even A-19 Koala Cruise Missiles, killing hundreds of men. The attack was bloody, and it did not look good for the Macabee commanders.
At around 0300 hours the 3rd Infanterie Divisionen was also put into combat, making half of the army strength involved in the battle. Finally, reinforcements arrived including the 2nd Infanteriearmee, and new orders. The chief of staff of the 2nd Infateriearmee sent his orders to Strasburg:
Kamraden,
The King had ordered me to inform you that you are to keep command of the First Infanteriearmee. However, you are to lose your gifted Chief of Staff as the King as hereby promoted him to the rank of General-feldmarchall, and commander of newly designated Heeresgruppe Hassel. He has received his batch of orders also. The King also wishes to grant you permission to choose your own chief of staff. Finally, all offensive operations are to be halted until our General-Feldmarchall makes his decision.
Thank you,
General der Infanterie Karl von Bievach
By 0500 hours Catalan had given his orders:
To: All Field Commanders of Heeresgruppe Hassel
I have decided to postpone the offensive towards Soburguntia to 0300 hours tomorrow morning. This is due to a series of news reports I have received from our King. By that time tomorrow the ranks of the 1st Infanterie Divisionen should be reinforced, as well as the losses endured by the aerial assault three hours ago on the 2nd Infanterie Divisionen. Most importantly, the I Panzerkorp is to arrive tomorrow at noon, meaning that our offensive will have some hours before we have armored aid - but shouldn't be a problem.
Furthermore, Strasburg has been sent home due to several health problems, and in his place I have appointed the hereby unchallenged Generaloberst Adolf Schliehammer.
[signed]Catalan
The second day of the battle had gone as horribly as the first, however, hopefully Catalan would change the course of the battle.
The Macabees
28-01-2005, 23:21
A quick list of important militaria in use by the Macabee military up to now; this list may grow to my full NS ordnance I use - however, for now just this:
Aloysius Combat System
Designer
~LittleHand Heavy Industries (LITTLEHANDLAND
and Zossen Tech Corp (Greater Duestchland)
http://atlas.walagata.com/w/iceandfire999/deepeyes.jpg
Description:
The Aloysius Combat system is a new infantry combat suit that has been developed by LittleHand Heavy Industries. The Aloysius is a fully integrated and fully enclosing suit for the common infantryman. All outer garments are soaked in Liquid Armor giving the soldier flexibility but still protecting areas from shrapnel. Ceramic plates cover the wears chest, back, shoulders and thighs to protect against small arms fire. The chest plate can stop a single 12.7mm round, however 95% of the time the wearer dies due to the massive force applied to his chest which crush his rib cage, smashing vital organs. Other parts of the armor stop a NATO standard 7.62mm round. Built in knee and elbow pads have been added for extra comfort. Attached to the back plate is a small fan that keeps the soldier cool by circulating the air within in the suit and is capable of changing the temperature inside the suit by 5 degrees. The entire suit is flame retardant and is functions as a NBC system when specific filters are attached to the fully enclosing facemask. The helmet is made of Ceramic covered by Kevlar soaked in Liquid Armor. The helmet is fully enclosing and can be fitted with different filters for NBC protection. The helmet contains a HUD system that is connected to the gun through a wireless link or directly by a USB 3 port. It will automatically identify friends from foes and will lock on to any enemy identified. The HUD system is capable of 8x magnification and incorporates an image intensifier and thermal. Each helmet also incorporates a laser range finder, which is displayed on the HUD as well as a squad base radio. The brains of the entire suit are also located on the back plate beneath the cooling fan. The small computer is run by a 4.0 ghz processor that controls the entire suit’s electronics and has a 80GB hard drive that can be used to store orders and other information. With the help of GPS, the wearer can call up a 3D map display of the battlefield, which will tell him wear he is, his squad is and where his company is. Four Li-Ion rechargeable batteries that can last for 24 hours power the entire suit.
http://atlas.walagata.com/w/iceandfire999/finalfantasyprox.jpg
Cost of Production: $120,000
Cost of Exportation: $150,000
---------------------------
K-21
Designers:
CommunismRevisited-
Description
Utilizing 7.62 X 51 mm caseless, NATO rounds, the K-21 comes in single and burst capabilities, for purpose of ammo consumption. The rifle is durable, a homage to the AK-47, and is accurate up to a range of 750 yards. Weighing in at 3.2 kilograms unloaded, (4.6 loaded) the gun is complemented with a detachable shoulder strap for convience. The magazine houses 36 rounds, an unorthodox ammount, but effective nonetheless. Like most modern rifles, the gun can be complimented with various attachments, including a bipod, flare gun, or grenade launcher.
