Going through Tank design, I found out that if the numbers are small, it's
about worthless to use sloped armor on an AFV tank. For example, I could
have used sloped armor to double the side armor to a whopping AV24 at the
cost of losing a whole displacement ton. I was tinkering with the idea of
doing the hull and turret armor separate (looking like it wouldn't be TOO
offensive to game balance), but so far this is all legit. For example, the
Abrams would have a radical slope on the hull's front glacis, but the
turret is moderate at roughly 30 degrees in all 4 directions (and multi
faceted on those but don't need to get THAT realistic). This FF&S model
would be more vulnerable in the turret rear and doesn't really incorporate
the idea of the engine itself providing a form of armor for the hull, but
basically it's vulnerable from the rear and that still holds true in game,
just slightly exaggerated. The thicker armor has always been on the front
of the turret since at least the IPM1 "long turret" and that's where most
hits are going to go. I am actually pretty satisfied with how it came out.
My only beef would be the base armor. It should be roughly 3cm all the
way around but no way to make that work without adding about 17-18 too many
metric tonnes. And of course, the as mentioned near useless of sloping
armor without a decent value there to begin with, as there are very
diminishing returns at the smaller scale and the main balancing act is
trading volume for mass with the armor protection being almost incidental
to that calculation.
I've actually finished M1, IPM1, M1A1, M1A1HA, M1A2, M1A1HC, M1A2SEP,
M1A1D, M1A1AIMv2/FEP, and M1A2SEP but still tinkering with M1A2SEPv2 so
haven't put any of the A2 models up yet. I'm also still working the TUSK
and TUSKII, but the ERA and belly plate are looking near impossible to do
with canon rules. I did take one IMTU rule with the 2nd generation of DU
armor (from M1A2SEP and M1A1HC on) and increased it's armor value to 7 per
cm and am justifying it as TL9 Composite Laminate. Oh the smoke
dischargers were also multiplied by 0.001 on mass, volume, and price from
passive / HRT decoys since they're basically just WP grenades and you could
fit both launchers, the grenades, reloads, and all spares in a cubic meter
with room to spare
Here's the original:
M1 "General Abrams" Main Battle Tank
Designed at the height of the Cold War to fight the massed numbers of
Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact armored vehicles, the Abrams rose from the
failure of the MBT-70 project and incorporated new technologies from
turbine engine to a composite laminate mesh armor to a new low profile
turret with enhanced crew survivability with a segmented ammunition
compartment. Full stabilization, thermal imaging, and more advaced
ballistic computers ensured firing accuracy on the move, at night, and in
weather conditions that had caused difficulties in the past. While the
German Leopard II program went with a larger 120mm Cannon, the original
iteration of the Abrams MBT used the proven M68 Rifle Cannon, implemented
with new technologies as the M68A1 as well as the first depleted uranium
sabot KE rounds. From the beginning, designers envisioned a turret with a
larger 120mm weapon system which would soon be seen in the upgrade of the
M1 to the M1A1.
The "Improved Performance" or IPM1 came out a few years with lessons from
the M1A1 but before production was ready. It used a "long" turret with
composite laminate armor mesh over 1/3 more effective, as well altered
ammunition stowage, suspension and transmission modifications, and other
improvements at the cost of additional mass. The IPM1 was only in
production shortly and the improvements soon passed to the upgunned M1A1,
which also included a 120mm smoothbore cannon.
M1 / IPM1 MBT
Tech Level: 8
Price: 625,000 Cr
Size: 70 m3 = 5 displacement tons
Mass: 55 metric tonnes loaded
Power: 1.4 MW Gas Turbine
Maint: 14
Controls: Electronic controls
Commo: 2 x 1 km radios (SINCGARS)
Sensors: 1km Thermal Imaging Sensor
Life Support: NBC Overpressure System
Cargo: None (personal gear in external storage)
Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)
Passengers: None
Fire Control: -2 Diff Mods (main armament and coax)
Armament: Manned turret with stabilized M68A1 105mm Smoothebore CPR
cannon and coaxial 7.62x51mm MG,
secondary turret with .50 Cal Heavy MG, and Skate Ring Mounted 7.62x51mm MG
Stabilization: Advanced (fire at all speeds)
Ammunition: 55 x 105mm rounds; 10,000 rounds 7.62x51mm coaxial MG, 900
rounds .50 MG, 1400 rounds 7.62x51mm MG
Other Systems: 12 x Smoke dispensors for anti-passive decoys
Speed: 74 kmh road speed, 59 kmh cross country
Travel Move: 150/115
Combat Move: 35/30
Fuel Capacity: 1.9 liters Hydrocarbon Distillates
Fuel Consumption: 0.84 kl/h
Battery Capacity: 0.05 MW
Combat Statistics
Config: Turret TF: 90/108 HF: 90/108
TS: 12 HS: 12
TR: 6 HR: 6
Deck: 6 Belly: 6
Primary Weapon
TL8 M68A1 105/52 Rifled Cannon
Round ROF Con/Burst DV PV Dgr Short Range Price Wt
APFSDS(M728) 1/2* - 23 113/103/93/73 - 474 Cr 345 31.37 kg
HEAP(M456A1) 1/2* C:11/B:23 - 77C - 356 Cr 345 31.37 kg
HE (M393A2) 1/2* C:17/B:29 - 9C - 356 Cr 345 31.37 kg
APERS (M494) 1/2* - 2D/1D 1/0 70m 356 Cr 345 31.37 kg
Secondary Weapons
Round ROF DV Pen Rating Magazine Short Range
CWS 12.7x99 Ball 10 9 2-2-3 100C 300m
Coax 7.62x51 Ball 10 4 2-3-Nil 10000C 180m
Loader 7.62x51 Ball 10 4 2-3-Nil 1400C 91m
about worthless to use sloped armor on an AFV tank. For example, I could
have used sloped armor to double the side armor to a whopping AV24 at the
cost of losing a whole displacement ton. I was tinkering with the idea of
doing the hull and turret armor separate (looking like it wouldn't be TOO
offensive to game balance), but so far this is all legit. For example, the
Abrams would have a radical slope on the hull's front glacis, but the
turret is moderate at roughly 30 degrees in all 4 directions (and multi
faceted on those but don't need to get THAT realistic). This FF&S model
would be more vulnerable in the turret rear and doesn't really incorporate
the idea of the engine itself providing a form of armor for the hull, but
basically it's vulnerable from the rear and that still holds true in game,
just slightly exaggerated. The thicker armor has always been on the front
of the turret since at least the IPM1 "long turret" and that's where most
hits are going to go. I am actually pretty satisfied with how it came out.
