Author Topic: Main Battle Tank  (Read 2090 times)

kaliban

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Main Battle Tank
« on: 09 July 2019, 10:27:03 »
Medium weight tracked vehicle with good mobility, protecion and firepower.


Code: [Select]
Crusader AC10
Mass: 45 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 225 Fuel Cell
Cruising Speed: 54 kph
Maximum Speed: 86.4 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament: 1 AC/10; 1 Machine Gun
Tech Rating/Availability: E/E-F(F*)-D-D
Cost: 1,250,625 C-bills
Battle Value: 736
Overview
The Crusader is an attempt to recreate the 20th century concept of the Main Battle Tank (MBT) with
a well-balanced combination of mobility, protection and firepower.
Capabilities
With 9,5tons of armor, 86km/h of maximum speed and armed with one Autocannon class 10, the
Crusader is fast enough to perform armed recon missions and well-armed and protected for assault
missions. Besides the autocannon, one Machine Gun is added to deal with infantry and other
unarmored targets. Nevertheless, the high mobility in a 45ton tank is only achieved with the use of a
fragile Fuel Cell engine, strategically placed in the rear compartment of the vehicle with large access
doors that allow the substitution of the engine in less than 60min.
Deployment
The Crusader is used by elite armored cavalry units preferably in combination with missile carriers
of some sort. A second variant armed with an LB-10X and one additional ton of flak ammo was later
developed as a counter measure against fast combat vehicles, specially VTOLs
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure 4.5
Engine 225 Fuel Cell 12
 Cruising MP: 5
 Flanking MP: 8
Heat Sinks: 1 0
Control Equipment: 2.5
Power Amplifier: 0
Turret: 1.5
Armor Factor: 152 9.5
Internal Structure Armor Value
Front 5 40
R/L Side 5/5 30/30
Rear 5 22
Turret 5 30
Weapons and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage
Trailer Hitch Rear 0 0
Machine Gun Turret 1 0.5
AC/10 Turret 7 12
Half Machine Gun Ammo (100) Body 1 0.5
AC/10 Ammo (20) Body 2 2

Crusader AC10
Mass: 45 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 225 Fuel Cell
Cruising Speed: 54 kph
Maximum Speed: 86.4 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament: 1 AC/10; 1 Machine Gun
Tech Rating/Availability: E/E-F(F*)-D-D
Cost: 1,250,625 C-bills
Battle Value: 736
Overview
The Crusader is an attempt to recreate the 20th century concept of the Main Battle Tank (MBT) with
a well-balanced combination of mobility, protection and firepower.
Capabilities
With 9,5tons of armor, 86km/h of maximum speed and armed with one Autocannon class 10, the
Crusader is fast enough to perform armed recon missions and well-armed and protected for assault
missions. Besides the autocannon, one Machine Gun is added to deal with infantry and other
unarmored targets. Nevertheless, the high mobility in a 45ton tank is only achieved with the use of a
fragile Fuel Cell engine, strategically placed in the rear compartment of the vehicle with large access
doors that allow the substitution of the engine in less than 60min.
Deployment
The Crusader is used by elite armored cavalry units preferably in combination with missile carriers
of some sort. A second variant armed with an LB-10X and one additional ton of flak ammo was later
developed as a counter measure against fast combat vehicles, specially VTOLs
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure 4.5
Engine 225 Fuel Cell 12
 Cruising MP: 5
 Flanking MP: 8
Heat Sinks: 1 0
Control Equipment: 2.5
Power Amplifier: 0
Turret: 1.5
Armor Factor: 152 9.5
Internal Structure Armor Value
Front 5 40
R/L Side 5/5 30/30
Rear 5 22
Turret 5 30
Weapons and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage
Trailer Hitch Rear 0 0
Machine Gun Turret 1 0.5
AC/10 Turret 7 12
Half Machine Gun Ammo (100) Body 1 0.5
AC/10 Ammo (20) Body 2 2
« Last Edit: 09 July 2019, 10:30:46 by kaliban »

maxcarrion

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #1 on: 10 July 2019, 05:36:15 »
It's basically a Myrmidon, with the same weight, speed and 10 point hitter.  I think the range and SRM's give the Myrmidon the edge but specialist ammo offer the crusader some extra versatility especially in an anti-air (flak) or anti-scout (precision) role or with the LB-X cluster.