Cost of Production:1,200
Cost of Exportation:3,000
K-7
Designers:
CommunismRevisited-
Description
The K-7 is to the K-21 as the M4 is to the M16. The K-7 was developed for purposes of close quarters combat, and because of that, comes able to fire automatic or semi-automatic. Sacrificing accuracy for fire rate and and size, the gun has a shortened stock and barrel. The clip is actually enlarged an additional 10 rounds, bringing the magazine up to 46 rounds. 7.62 X 51 mm caseless NATO rounds ensure anything hit by the K-7 stays down. Like the K-21, the K-7 houses the ability to attach flare or grenade launcher, or a bipod. A detachable supresor comes standard with the K-7.
Cost of Production:1,000
Cost of Exportation:3,300
--------------------------
SA-2
Designers
CommunismRevisited-
In todays world of combat, the sidearm had become more of a decoration then a weapon. Nonetheless, wether your a designated marksman or a riflemen, when the time comes to reach for your pistol you'll want the SA-2 in the holster. Packing 18 rounds, each 9 milimeters, the SA-2's defining feature lie in its low recoil and weight. Like all CR- products, the gun is extremly durable, and is easily manufactured.
Cost of Production:650
Cost of Exportation:1,300
---------------------------
SW-35 Automatic Shotgun
Designers
CommunismRevisited-
The SW-35 is a must for any type of urban combat. Wether used as a weapon or a giant key, the SW-35 is crucial for any squad attempting to operate in close quarters. The large gun holds 10 and 20 rounds magazines, gas operated. The gun can be fired from both automatic or single shot. With 3" or 3.5" Magnum rounds, the gun is excellent for both combat and opening doors.
SW-12K Automatic Shotgun
Designers
CommunismRevisited-
When going out on extended missions, the SW-35 is sometimes too much. If your going to be doing some heavy walking, the SW-12K is the weapon of choice. Using 2-3/4" rounds, the gun houses magazines of 8 or 12. However, unlike the SW-12K recoil was sacrificed for weight. As a result, the gun is extremly light, but if used fully automatic the recoil can sometimes make the gun difficult to control. Like the SW-35, it is an excellent choice for urban combat, but is light enough to be carried full time with any squad.
Incinérateur 155mm Rapid Fire Artillery
With the advent of methods to stop rapid rocket artillery launches it became imperative that a machine capable of firing shells, not rockets, in massive quatities in seconds' timing be researched and produced. During his years before the takeover Catalan designed such a machine, and he first began to impliment them in the Second War of Spanish Succession.
The Incinérateur uses a ten barrel 155mm diameter (per barrel) artillery gun, using the "R" rings which are used on Macabee tanks. In any case, using state of the art hydraulics a fixed Incinérateur can load and fire 155mm round after round - anything from normal artillery shells to SABOT Ausf. B shells for anti-tank purposes. The barrels do not fire harmonically, and instead fire in sequence, rotating much like a machine gun, or anything else of this sort.
For cooling purposes the barrels use an LN2 coolant, mixed with a a specially produced coolant called SCP, which works to transfer heat and reduce friction. These coolants are specially injected, and this is done around every five hundred shells launched. The process itself is done mechanically, and takes about thirty seconds to complete.
The hydraulic systems load each shell when the barrel turrer rotates to the next one, and it takes half a second to load it, merely pushing it in, as the barrel it's loading is at ground level.
This forces the gun to be very fixed, and to move it it requires dismantling of certain parts, and this itself takes about ten minutes to dismantle, x minutes to move and five minutes to put together again. However, what is gained from it supercedes the cons. A single Incinérateur can fire all ten rounds in ten seconds, making a great number of these very deadly. It can fire all five hundred shells in fifty second. However, it does use ammunition up quickly so rate of fire can be decreased.
The hydraulics on the base allow the gun to be raised or lower according to target, and it can even be lowered parallel to the ground, allowing for anti-tank operations. It's fire and control is even better. Using a central computer the barrels use miniature hydraulics to move left or right according to target, and use the computer to lock on, launching an extremely accurate shell right at the victim. However, the traverse of these hydraulics is not one of a tank, one must remember.
Depending on the type of round in use it can fire to a maximum of two hundred kilometers distance, making it one of the world's most capable artillery guns.
Cost of Production:75,000 USD
Cost of Export:300,000 USD
------------------------------
155mm Krigud Sel Propelled Artillery Gun
Industries:
CommunismRevisited-
The Macabees
Littlehandland
The Armor:
50mm of MEXAS armor, giving it an RHA value of ca. 1500mm. It also has a superior coating of 20mm of Chobham composite.
