And a Calderon Protectorate tank, because the Periphery needs more love. :)
Estevez II
Mass: 80 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-X-D
Production Year: 3078
Cost: 3,218,900 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,135
Power Plant: CleanPower 240 Fuel Cell
Cruise Speed: 32.4 km/h
Flanking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Armor: StarShield Standard
Armament:
2 Mydron Model B Autocannon/10s
2 PDC Rocket Launcher 20s
3 Holly Derringer SRM-2s
4 Lindblad Machine Guns
Manufacturer: Protectorate Defense Conglomerate
Primary Factory: Diik
Communications System: Olmstead 30
Targeting and Tracking System: Cirxese BallistaCheck and RockeCheck
(local equivalents)
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 40 points 8.00
Engine: Fuel-Cell Engine 240 14.00
Cruise MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks: Single Heat Sink 1 0.00
Control Equipment: 4.00
Lift Equipment: 0.00
Turret: 3.00
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 224 14.00
Armor
Factor
Front 47
Left/Right 45/45
Turret 45
Rear 42
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Spaces Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Machine Gun FR 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 FR 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun LS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 LS 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun RS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 RS 2 1 1.00
2 Rocket Launcher 20s T 10 2 3.00
Machine Gun T 0 1 0.50
2 Autocannon/10s T 6 2 24.00
CASE BD - 1 0.50
@MG (1/2) (100) BD - 0 0.50
@SRM-2 (50) BD - 0 1.00
@AC/10 (30) BD - 0 3.00
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 7 Points: 11
3 1 1 0 0 4 2 Structure: 4
Special Abilities: CASE, EE
Overview:
Since their secession from the Taurian Concordat shortly before the Jihad, the Calderon Protectorate has struggled to come up with enough war materiel to resist piracy, much less another reunification attempt by the Concordat. Trade with the Diamond Sharks and other Periphery states, particularly Fronc, Filtvelt and Randis, would eventually make up much of this shortfall, but Baron Kithrong (and later, Protector Erik) knew that without a significant domestic defense industry, the Protectorate would inevitably fall.
The release of the New Dallas Memory Core changed all that. Through investment and great effort, the Protectorate Defense Conglomerate was founded and began producing RetroTech designs, like the Star Dagger, Toro, and even the ancient Estevez main battle tank.
The attempt to actually use such outdated designs against pirate raiders was disastrous. A raiding force on Lastpost was able to easily penetrate the obsolete tanks' inferior armor with PPC fire. The pirate Alice Ortega gained a measure of notoriety in the Protectorate by racking up over a company's worth of tank and 'Mech kills in her Banshee, "Malice", before retreating with her spoils.
Mating an updated Estevez chassis with a heavily-modified turret reverse-engineered from a Zhukov was the best solution the PDC could come up with in a relatively short amount of time. As time went on, this turned out to be more than sufficient for the Protectorate's needs. In recognition of its heritage -- and as a minor snub to the revenge-crazed nation they had left -- the new tank was named the Estevez II.
Capabilities:
The first change to the classic design was to switch out the engine for a locally-produced fuel cell -- a project largely begun at the behest of Protector Erik Martens-Calderon himself, whose enthusiasm on the subject was infectious. Though these engines are still plagued by occasional failures and poor fuel efficiency (even by the standards of hydrogen fuel cells), they serve to give the Estevez II a top speed of over fifty kilometers per hour -- an acceptable movement speed for a Periphery assault tank.
The ability to get a hold of standard armor was crucial to the new tank's success. PDC can now produce it on Diik, but for the first twelve years, they were forced to rely on trade for the armor they needed. Some units occasionally had to make do with "primitive"-style steel plating.
To keep the number of turret modifications down, and with spare autocannons in reasonable supply, PDC chose a pair of standard AC/10s for the Estevez II's main armament. Three tons of ammo is considered sufficient for most operations, particularly as fuel considerations already ensure it will never stray far from supply lines. Also on the turret are a set of locally-built rocket launchers (simple to make even for the most cash-strapped nation) and a common machine gun.
More machine guns dot the sides of the Estevez II, along with small SRM racks taken from Toro production. These give the tank some protection against enemy infantry forces, though the proliferation of battle armor in recent years makes these weapons seem a bit puny in hindsight.
Notable Pilots:
Lance Sgt. Quentin Jacobs
The first deployment of the home-built assault tank proved to be very cathartic for the young nation. Lance Sargeant Jacobs was in command of a company of tanks (mostly new Estevez IIs) when "Malice Alice" Ortega and her pirate band decided to raid Diik in 3079, intending to steal a shipment of 'Mech parts and fighters from an incoming Canopian smuggler while it was in transit. Expecting her opposition to once again consist of RetroTech tanks and a smattering of low-tech 'Mechs, she moved boldly into the city to intercept the valuable convoy, with Jacobs' armor force the main defense.