The Myrmi has always been just about my favourite canon design when it comes to the classic MBT balance and this does compare well for a non-fusion peer.

kaliban

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #2 on: 10 July 2019, 08:15:55 »
It's basically a Myrmidon, with the same weight, speed and 10 point hitter.  I think the range and SRM's give the Myrmidon the edge but specialist ammo offer the crusader some extra versatility especially in an anti-air (flak) or anti-scout (precision) role or with the LB-X cluster.

The Myrmi has always been just about my favourite canon design when it comes to the classic MBT balance and this does compare well for a non-fusion peer.

Tks for the comments

If you can afford to have fusion engines in Combat Vehicles, the Myrmidon is indeed a good option. Even on a c-bills base, tanks of this weight are not so expensive with Fusion engines

If fact, I did this design to a colleague that is running a campaign by 3rd Sucession War and fusion engines are scare but fuel cells are possible for vehicles

Daryk

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #3 on: 10 July 2019, 18:20:08 »
Most importantly, it fits in a Light Vehicle Cubicle.  That means you can fit two vs. anything over 50 tons on a DropShip.

KaiserDunk

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #4 on: 11 July 2019, 01:15:21 »
Interesting balance between speed, firepower, protection, and cost achieved with the fuel-cell powerplant.   This kind of out-does the Po in this while being 15 tons lighter.

Sabelkatten

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #5 on: 11 July 2019, 07:35:51 »
Well, FCEs are pretty much XLICEs. Major savings can be expected.

Unless FCEs are treated as close to SFE tech level ICEs make very little sense.

Hptm. Streiger

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #6 on: 11 July 2019, 08:08:53 »
Well, FCEs are pretty much XLICEs. Major savings can be expected.

Unless FCEs are treated as close to SFE tech level ICEs make very little sense.
Considering their Availability Rating of D during the Succession Wars - there is little reason not to upgrade every ICE vehicle with FCEs.
There are some other things that I really would like to have for my tanks in the SW era - Chemical Lasers for or Rocket Launchers.

Speaking of:
the Crusader could have a Large Laser and a SRM4 when you drop the machine gun. Would be a poor mans Manticore

kaliban

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #7 on: 11 July 2019, 08:34:10 »
Standard rules does not allow for Fuel Cells in Combat Vehicles (in practice the are only applicable to IndustrialMechs). It only justifies for game balance purposes and contradicts the battletech lore as far as know. 

You can have very effective combat vehicles with ICEs (specially VTOLs) but it is hardly possible to make an useful 4/6 or 5/8 MP tracked tank with ICEs. If you open for Fusion engines you definitely break the balance

Just for fluff, I assume that Fuel Cells are fragile and prone to failures and combat damage.

Sabelkatten

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #8 on: 11 July 2019, 08:58:31 »
Personally i jusr assume (as noted) that FCEs are way more high-tech than ICEs. More specifically, since the lriginal description of ICEs made them a blanket "anything that isn't a fusion plant" (including FCEs) I treat the new canon FCE as "advanced engine that isn't fusion".

Luxan

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #9 on: 13 July 2019, 16:47:27 »
Working fuel cells have been around since the late 19th century and personal fuel cell vehicles are almost commercially viable today. Whereas vehicle-scale fusion reactors are still pure fiction. That would have to mean that FCEs are not as high-tech as SFEs, but higher tech than ICEs.

Though I suspect the real reason that FCEs aren't more present in Battletech has nothing to do with tech level. In the 80's fuel cells were not as widely popularized as they are today. So, even though they were being used in space applications Weisman and Babcock had probably never heard of them.

KaiserDunk

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #10 on: 13 July 2019, 21:56:22 »
My idea is that FCE power plants have a shorter range and are less durable than ICE power plants.   ICE powerplants would be more durable and reliable under combat conditions, always a benefit for armored combat vehicles as well.   VTOLs might do better with a lighter and more powerful powerplant like a FCE; I'm assuming that ICEs would represent aviation gas turbine powerplants for conventional fighters.   FCE would provide power for high-efficiency electric motors that would be connected to either rotors, wheels, or some other some kind of rotary propulsion.

Sabelkatten

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #11 on: 14 July 2019, 04:28:49 »
My point is that fuel cells has been included in the rules since CityTech. They were called "ICE".

Hptm. Streiger

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Re: Main Battle Tank
« Reply #12 on: 14 July 2019, 06:25:03 »
the problem with fuel cells is indead the fuel.
its hydrogen so even compressed the "power per gal" of fuel is comparable much smaller then even the crudest alcohol fuel of your ICE.
I'm not even sure that ICE is really that much heavier, but as it is with the current rule sets there is little reason not to runc fce