NationStates Jolt Archive

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v419/msarzo/sarztankxi3ww.png
Drawing by Soviet Bloc

Z-34 Bonham Main Battle Tank

Background
The Z-34 Bonham has been designed to serve as the most advanced domestically produced main battle tank in existence today and has been conceived as a direct competitor with the ST-37 Mekhev main battle tank. While the ST-37 Mekhev has served the Incorporated Sarzonian Army well, Sarzonian army officials realised the logistical problems that came with employing three main battle tanks and chose the Incorporated Ordnance Company to create a successor design that would employ many of the best features of all three designs. Taking additional lessons from the Imperial Praetonian Ordnance’s Hoplite II Phalanx MBT and the Bonham’s predecessor (the Z-33 Jaguar), the Bonham provides the best of all possible worlds to the Incorporated Sarzonian Military. This design instantly assumes its place among the world’s best main battle tanks and one that will shepherd the Incorporated Sarzonian Army into a new era of success on the battlefield.

Armament
With several possible armament choices, from ETC guns to conventional weapons, engineers at Incorporated Ordnance Company debated the various strengths and drawbacks of each available weapon before ultimately deciding upon the 120 mm ETC gun. The decision to use the same size round employed by both the ST-37 and the IPO 145 is a deliberate effort to ease logistics for armoured battalions that operated both tanks. The Bonham employs the Mekhev’s Dynamic Gas Assist to increase range and speed over traditional ETC rounds and also reduce recoil and absorb the energy required to fire the weapon. In addition, Successive Fire Projectile Assist, used to provide an increased rate of fire for short bursts, has been adopted from the Mekhev. The weapon uses the lengthier 58 calibre employed by the Sarzonian-built Z-33 Jaguar MBT to provide additional range.

However, the secondary armament of the Bonham is what sets it apart from other MBTs. A IPO-built 60 mm autocannon has been installed in the cupola turret and is used in lieu of traditional ATGMs with an idea toward making it more difficult for enemy tanks to use “tank CIWS” to counter a ATGM. While the autocannon’s size causes it to have a slower rate of fire than the 30 mm autocannons often used against thinly-armoured or unarmoured units and infantry, it makes up for that lack of speed with greater killing power and better utility against armoured targets. The Bonham also operates a 70 mm mortar which is effective against fortified positions and armoured units and it retains the Jaguar’s successful FN BRG-15 machine gun. The DREAD centrifuge weapon has been retained for CIWS purposes and is considered a last-ditch weapon against missile fire.

The biggest innovation in Sarzonian armoured weaponry developed for the Bonham MBT, however, lies in the brand new Hyperius Kinetic Energy (KE) anti-armour missile. Positioned behind the turret in a twin box launcher, the Hyperius travels at speeds in excess of Mach 7 and has devastating penetration capabilities, highly advanced guidance, and can inflict tremendous damage to just about any tank currently in service. The Hyperius has the capability to penetrate 3,000 mm of RHA thanks partly to the specially designed box launcher that serves as a slingshot to allow the missile to remain a manageable size for operation on the Bonham.

Protection
The well conceived, highly versatile protection schemes employed by Imperial Praetonian Ordnance for the IPO 145 Hoplite II Phalanx made a favourable impression upon designers of the Bonham. As a result, the protection scheme borrows many of the best ideas from the Phalanx, though engineers chose to create a simplified armour scheme for greater ease in repair. Despite this effort at greater simplicity, the protection scheme employed by the Bonham is still one of the best designed and well protected such schemes extant today.

The first layer, of Momentum Transfer Armour (MTA), fires a metal bar at an incoming projectile and reduces the effectiveness of KE attacks by knocking such projectiles off course or forcing the weapon to hit the tank at an angle and blunting its impact. The second layer employs Non-Explosive Reactive Armour (NxRA) to reduce the effectiveness of HEAT rounds and is used instead of ERA to reduce the risk of casualties to friendly infantry. Bracing that layer is a Chobham armour scheme over a titanium honeycomb frame, providing effective protection against nearly all types of weapons. Ballistic ceramics make up the fourth layer and are effective against HEAT and KE rounds. A dense fifth layer of depleted uranium is an extremely dense material designed to absorb kinetic energy rounds. To protect against nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) weapons, the sixth and seventh layers have been designed to serve an anti-radiation role. Boronated polycarbons provide a sturdy round of protection and serve as an excellent first line of defence against radiation, while the seventh layer’s protections against spalling are made of rubber and spectra fibre, which is several times stronger than the kevlar employed by the Phalanx.

With the two main competitors to the Bonham, Soviet Bloc’s Mekhev adopting a non-modular armour scheme for greater strength, and Praetonia’s Phalanx’s modular scheme promoting ease of repair, the two approaches presented a dilemma to the Bonham’s designers. The Phalanx’s modular armour scheme permits greater ease of repair in the event of damage to the vehicle, but the Mekhev’s non-modular armour scheme removes some of the weaknesses of modular armour schemes. The Bonham’s engineers eventually chose to make the armour non-modular in an effort to promote greater survivability from a sturdier armour.