MEXAS density is ~1.7g/cc and reactive elements are reported in the construction with a strenght of 2.5 GPa, not many materials are that strong but Boron Carbide could fit the bill.
B4C has a mass of 2.55g/cc and ME vs shaped charges of ~ 4.0...leading to a space effectiveness of ~ 1.3.
Now a mixture of CaCO/GAP and B4C should have a density of 1.7-1.8 g/cc [2.55g/cc+1.0g/cc ÷2]. Some thing with the density of CaCO/Gap should have an effectiveness of ~ 0.7 [space effectiveness] so a average of B4C & CaCO/GAP should be ~ 1.0 spaced effectiveness...
The ME should be 7.83/1.7= 4.6.
But the CaCO/GAP is reactive and generates a considerable improvement in effectivenes because this reactive forces the steel plates apart...using the VM-11 paper as a guide the ME of steel foam is ~ 3.3 while the value for steel CaCO/GAP is ~ 10.0...meaning this reactivity tripled the effectiveness of the sandwich...
If this same reactivity is applied to the above B4C & CaCO/GAP sandwich we end up with ~ 14:1 Me.
Now in this paper there were reactive elements that were tested with thin explosive layers to enhance the bulging effect on the outer steel plates...these ranged from 4-6 times the base values and if these super reactive forces are applied to the MEXAS model thats 4.6 x 4-6 or ME of 18:1 -28:1.
The paper showed that MEXAS @ 15° offers as much protection as ERA @ 60-70°. If you take Blazer this is two 2-3mm steel plates and a couple of mm of explosives [density ~ 1.8g/cc?]...any way thats ~ 6mm steel mass @ 60-70° or 12-18mm steel...the ME of these ERAs are reported to be ~ 20:1 meaning this resistance is ~ 240-350mm. Thus MEXAS with a steel mass of ~ 7mm is as effective as >250mm RHAe or a ME of 36:1!!!!
Heres the crunch...studies of bulging plates show that plate speed is the key. Well if the above chemical reactive forces can 'bulge' a plate sufficently to tripple quadruple its effectiveness , image how effective they would be on a small ceramic [B4C ]nugget? Rosenberg and Dekel wrote several papers on the parameters of this bulging prossess...it was clear that if you increases the interlayer or reduced the thickness of the outer steel plate [mass], the plate bulging velocity shot up [going from 200-800m/s in some cases].
Could be that instead of tripple its 6-8 times the ME against shaped charges? That would be an ME of ~ 32-37 .
Gunnery and Fire and Control:
The new self propelled artillery gun has a quadruple 155mm gun battery in circular fashion, although the barrels do not rotate. The 155mms can fire anything from SCRAMjet artillery rounds to the SABOT Ausf. B rounds. With the SCRAMjet shells it can reach ranged of up to 150kms.
The KriGud uses the Mercy Mission fire and control, alternation flight patterns for the shells, so up to six shells, all fired within a minute with the advanced hydraulics system, hit six different areas at the same exact time. Consequently, it takes out six different targets without each one becoming aware of the strike (allowing counter-battery charges) before each one being pelted by shells. The Mercy Mission has also been upgraded so that a battery of KriGuds would be able to each fire six shells and put all of their shells, together, on the ground at the same time, allowing for even greater suprise bombardments of the type. On top of that, since the KriGud had four barrels on each vehicle a total of twenty-four (plus the rest of the KriGud battery) shells to rain upon the enemy at the same exact time.
To control the recoil a support vehicle, that also feed ammo through a slot in the rear, makes use of a strap, that fastens electronicall within ten seconds, around the KriGud, thereby straping it to the ground so that the KriGud doesn't flip over after each launch.
Engine:
The KriGud uses a 1,800hp diesel engine to conserve fuel, and still give it quite enough power to commit itself in battle. It's maximum velocity is thirty miles per hour.
Production Cost (Including Support Vehicle): 5 million USD
Export Cost (Including Support Vehicle): 7 million
----------------------
300mm Brimstone Artillery Peice
Designers:
-Littlehand Heavy Industries(LITTLEHANDLAND)
and ZIAA(Greater Duestchland)
Description:
Brimstone
Based on the Russian 2S7 chassis, the Brimstone is a beast. Carrying a 300mm mortar that is capable of launching an unassisted 100kg projectile 8 miles. Before firing can commence, the massive spade has to be lowered and entrenched. To help with the recoil, the recoil brake will have a total of 6 pistons limiting the recoil of the gun to 1,800mm maximum. The Brimstone is crewed by a total of 10 crew members are needed to prep and fire the gun. Four members ride in the modified 2S7 chassis while the rest ride in the ammunition truck, which holds some 30 rounds and charges along with the rest of the crew. The Brimstone can fire approximately 1.3 rpm and a sustained rate of fire of .8 rpm. The Brimstone can fire HE explosive shells or AP shells.