My only beef would be the base armor. It should be roughly 3cm all the
way around but no way to make that work without adding about 17-18 too many
metric tonnes. And of course, the as mentioned near useless of sloping
armor without a decent value there to begin with, as there are very
diminishing returns at the smaller scale and the main balancing act is
trading volume for mass with the armor protection being almost incidental
to that calculation.
I've actually finished M1, IPM1, M1A1, M1A1HA, M1A2, M1A1HC, M1A2SEP,
M1A1D, M1A1AIMv2/FEP, and M1A2SEP but still tinkering with M1A2SEPv2 so
haven't put any of the A2 models up yet. I'm also still working the TUSK
and TUSKII, but the ERA and belly plate are looking near impossible to do
with canon rules. I did take one IMTU rule with the 2nd generation of DU
armor (from M1A2SEP and M1A1HC on) and increased it's armor value to 7 per
cm and am justifying it as TL9 Composite Laminate. Oh the smoke
dischargers were also multiplied by 0.001 on mass, volume, and price from
passive / HRT decoys since they're basically just WP grenades and you could
fit both launchers, the grenades, reloads, and all spares in a cubic meter
with room to spare
Here's the original:
M1 "General Abrams" Main Battle Tank
Designed at the height of the Cold War to fight the massed numbers of
Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact armored vehicles, the Abrams rose from the
failure of the MBT-70 project and incorporated new technologies from
turbine engine to a composite laminate mesh armor to a new low profile
turret with enhanced crew survivability with a segmented ammunition
compartment. Full stabilization, thermal imaging, and more advaced
ballistic computers ensured firing accuracy on the move, at night, and in
weather conditions that had caused difficulties in the past. While the
German Leopard II program went with a larger 120mm Cannon, the original
iteration of the Abrams MBT used the proven M68 Rifle Cannon, implemented
with new technologies as the M68A1 as well as the first depleted uranium
sabot KE rounds. From the beginning, designers envisioned a turret with a
larger 120mm weapon system which would soon be seen in the upgrade of the
M1 to the M1A1.
The "Improved Performance" or IPM1 came out a few years with lessons from
the M1A1 but before production was ready. It used a "long" turret with
composite laminate armor mesh over 1/3 more effective, as well altered
ammunition stowage, suspension and transmission modifications, and other
improvements at the cost of additional mass. The IPM1 was only in
production shortly and the improvements soon passed to the upgunned M1A1,
which also included a 120mm smoothbore cannon.
M1 / IPM1 MBT
Tech Level: 8
Price: 625,000 Cr
Size: 70 m3 = 5 displacement tons
Mass: 55 metric tonnes loaded
Power: 1.4 MW Gas Turbine
Maint: 14
Controls: Electronic controls
Commo: 2 x 1 km radios (SINCGARS)
Sensors: 1km Thermal Imaging Sensor
Life Support: NBC Overpressure System
Cargo: None (personal gear in external storage)
Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)
Passengers: None
Fire Control: -2 Diff Mods (main armament and coax)
Armament: Manned turret with stabilized M68A1 105mm Smoothebore CPR
cannon and coaxial 7.62x51mm MG,
secondary turret with .50 Cal Heavy MG, and Skate Ring Mounted 7.62x51mm MG
Stabilization: Advanced (fire at all speeds)
Ammunition: 55 x 105mm rounds; 10,000 rounds 7.62x51mm coaxial MG, 900
rounds .50 MG, 1400 rounds 7.62x51mm MG
Other Systems: 12 x Smoke dispensors for anti-passive decoys
Speed: 74 kmh road speed, 59 kmh cross country
Travel Move: 150/115
Combat Move: 35/30
Fuel Capacity: 1.9 liters Hydrocarbon Distillates
Fuel Consumption: 0.84 kl/h
Battery Capacity: 0.05 MW
Combat Statistics
Config: Turret TF: 90/108 HF: 90/108
TS: 12 HS: 12
TR: 6 HR: 6
Deck: 6 Belly: 6
Primary Weapon
TL8 M68A1 105/52 Rifled Cannon
Round ROF Con/Burst DV PV Dgr Short Range Price Wt
APFSDS(M728) 1/2* - 23 113/103/93/73 - 474 Cr 345 31.37 kg
HEAP(M456A1) 1/2* C:11/B:23 - 77C - 356 Cr 345 31.37 kg
HE (M393A2) 1/2* C:17/B:29 - 9C - 356 Cr 345 31.37 kg
APERS (M494) 1/2* - 2D/1D 1/0 70m 356 Cr 345 31.37 kg
Secondary Weapons
Round ROF DV Pen Rating Magazine Short Range
CWS 12.7x99 Ball 10 9 2-2-3 100C 300m
Coax 7.62x51 Ball 10 4 2-3-Nil 10000C 180m
Loader 7.62x51 Ball 10 4 2-3-Nil 1400C 91m