Aequatio
09-08-2006, 02:30
Project: Joint Main Battle Tank - The M5 "Gladiator II" Main Battle Tank
The purpose of this development program was born out of the disasterous losses suffered by Aequatian Marine armoured forces during both campaigns against the nation of Red Tide. Although the Mark 10 Banshee and M1 Panther tanks were both formidable vehicles, it has become clear that such vehicles are still not on par with those of other nations around the world.
The M5 main battle tank would incorporate combat systems into its design so that it may be better integrated into the Advanced Battlefield Information Control System (ABICS) and other forces such as Infantry, Artillery and Air Support.
Armament
The standard main gun of Aequatian main battle tanks since the development of the original Gladiator I tank have been a combination of either the M40-series electrothermal chemical 120mm gun or the M70-series conventional 140mm smoothbore gun, the latter proving to be the more effective weapon when dealing with variety in ammuniton types. It was decided that new tests would need to be conducted in order to find the most effective multipurpose weapon for the M5. Although the M40A2 120mm ETC gun has an impressive anti-armour capability, its range of ammunition limit the tank's usefulness in all types of warfare, the M70A1 140mm Smoothbore has an increased arsenal of ammunition types ranging from the anti-personnel M320 Canister rounds and M312 High-Explosive Fragmentation (HE-FRAG) to the M400 High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), M410 Armour-Peircing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) and M450 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose (HEDP) 140mm rounds and the gun-launched BGM-88 "Mace" Kinetic-Energy Missile, tanks armed with the M70-series guns had an advantage when operations changed. Although the M70-series guns had a large advantage over the M40-series ETC guns in direct combat, with a larger bore size, a tank with a 140mm gun would be unable to carry enough rounds for sustained operations, making the tanks slaves to their logistical train.
It was decided that the M5 would require a gun that would be useful in a number of environments and have ammunition for combat distances ranging from 100m and up to 15km. The latter would be achieved through the use of assisted rounds. A smaller bore size would also be required to allow the vehicle to be self-sufficient for a longer period of time.
The M1000 High Pressure 125mm Smoothbore gun was developed specifically for use with the M5. The following rounds were also created for use in conjunction with the gun:
M350 125mm Canister
M401 125mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT)
M414 125mm Kinetic-Energy Munition (KEM)
M454 125mm Multipurpose Anti-Tank (MPAT)
In addition to the main gun, the Gladiator II has an impressive array of secondary weapons. The first is a coaxially-mounted M125A2 35mm Automatic Cannon, much like that mounted on the M4 Spartan Infantry Combat Vehicle and Crusader Mark I Reconnaissance Vehicle. In addition to the coaxial autocannon, there will also be turret-mounted M2C1 12.7mm Heavy and MG76A1 8.5mm General-Purpose machineguns.
Ammunition
M350 125mm Canister
Designed to engage infantry that are wither exposed to the environment or garrisoned within a building. The 12.7mm Tungsten pellets are meant to punch through walls and body armour and cause a great amount of damage as possible.
M401 125mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT)
The M401 HEAT round uses an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP) Warhead and is more than capable of defeating all light vehicles, including infantry fighting vehicles, tank destroyers and reconnaissance vehicles. The round has a penetration rating of up to 1,000mm RHAe and can be used against hardened fortifications.
M414 125mm Kinetic-Energy Munition (KEM)
The M414 round is was designed as a replacement of the gun-fired variant of the BGM-88 Mace anti-tank missile. The round uses a kinetic-energy penetrator much like that of traditional sabot anti-tank rounds of other tanks, although this round is different in that it uses a directed, high performance rocket motor which engages after exited the muzzle of the gun to prevent damage to the barrel, and also uses impulse thrusters in flight to guide the projectile towards its target, whether fired in either line-of-sight or beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) modes. In line-of-sight, it would operate using laser or Infrared guidance (Target Acquisition performed by on-board Cypher UAV) or a millimeter wave seeker. In BLOS, the shell would be fired in a ballistic arc, and would seek out its own targets. The range varies but when fired beyond line of sight, it has a range of 15 kilometres. The round's lethality rating is most impressive when used in direct line of sight firing up to a range of 4,000 metres and has the power to penetrate armour with a rating of 3,000mm RHAe.