Cost of production: TBA
Cost of Exportation: TBA
---------------------
Pz. X Refit
Industries:
The Macabees
The Armor:
The armor is composed of a diamond helix bonded through double carbon bonds and other ADBOND designs around and through a buckyball matrix, layered in 240 nano-meter strips. This is covered by the Indium/Osmium-Germanium mix 2nd Gen Supercooled Coil, which was stolen off an Iscariot VIII a while back. They are filled with supercooled liquid Xenon and when a round impacts, the liquid gasses out to counter the heat while the metal coil itself is used as a heat conductor to dissipate the attack it will render that portion of the coil useless but should still enable it to work on other parts of the tank. Especially good against HEAT. Finally there is a thick layer of NxRA Ablative Armor Blocks, up to 14cm in some places. This provides up to an additional 1000mm RHA, for a total of up to 5500mm RHA. (max. real thickness 200mm). However, the central differences between the Spanish buckyball matrix and the composites of the armor is the type of bondage between the diamond helix, allowing for a stronger chemical bonding, meaning the armor RHA will be a tad stronger. The ADBOND (ADvanced BOND) is a third generation single crystal superalloy bond. This primary armor is further reinforced by a ceramic composite bulk between it and a DUEIS plate, which gives it a final 7,000mm of armor. This final layer is coupled by a layer of NxRA armor which gives it the final RHA value of 8,500mm, all for a real value of some 800mm.
In a final insulated layer under this above a MEXAS armor layer will be employed, measuring twenty inches thick, which gives it an RHA value of over 300mms, giving the tank a total RHA value of some 9,000mms.
MEXAS density is ~1.7g/cc and reactive elements are reported in the construction with a strenght of 2.5 GPa, not many materials are that strong but Boron Carbide could fit the bill.
B4C has a mass of 2.55g/cc and ME vs shaped charges of ~ 4.0...leading to a space effectiveness of ~ 1.3.
Now a mixture of CaCO/GAP and B4C should have a density of 1.7-1.8 g/cc [2.55g/cc+1.0g/cc ÷2]. Some thing with the density of CaCO/Gap should have an effectiveness of ~ 0.7 [space effectiveness] so a average of B4C & CaCO/GAP should be ~ 1.0 spaced effectiveness...
The ME should be 7.83/1.7= 4.6.
But the CaCO/GAP is reactive and generates a considerable improvement in effectivenes because this reactive forces the steel plates apart...using the VM-11 paper as a guide the ME of steel foam is ~ 3.3 while the value for steel CaCO/GAP is ~ 10.0...meaning this reactivity tripled the effectiveness of the sandwich...
If this same reactivity is applied to the above B4C & CaCO/GAP sandwich we end up with ~ 14:1 Me.
Now in this paper there were reactive elements that were tested with thin explosive layers to enhance the bulging effect on the outer steel plates...these ranged from 4-6 times the base values and if these super reactive forces are applied to the MEXAS model thats 4.6 x 4-6 or ME of 18:1 -28:1.
The paper showed that MEXAS @ 15° offers as much protection as ERA @ 60-70°. If you take Blazer this is two 2-3mm steel plates and a couple of mm of explosives [density ~ 1.8g/cc?]...any way thats ~ 6mm steel mass @ 60-70° or 12-18mm steel...the ME of these ERAs are reported to be ~ 20:1 meaning this resistance is ~ 240-350mm. Thus MEXAS with a steel mass of ~ 7mm is as effective as >250mm RHAe or a ME of 36:1!!!!
Heres the crunch...studies of bulging plates show that plate speed is the key. Well if the above chemical reactive forces can 'bulge' a plate sufficently to tripple quadruple its effectiveness , image how effective they would be on a small ceramic nugget? Rosenberg and Dekel wrote several papers on the parameters of this bulging prossess...it was clear that if you increases the interlayer or reduced the thickness of the outer steel plate [mass], the plate bulging velocity shot up [going from 200-800m/s in some cases].
Could be that instead of tripple its 6-8 times the ME against shaped charges? That would be an ME of ~ 32-37 .
Shortstop:
The Shortstop Electronic Protection System (SEPS) is an RF Proximity Fuze counter measure. The Shortstop battlefield electronic countermeasures system is capable of prematurely detonating incoming artillery and mortar rounds. It counters the threat of RF Proximity Fuzed munitions by causing them to prefunction, to protect friendly ground troops, vehicles, structures, and other equipment under fire.
