Author Topic: Cerberus Tanks  (Read 2059 times)

Trenchknife

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Cerberus Tanks
« on: 09 February 2011, 23:08:45 »
So I wanted to build something that was pretty much purpose built to be close support vehicle for infantry and BA formations in the post jihad and dark ages.  This is what I came up with.   I admit that I got a little carried away with the write up, but hey...why not!

Code: [Select]
==Overview==
    The Cerberus family of tanks is the brainchild of Winston Wulzor.  Winston is the founder and chief
engineer of Coyote Arms, based on the planet Colorado. They are a medium scale player in the AFFS
small arms manufacturing lineup.  It was the small nature of Coyote Arms which kept them off the Word
of Blake's priority target list during the Jihad.  In the years of the Jihad, Winston bought a manufacturing
plant for heavy farm equipment.  Winston wanted to build the tanks that would help the Federated Suns
defeat the WoB.  He quickly began recruiting engineers with experience designing tanks as well as a
small cadre of retired armor and infantry commanders, but the key person turned out to be 26 year old
Dorothy Hamill.  She was not intimidated by the senior members of the design team and brought a great
deal of inspiration to the engineering process.

    In planning out the design, a need was seen in the military for a tank that would be able to provide
close support for infantry and battle armor formations.  A tank that could provide indirect, covering fire in
both defensive and offensive operations.  Ms. Hamill fixed her eyes on the newly developed series of
'Mech Mortars. 

    The armor commanders were also adamant about the lack of a truly effective air suppression vehicle
that would be able to engage enemy aircraft without putting themselves in undo harm.  They were
complaining that the current air defense umbrella provided by the likes of the Pike Tank had proven
ineffective in sheltering their commands from airborne attack.  It was here that their Muse, Ms. Hamill,
came in with specs for the Air Defense Artillery missiles developed for Arrow IV launchers.

    At this point Mr. Wulzor had to take charge and reign in his brain trust.  There just wasn't enough
money to develop two different tanks, and there certainly wasn't enough money to develop one using
omni technology.  This is where Dorothy's magic struck again.  After several days of bickering over which
way to go she asked, "Why can't we just build two different turrets for the same tank?"  And so they
decided to build a single chassis that would support both variants. 

    Unfortunately, all of the brilliant and speedy engineering work in developing the Cerberus family of
tanks couldn't overcome the fact that Winston's chosen team had never actually produced a combat
vehicle before.  There were complications throughout the development and testing process as well as a
slew of difficulties tooling up the equipment plant to make war stock.  As a result, Coyote Armor
managed to roll their first Cerberus off the line the same day that the Word of Blake formally surrendered
Terra.  The only thing that kept Coyote Arms & Armor from going bankrupt was that Winston Wulzor kept
one line of the plant producing farm equipment.  That steady source of income kept the corporation from
drowning. 

==Description==
    The heart of the Cerberus is a 100 ton tracked chassis powered by a 300 rated fusion engine.  Since
the primary purpose of the Cerberus was close support of combat elements, the Coyote design team
knew that it would be subject to frequent targeting.  They supplied over 11 tons of armor to protect the
crew and equipment from harm.  The turret was built to support up to 35 tons of weaponry, and was
pre-wired to accept the two specific weapon-loads that were being built for the chassis.  This was so
that there would only need to be one assembly line for the chassis to support both core variants.

==Armament==
    The main configuration of the Cerberus emphasizes indirect fire support through installation of three
Rainmaker 'Mech Mortars, the largest available, in the turret.  This trio is devastating to infantry and
dangerous to battle armor, light vehicles and mechs.  In order protect itself against close in threats the
designers chose to take advantage of the fusion engines heat sinks.  Three medium lasers were added
to the turret and a SRM four-pack was placed in the front.  Lastly, four machine guns were placed in side
sponsons for infantry deterrence. The last piece of equipment added is the most advanced as well.  A
Guardian ECM Suite was installed in an effort to further support infantry and BA formations. 

==Variants==
    The first variant is actually the second main production model that is produced by Coyote Armor.  This
alternate turret drops the three 'Mech Mortars and replaces them with two Arrow IV missile systems.
 The truly interesting addition is the installation of the D2j targeting and  tracking system made famous
through in the Rifleman battlemech.  The emphasis of this model is anti-air though it is common for a two
tons of Homing missiles to be carried.  The ammunition load is reduced in order to make room for a pair of
additional heat sinks.  These are used to supply the necessary cooling for a fourth medium laser. Every
other system remains the same. 
   
