Aequatio
21-06-2005, 04:34
Aequatian Main Battle Tank, Mark V, "Predator II"
The original Predator MBT was designed to replace the Dragon MBT which was becoming too costly to maintain due to the choice to use civilian components in its construction. The Predator was seen as a far superior combat vehicle and was rushed into service without fully testing the vehicle’s potential. Since then however, new defensive systems have been developed and the desire to design a new tank for these new systems was only slight as it seemed costly with the so recent the introduction of the Predator into service, so it was decided to instead upgrade the Mark V.
Weapon Systems
The main armament of the Predator II MBT is the Aequatian Military Industries M70 Fully-Stabilized, High-Velocity 140mm Smoothbore Gun which replaces the original Predator's M55 Fully-Stabilized 135mm Rifled Gun. The 140mm smoothbore gun was chosen as it was seen that it would provide better penetration than the rifled 135mm, although the change in barrel does reduce the vehicle's range. The tank carries thirty rounds for the main gun.
In addition to the 140mm gun, there is also a coaxial M90 20mm automatic cannon and a second M90 20mm autocannon mounted in an enclosed turret for the commander on top of the main turret. Both provide extra hitting power towards infantry and light vehicles with high-explosive and tungsten-core armour peircing rounds, respectively.
Defensive Systems
Armour
The armour of the Predator II MBT is the Aequatian designed and developed Carbon-60 Composite Armour Mark I which consists of layers of Carbon-60 Ceramic which are encased within thin layers of titanium to protect against High-Explosive, Anti-Tank (HEAT) rounds while layers of Tungsten rods liad perpendicularly protect the vehicle against kinetic-energy (KE) penetrators.
The outer layer consists of Carbon-60 Ceramic which is effective against shaped charge munitions. When the armour is hit by a HEAT round the ceramic layer shatters under the impact point, forming a dust under high pressure. When the HEAT round "burns through" the outer layers of armour and reaches the ceramic, the dust comes flying back out the hole, slowing the jet of metal.
The interior layer is a cast aluminum slab with rods of tungsten (encased in titanium) running perpendicularly through it, intended to cause the points of high-velocity long-rod penetrator armour-piercing projectiles to deform, which sometimes causes the projectile to tip and strike the armour at an angle, presenting far greater surface area to the armour and therefore greatly increasing the resistance.
Active Defence Systems
Active defence systems included on the Predator II MBT are the Shield Electro-Optical Countermeasures Defensive Aids Suite (EOCDAS) and the Sword Active Protection System (APS).
“Shield” Electro-Optical Countermeasures Defensive Aids Suite (EOCDAS)
Shield consists of a specialized computer/control panel, two electro-optical interference emitters located on the front of the turret on each side of the gun, four laser sensors located on top of the turret and anti-laser smoke grenade launchers alongside the turret.
Shield I has two combat roles, 1) against infrared-guided anti-tank missiles by aligning the turret front to the incoming ATGM and using the emitters to send false signals which scramble the ATGM guidance system as follows:
Wire-guided missiles such as the American TOW are guided to the target by means of a wire and a flare on the back of the missile. The flare is used to keep a 'reference point' of the missile in relationship to the target lock held by the operator, and the guidance computer tries to put the flare on the reference point. Shield I emitters create a large hotspot, essentially tricking the missile guidance into following the Shield I hotspot instead of the flare hotspot, resulting in faulty course corrections by the ATGW computer. In fact, the computer shall usually believe that no horisontal course correction is necessary since the false flare comes from the same direction as the targeted tank, while vertical corrections shall cause ATGM to either dive into the ground or climb into the sky, depending on whether the operator holds the lock below or above the emitters.
2) The second part of the system defeats laser guided weapons. When a laser beam is detected the Shield I System informs the crew with light and sound; it then launches laser defeating smoke grenades, which enshroud the tank and break or degrade the lock. The tank commander can also press a button that will turn the turret front to the laser to meet incoming ATGM with the best protected section and to engage the laser beam source with the maingun.
“Sword” Active Protection System (APS)
Sword consists of a multi-functional millimetre radar with “instant” scanning of all the vehicle’s protected sectors to detect and track anti-tank ballistics, use of focused, instant-effect protective ammunition for aimed destruction of incoming targets and the system’s control equipment, represented by a specialized computer that provides automatic control over radar operation and Sword as a whole.