M454 125mm Multipurpose Anti-Tank (MPAT)
The M454 round uses a proximity charge for its high-explosive warhead to engage exposed infantry, light vehicles and aircraft including low-flying close air support assets like attack fighters and helicopter gunships. Like the M414 round, it can be fired in a ballistic arch and seek its own targets thanks to uplinks to detection networks such as Clear Sight or ABICS.
Protection
Passive Defence Systems
While previous Aequatian tank designs have used traditional composite armoured configurations with improved materials, recent operations have shown that new designs are needed to improve vehicle survivability.
Development has created the Mark I Vehicle Protection System (VPS) with the following layout:
External Layer - Uses the Aequatian-designed Helmet Mark II Explosive Reactive Armour to defeat tandem warhead weapons such as HEAT tank rounds and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). There will also be a Vehicle Dampening Layer (VDL) which helps to conceal the tank's infrared signature from anti-tank gunners using weapons such as the FGM-148 Javelin or AGM-65 Maverick.
First Layer - Bisplate Steel reinforced with Titanium Carbide-Cobalt Alloy to provide complete protection against smaller cannon rounds (76mm and under) and increases the resistance to enemy anti-tank weaponry such as kinetic-energy penetrators and shaped-charge warheads.
Second Layer - Carbon Multi-Walled Nanotube (MWNT) Mesh which is designed to defeat both kinetic-energy and explosively formed penetrators due to their extreme tensile strength (Up to 60 times stronger than Bisplate Steel) and low solid density and highly-efficient ballistic heat conduction, respectively.
Third Layer - Graphene Single-Walled Nanotube (SWNT) Coating over Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt Alloy Rods which run perpendicularly through a layer of Carbon-60 Ceramic Composite. It is intended to cause the points of high-velocity long-rod penetrator armour-piercing projectiles to deform, which 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 to an already weakened kinetic-energy weapon.
Fourth Layer - Borophosphosilicate Substrate Radiological and Electromagnetic Protection. Protects interior personnel and systems from radiation and electromagnetic (EM) threats respectively. Provides shielding for up to 16 kRads of radiation.
Fifth Layer - Kevlar/Neoprene Spaced Anti-Spall Protective Layer for interior crew and systems protection.
Rolled Homogenous Equivalent against KE: 1,250mm
Rolled Homogenous Equivalent against CE: 1,450mm
Active Defence Systems
“Shield II” Electro-Optical Countermeasures Defensive Aids Suite (EOCDAS)
Shield II 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, six laser sensors located on top of the turret and anti-laser smoke grenade launchers alongside the turret.
Shield II has two combat roles, 1) against wire-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 BGM-71 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 II emitters create a large hotspot, essentially tricking the missile guidance into following the Shield II 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 II System informs the crew via their display monitors; 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.
"Gladius" Active Protection System (APS)
The Gladius Active Protection System is an improvement over the original Sword System developed for the Predator II tank. It consists of the same multi-functional millimetre-band radar with “instant” scanning of all the vehicle’s protected sectors to detect and track anti-tank ballistics as well as the addition of a target-tracking LIDAR suite once the radar has obtained the enemy weapons, 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 Gladius as a whole.
The rack-mounted radar is fixed to the turret roof and the rest of the system’s components 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 by the radar, the LIDAR detection suite 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 weapon launchers 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 creates 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 and its armour.
The defensive weapon system used in Gladius differs from that of Sword in that, unlike Sword's use of conical fragmentation pods that explode outwards from the vehicle, the Gladius weapons are mounted in multiple launchers on the turret and engage the enemy rounds away from the vehicle using 35mm high-explosive fragmentation rounds set to detonate in the direct path of the incoming rounds.
The Gladius system, like Sword, 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 target is about to hit the tank.
Propulsion
The M5's powerplant question was one of the more difficult problems for the design team to solve, as there had been much discussion as to the effectivenss of the Quasiturbine engine design that had been a part of Aequatian tanks since the joint development of the XMBT-04 with Space Union. Before that time, powerful diesel engines were te favoured choice for tanks, ending with the mammoth 2,400hp V12 Biodiesel Engine aboard the Predator II main battle tank. The XMBT-04 program brought forth the concept of the Quasiturbine for tank designs and was adopted for use in following vehicles, including the Incubus, Lancer, Banshee, Panther and Lion tanks.