One of the greatest areas of concern for tank commanders is the need to protect tanks from anti-tank mines, and the Bonham is no exception. To ensure this protection, the Bonham’s engineers drew inspiration from the venerable Leopard 2A6 and have designed advanced generation vision systems to allow improved sighting of mines, and new plate under the tank floor allows the tank to survive a mine attack without injuring its crew members.

RHA values:
Front: 2,075 mm (KE)/2,975 mm (HEAT)
Sides: 1,025 mm (KE)/1,250 mm (HEAT)
Rear: 770 mm (KE)/980 mm (HEAT)
Top: 500 mm (KE)/675 mm (HEAT)

Electronics
Taking into account the advanced electronics of the Mekhev, the designers of the Bonham realized that their own product had to have an electronics suite that was advanced enough to make the tank a true equal. To accomplish this, a major upgrade of the Jaguar’s electronics suite wasn’t just a suggestion: It was a requirement. To accomplish this feat, the Bonham turned to the other forefather of this design, the Phalanx MBT for some inspiration.

The Bonham comes equipped with a PERI-Z A1 periscope from Windham & Green Defence Industries and ClaireOps Optronics Corporation. The PERI-Z A1 is a stabilized panoramic periscope sight designed for day/night operation and target identification and works seamlessly with the Next Generation Panorama battlefield survey and target acquisition software in the Bonham. It provides an all around view with a 360 degree traverse. Thermal imaging from infared sensors that work in the event millimetric wave radar is considered by the tank commander to be too great of a risk to be detected provide the thermal imaging for the onboard computer monitors. The image from the commander’s thermal sights can also be switched to the video image on the monitor used by the gunner.

The gunner’s station includes a new Panorama Defence Electronics Corporation quadruple magnification stablised primary sight with an integrated laser range finder and a ClareOps Optronics Corporation thermal sight linked to the fire control computer. The thermal sight uses a next generation CMT infared detector array cooled by a closed cycle engine. It is also fitted with a solid state laser range finder from ClaireOps that can provide up to five range values in four seconds. It then transmits the range data to the fire control computer and is used to calculate firing algorithms. The information is transmitted directly into the gunner’s primary sight, thus allowing the gunner to read the digital range measurement directly. The maximum range of the unit is 15,000 m and is accurate to within 10 m. The fire control computer also utilises a satellite linkup with GPS birds or army UAVs to ensure accuracy. The GPS software also integrates with advanced ADC mapping software to ensure accuracy.

Finally, the Bonham’s designers drew from the Phalanx’s bevy of auxiliary systems for the autoloading system employed by the Bonham. It is described by Windham & Green as a semi-automatic loading system. The system allows for quick conversion to manual loading in the event the computer systems are knocked out. A reserve battery also allows the autoloader to fire an actively loaded shell in the event the computer systems are knocked out.

Propulsion
The 2,100 hp Secretariat hybrid diesel-electric engine has been field tested on the Jaguar and served the Bonham’s predecessor well, so the same engine has been adopted. It has also surrounded with a thermal insulation that inhibits detection and reduces noise from the tank’s engines when they operate at full speed. The tank has been field tested to a maximum speed of 60 km/hr in road tests, though this speed is only recommended for short bursts in optimal conditions. The engine has been field tested in larger models so it can handle the added weight of the Bonham without a major loss in speed that might accompany a larger tank. A 500 hp inboard electric engine can provide emergency propulsion to get a Bonham out of a battle in the event the primary engine is knocked out. The Bonham’s top speed has been field tested at 10 km./hr. with this emergency engine powering it.

Specifications
Length: 9.6 metres (hull); 14.9 m (including gun facing forward)
Width: 4.4 metres
Height: 3.4 metres (cupola turret roof)
Weight: 78,700 kg
Ground Clearance: 0.7 m
Complement: Four (Commander; Gunner; Driver; Loader)
Primary Armament: 1 x 120 mm ETC gun with Dynamic Gas Assist and Successive Fire Projectile Assist.
Main Armament Storage: 40 x 120 mm rounds
Secondary Armaments: 1 x 60 mm autocannon; 1 x 70 mm mortar; 1 x FN BRG-15 machine gun (cupola turret); 1 x dual box Hyperius missile launcher; 2 z DREAD CIWS; 6 x smoke grenade launchers (two fore; two rear; two sides).
Secondary Armament Storage: 500 15 mm rounds; 450 60 mm rounds; 100 70 mm rounds; 6 Hyperius missiles
Propulsion: 1 x Windham & Green Secretariat turbo diesel-electric hybrid engine (2,100 hp)
Speed: 60 km/hr. (road); 35 km/hr. (cross-country); 5 km/hr. (snorkel)
Operational Range: 550 km
Price: $27.5 million
Purchase Limit: 250 per customer per order except for close allies.