The SHORTSTOP system was originally produced as a Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) product in support of Desert Storm. A request for information (RFI) was received from ARCENT addressing available countermeasures for indirect fire munitions utilizing proximity fuzes; such as those found in artillery, mortar, and rocket munitions. Whittaker Corp. in Simi Valley, CA built the system for PEO-IEW during the Gulf War in response to the artillery threat posed by the Iraqis, but the war ended before Shortstop could be deployed. The system could reduce casualties to ground troops by as much as 50 percent during the initial stages of an enemy attack.
These prototype systems were subjected to a minimal amount of environmental testing in preparation for deployment. After Desert Storm, the system was subjected to extensive live fire testing in the desert at Yuma Proving Grounds and evaluated by the TRADOC Analysis Command (TRAC) and the Dismounted Battlespace Battle Lab. The SHORTSTOP, AN/VLQ -9 or -10, systems demonstrated, in testing, the ability to significantly enhance survivability of troops and high value assets from indirect fire, proximity fuzed munitions. Reports of more than 5,000 live artillery and mortar round firings against Shortstop in tests at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., indicate that the system is 100 percent effective against selected weapons. The test rounds were fired singly and in barrages, with none reaching their intended target, test officials reported.
The prototypes were deployed for a limited period of time in Bosnia and were returned to contingency stock in 1997. To meet urgent operational requirements for deployed forces, the 3rd Army Commander on 11 Feb 98 requested 12 Shortstop Electronic Countermeasure Systems. These systems were readily available as a near term loan that only required funding to train operators and purchase some fielding and maintenance related items. HQDA approved the release for immediate deployment, requesting AMC execute the action that was subsequently completed by CECOM's Project Manager for Firefinder. The QRO supported delivery and fielding of these systems by coordinating the necessary arrangements for deployment of a two-man New Equipment Training Team (NETT) from CECOM. The NETT departed on 25 Feb 1998 with the equipment (acting as couriers) on a C-5 Cargo flight out of Dover AFB. The SHORTSTOP system training, checkout and positioning was completed by the CECOM NETT 20 March 1998.
Packaged in a suitcase-size case and fitted with a small multi-directional antenna, the Shortstop system can be activated and operational within seconds. Shortstop's passive electronics and operational features make it impervious to detection by enemy signal-intelligence sensors. In the near future, Shortstop will shrink in size, down to 25 pounds. Whittaker is currently under contract to build three new, smaller versions: manpack and vehicle units, as well as a stand-alone unit.
Full Spectrum Active Protection Close-In Shield
FCLAS is comprised of a sensor and short range grenade launcher, loaded with special fragmentation grenades with delay fuses set to intercept the incoming threat at a range of approx. 5 meters from the protected vehicle. The actual initiation of the explosive charge is triggered by a side looking RF proximity fuse which senses the incoming projectile as it passes nearby. The explosion forms a vertical, doughnut shaped fragmentation effect that kills the passing threat but does not effect the protected vehicle. The system's target weight is 140 kg., to enable deployment on light vehicles. Each grenade is equipped with a forward looking radar mounted on the exposed tip of the grenade. Each of the FCLAS munitions has such an integrated radar, which forms a complete sensor, monitoring a protective hemisphere around and above the vehicle. The Army hopes to get a prototype system of FCLAS for testing in 2004 and an operational system, which could protect against RPG threats, deployed with Bradley, Stryker and Humvee
Anti-Missile Defenses
Other than the MEXAS addition the refit drops the MetalStorm gun and is instead using the DREAD gun:
DREAD - ball firing gun -
What is the DREAD, really? How does it work? In a sentence, the DREAD is an electrically-powered centrifuge weapon, or centrifuge "gun". So, instead of using self-contained cartridges containing powdered propellant (gunpowder), the DREAD's ammunition will be .308 and .50 caliber round metal balls (steel, tungsten, tungsten carbide, ceramic-coated tungsten, etc...) that will be literally spun out of the weapon at speeds as high as 8000 fps (give or take a few hundred feet-per-second) at rather extreme rpm's, striking their targets with overwhelming and devastating firepower. We're talking about total target saturation, here, folks. All this, of course, makes the DREAD revolutionary in the literal sense, as well as the conceptual one.