The Quasiturbine engine that will be used in the M5 will be a carriaged two-port, four chamber rotary design. The four chamber design was chosen as it increases the effieciency as it allows for a continuous combustion which provides a full burn of the fuel. Although one of the largest benefits of the design is that it can universally accept all fuel types such as petrol, diesel, hydrogen and biowastes with very little modification. Strategic benefits of the Quasiturbine include its ease of maintainance, as there is only a single moving part, problems which arise in the field can be easily solved without having to withdraw the vehicle for lengthy repair procedures. Without a complex engine with a large number of moving parts, the engine provides support personnel with a simple and easy machine to work with.
Other advantages include the cylinder ports in place of valves reduce the number of moving parts, in common with the Wankel engine and some two stroke engines. The carriages keep the seals almost perpendicular to the cylinder walls, in contrast to the Wankel engine where the angle varies plus and minus 60°. The rotor can be designed so its centre of gravity remains stationary or nearly so, minimising vibration. As well, the engine provides up to sixteen strokes per revolution of the rotor, as opposed to twelve for a single-rotor Wankel engine and two for a revolution of the crankshaft of a single-cylinder single-acting piston engine, allowing for greater output of power.
Although an impressive machine, the design is not without its disadvantages, including its high temperature that is produced, especially when diesel and biowaste fuels are used. Despite this, the engine is seen as having enough benefits to offset this disadvantage. As well, the Vehicle Dampening Layer (VDL) helps to conceal the heat signature produced by the tank.
Crew Compliment and Interior
The interior of the M5 has been designed for optimum crew efficiency. The crew compartment is spacious enough for the crew to perform their duties without adding unecessary stress or pressure on the personnel. To fulfill this requirement, the interior of the tank is comparitively larger than those of other vehicles. The vehicle will carry a crew of four, a commander, driver, gunner and loader, forgoing the automatic loading system absent from all Aequatian tank designs after being considered a liability when the gun is damaged by enemy fire.
The Gladiator II 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 ABICS 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 M1000 125mm cannon. The driver sits low in the hull centered at the front of the vehicle and has a display for the ABICS. The assistant is stationed at the rear of the turret and can activate the extinguisher for the ammunition compartment should it be ignited by enemy fire.
For most of the part all electronics are kept in the front of the vehicle to insure that they are not damaged as easily should an enemy round penetrate the turret armour. Each crewmember has a display screen that is specifically for supportign their role in the tank. The commander also has a main screen which has a constant uplink to both the Clear Sight Network and Advanced Battlefield Information Control System. The vehicle's central processing unit is located underneath the commander's seat. This allows for optimum compactness for the computer and allows it to not interfere with the duties of the crew. The engine is located in the front of the vehicle so that the tank has the most protection available to it. This ensures that there is a lower chance of a round destroying the engine and leaving the crew stranded in the middle of a fierce firefight or in enemy territory. The fuel compartment, crew compartment and engine have been reinforced with a layer of Graphene Single-Walled Nanotube (SWNT). This has allowed for better survivability of all the vital components of the XM5 without adding substancial weight to the overall vehicle.
Electronics
The M5 main battle tank is one of the most advanced combat vehicles produced for the Aequatian Republic and its development comes at a time when there is a higher integration of high technology into warfighting systems.
In order to make the Gladiator II a real competitor in the international scene, the vehicle had to include some of the most advanced systems developed in the Aequatian Republic. The main system is the vehicle's "Spirit" Central Processing and Distribution Unit (CPDU). The semi-autonomous system is designed to aid in the command and control functions of both headquarters units and the vehicle's commander. Connected to the Clear sight Network and ABICS, Spirit functions by utilizing data provided by these systems, to create an interactive map of the immediate area of operations. The system incorporates the latest version of the Aequatian-designed WillTell Fire Control and Targetting System. Using the Clear Sight and ABICS, it is capable of tracking any foreign objects within the mapping area and displays it for the commander to monitor. It then allows the commander to designate targets on the screen for the gunner and the Spirit Processor will automatically lock on it for firing. The commander can use the system to designate a queue of targets either by his own choice or with assistance provided by the CPDU, which can automatically determine the threat level of the enemy contacts and figure a firing sequence for the main gun and what ammunition to use. The system is fully integrated with the ABICS and is informed with the vital information of BLUEFOR elements within the area of operations.