[A nice tank. I don't like the fact that you made the main gun so complex, ETCs can be finicky but the dynamic gas and successive fire assists just make them more so. The overall complexity of the tank explains the massive price.]

OOC: Thanks for the comment, but the Z-34 is intended to compete directly with the ST-37 and that gun is even more complex than this one is. This gun doesn't use the same coil system that the ST-37 Mekhev does, but it has the other fire assist methods.

And there was no way this could be both a cheap tank and frightingly complex at the same time.

Nice tank. This will be interesting competitor to my and Aequatio's XMBT-04. I'll call the XMBT-04 the "Bonham Killer"! Just kidding. :) But great job on this. But I don't like how everyone is putting all these complex systems such as gas-assist and such. Its really a waste of money. A standard 120mm ETC gun is capable of punching through about any armor, all those other stuff is just waste if you ask me. I tend to try to improve the guns mobility and weaknesses such as the power and weight issues. Oh well, that's just my opinion.

OOC:VERY nice, Sarz. Good work. One thing, tho. You say that your Hyperius missile has 'advanced guidance', yet travels at speeds in excess of mach seven. At those speeds, the missile would be incapable of maneuvering. That's about it. Other than that, great job.

[OOC: I'm buying some of these tanks, Sarz, no question. Before I place the order, though, I was wondering: do I qualify as a close enough ally to acquire more than 250 of these beauties, or no? If it's the latter, then I'm guessing that limited domestic production rights are out of the question as well.]

OOC: Nice job, i like how you used the gas assist system thing which was originally my conceptual idea made practical in a sense by SB. I feel immortalized. Anyways, overall a nice tank.

[OOC: I'm buying some of these tanks, Sarz, no question. Before I place the order, though, I was wondering: do I qualify as a close enough ally to acquire more than 250 of these beauties, or no? If it's the latter, then I'm guessing that limited domestic production rights are out of the question as well.]OOC: Well, the rule was originally put into place for entirely OOC reasons; namely, to keep n00bs from buying ridiculous numbers of them and to serve as a reminder that tanks are by their nature expensive to build, buy, maintain, etc. If someone makes a good IC case for buying more than the limit, I'll make an exception to the rule.

When I put out my amphibious assault vehicle and Soviet Bloc ICly wanted to order a huge number, I made the exception because 1) he made his IC case well and 2) having Soviet Bloc order your army stuff would be akin to having The Freethinkers order one of your naval ship designs in my book, so I very quickly said yes.

Considering the complexity of these tanks, I'd actually have to think about DPR for them.

OOC:Nice tank man. I'll order some later. I gotta find a calculator. This is going to help us in the AMF.

To the Sarzonian Military Officals: The Imperial Land of Findan whishes to purchase twenty (20) of the Z-34 Bonham MBT's for testing purposes. Its not a matter of the quality of the tank, for we are sure that the tank is a good one but we want to see what limits we can push the tank to before it goes bust. The total of our purchas sall amount to $550,000,000 for 20 of the Z-34's.

Emperor Samuel II
Emperor of Findan

Sir Charles Hassahoff
Foriegn Minister of Findan

Sir Reginald Cooper
Defense Minister of Findan

Sir Sebastin O'Neal
Commerce Minister of Findan

Rupert S. Pell
Financal Minister of Findan

OOC: Hey Sarz, what's the top speed in MPH?

[OOC: Well, Sarz, if a good IC case for acquiring DPR is what you want, that's what I'll try to provide you.]

To: Major General David Wade (ISA-Ret.)
Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
From: General Frederick Strickland, Chief of Staff of the Army, the Democratic Imperium of Halberdgardia
Re: Z-34 Bonham MBT

The Halberdgardian Army is currently in the process of phasing out its obsolete armor units and replacing them with today's premier armor units. We had three types of armor units in service, and we have currently replaced two of them. In looking for the third type of armor unit, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reviewed a variety of models, but stressed that the final choice be well-armed and -armored yet fast, and have high endurance and easy maintenance. It thus became difficult to find such a model, as few, if any, armor units have these advantages. However, upon discovering the Z-34 Bonham, we have come to the decision that it would be a valuable tool in the OMP/Gholgoth War, especially against our formidable Doomingslandi foes, where we need every advantage possible in order to achieve success. Therefore, we wish to acquire limited domestic production rights for fifteen thousand Z-34 Bonham MBTs, at whatever price you deem reasonable. Payment will be wired upon confirmation. Our thanks to IOC for considering our request. May our two nations continue to prosper.

Respectfully,
General Frederick Strickland
Chief of Staff of the Army
The Democratic Imperium of Halberdgardia

OOC: Hey Sarz, what's the top speed in MPH?Go here (http://www.worldwidemetric.com/measurements.html). :p

EDIT: Just over 37 mph. I generally don't use the American system for measurements on my products.