According to the DREAD Advantages Sheet, "unlike conventional weapons that deliver a bullet to the target in intervals of about 180 feet, the DREAD's rounds will arrive only 30 thousandths of an inch apart (1/32nd of an inch apart), thereby presenting substantially more mass to the target in much less time than previously possible." This mass can be delivered to the target in 10-round bursts, or the DREAD can be programmed to deliver as many rounds as you want, per trigger-pull. Of course, the operator can just as easily set the DREAD to fire on full-auto, with no burst limiter. On that setting, the number of projectiles sent down range per trigger-pull will rely on the operator’s trigger control. Even then, every round is still going right into the target. You see, the DREAD's not just accurate, it's also recoilless. No recoil. None. So, every "fired" round is going right where you aim it.
http://defensereview.com/dad/DREAD%20Brochure_Page1_Trinamic%20Technologies,%20LLC.jpg
The only thing the DREAD's operator will really have to worry about is running out of ammo, which isn’t likely. Any reasonably skilled gunner (Humvee, APC, Apache attack helicopter, etc.--doesn't matter) should be able to avoid running through all 50,000 (or more) rounds of .308 Cal. or 10,000 (or more) rounds of .50 Cal. ammo prematurely, especially when he or she can dial down the DREAD's cyclic rate to 5,000 rpm or slower, if necesssary. Even if it becomes necessary to increase the DREAD's magazine capacity to upwards of 100,000 rounds (.308 Cal.) or 20,0000 rounds (.50 Cal.), and run the weapon all day and all night for weeks on end, this will have absolutely no effect whatsoever (positive or negative) on the reliability or durability of the weapon system. The DREAD is both heatless and frictionless, and doesn’t generate any high pressures. So, there’s virtually no wear and tear on the system, no matter how many rounds are fired through it back-to-back, even if it's run constantly on full-auto at 120,000 rpm, the whole time.
Here's the kicker: because it's electrically powered and doesn't use any powdered propellant for it's operation, the DREAD Centrifuge Weapon is virtually silent (no sound signature), except for the supersonic "crack" of the metal balls breaking the sound barrier when they're launched. This makes the direction that the rounds are coming from, and their point of origin (firing source), very difficult for enemy forces to identify. It also allows the operator to communicate easily with his team, or with his command structure, while he's still firing on the enemy (with the DREAD). With the DREAD, he won't have to fight to communicate over his own weapon's firing report. And, since the gun doesn't generate any muzzle flash or heat (it's heatless and frictionless, remember?), it doesn't produce any flash signature or heat signature. So, identifying the gun itself with IR (infrared) sensors will be impossible. The vehicle that the DREAD is mounted on is the only thing that will display a heat signature. That leaves you with a difficult-to-detect/locate weapon with a virtually endless suppy of ammo. Even if the DREAD-equipped vehicle does get identified and fired upon by the enemy, the risk of a catastrophic explosion from a bullet strike on the ammunition supply is zero, because the DREAD’s ammunition doesn’t contain any propellant. There’s no gunpowder onboard to blow up. That just leaves the gas tank (vehicle’s). Nothing’s foolproof.
More Info On DREAD
The Weapon
Imagine a gun with no recoil, no sound, no heat, no gunpowder, no visible firing signature (muzzle flash), and no stoppages or jams of any kind. Now imagine that this gun could fire .308 caliber and .50 caliber metal projectiles accurately at up to 8,000 fps (feet-per-second), featured an infinitely variable/programmable cyclic rate-of-fire (as high as 120,000 rounds-per-minute), and were capable of laying down a 360-degree field of fire. What if you could mount this weapon on any military Humvee (HMMWV), any helicopter/gunship, any armored personnel carrier (APC), and any other vehicle for which the technology were applicable?
That would really be something, wouldn't it? Some of you might be wondering, "how big would it be", or "how much would it weigh"? Others might want to know what it's ammunition capacity would be. These are all good questions, assuming of course that a weapon like this were actually possible.
According to its inventor, not only is it possible, it’s already happened. An updated version of the weapon will be available soon. It will arrive in the form of a...
tactically-configured pre-production anti-personnel weapon firing .308 caliber projectiles (accurately) at 2,500-3000 fps, at a variable/programmable cyclic rate of 5,000-120,000 rpm (rounds-per-minute). The weapon's designer/inventor has informed DefRev that future versions of the weapon will be capable of achieving projectile velocities in the 5,000-8,000 fps range with no difficulty. The technology already exists.
The weapon itself is called the DREAD, or Multiple Projectile Delivery System (MPDS), and it may just be the most revolutionary infantry weapon system concept that DefenseReview has EVER come across.