The commander has access to a monitor which displays all the functions and the current status of the vehicle as well as the biological links to the crew. He can perform diagnostic tests on the tank's systems and weapons. There is also a command console for both the M5's intercom system and external communication systems such as the Infantry Phone and the Satellite Uplink to his command elements.
The driver has access to a display monitor that allows the plotting ofthe tank's movement, with direction from the commander or CPDU. The driver can set coordinates and have the tank automatically move to the location, maintain formation with other units and monitor the path of movement. There is also monitoring for the engine, vehicle speed, and overall performance of the tank.
The gunner has access to the WillTell Mark III Fire Control System on his terminal. With the direction of the CPDU, the gunner can plot which targets to engage and classify the targets based on priority and threat.
The assistant has a display screen which shows the amount of ammunition left in the stocks and overall status of the vehicle's weapon systems. The assistant can examine any problems with one of the weapons, including the main gun, by performing a diagnostic test through the CPDU.
One of the most powerful features of the Spirit CPDU is its power. Not only does it provide the crew access to all resources available with the Advanced Battlefield Information Control System and visibility that cannot be matched by any other main battle tank. The most powerful weapon in the M5's arsenal is knowledge with full networking capability with Command vehicles and other M5 vehicles. This entire system is called the Mobile Tracking Network Structure (MTNS). At any moment a the battlefield situation changes(for example: the destruction of a friendly troop, enemy troop, sitings of enemy positions or commands from unit command) the network allows all the tank crews within the unit have complete situational awareness to complete their mission.
To increase the information gathering capabilities of the M5 tank, each vehicle is equipped with a Cypher Light Observation/Designation Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (LOD-UAV). The Cypher UAV is stored in the roof of the turret and can be launched from within the vehicle without exposing the crew to hostie environments. The drone is fully autonomous and is equipped with both a FLIR Television Camera with a 4x Power Zoom capability and a Laser Designator/Rangefinder (LDRF). It is linked to a monitor for the vehicle commander and can help the CPDU determine enemy targets and designate them for use of the M414 round.
Specifications
M5 Gladiator II Main Battle Tank
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3038/m5gladiatoriicamofl5.png
Price:
Development Cost: 135,550,000,000 Aequatian Markes
Unit Production Cost: 7,650,000 Aequatian Markes
Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Driver and Assistant)
Weight: 62,500kg
Length: 9.3m (hull); 13.2m (gun forward)
Height: 3.75m
Width: 4.25m
Engine: Aequatian Auomotive Industries (Propulsion Division) Universal Fuel 2,400hp Quasiturbine Powerplant
Range: 400km
Armour Type: Aequatian Military Industries (Composites Division) Mark I Vehicle Protection System (VPS)
Armament
Aequatian Military Industries M1000 Fully-Stabilized, High-Pressure 125mm Smoothbore Gun (40 Rounds Total)
Aequatian Military Industries M125A2 Coaxial-mounted 35mm Automatic Cannon (400 ready rounds; 600 stored)
Aequatian Military Industries M2C1 Turret-mounted 12.7mm machinegun (500 ready rounds; 1,000 stored)
Secondary Systems
Advanced Battlefield Information Control System (ABICS)
Cypher Light Observation/Designation Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (LOD-UAV)
Aequatian Military Industries Spirit Central Processing and Distribution Unit (CPDU)
Aequatian Military Industries WillTell Mark III Computerized Fire Control System (FCS)
Aequatian Military Industries K-200 Environmental Conditioning and CBNR Protection System
Aequatian Military Industries Shield II Electro-Optical Countermeasures Defensive Aids Suite (EOCMDAS)
Aequatian Military Industries Gladius Active Protection System (APS)
Aequatian Military Industries Scout Forward Looking InfraRed Sighting System (Commander)
Aequatian Military Industries Archer II Sights w/Magnification Day AMI EMES-15, 12x/secondary (Gunner)
Aequatian Military Industries 8x Inferno II Nighttime Thermal Imager (Gunner)
Aequatian Military Industries Carbon Dioxide Laser Rangefinder
Two Tri-Barrel Smoke Grenade Launchers on each side of turret
Performance
Max. Road Speed: 68km/h
Max. Cross-Country Speed: 57km/h
Fording Depth: 1.45m
Vertical Obstacle: 1.25m
Trench: 4.0m
The purpose of this development program was born out of the disasterous losses suffered by Aequatian Marine armoured forces during both campaigns against the nation of Red Tide. Although the Mark 10 Banshee and M1 Panther tanks were both formidable vehicles, it has become clear that such vehicles are still not on par with those of other nations around the world.