To: General Frederick Strickland
Chief of Staff of the Army
Democratic Imperium of Halberdgardia
From: Major General David Wade (ISA-Ret.)
Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
Subject: Domestic Production Rights

The Incorporated Ordnance Company is delighted at the interest in the Z-34 Bonham Main Battle Tank and acknowledges your nation's interest in building 15,000 of these units, especially for combat against the Doomingslandi forces you are facing. We are willing to offer you a contract in the amount of $412.5 billion US provided that you sign our standard Production Rights Agreement, which will be appended to this message.

In addition, in the event you decide to retire these units from your army's service, we ask that we be offered right of first refusal on the sale of such units. We would prefer that these units be kept out of the hands of countries that are not closely aligned with Sarzonia.

We look forward to your government's response to our requests. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

************************************************************

PRODUCTION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

Incorporated Ordnance Company

IC:

By signing this agreement, the nation of Halberdgardia agrees to this contract for the amount of $412.5 billion USD whereby the purchaser may produce not more than 15,000 units of the Z-34 Bonham Main Battle Tank for use in the active or ready reserve military of Halberdgardia only. Further units may be purchased from the Incorporated Ordnance Company or the contract may be renewed at the consent of the company. Any modernisation of the original product will be forwarded to Halberdgardia via secure data connections.

Halberdgardia may not disclose information normally considered classified to another country without the explicit consent of the Incorporated Sarzonian Government.

Halberdgardia is expressly prohibited from reverse engineering or from producing or selling any variants of the Z-34 Bonham Main Battle Tank design. This contract does not cover the right to distribute units, which the Company shall maintain. Failure to adhere to the terms outlined in this contract shall result in the direct forfeiture of the right of production of further units and may result in legal action. Any amendments to this contract shall have been discussed and agreed to before this contract is signed.

OOC:

Essentially, this means that you have the right to produce a specific number of units. If I upgrade anything, you’ll get the information transferred to you via data link and you can build the modified version. Once you’ve produced the specified unit number, you may agree to a new contract for additional units for an additional charge (though it might also be simply a contract extension with some more palm greasing). You may not disclose information about these classes to anyone (ICly, though OOC post with the statistics to help a RP along is probably necessary for any combat RPs).

You may only use the weapons you produce in your military/ready reserve/national militia. I retain all distribution rights and everything is copyrighted. If you sell the units without my permission, you revoke your right to produce any more units and I will be unlikely to give you any further production contracts. Any changes to this contract must be proposed and agreed to before it is signed.

Contract and items referenced therein are copyright Mike Sarzo (2004-2005). All rights reserved.

To: Emperor Samuel II
Emperor of Findan
From: Major General David Wade (ISA-Ret.)
Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
Subject: Confirmation of order

The Incorporated Ordnance Company is pleased to learn of your interest in our products and we are happy to confirm your order for 20 Z-34 Bonham Main Battle Tanks at the amount of $550 million. Since you are currently embroiled in a state of war, we will rush the shipment to you of 20 units originally intended for the Sarzonian Army. You should receive thise units within a matter of NS weeks [within an hour tops IRL].

We thank you for your custom and we hope to hear from you and the nation of Findan in the future!

Not to clutter your thread (okay yes I do hehehe, that is my goal in life of course to ruin your threads Sarzonia :p) but what does reverse engineering mean? Does it mean taking it apart and just putting it in a different way and then call it yours?

Not to clutter your thread (okay yes I do hehehe, that is my goal in life of course to ruin your threads Sarzonia :p) but what does reverse engineering mean? Does it mean taking it apart and just putting it in a different way and then call it yours?OOC: You could have TG'd me with this.

Anyway, there's a good article on it here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering).

To: Major General David Wade (ISA-Ret.)
Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
From: General Frederick Strickland, Chief of Staff of the Army, the Democratic Imperium of Halberdgardia
Re: Confirmation of Order

We accept the terms of the Limited Production Rights Agreement, and agree to give IOC the right of first refusal on the sale of these units, if and when they should be retired the Halberdgardian Army. The $412.5 billion has been wired to the accounts of IOC. We look forward to purchasing more of IOC's superbly-crafted products in the future.

Respectfully,
General Frederick Strickland
Chief of Staff of the Army
The Democratic Imperium of Halberdgardia

*bump*

ooc: Ok... everyone else says that this is a good tank, so please don't kill me if I criticize it....


What I Like Though:

1.) The medium caliber mortar. It has more hitting power than a 60mm mortar but less weight than an 81mm mortar.

2.) The fire control system. It might not be as powerful or as an FCS that me or SB would make, but it's also much less complex to use and operate.

3.) It's cheaper than the ST-37 ($38 million) and the T-140 ($30 million)

4.) The main gun isn't as finicky as electrically assisted main guns.

5.) It's simple and fairly easy to maintain.

What I Don't Like (Don't kill me please!)