Ortega suspected that the convoy's route had been leaked deliberately in an attempt to draw her into an ambush, but pushed ahead anyway. However, in contrast to the obsolete machines she faced before, Jacobs' force of Estevez IIs held up to her Banshee's weapons and crippled several of the accompanying pirate 'Mechs in a hail of autocannon and missile fire. Lance Sargeant Jacobs and his tank crew accounted for several kills, including "Malice Alice" herself. The pirate leader was captured barely alive, after her cockpit was breached by a volley of rockets.
Jacobs and his company were personally given several commendations by Baron Kithrong for their role in capturing Ortega and, in the Baron's words, "sending a message to the pirate scum that the Protectorate is not their playground".
Deployment:
The Estevez II can be found in nearly every armor formation in the Protectorate, and has spread via sales to Fronc, Filtvelt, and even the Marian realm, as well as a few minor worlds in the former League. The Coalition Armory on Filtvelt also produces a licensed version using home-built weaponry.
Variants:
The Estevez II has spawned an impressive variety of variants over its twenty-odd years of service.
A downgraded, "Semi-Primitive" version with inferior armor was occasionally seen when PDC couldn't get a hold of (or produce) enough standard armor. As these logistical problems have since been corrected, there should be no examples of this variant still extant. Another downgrade is popular as an export design, particularly on worlds with limited access to fuel-cell engine parts. This downgrades the power plant to a standard internal-combustion engine, with the main guns also downgraded to AC/5s.
The Protectorate's strong trade ties to the Filtvelt Coalition have led to a pair of variants specific to their fellow breakaway state. The first replaces the AC/10s with Improved Heavy Rifles, which, though they are more ammo-intensive and slightly less powerful, are also lighter and easier for Filtvelt's patchy industry to produce. This also frees up room for more rocket launchers and an extra machine gun.
Filtvelt's other variant acts as an ersatz Partisan, with a quartet of Improved Medium Rifles in the turret. Fronc also uses a modified Estevez II for anti-aircraft duty on occasion, replacing the cannons with a trio of AC/5s. Both of these variants are fairly rare and tend to appear only in garrisons where anti-aircraft firepower is otherwise greatly lacking.
The few surviving examples of the RetroTech Estevez built by PDC in the '70s have since been sold off to various military museums in the Inner Sphere and nearby Periphery as 'functional replicas'.
Estevez II (Downgrade)
Mass: 80 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-X-D
Production Year: 3086
Cost: 3,092,900 C-Bills
Battle Value: 935
Power Plant: 240 Fuel Cell Engine
Cruise Speed: 32.4 km/h
Flanking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Armor: Industrial
Armament:
2 Autocannon/10s
2 Rocket Launcher 20s
3 SRM-2s
4 Machine Guns
Manufacturer:
Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 40 points 8.00
Engine: Fuel-Cell Engine 240 14.00
Cruise MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks: Single Heat Sink 1 0.00
Control Equipment: 4.00
Lift Equipment: 0.00
Turret: 3.00
Armor: Primitive AV - 150 14.00
Armor
Factor
Front 32
Left/Right 30/30
Turret 30
Rear 28
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Spaces Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Machine Gun FR 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 FR 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun LS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 LS 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun RS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 RS 2 1 1.00
2 Rocket Launcher 20s T 10 2 3.00
Machine Gun T 0 1 0.50
2 Autocannon/10s T 6 2 24.00
CASE BD - 1 0.50
@MG (1/2) (100) BD - 0 0.50
@SRM-2 (50) BD - 0 1.00
@AC/10 (30) BD - 0 3.00
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 5 Points: 9
3 1 1 0 0 4 2 Structure: 4
Special Abilities: CASE, EE
Estevez II (ICE)
Mass: 80 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-X-D
Production Year: 3086
Cost: 1,895,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,011
Power Plant: 240 I.C.E.
Cruise Speed: 32.4 km/h
Flanking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Armor: Standard Armor
Armament:
2 Autocannon/5s
2 Rocket Launcher 20s
3 SRM-2s
4 Machine Guns
Manufacturer:
Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 40 points 8.00
Engine: I.C.E. Engine 240 23.00
Cruise MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks: Single Heat Sink 0 0.00
Control Equipment: 4.00
Lift Equipment: 0.00
Turret: 2.00
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 224 14.00
Armor
Factor
Front 47
Left/Right 45/45
Turret 45
Rear 42
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Spaces Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Machine Gun FR 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 FR 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun LS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 LS 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun RS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 RS 2 1 1.00
2 Rocket Launcher 20s T 10 2 3.00
Machine Gun T 0 1 0.50
2 Autocannon/5s T 2 2 16.00
CASE BD - 1 0.50
@MG (1/2) (100) BD - 0 0.50
@SRM-2 (50) BD - 0 1.00
@AC/5 (60) BD - 0 3.00
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 7 Points: 10
3 0 0 0 0 4 2 Structure: 4
Special Abilities: CASE, EE
Improved Heavy Rifle
9T, 6 crits, 6 ammo per ton. x/6/12/18(24) range, 6 heat, 9 damage, +1 penalty to hit.