The M5 main battle tank would incorporate combat systems into its design so that it may be better integrated into the Advanced Battlefield Information Control System (ABICS) and other forces such as Infantry, Artillery and Air Support.
Armament
The standard main gun of Aequatian main battle tanks since the development of the original Gladiator I tank have been a combination of either the M40-series electrothermal chemical 120mm gun or the M70-series conventional 140mm smoothbore gun, the latter proving to be the more effective weapon when dealing with variety in ammuniton types. It was decided that new tests would need to be conducted in order to find the most effective multipurpose weapon for the M5. Although the M40A2 120mm ETC gun has an impressive anti-armour capability, its range of ammunition limit the tank's usefulness in all types of warfare, the M70A1 140mm Smoothbore has an increased arsenal of ammunition types ranging from the anti-personnel M320 Canister rounds and M312 High-Explosive Fragmentation (HE-FRAG) to the M400 High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), M410 Armour-Peircing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) and M450 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose (HEDP) 140mm rounds and the gun-launched BGM-88 "Mace" Kinetic-Energy Missile, tanks armed with the M70-series guns had an advantage when operations changed. Although the M70-series guns had a large advantage over the M40-series ETC guns in direct combat, with a larger bore size, a tank with a 140mm gun would be unable to carry enough rounds for sustained operations, making the tanks slaves to their logistical train.
It was decided that the M5 would require a gun that would be useful in a number of environments and have ammunition for combat distances ranging from 100m and up to 15km. The latter would be achieved through the use of assisted rounds. A smaller bore size would also be required to allow the vehicle to be self-sufficient for a longer period of time.
The M1000 High Pressure 125mm Smoothbore gun was developed specifically for use with the M5. The following rounds were also created for use in conjunction with the gun:
M350 125mm Canister
M401 125mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT)
M414 125mm Kinetic-Energy Munition (KEM)
M454 125mm Multipurpose Anti-Tank (MPAT)
In addition to the main gun, the Gladiator II has an impressive array of secondary weapons. The first is a coaxially-mounted M125A2 35mm Automatic Cannon, much like that mounted on the M4 Spartan Infantry Combat Vehicle and Crusader Mark I Reconnaissance Vehicle. In addition to the coaxial autocannon, there will also be turret-mounted M2C1 12.7mm Heavy and MG76A1 8.5mm General-Purpose machineguns.
Ammunition
M350 125mm Canister
Designed to engage infantry that are wither exposed to the environment or garrisoned within a building. The 12.7mm Tungsten pellets are meant to punch through walls and body armour and cause a great amount of damage as possible.
M401 125mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT)
The M401 HEAT round uses an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP) Warhead and is more than capable of defeating all light vehicles, including infantry fighting vehicles, tank destroyers and reconnaissance vehicles. The round has a penetration rating of up to 1,000mm RHAe and can be used against hardened fortifications.
M414 125mm Kinetic-Energy Munition (KEM)
The M414 round is was designed as a replacement of the gun-fired variant of the BGM-88 Mace anti-tank missile. The round uses a kinetic-energy penetrator much like that of traditional sabot anti-tank rounds of other tanks, although this round is different in that it uses a directed, high performance rocket motor which engages after exited the muzzle of the gun to prevent damage to the barrel, and also uses impulse thrusters in flight to guide the projectile towards its target, whether fired in either line-of-sight or beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) modes. In line-of-sight, it would operate using laser or Infrared guidance (Target Acquisition performed by on-board Cypher UAV) or a millimeter wave seeker. In BLOS, the shell would be fired in a ballistic arc, and would seek out its own targets. The range varies but when fired beyond line of sight, it has a range of 15 kilometres. The round's lethality rating is most impressive when used in direct line of sight firing up to a range of 4,000 metres and has the power to penetrate armour with a rating of 3,000mm RHAe.