1.) The 60mm autocannon. It's really just too heavy for a secondary turret. Also, getting up a decent velocity on that thing is very difficult given that the barrel would be fairly short. It would be excellent for killing infantry with HE shells, or busting bunkers with HEAT, but against tanks, helicopters and IFVs, you're better off using a lighter cannon with a higher muzzle velocity.

2.) Momentum transfer armor. It's simply cheaper to use explosive reactive armor to deal with KE penetrators. A decent ERA can cut penetrators into 2 or more pieces, blunt the nose and generally render it useless. No need to spend so much money on a system that fires rods when you can use cheaper, lighter and less complex ERA.

3) As in your previous tanks, there are no real provisions for crew safety, and the ammunition might be a little bit close to the crew. Got blowout boxes?

4.) The electric motor and the diesel cannot really work in tandem in order to accelerate, drive the tank's capacitors for the guns, etc. The hybrid system is not being used to its full potential.

1.) The 60mm autocannon. It's really just too heavy for a secondary turret. Also, getting up a decent velocity on that thing is very difficult given that the barrel would be fairly short. It would be excellent for killing infantry with HE shells, or busting bunkers with HEAT, but against tanks, helicopters and IFVs, you're better off using a lighter cannon with a higher muzzle velocity.I use that for killing infantry and busting bunkers with HEAT rather than attack helicopters and IFVs. I have other combat vehicles for those tasks.

2.) Momentum transfer armor. It's simply cheaper to use explosive reactive armor to deal with KE penetrators. A decent ERA can cut penetrators into 2 or more pieces, blunt the nose and generally render it useless. No need to spend so much money on a system that fires rods when you can use cheaper, lighter and less complex ERA. It's also much more dangerous to your own infantry to use ERA. In fact, that was one of the big points people made about my original Close In Combat Vehicle.

To:Major General David Wade (ISA-Ret.)
Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
From: Emperor Samuel II
Emperor of Findan
Subject: RE: Confirmation of order

Money Wired. thanks for the rush delivery.

*bump*

*Added Soviet Bloc's rendering of the Bonham*

Looks decent. I'd suggest using a quasiturbine engine instead for greater efficiency, and adding electric reactive armor to improve it's defense against HEAT rounds.

Looks decent. I'd suggest using a quasiturbine engine instead for greater efficiency, and adding electric reactive armor to improve it's defense against HEAT rounds.OOC: Thanks for the constructive feedback. I've seen quasiturbines mentioned so much in recent days that I'm going to look info up on them and I might incorporate that at least in the domestic version.

As for electric reactive armour, I'll have to look into that before I commit one way or the other.

Sarzonia:

Here you go for the quasiturbine engine:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/quasiturbine.htm

There real good. How I love howstuffworks ;)

Sarzonia:

Here you go for the quasiturbine engine:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/quasiturbine.htm

There real good. How I love howstuffworks ;)OOC: I actually knew about that particular link since you mentioned it on the Woodstock Pact board, but it's good to have it at a glance here. ;)

Top class fighting mobile Sarz. I'd procure some but they don't fit in with my conscripts.

Top class fighting mobile Sarz. I'd procure some but they don't fit in with my conscripts.

Let me guess, Hogsweat. You got banned didn't you. Sucker :p

Let me guess, Hogsweat. You got banned didn't you. Sucker :pOOC: Let's stay on topic please.

OOC: Let's stay on topic please.

Sorry. Oh yeah, we should have a mock-up battle sim between this tank and my tank and if some other people in Woodstock have any new ones out, we can also have them. It could be part of our wargames. How about it?

*revised photo added*

*bump*

OOC: Sorry to bump an old thread, but Sarz, when do you plan on adding the Z34 to the IOC thread?

OOC: I'm going to be creating a megathread for PIW after I officially RP its acquisition of my other two storefronts. That's when I'll add the Z-34 to the IOC storefront.

OOC: Got that. But since PIW will be taking over Avalon and the IOC, it technically, isn't an 'iron works' no more. Here's a tip for a new name: 'Aeronautical Ordnance Incorporated'? :p

OOC: Got that. But since PIW will be taking over Avalon and the IOC, it technically, isn't an 'iron works' no more. Here's a tip for a new name: 'Aeronautical Ordnance Incorporated'? :pActually, the overarching name for the new megacompany will be the Portland Iron Works. The naval storefront will be renamed the Portland Naval Works.

Official Statement From The White Tower Of New Endenia

I speak for the Amrylin Seat, The Hall Of Sitters and The White Tower

The White Tower is most interested in acquiring these new tanks created by the Sarzonian Military. However as per standardised acquisition laws recently set in by the Hall of Sitters, the White Tower would like to purchase 10 tanks for testing purposes and should tests results prove positive, we would like to option 100 tanks to be integrated into the Tower Guard Divisions.

The money has been wired into your account.

Thank You.