    The second variant, is actually a copy of the two main models with an Internal Combustion Engine
instead of the Fusion plant.  In order to find the tonnage for this the armor had to be reduced to only
four tons, and all secondary weapons were dropped except the sponson mounted machine guns.
Additionally, the mortar variant is reduced to only 24 rounds of fire.  These ICE variants are intended for
sale to militia units as they are not intended for offensive operations. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Code: [Select]
Type/Model:    Cerberus Fire Support Tank(Fusion)
Tech:          Inner Sphere / 3080
Config:        Tracked Vehicle
Rules:         Experimental Design

Mass:          100 tons
Power Plant:   300 Standard Fusion Engine
Cruise Speed:  32.5 kph
Maximum Speed: 54.6 kph
Armor Type:    Standard
Armament:     
  3 Rainmaker Heavy 'Mech Mortars
  3 Teladyne Medium Lasers
  1 Federated SRM-4
  4 Browning Machine Guns
  1 T.I. Guardian ECM Suite
Manufacturer:  Various
  Location:    Various
Communications System:  Achernar Electronics HID-8.7
Targeting & Tracking System:  Federated Hunter Mk. XXIV
          w/Bombard Mk. VIII
--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model:    Cerberus Fire Support Tank(Fusion)
Mass:          100 tons

Equipment:                                 Items    Mass
Int. Struct.:  50 pts Standard               0     10.00
Engine:        300 S.F.E.                    0     19.00
    Cruise MP:   3
     Flank MP:   5
Heat Sinks:      10 Single                   0      0.00
Cockpit & Controls:                          0      5.00
Crew: 7 Members                              0      0.00
Turret Equipment:                            0      3.50
Sponson Equipment:                           0      0.50
Armor Factor:  184 pts Standard              0     11.50

                          Internal    Armor
                          Structure   Value
   Front:                    10         42
   Left / Right Sides:       10      35/35
   Rear:                     10         30
   Turret:                   10         42

Weapons and Equipment    Loc  Heat  Ammo   Items    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
3 'Mech Mortar/8         Turret   0   36     3     30.00
9 Ammunition (MM/8)      Body     0          1      9.00
3 Medium Lasers          Turret   9          3      3.00
1 SRM-4                  Front    0   25     1      2.00
1 Ammunition (SRM)       Body     0          1      1.00
2 Machine Guns           RT Sponson  400     2      1.00
2 Machine Guns           LT Sponson          2      1.00
2 Ammunition (MG)        Body     0          1      2.00
1 Guardian ECM Suite     Body     0          1      1.50
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                           0         15    100.00
Items & Tons Left:                          10       .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        3,013,500 C-Bills
Battle Value 2:    1102 (old BV = 328)
Cost per BV:       2,734.57 C-Bills

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Code: [Select]
Type/Model:    Cerberus S.A.M. Tank (Fusion)
Tech:          Inner Sphere / 3080
Config:        Tracked Vehicle
Rules:         Experimental Design

Mass:          100 tons
Power Plant:   300 Standard Fusion Engine
Cruise Speed:  32.5 kph
Maximum Speed: 54.6 kp
Armor Type:    Standard
Armament:     
  2 Rainmaker 'Megadart' Arrow IV Launchers
  4 Teladyne Medium Lasers
  1 Federated SRM-4
  4 Browning Machine Guns
  1 T.I. Guardian ECM Suite
Manufacturer:  Various
  Location:    Various
Communications System:  Achernar Electronics HID-8.7
Targeting & Tracking System:  Garrett D2j
--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model:    Cerberus S.A.M. (Fusion)
Mass:          100 tons

Equipment:                                 Items    Mass
Int. Struct.:  50 pts Standard               0     10.00
Engine:        300 S.F.E.                    0     19.00
    Cruise MP:   3
     Flank MP:   5
Heat Sinks:      12 Single                   0      2.00
Cockpit & Controls:                          0      5.00
Crew: 7 Members                              0      0.00
Turret Equipment:                            0      3.50
Sponson Equipment:                           0      0.50
Armor Factor:  184 pts Standard              0     11.50

                          Internal    Armor
                          Structure   Value
   Front:                    10         42
   Left / Right Sides:       10      35/35
   Rear:                     10         30
   Turret:                   10         42