M454 125mm Multipurpose Anti-Tank (MPAT)
The M454 round uses a proximity charge for its high-explosive warhead to engage exposed infantry, light vehicles and aircraft including low-flying close air support assets like attack fighters and helicopter gunships. Like the M414 round, it can be fired in a ballistic arch and seek its own targets thanks to uplinks to detection networks such as Clear Sight or ABICS.
Protection
Passive Defence Systems
While previous Aequatian tank designs have used traditional composite armoured configurations with improved materials, recent operations have shown that new designs are needed to improve vehicle survivability.
Development has created the Mark I Vehicle Protection System (VPS) with the following layout:
External Layer - Uses the Aequatian-designed Helmet Mark II Explosive Reactive Armour to defeat tandem warhead weapons such as HEAT tank rounds and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). There will also be a Vehicle Dampening Layer (VDL) which helps to conceal the tank's infrared signature from anti-tank gunners using weapons such as the FGM-148 Javelin or AGM-65 Maverick.
First Layer - Bisplate Steel reinforced with Titanium Carbide-Cobalt Alloy to provide complete protection against smaller cannon rounds (76mm and under) and increases the resistance to enemy anti-tank weaponry such as kinetic-energy penetrators and shaped-charge warheads.
Second Layer - Carbon Multi-Walled Nanotube (MWNT) Mesh which is designed to defeat both kinetic-energy and explosively formed penetrators due to their extreme tensile strength (Up to 60 times stronger than Bisplate Steel) and low solid density and highly-efficient ballistic heat conduction, respectively.
Third Layer - Graphene Single-Walled Nanotube (SWNT) Coating over Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt Alloy Rods which run perpendicularly through a layer of Carbon-60 Ceramic Composite. It is intended to cause the points of high-velocity long-rod penetrator armour-piercing projectiles to deform, which 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 to an already weakened kinetic-energy weapon.
Fourth Layer - Borophosphosilicate Substrate Radiological and Electromagnetic Protection. Protects interior personnel and systems from radiation and electromagnetic (EM) threats respectively. Provides shielding for up to 16 kRads of radiation.
Fifth Layer - Kevlar/Neoprene Spaced Anti-Spall Protective Layer for interior crew and systems protection.
Rolled Homogenous Equivalent against KE: 1,250mm
Rolled Homogenous Equivalent against CE: 1,450mm
Active Defence Systems
“Shield II” Electro-Optical Countermeasures Defensive Aids Suite (EOCDAS)
Shield II 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, six laser sensors located on top of the turret and anti-laser smoke grenade launchers alongside the turret.
Shield II has two combat roles, 1) against wire-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 BGM-71 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 II emitters create a large hotspot, essentially tricking the missile guidance into following the Shield II 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 II System informs the crew via their display monitors; 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.
"Gladius" Active Protection System (APS)
The Gladius Active Protection System is an improvement over the original Sword System developed for the Predator II tank. It consists of the same multi-functional millimetre-band radar with “instant” scanning of all the vehicle’s protected sectors to detect and track anti-tank ballistics as well as the addition of a target-tracking LIDAR suite once the radar has obtained the enemy weapons, 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 Gladius as a whole.
The rack-mounted radar is fixed to the turret roof and the rest of the system’s components 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 by the radar, the LIDAR detection suite 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 weapon launchers 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 creates 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 and its armour.
The defensive weapon system used in Gladius differs from that of Sword in that, unlike Sword's use of conical fragmentation pods that explode outwards from the vehicle, the Gladius weapons are mounted in multiple launchers on the turret and engage the enemy rounds away from the vehicle using 35mm high-explosive fragmentation rounds set to detonate in the direct path of the incoming rounds.
The Gladius system, like Sword, 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 target is about to hit the tank.
Propulsion
The M5's powerplant question was one of the more difficult problems for the design team to solve, as there had been much discussion as to the effectivenss of the Quasiturbine engine design that had been a part of Aequatian tanks since the joint development of the XMBT-04 with Space Union. Before that time, powerful diesel engines were te favoured choice for tanks, ending with the mammoth 2,400hp V12 Biodiesel Engine aboard the Predator II main battle tank. The XMBT-04 program brought forth the concept of the Quasiturbine for tank designs and was adopted for use in following vehicles, including the Incubus, Lancer, Banshee, Panther and Lion tanks.