Karen Sedai
Aes Sedai Of The Gray Ajah
The White Tower Of New Endenia
Blessed Be By The Light

To: Karen Sedai
Aes Sedai Of The Gray Ajah, New Endenia
From: Major General David Wade (ISA-Ret.)
Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
Subject: Confirmation of order

The Incorporated Ordnance Company is pleased to confirm your order for 10 Z-34 Bonham main battle tanks. With the order size being relatively small, we can provide your order to you within one NS month [6 a.m. tomorrow EDT]. We look forward to reading the report from your nation's military testers about the performance of the Bonham and we hope to hear from you again in the future.

TO: Major General David Wade (ISA-Ret.) Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
FROM: USNSEA Minister of Defense Paul David Nettleton
RE: Z-34 Bonham Order

Greetings Major General Wade,

With an arms corporation needing testing weapons for some testing, we have turned to the IOC for assistance. On behalf of their weapons research, we request fifty Z-34 Bonham MBTs. The cost of one billion and three hundred and seventy-five thousand USD shall be wired upon the confirmation of the order.

Yours Truly,
His Excellency,
USNSEA Minister of Defense
Paul David Nettleton

To: Major General David Wade (ISA-Ret.)
Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
From: The Nedalian Ground Army
Subject: Order

We hope this letter finds you in good health. Upon reviewing, considering, and researching your product, we have come to the conclusion that we simply must have the tank. We have placed an order for a total of 233 tanks, which comes to a price total of $6,407,500,000. We hope that everything is in order and that we may be able to do some business with you.

To: Nedalian Ground Army
From: Major General David C. Wade (ISA-Ret.)
Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
Subject: Confirmation of order

The Incorporated Sarzonian Army is delighted to confirm this order from our friends and regional neighbours in Nedalia for 233 Z-34 Bonham MBTs. The amount of $6.087 billion includes a five percent discount for Atlantian Oceania nations and includes a $125,000 rebate to promote ease in accounting. We expect to deliver your order to you within two NS years [1 RL day including the delay it's taken for me to write this reply], following the completion of field tests.

We hope these tanks serve the Nedalian Ground Army well and we hope to hear from you in the future!

------

To: Paul David Nettleton
USNSEA Minister of Defense
From: Major General David C. Wade (ISA-Ret.)
Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
Subject: Confirmation of order

The Incorporated Ordnance Company is delighted to confirm this order from our friends at the USNSEA for 50 Z-34 Bonham Main Battle Tanks. We would like to note that the cost of 50 of these tanks is $1.375 billion not including a 2.5 percent discount for repeat purchasers. If you would still like to purchase 50 Z-34s, we would charge $1.34 billion including the discount. We can make other arrangements if that is not acceptable to you.

We thank you for your custom and for your promotion of Sarzonian military hardware to other customers! We hope the nation of Southeastasia remains strong for all time!

TO: Major General David C. Wade (ISA-Ret.) Managing Director, Incorporated Ordnance Company
FROM: USNSEA Minister of Defense Paul David Nettleton
SUBJECT: Discount for Bonham MBTs

We would greatly appreciate you giving us a 2.5% discount for the purchase of your wonderful products. The discounted cost of $1.34 billion shall be wired upon the confirmation of the order.

Yours Truly,
His Excellency,
USNSEA Minister of Defense
Paul David Nettleton

OOC: Consider the order confirmed. The IC post was basically a "we confirm your order, but it cost more than you thought. If you still want the same vehicles it'll cost this much.

*bump*

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v419/msarzo/sarztankxi3ww.png
Drawing by Soviet Bloc

Z-34 Bonham Main Battle Tank

Background
The Z-34 Bonham has been designed to serve as the most advanced domestically produced main battle tank in existence today and has been conceived as a direct competitor with the ST-37 Mekhev main battle tank. While the ST-37 Mekhev has served the Incorporated Sarzonian Army well, Sarzonian army officials realised the logistical problems that came with employing three main battle tanks and chose the Incorporated Ordnance Company to create a successor design that would employ many of the best features of all three designs. Taking additional lessons from the Imperial Praetonian Ordnance’s Hoplite II Phalanx MBT and the Bonham’s predecessor (the Z-33 Jaguar), the Bonham provides the best of all possible worlds to the Incorporated Sarzonian Military. This design instantly assumes its place among the world’s best main battle tanks and one that will shepherd the Incorporated Sarzonian Army into a new era of success on the battlefield.

Armament
With several possible armament choices, from ETC guns to conventional weapons, engineers at Incorporated Ordnance Company debated the various strengths and drawbacks of each available weapon before ultimately deciding upon the 120 mm ETC gun. The decision to use the same size round employed by both the ST-37 and the IPO 145 is a deliberate effort to ease logistics for armoured battalions that operated both tanks. The Bonham employs the Mekhev’s Dynamic Gas Assist to increase range and speed over traditional ETC rounds and also reduce recoil and absorb the energy required to fire the weapon. In addition, Successive Fire Projectile Assist, used to provide an increased rate of fire for short bursts, has been adopted from the Mekhev. The weapon uses the lengthier 58 calibre employed by the Sarzonian-built Z-33 Jaguar MBT to provide additional range.