Weapons and Equipment    Loc  Heat  Ammo   Items    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
2 Arrow IV               Turret   0   30     2     30.00
6 Ammunition (Arrow IV)  Body     0          1      6.00
4 Medium Lasers          Turret   9          4      4.00
1 SRM-4                  Front    0   25     1      2.00
1 Ammunition (SRM)       Body     0          1      1.00
2 Machine Guns           RT Sponson  400     2      1.00
2 Machine Guns           LT Sponson          2      1.00
2 Ammunition (MG)        Body     0          1      2.00
1 Guardian ECM Suite     Body     0          1      1.50
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                           0         15    100.00
Items & Tons Left:                          10       .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        3,717,500 C-Bills
Battle Value 2:    1,604 (old BV = 328)
Cost per BV:       2,317.64 C-Bills

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Code: [Select]
Type/Model:    Cerberus Fire Support Tank (ICE)
Tech:          Inner Sphere / 3080
Config:        Tracked Vehicle
Rules:         Experimental Design

Mass:          100 tons
Power Plant:   300 Internal Combustion Engine
Cruise Speed:  32.5 kph
Maximum Speed: 54.6 kph
Armor Type:    Standard
Armament:     
  3 Rainmaker Heavy 'Mech Mortars
  4 Browning Machine Guns
Manufacturer:  Various
  Location:    Various
Communications System:  Achernar Electronics HID-8.7
Targeting & Tracking System:  Federated Hunter Mk. XXIV
          w/Bombard Mk. VIII
--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model:    Cerberus Fire Support Vehicle (ICE)
Mass:          100 tons

Equipment:                                 Items    Mass
Int. Struct.:  50 pts Standard               0     10.00
Engine:        300 I.C.E.                    0     38.00
    Cruise MP:   3
     Flank MP:   5
Heat Sinks:                                  0      0.00
Cockpit & Controls:                          0      5.00
Crew: 7 Members                              0      0.00
Turret Equipment:                            0      3.50
Sponson Equipment:                           0      0.50
Armor Factor:  64 pts Standard               0      4.00

                          Internal    Armor
                          Structure   Value
   Front:                    10         15
   Left / Right Sides:       10      12/12
   Rear:                     10         10
   Turret:                   10         15

Weapons and Equipment    Loc  Heat  Ammo   Items    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
3 'Mech Mortar/8         Turret   0   24     3     30.00
6 Ammunition (MM/8)      Body     0          1      6.00
2 Machine Guns           RT Sponson  200     2      1.00
2 Machine Guns           LT Sponson          2      1.00
1 Ammunition (MG)        Body     0          1      1.00
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                           0         9     100.00
Items & Tons Left:                          16       .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        1,000,500 C-Bills
Battle Value 2:    511 (old BV = 328)
Cost per BV:       1,957.93 C-Bills


Code: [Select]
Type/Model:    Cerberus S.A.M. Tank (ICE)
Tech:          Inner Sphere / 3080
Config:        Tracked Vehicle
Rules:         Experimental Design

Mass:          100 tons
Power Plant:   300 I.C.E.
Cruise Speed:  32.5 kph
Maximum Speed: 54.6 kph
Armor Type:    Standard
Armament:     
  2 Rainmaker 'Megadart' Arrow IV Launchers
  4 Browning Machine Guns
Manufacturer:  Various
  Location:    Various
Communications System:  Achernar Electronics HID-8.7
Targeting & Tracking System:  Garrett D2j
--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model:    Cerberus S.A.M. Tank (ICE)
Mass:          100 tons

Equipment:                                 Items    Mass
Int. Struct.:  50 pts Standard               0     10.00
Engine:        300 I.C.E.                    0     38.00
    Cruise MP:   3
     Flank MP:   5
Heat Sinks:                                  0      0.00
Cockpit & Controls:                          0      5.00
Crew: 7 Members                              0      0.00
Turret Equipment:                            0      3.50
Sponson Equipment:                           0      0.50
Armor Factor:  64 pts Standard               0      4.00

                          Internal    Armor
                          Structure   Value
   Front:                    10         15
   Left / Right Sides:       10      12/12
   Rear:                     10         10
   Turret:                   10         15

Weapons and Equipment    Loc  Heat  Ammo   Items    Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
2 Arrow IV               Turret   0   30     2     30.00
6 Ammunition (Arrow IV)  Body     0          1      6.00
2 Machine Guns           RT Sponson  200     2      1.00
2 Machine Guns           LT Sponson          2      1.00
1 Ammunition (MG)        Body     0          1      1.00
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                           0         8     100.00
Items & Tons Left:                          17       .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        1,690,500 C-Bills
Battle Value 2:    985 (old BV = 328)
Cost per BV:       1,716.24 C-Bills

 

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