The Divine Tiger's primary armament is a modern 152mm gun/missile system, which, given the technology available today, gives the Divine Tiger some serious firepower potential. The on-board computers allow for the gunner to cycle through thermal "hotspots" (which another tank would most certainly be) for automatic aiming, though of course, manual aiming via side-stick or yoke is certainly a feature. Said computer targeting programs also permit the gunner to target signals given by friendly forces, thus allowing for much easier indirect fire. The DT's secondary armament is typically a 20mm autocannon, though a good number (dubbed Fat Mamas or Longcats) are equipped with .50BMG machine guns. Tertiary (as in, the commander's gun) armament is typically a Dillon Aerospace/M134 minigun, either on an electronic mount or with a ballistic shielding system surrounding the hatch. There is also room for a fourth machine gun, as the DT can carry an optional fourth crew member for in-field maintenance or as a reserve. This fourth gun is never one weapon in particular; it can range from an MG42 to a GMG to a TOW.
The missiles the DT can carry vary, with some of them guided by infrared, others by active RADAR homing, et cetera. One of the most commonly carried missiles is basically a 152mm tank-launched Javelin missile, with three main variants: one designed for anti-tank purposes (obviously), one as an anti-personnel beehive (flechette) munition, and one as a cluster bomb. The Divine Tiger is also capable of firing a 152mm version of the
SADARM shell.
The DT is also equipped with an Infantry Denial System, which is to prevent the tank from getting mobbed from all sides. The general workings of it feature grenade launchers positioned to give a 360 degree field of fire, with the launchers defaulting to firing at 30 feet from the tank. As said before, this is designed to prevent the tank from being mobbed by hostile infantry. Obviously, the IDS is not to be used if the DT is supported by friendly infantry.
Armor also varies on the Divine Tiger. The DT was designed to have almost all of its armor easily removed at a proper depot, thus allowing for easier maintenance and modularity. The standard Army package (and it should be noted that the Army makes the most use of these) makes the Divine Tiger weigh 88 tons, equipped with Chobham-Dorchester composite armor, depleted uranium mesh, et cetera. The DT comes equipped with a noble gas fire suppression system and blowout panels. Newer Divine Tigers are being built with automated active protection systems, and operations are underway to equip the GWO's current tanks with them. Certain tanks that are deemed more important (i.e. commanding tanks, specialized equipment tanks), or tanks about to go into an area with an even higher danger than usual, are also equipped with ERA.
The DT's communications systems are designed to work with the GWO's BattleCOM network, displaying GPS, friendly/hostile forces (via the transmission and automated response to certain radio signals), live satellite uplink, remote vehicle slaver, and, of course, direct contact with the force's BattleCOM operators.
That's the DT in a nutshell.
Of course, for lighter purposes, we use the
M1202 and, to a lesser extent, the
M1128.
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:20 pm