However, the secondary armament of the Bonham is what sets it apart from other MBTs. A IPO-built 60 mm autocannon has been installed in the cupola turret and is used in lieu of traditional ATGMs with an idea toward making it more difficult for enemy tanks to use “tank CIWS” to counter a ATGM. While the autocannon’s size causes it to have a slower rate of fire than the 30 mm autocannons often used against thinly-armoured or unarmoured units and infantry, it makes up for that lack of speed with greater killing power and better utility against armoured targets. The Bonham also operates a 70 mm mortar which is effective against fortified positions and armoured units and it retains the Jaguar’s successful FN BRG-15 machine gun. The DREAD centrifuge weapon has been retained for CIWS purposes and is considered a last-ditch weapon against missile fire.

The biggest innovation in Sarzonian armoured weaponry developed for the Bonham MBT, however, lies in the brand new Hyperius Kinetic Energy (KE) anti-armour missile. Positioned behind the turret in a twin box launcher, the Hyperius travels at speeds in excess of Mach 7 and has devastating penetration capabilities, highly advanced guidance, and can inflict tremendous damage to just about any tank currently in service. The Hyperius has the capability to penetrate 3,000 mm of RHA thanks partly to the specially designed box launcher that serves as a slingshot to allow the missile to remain a manageable size for operation on the Bonham.

Protection
The well conceived, highly versatile protection schemes employed by Imperial Praetonian Ordnance for the IPO 145 Hoplite II Phalanx made a favourable impression upon designers of the Bonham. As a result, the protection scheme borrows many of the best ideas from the Phalanx, though engineers chose to create a simplified armour scheme for greater ease in repair. Despite this effort at greater simplicity, the protection scheme employed by the Bonham is still one of the best designed and well protected such schemes extant today.

The first layer, of Momentum Transfer Armour (MTA), fires a metal bar at an incoming projectile and reduces the effectiveness of KE attacks by knocking such projectiles off course or forcing the weapon to hit the tank at an angle and blunting its impact. The second layer employs Non-Explosive Reactive Armour (NxRA) to reduce the effectiveness of HEAT rounds and is used instead of ERA to reduce the risk of casualties to friendly infantry. Bracing that layer is a Chobham armour scheme over a titanium honeycomb frame, providing effective protection against nearly all types of weapons. Ballistic ceramics make up the fourth layer and are effective against HEAT and KE rounds. A dense fifth layer of depleted uranium is an extremely dense material designed to absorb kinetic energy rounds. To protect against nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) weapons, the sixth and seventh layers have been designed to serve an anti-radiation role. Boronated polycarbons provide a sturdy round of protection and serve as an excellent first line of defence against radiation, while the seventh layer’s protections against spalling are made of rubber and spectra fibre, which is several times stronger than the kevlar employed by the Phalanx.

With the two main competitors to the Bonham, Soviet Bloc’s Mekhev adopting a non-modular armour scheme for greater strength, and Praetonia’s Phalanx’s modular scheme promoting ease of repair, the two approaches presented a dilemma to the Bonham’s designers. The Phalanx’s modular armour scheme permits greater ease of repair in the event of damage to the vehicle, but the Mekhev’s non-modular armour scheme removes some of the weaknesses of modular armour schemes. The Bonham’s engineers eventually chose to make the armour non-modular in an effort to promote greater survivability from a sturdier armour.

One of the greatest areas of concern for tank commanders is the need to protect tanks from anti-tank mines, and the Bonham is no exception. To ensure this protection, the Bonham’s engineers drew inspiration from the venerable Leopard 2A6 and have designed advanced generation vision systems to allow improved sighting of mines, and new plate under the tank floor allows the tank to survive a mine attack without injuring its crew members.

RHA values:
Front: 2,075 mm (KE)/2,975 mm (HEAT)
Sides: 1,025 mm (KE)/1,250 mm (HEAT)
Rear: 770 mm (KE)/980 mm (HEAT)
Top: 500 mm (KE)/675 mm (HEAT)

Electronics
Taking into account the advanced electronics of the Mekhev, the designers of the Bonham realized that their own product had to have an electronics suite that was advanced enough to make the tank a true equal. To accomplish this, a major upgrade of the Jaguar’s electronics suite wasn’t just a suggestion: It was a requirement. To accomplish this feat, the Bonham turned to the other forefather of this design, the Phalanx MBT for some inspiration.

The Bonham comes equipped with a PERI-Z A1 periscope from Windham & Green Defence Industries and ClaireOps Optronics Corporation. The PERI-Z A1 is a stabilized panoramic periscope sight designed for day/night operation and target identification and works seamlessly with the Next Generation Panorama battlefield survey and target acquisition software in the Bonham. It provides an all around view with a 360 degree traverse. Thermal imaging from infared sensors that work in the event millimetric wave radar is considered by the tank commander to be too great of a risk to be detected provide the thermal imaging for the onboard computer monitors. The image from the commander’s thermal sights can also be switched to the video image on the monitor used by the gunner.

