NationStates Jolt Archive

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg16/grimreaper061/Kingdom%20of%20Imbrinium%20NS/KINGDOMOFIMBRINIUM.png



To: All Defense Contractors
From: MOD, Kingdom of Imbrinium

The Kingdom of Imbrinium is currently in need of an airborne tank, to be able to fight and support airborne units. The following are the specs to meet.

Specs:
Under 15 tons.
At least a 105mm main gun
RWS for a .50 cal and coax of 7.62
Must carry at least 40rds of main gun ammo
Be able to carry extra fuel in external tanks on back of tank.
Self-defense system.
At least 300-mile range
40mph top speed or greater.
Must be able to use any fuel Bio-fuel, Gas, Diesels, JP-4, and JP-8 etc.

A tank being deployed by air is simply not possible in a MT setting.

I would recommend some type of light fighting vehicle like a HMMMV (Hum V) or a much lighter version of a stryker that isn't equiped with a large tank like platform but instead something like a 20mm or 30mm cannon similar to the ones used in aircraft would be best as they are small and thus more mobile, a .50 cal machine gun or a MK 19 gernade launcher for an area effect weapon.

Airborne forces by nature aren't ment to fight alone for long but rather go ahead of larger offensive forces and capture strategic points like bridges or small-mid sized towns that have seveal road junctions, hill tops, or other strategic targets.

the death stalker can be deployed by air, although its armor isn't that great.

http://home.comcast.net/~genericdad/airbornegavin.jpg

ooc close thing you get ,would be the M551 Sheridan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M551_Sheridan)

http://z4.invisionfree.com/NSDraftroom/index.php?showtopic=4329

http://www.strange-mecha.com/vehicle/track/su-ft.JPG

http://z4.invisionfree.com/NSDraftroom/index.php?showtopic=4329

That thing weighs like 18 tons or so...

That thing weighs like 18 tons or so...

Yes it does. However, it's probably as close as he's going to get to what he wants.

Sherridan tank will do that job

With rocket-assisted airdrops, anything up to 20 tons can be landed. Only detail is that the crew would have to be airdropped separatedly for the 15-20 tons range.

BMD-4 would be your best bet, it's got the turret of the BMP-3, weighs only 13.2 tons and it's air-droppable with the crew inside. You could probably add ARENA or whatever to it, but that would increase the weight.


From what I've seen, NS airborne tanks usually weigh as much as a T-55

OOC: This (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M8-AGS) is as close as you'll get and it has a base weight of about 20 tons. As already mentioned the M551 Sheridan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M551_Sheridan) will do too, but it is a very limited (and old) vehicle.

OOC:
a good tracked 15 ton chassis should be able handle something analagous to a Cockerill CV-CT weapons system (full 105mm NATO compatible un and turret). The only really overly optimystic stat in the requirement is the ammo load.

To be honest I would be interested in making a stab at this as I have a few thoughts for a light tracked chassis kicking around. Would there be any room for manouver on the main gun and has it to be compatible with any particualr type of 105mm ammo?

OOC: The quality of replies here are, well, hilarious.

First, a 105mm gun will weigh say 1.2 tonnes, not 15. In fact, the L7 (M68) weighs 1.2 tonnes, and it's little more then a bored out 20-pounder of late 1940s vintage. You can get a little lighter.

Second, getting a "tank" airborn and air deployable are relativly easy. Look at the British Scorpion, or the entire CVR(T) line. They're about half your weight needs. Or how about the AMX-13, the original airborn tank. In fact last I checked there were 105mm gun armed versions of those. There's the known M551 as well. Or you can go the route of armoured cars, including the air-deployable ARC-90, or AMX-10RC, or on NS, my SAV-12. You can also go the route of IFV, which the BMD series are, but when you do you take your already severely limited armour weight and lessen it more to allow greater internal volume for passengers, so you lose something to allow them to do more then ride on the back.

The only problem with his requierments is that he wants more then 40 rounds of 105mm ammo in such a weight class, which is generally not doable without compromising somewhere else.