NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC:
Based on the Japanese Type-90 :)
The picture is an approximation, see notes below for details as to what it ACTUALLY looks like ;)

IC:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Type90_1.jpg
BMG has announced to the world that the first tank designed and built soley by Goblins has been put into production under the name GBT-1 (or just the G-1)
The main differnce between this and other MBT's is mostly its size, Goblins are only about 3ft tall and thus the tank does not need extra headroom. The turret is quite small, only
The tank reflects the Goblin war-philosophy, hit hard and fast and dont get hit yourself. The armour is just thick enough to deflect rifle rounds and most light-antitank weapons at average range.
The trade off is a VERY fast tank with some very heavy guns.

Length: 7m (~21ft)
Width: 3m (~9ft)
Height: 1.5m (4.5ft)
Weight: 33t
Powerplant: 1,750 HP gas turbine
Speed: 65mph (Road)
- 55mph (Off-road)
Range: 280mi (extended to 350mi with 'strap on' fuel tank)
Primary armament:
155mm smoothbore gun
Secondary armament:
Mount for rockets/AA gun or missile (reduces mobility, obviously)
.5 machine gun (commander)
7.62 machine gun (coaxial with main gun)
7.62 machine gun (rear)
Crew: 4 (5 w/ rockets/aa gun)
-Can, in emergencies, fit four troops in rear

As mentioned, the dimensions are fitted for Goblins, who are skinny and short. A human would be most uncomfortable and would almost certainly die if inside the turret when the main gun was fired.
The commander sits in the traditional position next to the gunner and in front of the loader, on a raised chair inside a cupola. He has access to infrared filters to pick out enemies at night.
The Gunner/loader are just below the commander, the ammo compartment has the standard blow-out plates in case of a fire, meaning that your state can save a valuable tank.
The driver sits at the front and has a periscope with lightgathering lenses for night travel.
There is a very cramped troop compartment behind the engine in the rear capable of holding four Goblins or (in the export version) two to three humans, if theyre friendly.
The main gun is a 150mm smoothbore, based on the Goblin maxim that bigger is always better and if you argue they will show you exactly how wrong you are by killing you in some horrific manner. It fires fairly standard SABOTS and HEAT rounds, although occasionaly crews display a need to shove bits of scrap metal into the breech and use the tank as a massive shotgun. We are working on this.
Lastly, very little training is needed to operate the tank. It was designed for idiots, by a bunch of mad fireworks merchants that blow themselve sup alot. All controls are labled clearly and the operations required to start the tank, load the gun, or do anything important are explained in cheerful cartoons located about the tank.
To fire machine gun, pull trigger, watch enemies writhe in agony as 7.62mm's of lead shred their organs! WATCH THEM SUFFER!
Says Johnny Goblin.

There is an export version fitted to human dimensions avalible for $3,500,000

(OOC:
Im not sure about the pricing, or the tank, for that matter.
This is my first (mostly) original design, feedback would be appreciated :))

Hmmm, Looks interesting, Will any of these be facing me in the war games?

(For the Human size variant, it should probably be about 10mill more expensive, but the lack of armor might balance it out.

Now I'm no tank expert, so don't take my word for it. But to me eighteen tons for a tank that carries a 155mm main cannon is way too light. The speed should be lowered a bit as well I think.

I'd wait for someone more qualified before taking my word though.

Price is way to high. The most advanced tanks around in NS cost somewhere between 10 to 15 million. An abrams cost somewhere around 4.3 million.

Updated...

OOC: Yeah, it's probably ten times more expensive than it needs to be :)
I would doubt the viability of a 155mm gun on a tank 1.5m tall, too. If nothing else, you've no room for a worthwhile quantity of ammunition, surely? This is very theoretical, but wouldn't a goblin have trouble loading 155mm shells? Since you have four crew I'm supposing it's manual (or goblin...al) loading rather than by autoloader, and if not then the autoloader would require -I think- a lot of munitions to be stored in the turret, and that -in such a small turret with such large shells- would mean even fewer rounds ready. Plus with thin armour and shells relatively exposed I'd imagine it's even more vulnerable.
Perhaps just a typo, but I think you have the off-road speed greater than on road? Seems the wrong way around?
But I think in some regards you have the basis of a decent tank... it's just a bit confused and not clear which tank :)

Edit: Oh, I typed that before you updated, so ignore my criticism on the price!

OOC:
Dra-pol:
Goblins are actually slightly stronger than the average human, since the main industry around here is mineing, and constructing your home usualy means digging out a great big hole, that and dynamite hasnt really caught on for civilian uses.
Basicaly they work really hard all day :P
The shells are stored in front of the engine, between it and the crew compartment. The angle is such that the loader has to move slightly to get between the two, but its got fairly normal load times, maybe plus half a second or so to bend over and grab a shell.

Anyway, theyre Goblins...they dont care about vulnerability, they just want to make things go 'boom' ;)

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OOC: I'm no expert, but I know a few things. I'd say that a tank like that would be 65-70 tons at least, although as you've specified that it has fairly light armour for an MBT you might be able to get away with a little less. Seems good otherwise though :).

OOC:
Like I said, its based mostly on the Type-90, which weighs in at a grand total of 28 tons, the M1 Abrahms weighs ~65, I think.

OOC: I thought the Type-90 was about 50 tons, with a 120mm gun?

OOC: Yes, the Type-90 weighs 50 tonnes (though it is 3/4 of a metre taller than this thing). Dra-pol -being an isolated backwater- uses a tank based on Japan's previous MBT, the Type 74, which weighs some 38 tonnes itself, and carries only a 105mm gun.

OOC:
Hmmm, I can only assume Wikipedia has led me astray then :P

The best sites I've found for modern tech equipment designs are:

www.fas.org/man/index.html
and
www.battle-technology.com (The links to the individual branches are about the middle of the page on the right, from there click on the top left category and you'll get a list of classes like; Main Batle Tanks and Self Propelled Artillery and whatnot))

A decent 155mm AT gun simply isn't all that practical on anything lighter than 60tons not only due to gun possibley weighting close to half that itself but also the insane amount of recoil energy involved...
Most light armoured Vehicles in the 20-30ton rnage have enough problems coping with a 105mm gun although a few are now featuring light weight low recoil 120mm systems.

if you simply must keep the 155mm system then if you bump the weight upto say 28-30tons you might be able to get away with a short barreled low velocity gun designed to fire HEAT and straight HE rounds with the possible option of gun fire missiles (like the sherridan's 152mm gun). it wouldn't be a true tank killer weapon but a fun and characterful infantry support weapon.

OOC:
Updated.
I am consider a sort of 'shotgun shell' weapon for dealing with large amounts of infantry, similar to the grapeshot rounds used in the 17/1800's, it might be useful in urban combat for street clearing and such.

Both the US and israel (and possibly other nations) employ Fletteche "Canister" or "beehive" rounds for thier main tank guns so conister isn't a porblem.

OOC:
Ah, thats good to know.
I dont imagine it will matter though, Goblins will just sort of load whatever comes to hand :)