The DREAD Weapon System is the brainchild of weapons designer/inventor Charles St. George. It will be 40 inches long, 32 inches wide, and 3 inches high (20 inches high with the pintel swivel mount). It will be comprised of only 30 component parts, and will have an empty weight of only 28 pounds. That's right, 28 pounds. The weapon will be capable of rotating 360 degrees and enjoy the same elevation and declination capabilities of any conventional vehicle-mounted gun/weapon.
The first generation DREAD (production version), derived from the tactically-configured pre-production weapon, will most likely be a ground vehicle-mounted anti-personnel weapon. Military Humvees (HMMV's) and other ground vehicles (including Chevy Suburbans) equipped with the DREAD will enjoy magazine capacities of at least 50,000 rounds of .308 Cal., or 10,000 rounds of .50 Cal. ammo.
But, what is the DREAD, really? How does it work? In a sentence, the DREAD is an electrically-powered centrifuge weapon, or centrifuge "gun". So, instead of using self-contained cartridges containing powdered propellant (gunpowder), the DREAD's ammunition will be .308 and .50 caliber round metal balls (steel, tungsten, tungsten carbide, ceramic-coated tungsten, etc...) that will be literally spun out of the weapon at speeds as high as 8000 fps (give or take a few hundred feet-per-second) at rather extreme rpm's, striking their targets with overwhelming and devastating firepower. We're talking about total target saturation, here. All this, of course, makes the DREAD revolutionary in the literal sense, as well as the conceptual one.
According to the DREAD Advantages Sheet, "unlike conventional weapons that deliver a bullet to the target in intervals of about 180 feet, the DREAD's rounds will arrive only 30 thousandths of an inch apart (1/32nd of an inch apart), thereby presenting substantially more mass to the target in much less time than previously possible." This mass can be delivered to the target in 10-round bursts, or the DREAD can be programmed to deliver as many rounds as you want, per trigger-pull. Of course, the operator can just as easily set the DREAD to fire on full-auto, with no burst limiter. On that setting, the number of projectiles sent down range per trigger-pull will rely on the operator’s trigger control. Even then, every round is still going right into the target. You see, the DREAD's not just accurate, it's also recoilless. No recoil. None. So, every "fired" round is going right where you aim it.
One of the ammunition types the DREAD will be delivering downrange is the "Collision Cluster Round", or "CCR", that will be used to penetrate hard targets. The Collision Cluster Round (CCR) is explained in more detail on the munitions page of the DREAD Technology White Paper (links below). The DREAD Advantages Sheet also lists all the other advantages that the DREAD Weapon System enjoys over conventional firearms.
And, all this from a weapon that doesn't jam. Remember how at the beginning of the article I wrote “no stoppages or jams”? The DREAD won't jam because, according to its inventor, it can’t jam. The DREAD's operating and feeding mechanisms simply don’t allow for stoppages or jams to occur. It thus follows that the DREAD Centrifuge Weapon will be the most reliable metallic projectile launcher/ballistic device on the planet. DefRev is not at liberty to publish exactly why the DREAD can’t jam, since Mr. St. George hasn’t given us permission to describe the gun’s operating and feeding mechanisms in any detail.
The only thing the DREAD's operator will really have to worry about is running out of ammo, which isn’t likely. Any reasonably skilled gunner (Humvee, APC, Apache attack helicopter, etc.--doesn't matter) should be able to avoid running through all 50,000 (or more) rounds of .308 Cal. or 10,000 (or more) rounds of .50 Cal. ammo prematurely, especially when he or she can dial down the DREAD's cyclic rate to 5,000 rpm or slower, if necesssary. Even if it becomes necessary to increase the DREAD's magazine capacity to upwards of 100,000 rounds (.308 Cal.) or 20,0000 rounds (.50 Cal.), and run the weapon all day and all night for weeks on end, this will have absolutely no effect whatsoever (positive or negative) on the reliability or durability of the weapon system. The DREAD is both heatless and frictionless, and doesn’t generate any high pressures. So, there’s virtually no wear and tear on the system, no matter how many rounds are fired through it back-to-back, even if it's run constantly on full-auto at 120,000 rpm, the whole time.
Here's the kicker: because it's electrically powered and doesn't use any powdered propellant for it's operation, the DREAD Centrifuge Weapon is virtually silent (no sound signature), except for the supersonic "crack" of the metal balls breaking the sound barrier when they're launched. This makes the direction that the rounds are coming from, and their point of origin (firing source), very difficult for enemy forces to identify. It also allows the operator to communicate easily with his team, or with his command structure, while he's still firing on the enemy (with the DREAD). With the DREAD, he won't have to fight to communicate over his own weapon's firing report. And, since the gun doesn't generate any muzzle flash or heat (it's heatless and frictionless, remember?), it doesn't produce any flash signature or heat signature. So, identifying the gun itself with IR (infrared) sensors will be impossible. The vehicle that the DREAD is mounted on is the only thing that will display a heat signature. That leaves you with a difficult-to-detect/locate weapon with a virtually endless suppy of ammo. Even if the DREAD-equipped vehicle does get identified and fired upon by the enemy, the risk of a catastrophic explosion from a bullet strike on the ammunition supply is zero, because the DREAD’s ammunition doesn’t contain any propellant. There’s no gunpowder onboard to blow up. That just leaves the gas tank (vehicle’s). Nothing’s foolproof.