The rack-mounted radar is fixed to the turret rood and the rest of the system’s compoenents are located within the turret. Once activated, the system runs a self-diagnostic before switching to combat mode. In combat mode of operation, the radar searches for targets and locates them during their approach to the tank. Once the threat is detected the radar switches to the target tracking mode, thereby obtaining data on the moving target and entering the data into the computer. After processing the entered data, the computer selects one of the siloes and determines the time for its activation. At the determined moment, the computer generates command signals to the selected protective ammunition. When the later detonates it creats a directed stream of destructive elements which destroys any target within this field, eliminating the shaped-charge effect of the threat or reducing it to levels that are not dangerous to the tank.
The Sword system does not react to: targets at a range of over fifty metres from the tank, small-zise targets (splinters, small arms fire), targets flying away from the tank (including projectiles fired from its own gun), slow flying objects (pieces of earth, birds, etc.), shells and projectiles exploding around the tank; targets flying over the tank (i.e. not crossing the protected projection of the tank).
All this resulted in the radical reduction of false alerts and “unwanted” information entering the computer for analysis and processing and also allows operation only if a dangerous target appears within the system’s zone of action and when this targets is about to hit the tank.
Secondary Systems
The Predator II MBT has been outfitted with the latest in command and control (C2) systems as well as automated fire control systems. The Battlefield Information Control System (BICS) allows the vehicle's commander to co-ordinate his efforts with those of his platoon and any attached elements to complete missions. The Forward Looking InfraRed Sighting System allows the commander to designate targets for the tank's gunner and organize them into priorities for elimination.
The WillTell Computerized Fire Control System (FCS) was developed to work in co-operation with the tank's Carbon Dioxide Laser Rangefinder to distinguish targets and aid the commander in identifying targets on the battlefield.
The tank is equipped with a 200 SCFM Clean Cool Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection System to keep the crew safe against an attack from a biological or chemical agent and protection against an irradiated area from a nuclear attack.
The sighting system provides the gunner with a 16-times power gunsight with a secondary 8-times power sight should the former become damaged or inoperable. As well, the primary 16x sight is equipped with an "Inferno" Thermal Imager which helps him distinguish targets during night combat.
Crew Complement
The Predator II MBT has the traditional number for its crew complement, a commander, gunner, driver and loader for the main gun. The commander is seated on the right-side of the turret and is in control of the vehicle's FLIR and BICS systems which the Gunner sits to the left of the main gun and controls the traverse of the turret and the elevation and depression of the 140mm cannon. The driver sits low in the hull centered at the front of the vehicle and has a display for the BICS. The loader is stationed at the rear of the turret and can activate the extinguisher for the ammunition compartment should it be ignited by enemy fire.
Powerplant and Performance
The main powerplant of the Predator II MBT is the Aequatian Automotive Industries Liquid-Cooled V12 Biodiesel Engine which can provide 2,400hp and propell the tank to 65 kilometres an hour over roads and up to 43 kilometres an hour cross country. The Predator II can ford through 1.25 metres of water as well as defeat vertical obstacles up to 1.1 metres and cross trenches of up to 3.5 metres in width. The tank carries enough fuel to have a maximum operational range of just under 400 kilometres.
Vehicle Dimensions
Length:
(gun forward) 12.75 metres
(hull) 8.25 metres
Width: 3.65 metres
Height: 3.25 metres
Weight: 67,300 kilograms
http://img113.echo.cx/img113/5214/predator28mj.png
1. Aequatian Military Industries M70 Fully-Stabilized, High-Velocity 140mm Smoothbore Gun
2. Shield Electro-Optical Interference Emitter (One on each side of main gun)
3. Shield Smoke Generators
4. Shield Laser Sensor (Four located on the turret)
5. Aequatian Military Industries M90 Enclosed Turret-Mounted 20mm Autocannon
6. Sword APS Protective Ammunition (16 HE-Fragmentation Warhead Rockets)
7. Sword APS Multi-Function Millimetre Radar (One on each side of the turret)
8. Cross-Wind Sensor Mast
Total Cost of Predator II Upgrade Suite: 3,129,300 Aequatian Markes
The original Predator MBT was designed to replace the Dragon MBT which was becoming too costly to maintain due to the choice to use civilian components in its construction. The Predator was seen as a far superior combat vehicle and was rushed into service without fully testing the vehicle’s potential. Since then however, new defensive systems have been developed and the desire to design a new tank for these new systems was only slight as it seemed costly with the so recent the introduction of the Predator into service, so it was decided to instead upgrade the Mark V.