The gunner’s station includes a new Panorama Defence Electronics Corporation quadruple magnification stablised primary sight with an integrated laser range finder and a ClareOps Optronics Corporation thermal sight linked to the fire control computer. The thermal sight uses a next generation CMT infared detector array cooled by a closed cycle engine. It is also fitted with a solid state laser range finder from ClaireOps that can provide up to five range values in four seconds. It then transmits the range data to the fire control computer and is used to calculate firing algorithms. The information is transmitted directly into the gunner’s primary sight, thus allowing the gunner to read the digital range measurement directly. The maximum range of the unit is 15,000 m and is accurate to within 10 m. The fire control computer also utilises a satellite linkup with GPS birds or army UAVs to ensure accuracy. The GPS software also integrates with advanced ADC mapping software to ensure accuracy.

Finally, the Bonham’s designers drew from the Phalanx’s bevy of auxiliary systems for the autoloading system employed by the Bonham. It is described by Windham & Green as a semi-automatic loading system. The system allows for quick conversion to manual loading in the event the computer systems are knocked out. A reserve battery also allows the autoloader to fire an actively loaded shell in the event the computer systems are knocked out.

Propulsion
The 2,100 hp Secretariat hybrid diesel-electric engine has been field tested on the Jaguar and served the Bonham’s predecessor well, so the same engine has been adopted. It has also surrounded with a thermal insulation that inhibits detection and reduces noise from the tank’s engines when they operate at full speed. The tank has been field tested to a maximum speed of 60 km/hr in road tests, though this speed is only recommended for short bursts in optimal conditions. The engine has been field tested in larger models so it can handle the added weight of the Bonham without a major loss in speed that might accompany a larger tank. A 500 hp inboard electric engine can provide emergency propulsion to get a Bonham out of a battle in the event the primary engine is knocked out. The Bonham’s top speed has been field tested at 10 km./hr. with this emergency engine powering it.

Specifications
Length: 9.6 metres (hull); 14.9 m (including gun facing forward)
Width: 4.4 metres
Height: 3.4 metres (cupola turret roof)
Weight: 78,700 kg
Ground Clearance: 0.7 m
Complement: Four (Commander; Gunner; Driver; Loader)
Primary Armament: 1 x 120 mm ETC gun with Dynamic Gas Assist and Successive Fire Projectile Assist.
Main Armament Storage: 40 x 120 mm rounds
Secondary Armaments: 1 x 60 mm autocannon; 1 x 70 mm mortar; 1 x FN BRG-15 machine gun (cupola turret); 1 x dual box Hyperius missile launcher; 2 z DREAD CIWS; 6 x smoke grenade launchers (two fore; two rear; two sides).
Secondary Armament Storage: 500 15 mm rounds; 450 60 mm rounds; 100 70 mm rounds; 6 Hyperius missiles
Propulsion: 1 x Windham & Green Secretariat turbo diesel-electric hybrid engine (2,100 hp)
Speed: 60 km/hr. (road); 35 km/hr. (cross-country); 5 km/hr. (snorkel)
Operational Range: 550 km
Price: $27.5 million
Purchase Limit: 250 per customer per order except for close allies.


The Armed Republic of Mationsbuds is interested in purchasing 100 of these Tanks ammounting to 2750 million USD or 2.75 Billion USD .

We are also interested in setting up diplomatic ties between our countries if possible . Please get back to us asap .

Regards ,
Martin Luther , Secretary , Dictatorial office

To: Martin Luther
Secretary, Dictatorial Office
From: Admiral Barbara Tucker (ISN-Ret.)
CEO, Portland Iron Works
Subject: Confirmation of orders

The Portland Iron Works has expressed some reservations with respect to your nation's system of goverment; however, after consulting with the Department of External Affairs, we have decided to confirm your orders for both 100 units of the Z-34 Bonham Main Battle Tank and for 250 M32 Quinn rifles with iron sights, 150 M32s with scopes, and 50 M32 Designated Marksman Weapons. The total for both orders comes to $2,750,455,000 and they will be delivered within two NS years [2 RL days] following completion of necessary trials.

We have forwarded your request for diplomatic relations to the External Affairs Office (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=351513) for their review. You should expect to hear from them shortly.

We thank you for choosing the Portland Iron Works for your military needs and we hope to hear from you again in the future!

TO: Portland Iron Works
FROM: Frozopian Resistance

As of yet the free peoples of Frozopia are unable to offer any sort of payment for such a vehicle, but they are desperately required for the destruction of Red Tidean forces whoes armoured divisions we combat to free Red Frozopia. Should you donate 250 such tanks to the Frozopian resistance and transport them to Red Frozopia we will repay you at the end of the conflict the total cost + 20% interest.

OOC:

Sarzonia, check your TG's please.

bump