115 BV, ammo BV varies with type (HEAP 15, Cluster 20, Sabot 19, Paint 14).
Estevez II (iHR)
Mass: 80 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-X-X
Production Year: 3086
Cost: 3,182,200 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,231
Power Plant: 240 Fuel Cell Engine
Cruise Speed: 32.4 km/h
Flanking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Armor: ProtecTech Standard Armor
Armament:
2 CAW Foe-Hammer Imp. Heavy Rifles
4 CAW Katyusha Rocket Launcher 20s
3 Holly Derringer SRM-2s
5 CAW Machine Guns
Manufacturer: Coalition Armory
Primary Factory: Broken Wheel
Communications System: Pickering Communications Mark II
Targeting and Tracking System: CAW FightSight 1j
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 40 points 8.00
Engine: Fuel-Cell Engine 240 14.00
Cruise MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks: Single Heat Sink 1 0.00
Control Equipment: 4.00
Lift Equipment: 0.00
Turret: 2.50
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 224 14.00
Armor
Factor
Front 47
Left/Right 45/45
Turret 45
Rear 42
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Spaces Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Rocket Launcher 20s FR 10 2 3.00
Machine Gun FR 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 FR 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun LS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 LS 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun RS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 RS 2 1 1.00
2 Imp. Heavy Rifles T 12 2 18.00
2 Rocket Launcher 20s T 10 2 3.00
2 Machine Guns T 0 2 1.00
CASE BD - 1 0.50
@iHV Rifle (HEAP) (18) BD - 0 3.00
@iHV Rifle (Cluster) (12) BD - 0 2.00
@iHV Rifle (Sabot) (3) BD - 0 1.00
@MG (1/2) (100) BD - 0 0.50
@SRM-2 (50) BD - 0 1.00
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 7 Points: 12
3 1 1 1 0 4 2 Structure: 4
Special Abilities: CASE, EE
Improved Medium Rifle
5.5T, 4 crits, 9 ammo per ton. x/5/10/15(20) range, 4 heat, 6 damage, +1 penalty to hit.
69 BV, ammo BV varies with type (HEAP 9, Cluster 12, Sabot 11, Paint 8).
Estevez II (iMR)
Mass: 80 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-X-X
Production Year: 3086
Cost: 3,113,120 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,171
Power Plant: 240 Fuel Cell Engine
Cruise Speed: 32.4 km/h
Flanking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Armor: ProtecTech Standard Armor
Armament:
4 CAW Clubber Imp. Medium Rifles
1 CAW Katyusha Rocket Launcher 20
3 Holly Derringer SRM-2s
4 CAW Machine Guns
Manufacturer: Coalition Armory
Primary Factory: Broken Wheel
Communications System: Pickering Communications Mark II
Targeting and Tracking System: CAW FightSight 1j
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 40 points 8.00
Engine: Fuel-Cell Engine 240 14.00
Cruise MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks: Single Heat Sink 1 0.00
Control Equipment: 4.00
Lift Equipment: 0.00
Turret: 2.50
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 224 14.00
Armor
Factor
Front 47
Left/Right 45/45
Turret 45
Rear 42
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Spaces Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Machine Gun FR 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 FR 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun LS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 LS 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun RS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 RS 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun T 0 1 0.50
4 Imp. Medium Rifles T 16 4 22.00
Rocket Launcher 20 T 5 1 1.50
CASE BD - 1 0.50
@MG (1/2) (100) BD - 0 0.50
@SRM-2 (50) BD - 0 1.00
@iMedium Rifle (HEAP) (27) BD - 0 3.00
@iMedium Rifle (Cluster) (36) BD - 0 4.00
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 7 Points: 12
3 1 1 0 0 4 2 Structure: 4
Special Abilities: CASE, EE
Estevez II (AC5)
Mass: 80 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: All Eras (non-canon)
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-X-F
Production Year: 3086
Cost: 3,095,650 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,067
Power Plant: 240 Fuel Cell Engine
Cruise Speed: 32.4 km/h
Flanking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Armor: Standard Armor
Armament:
3 Autocannon/5s
1 Rocket Launcher 20
3 SRM-2s
4 Machine Guns
Manufacturer:
Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 40 points 8.00
Engine: Fuel-Cell Engine 240 14.00
Cruise MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks: Single Heat Sink 1 0.00
Control Equipment: 4.00
Lift Equipment: 0.00
Turret: 3.00
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 224 14.00
Armor
Factor
Front 47
Left/Right 45/45
Turret 45
Rear 42
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Spaces Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Machine Gun FR 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 FR 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun LS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 LS 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun RS 0 1 0.50
SRM-2 RS 2 1 1.00
Machine Gun T 0 1 0.50
Rocket Launcher 20 T 5 1 1.50
3 Autocannon/5s T 3 3 24.00
CASE BD - 1 0.50
@SRM-2 (50) BD - 0 1.00
@AC/5 (Flak) (20) BD - 0 1.00
@AC/5 (60) BD - 0 3.00
@MG (200) BD - 0 1.00
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 7 Points: 11
3 1 1 1 0 4 2 Structure: 4
Special Abilities: CASE, EE
(Stats for the primitive Estevez can be found in ED:AoW.)