Weapon Systems
The main armament of the Predator II MBT is the Aequatian Military Industries M70 Fully-Stabilized, High-Velocity 140mm Smoothbore Gun which replaces the original Predator's M55 Fully-Stabilized 135mm Rifled Gun. The 140mm smoothbore gun was chosen as it was seen that it would provide better penetration than the rifled 135mm, although the change in barrel does reduce the vehicle's range. The tank carries thirty rounds for the main gun.
In addition to the 140mm gun, there is also a coaxial M90 20mm automatic cannon and a second M90 20mm autocannon mounted in an enclosed turret for the commander on top of the main turret. Both provide extra hitting power towards infantry and light vehicles with high-explosive and tungsten-core armour peircing rounds, respectively.
Defensive Systems
Armour
The armour of the Predator II MBT is the Aequatian designed and developed Carbon-60 Composite Armour Mark I which consists of layers of Carbon-60 Ceramic which are encased within thin layers of titanium to protect against High-Explosive, Anti-Tank (HEAT) rounds while layers of Tungsten rods liad perpendicularly protect the vehicle against kinetic-energy (KE) penetrators.
The outer layer consists of Carbon-60 Ceramic which is effective against shaped charge munitions. When the armour is hit by a HEAT round the ceramic layer shatters under the impact point, forming a dust under high pressure. When the HEAT round "burns through" the outer layers of armour and reaches the ceramic, the dust comes flying back out the hole, slowing the jet of metal.
The interior layer is a cast aluminum slab with rods of tungsten (encased in titanium) running perpendicularly through it, intended to cause the points of high-velocity long-rod penetrator armour-piercing projectiles to deform, which sometimes causes the projectile to tip and strike the armour at an angle, presenting far greater surface area to the armour and therefore greatly increasing the resistance.
Active Defence Systems
Active defence systems included on the Predator II MBT are the Shield Electro-Optical Countermeasures Defensive Aids Suite (EOCDAS) and the Sword Active Protection System (APS).
“Shield” Electro-Optical Countermeasures Defensive Aids Suite (EOCDAS)
Shield consists of a specialized computer/control panel, two electro-optical interference emitters located on the front of the turret on each side of the gun, four laser sensors located on top of the turret and anti-laser smoke grenade launchers alongside the turret.
Shield I has two combat roles, 1) against infrared-guided anti-tank missiles by aligning the turret front to the incoming ATGM and using the emitters to send false signals which scramble the ATGM guidance system as follows:
Wire-guided missiles such as the American TOW are guided to the target by means of a wire and a flare on the back of the missile. The flare is used to keep a 'reference point' of the missile in relationship to the target lock held by the operator, and the guidance computer tries to put the flare on the reference point. Shield I emitters create a large hotspot, essentially tricking the missile guidance into following the Shield I hotspot instead of the flare hotspot, resulting in faulty course corrections by the ATGW computer. In fact, the computer shall usually believe that no horisontal course correction is necessary since the false flare comes from the same direction as the targeted tank, while vertical corrections shall cause ATGM to either dive into the ground or climb into the sky, depending on whether the operator holds the lock below or above the emitters.
2) The second part of the system defeats laser guided weapons. When a laser beam is detected the Shield I System informs the crew with light and sound; it then launches laser defeating smoke grenades, which enshroud the tank and break or degrade the lock. The tank commander can also press a button that will turn the turret front to the laser to meet incoming ATGM with the best protected section and to engage the laser beam source with the maingun.
“Sword” Active Protection System (APS)
Sword consists of a multi-functional millimetre radar with “instant” scanning of all the vehicle’s protected sectors to detect and track anti-tank ballistics, use of focused, instant-effect protective ammunition for aimed destruction of incoming targets and the system’s control equipment, represented by a specialized computer that provides automatic control over radar operation and Sword as a whole.