The Quasiturbine engine that will be used in the M5 will be a carriaged two-port, four chamber rotary design. The four chamber design was chosen as it increases the effieciency as it allows for a continuous combustion which provides a full burn of the fuel. Although one of the largest benefits of the design is that it can universally accept all fuel types such as petrol, diesel, hydrogen and biowastes with very little modification. Strategic benefits of the Quasiturbine include its ease of maintainance, as there is only a single moving part, problems which arise in the field can be easily solved without having to withdraw the vehicle for lengthy repair procedures. Without a complex engine with a large number of moving parts, the engine provides support personnel with a simple and easy machine to work with.
Other advantages include the cylinder ports in place of valves reduce the number of moving parts, in common with the Wankel engine and some two stroke engines. The carriages keep the seals almost perpendicular to the cylinder walls, in contrast to the Wankel engine where the angle varies plus and minus 60°. The rotor can be designed so its centre of gravity remains stationary or nearly so, minimising vibration. As well, the engine provides up to sixteen strokes per revolution of the rotor, as opposed to twelve for a single-rotor Wankel engine and two for a revolution of the crankshaft of a single-cylinder single-acting piston engine, allowing for greater output of power.
Although an impressive machine, the design is not without its disadvantages, including its high temperature that is produced, especially when diesel and biowaste fuels are used. Despite this, the engine is seen as having enough benefits to offset this disadvantage. As well, the Vehicle Dampening Layer (VDL) helps to conceal the heat signature produced by the tank.
Crew Compliment and Interior
The interior of the M5 has been designed for optimum crew efficiency. The crew compartment is spacious enough for the crew to perform their duties without adding unecessary stress or pressure on the personnel. To fulfill this requirement, the interior of the tank is comparitively larger than those of other vehicles. The vehicle will carry a crew of four, a commander, driver, gunner and loader, forgoing the automatic loading system absent from all Aequatian tank designs after being considered a liability when the gun is damaged by enemy fire.
The Gladiator II 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 ABICS 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 M1000 125mm cannon. The driver sits low in the hull centered at the front of the vehicle and has a display for the ABICS. The assistant is stationed at the rear of the turret and can activate the extinguisher for the ammunition compartment should it be ignited by enemy fire.
For most of the part all electronics are kept in the front of the vehicle to insure that they are not damaged as easily should an enemy round penetrate the turret armour. Each crewmember has a display screen that is specifically for supportign their role in the tank. The commander also has a main screen which has a constant uplink to both the Clear Sight Network and Advanced Battlefield Information Control System. The vehicle's central processing unit is located underneath the commander's seat. This allows for optimum compactness for the computer and allows it to not interfere with the duties of the crew. The engine is located in the front of the vehicle so that the tank has the most protection available to it. This ensures that there is a lower chance of a round destroying the engine and leaving the crew stranded in the middle of a fierce firefight or in enemy territory. The fuel compartment, crew compartment and engine have been reinforced with a layer of Graphene Single-Walled Nanotube (SWNT). This has allowed for better survivability of all the vital components of the XM5 without adding substancial weight to the overall vehicle.
Electronics
The M5 main battle tank is one of the most advanced combat vehicles produced for the Aequatian Republic and its development comes at a time when there is a higher integration of high technology into warfighting systems.
In order to make the Gladiator II a real competitor in the international scene, the vehicle had to include some of the most advanced systems developed in the Aequatian Republic. The main system is the vehicle's "Spirit" Central Processing and Distribution Unit (CPDU). The semi-autonomous system is designed to aid in the command and control functions of both headquarters units and the vehicle's commander. Connected to the Clear sight Network and ABICS, Spirit functions by utilizing data provided by these systems, to create an interactive map of the immediate area of operations. The system incorporates the latest version of the Aequatian-designed WillTell Fire Control and Targetting System. Using the Clear Sight and ABICS, it is capable of tracking any foreign objects within the mapping area and displays it for the commander to monitor. It then allows the commander to designate targets on the screen for the gunner and the Spirit Processor will automatically lock on it for firing. The commander can use the system to designate a queue of targets either by his own choice or with assistance provided by the CPDU, which can automatically determine the threat level of the enemy contacts and figure a firing sequence for the main gun and what ammunition to use. The system is fully integrated with the ABICS and is informed with the vital information of BLUEFOR elements within the area of operations.