There's more. Since the DREAD/MPDS (Multiple Projectile Delivery System) is a centrifuge weapon, projectile velocity can be adjusted instantly back and forth between lethal and less-lethal/non-lethal modes. This means it can be utilized just as effectively for embassy security and peacekeeping roles. As an embassy security weapon, the less-lethal/non lethal mode would most likely be the way to go, in most cases. Less-lethal is usually adequate for any crowd control or riot control situations. However, let’s say the crowd starts storming the gates, and now presents a lethal threat to the occupants inside. Well, just pull your Marines inside, switch your remotely-operated battery of DREAD's on over to lethal mode, and make survival above ground impossible for anyone outside the embassy. No one gets in. Same thing goes for military base security. Remote DREAD Centrifuge Gun Pods can be outfitted with heat and motion sensors, and left in unmanned areas. These remote pods can be either human-operated, or pre-programmed with both less-lethal/non-lethal and lethal protocols that will function automatically and not even require human operation. Mobile robotic platforms, including remote-controlled Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicles (UGCV's), could also be outfitted with DREAD systems. And, the list goes on. The technology application possibilities/potential uses are virtually endless.
Look out, DREAD's comin'.
http://defensereview.com/dad/DREAD%20Advantages_Trinamic%20Technologies,%20LLC.jpg
http://defensereview.com/dad/DREAD%20White%20Paper_Page3_Trinamic%20Technologies,%20LLC.jpg
Anti-Mine Warfare
As for anti-mine warfare:
The system, called Zeus-HLONS (Laser Ordnance Neutralization System), uses an industrial solid state laser, normally used to cut metal, but can also ignite explosives up to 300 meters away. Normally, engineers have to approach such munitions (shells, cluster bombs aircraft bombs) or roadside bombs, place explosives next to it, then move away, trailing a detonator wire behind them, and then set off the explosive to destroy the bomb or unexploded munitions. Using the Zeus laser is a lot cheaper (a few cents per laser shot) and safer than the traditional method.
Zeus is particularly useful when you have an area with a lot of unexploded munitions just lying about. The munitions are often unstable, meaning that just picking them up could set them off. The Zeus system can be fired up to 2,000 times a day. Last year, a Zeus-HLONS was sent to Afghanistan for six months last year, where it destroyed 200 items, including 51 in one 100 minute period.
The Engine
The Muwatallis main battle tank uses breakthrough fuel cell technology, introducing a compact next-generation fuel cell stack that dilivers higher performance with increased range and fuel effieciency, and is designed to operate at temperatures as low as -50 degrees celcius. Cold weather operation is one of the most significant technical barriers to the mass-market application of fuel cell technology. Using the Ultra-Capacitor originally designed by Honda the fuel cell now has a supplementary power source to the main power source - the fuel cell stack - for more powerful preformace under varios driving conditions.
The fuel tank is larger than the conventional fuel cell tank on a normal car, which gives this massive behemoth a powerful velocity of 40kph, for a range of three hundred kilometers. It has a ten gear transmission to avoid over taxing the transmission which gives it a longer life time on the battlefield, avoiding freqent breakdowns.
Of course, the supply vehicles, need to be specialized to refuel the tank. For every twenty tanks a five hundred thousand dollar truck needs to be built which converts solar energy, as well as hydrogen and natural gas, into fuel through a purifier and inverter.
However, this technology makes the tank engine noise null, and provides for quieter tanks. The only thing an infantryman would hear would be the tank treads, and even those can be made quieter. A new age for a tank has come!
The Main Gun and Turret
The gun in use a 155mm ETC gun with the internal "R" rings which is just thousands of springs nanometers in length that cut down on recoil and muzzle flash making the gun much more effective.
To make the turret turn quicker the turret and the chassis are divided in two by a central gyro circular sheet of composite metals, using McPhearson strut like bars, interwoven in springs (much like the shocks on your cars) and then smaller gyrating bars, to make the movement hydraulic, consequently, making it much faster.
[b]Production Cost: 14 Million
Export Cost: 18 Million