The rack-mounted radar is fixed to the turret rood and the rest of the system’s compoenents are located within the turret. Once activated, the system runs a self-diagnostic before switching to combat mode. In combat mode of operation, the radar searches for targets and locates them during their approach to the tank. Once the threat is detected the radar switches to the target tracking mode, thereby obtaining data on the moving target and entering the data into the computer. After processing the entered data, the computer selects one of the siloes and determines the time for its activation. At the determined moment, the computer generates command signals to the selected protective ammunition. When the later detonates it creats a directed stream of destructive elements which destroys any target within this field, eliminating the shaped-charge effect of the threat or reducing it to levels that are not dangerous to the tank.
The Sword system does not react to: targets at a range of over fifty metres from the tank, small-zise targets (splinters, small arms fire), targets flying away from the tank (including projectiles fired from its own gun), slow flying objects (pieces of earth, birds, etc.), shells and projectiles exploding around the tank; targets flying over the tank (i.e. not crossing the protected projection of the tank).
All this resulted in the radical reduction of false alerts and “unwanted” information entering the computer for analysis and processing and also allows operation only if a dangerous target appears within the system’s zone of action and when this targets is about to hit the tank.
Secondary Systems
The Predator II MBT has been outfitted with the latest in command and control (C2) systems as well as automated fire control systems. The Battlefield Information Control System (BICS) allows the vehicle's commander to co-ordinate his efforts with those of his platoon and any attached elements to complete missions. The Forward Looking InfraRed Sighting System allows the commander to designate targets for the tank's gunner and organize them into priorities for elimination.
The WillTell Computerized Fire Control System (FCS) was developed to work in co-operation with the tank's Carbon Dioxide Laser Rangefinder to distinguish targets and aid the commander in identifying targets on the battlefield.
The tank is equipped with a 200 SCFM Clean Cool Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection System to keep the crew safe against an attack from a biological or chemical agent and protection against an irradiated area from a nuclear attack.
The sighting system provides the gunner with a 16-times power gunsight with a secondary 8-times power sight should the former become damaged or inoperable. As well, the primary 16x sight is equipped with an "Inferno" Thermal Imager which helps him distinguish targets during night combat.
Crew Complement
The Predator II MBT has the traditional number for its crew complement, a commander, gunner, driver and loader for the main gun. The commander is seated on the right-side of the turret and is in control of the vehicle's FLIR and BICS systems which the Gunner sits to the left of the main gun and controls the traverse of the turret and the elevation and depression of the 140mm cannon. The driver sits low in the hull centered at the front of the vehicle and has a display for the BICS. The loader is stationed at the rear of the turret and can activate the extinguisher for the ammunition compartment should it be ignited by enemy fire.
Powerplant and Performance
The main powerplant of the Predator II MBT is the Aequatian Automotive Industries Liquid-Cooled V12 Biodiesel Engine which can provide 2,400hp and propell the tank to 65 kilometres an hour over roads and up to 43 kilometres an hour cross country. The Predator II can ford through 1.25 metres of water as well as defeat vertical obstacles up to 1.1 metres and cross trenches of up to 3.5 metres in width. The tank carries enough fuel to have a maximum operational range of just under 400 kilometres.
Vehicle Dimensions
Length:
(gun forward) 12.75 metres
(hull) 8.25 metres
Width: 3.65 metres
Height: 3.25 metres
Weight: 67,300 kilograms
http://img113.echo.cx/img113/5214/predator28mj.png
1. Aequatian Military Industries M70 Fully-Stabilized, High-Velocity 140mm Smoothbore Gun
2. Shield Electro-Optical Interference Emitter (One on each side of main gun)
3. Shield Smoke Generators
4. Shield Laser Sensor (Four located on the turret)
5. Aequatian Military Industries M90 Enclosed Turret-Mounted 20mm Autocannon
6. Sword APS Protective Ammunition (16 HE-Fragmentation Warhead Rockets)
7. Sword APS Multi-Function Millimetre Radar (One on each side of the turret)
8. Cross-Wind Sensor Mast
Total Cost of Predator II Upgrade Suite: 3,129,300 Aequatian Markes