The commander has access to a monitor which displays all the functions and the current status of the vehicle as well as the biological links to the crew. He can perform diagnostic tests on the tank's systems and weapons. There is also a command console for both the M5's intercom system and external communication systems such as the Infantry Phone and the Satellite Uplink to his command elements.
The driver has access to a display monitor that allows the plotting ofthe tank's movement, with direction from the commander or CPDU. The driver can set coordinates and have the tank automatically move to the location, maintain formation with other units and monitor the path of movement. There is also monitoring for the engine, vehicle speed, and overall performance of the tank.
The gunner has access to the WillTell Mark III Fire Control System on his terminal. With the direction of the CPDU, the gunner can plot which targets to engage and classify the targets based on priority and threat.
The assistant has a display screen which shows the amount of ammunition left in the stocks and overall status of the vehicle's weapon systems. The assistant can examine any problems with one of the weapons, including the main gun, by performing a diagnostic test through the CPDU.
One of the most powerful features of the Spirit CPDU is its power. Not only does it provide the crew access to all resources available with the Advanced Battlefield Information Control System and visibility that cannot be matched by any other main battle tank. The most powerful weapon in the M5's arsenal is knowledge with full networking capability with Command vehicles and other M5 vehicles. This entire system is called the Mobile Tracking Network Structure (MTNS). At any moment a the battlefield situation changes(for example: the destruction of a friendly troop, enemy troop, sitings of enemy positions or commands from unit command) the network allows all the tank crews within the unit have complete situational awareness to complete their mission.
To increase the information gathering capabilities of the M5 tank, each vehicle is equipped with a Cypher Light Observation/Designation Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (LOD-UAV). The Cypher UAV is stored in the roof of the turret and can be launched from within the vehicle without exposing the crew to hostie environments. The drone is fully autonomous and is equipped with both a FLIR Television Camera with a 4x Power Zoom capability and a Laser Designator/Rangefinder (LDRF). It is linked to a monitor for the vehicle commander and can help the CPDU determine enemy targets and designate them for use of the M414 round.
Specifications
M5 Gladiator II Main Battle Tank
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3038/m5gladiatoriicamofl5.png
Price:
Development Cost: 135,550,000,000 Aequatian Markes
Unit Production Cost: 7,650,000 Aequatian Markes
Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Driver and Assistant)
Weight: 62,500kg
Length: 9.3m (hull); 13.2m (gun forward)
Height: 3.75m
Width: 4.25m
Engine: Aequatian Auomotive Industries (Propulsion Division) Universal Fuel 2,400hp Quasiturbine Powerplant
Range: 400km
Armour Type: Aequatian Military Industries (Composites Division) Mark I Vehicle Protection System (VPS)
Armament
Aequatian Military Industries M1000 Fully-Stabilized, High-Pressure 125mm Smoothbore Gun (40 Rounds Total)
Aequatian Military Industries M125A2 Coaxial-mounted 35mm Automatic Cannon (400 ready rounds; 600 stored)
Aequatian Military Industries M2C1 Turret-mounted 12.7mm machinegun (500 ready rounds; 1,000 stored)
Secondary Systems
Advanced Battlefield Information Control System (ABICS)
Cypher Light Observation/Designation Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (LOD-UAV)
Aequatian Military Industries Spirit Central Processing and Distribution Unit (CPDU)
Aequatian Military Industries WillTell Mark III Computerized Fire Control System (FCS)
Aequatian Military Industries K-200 Environmental Conditioning and CBNR Protection System
Aequatian Military Industries Shield II Electro-Optical Countermeasures Defensive Aids Suite (EOCMDAS)
Aequatian Military Industries Gladius Active Protection System (APS)
Aequatian Military Industries Scout Forward Looking InfraRed Sighting System (Commander)
Aequatian Military Industries Archer II Sights w/Magnification Day AMI EMES-15, 12x/secondary (Gunner)
Aequatian Military Industries 8x Inferno II Nighttime Thermal Imager (Gunner)
Aequatian Military Industries Carbon Dioxide Laser Rangefinder
Two Tri-Barrel Smoke Grenade Launchers on each side of turret
Performance
Max. Road Speed: 68km/h
Max. Cross-Country Speed: 57km/h
Fording Depth: 1.45m
Vertical Obstacle: 1.25m
Trench: 4.0m