NS Military Realism Consultation Thread #6

[Inyourfaceistan]

Speaking of penetrating stuff with APFSDS

My most advanced tank is a modernized/upgraded M-84 I call the tiger hunter, its equipped with a 125mm gun (2A46M-5) and I'm wondering, with DU perpetrators, could this gun pen an abrams/ns tank?

"Penetration is not binary!!!"

Okay people always say this, but seriously, I think most posters (myself included) are simply asking CAN IT BE DONE, or is my XXX armor in need of upgrade or should my YYYmm shell be bigger to be capable of withstanding/penetrating ZZZ in most cases.
Or conversely, what cases can I expect penetration?

[The Greater Luthorian Empire]

Is there any modern armor which the 120mm M829E4 APFSDS fired from an M1A2 Abrams won't be able to penetrate (at all)?

IIRC M829A3 only has like 860 mm penetration meaning large parts of the turrets of western MBTs are at least theoretically protected against it (see one of Questers' posts in the AFV thread) and the upper glacis might be, that being said claimed NS armour values are wanked and a 140 mm ETC gun is probably overkill and you can always penetrate the lower front hull or sides.

[Inyourfaceistan]

Is there any modern armor which the 120mm M829E4 APFSDS fired from an M1A2 Abrams won't be able to penetrate (at all)?

IIRC M829A3 only has like 860 mm penetration meaning large parts of the turrets of western MBTs are at least theoretically protected against it (see one of Questers' posts in the AFV thread) and the upper glacis might be, that being said claimed NS armour values are wanked and a 140 mm ETC gun is probably overkill and you can always penetrate the lower front hull or sides.

Well if this image that Soodean Imperium just posted is correct then 860mm KE seems enough to penetrate a large portion of the front of an M1A1 Abrams (granted just an M1A1).

I can't find a reliable source regarding M829E4, but apparently it's designed to defeat the newest Russian ERA, so I would assume its non-binary penetration would be higher...

Anyways, my point was essentially asking if my 120mm M256 cannons on my M1A2/M1A2 SEP/M1A2 HDEP tanks was seriously lacking, or if all the 140mm+ cannons on NS MBT's are just compensating for something...

[Vetok]

You drew those ships?

Notice the credits. So no, I did not. I'm not able to draw ships that size yet.

Please make sure you have their permission before doing so. I'm not sure about Fongsaunder's policy on using his work, so it could be he disallows use of his work at all.

[San-Silvacian]

M256 is still good.

Also Steel Beasts is a good source, however it is just speculation.

Well informed speculation at the least.

M1 Abraham is made to laugh off Russian heavy ATGMs and keep on rolling.

[The Greater Luthorian Empire]

IIRC M829A3 only has like 860 mm penetration meaning large parts of the turrets of western MBTs are at least theoretically protected against it (see one of Questers' posts in the AFV thread) and the upper glacis might be, that being said claimed NS armour values are wanked and a 140 mm ETC gun is probably overkill and you can always penetrate the lower front hull or sides.

Well if this image that Soodean Imperium just posted is correct then 860mm KE seems enough to penetrate a large portion of the front of an M1A1 Abrams (granted just an M1A1).

I can't find a reliable source regarding M829E4, but apparently it's designed to defeat the newest Russian ERA, so I would assume its non-binary penetration would be higher...

Anyways, my point was essentially asking if my 120mm M256 cannons on my M1A2/M1A2 SEP/M1A2 HDEP tanks was seriously lacking, or if all the 140mm+ cannons on NS MBT's are just compensating for something...

The 140 mm guns exist to deal with NS armour which is wanked to hell. I don't care what expensive fancy armour scheme your tank has it is not getting 1600 mm KE anywhere weighing just 65-75 tons, especially when you have a massive 1800-2500 hp engine and a larger fuel tank to keep your operational range mostly the same.

[Allanea]

As was discussed previously in the tank thread, a 152mm gun would have a penetration of around 1300mm RHAe whether it was firing KE or CE rounds.

[San-Silvacian]

140mm guns were becoming a real thing towards the end of the Cold War.

All the major NATO powers have or had 140mm gun test beds (The AMX Leclerc was built to have a 140mm dropped in when, if, the transition from 120mm to 140mm happens IRL, US still operates its 140mm M1 testbed, Germany has theirs in storage because 2poor.)

Russians dropped in a 152mm gun into a T-80 testbed and planned for 152mm armed whatever T-9X series blah blah black eagle tankus.

[The Greater Luthorian Empire]

As was discussed previously in the tank thread, a 152mm gun would have a penetration of around 1300mm RHAe whether it was firing KE or CE rounds.

I'm just making a statement regarding claimed protection levels. NS tanks tend to blow them way out of proportion, and if anyone actually made a 75 ton tank with those kinds of protection levels in that tank maker excel document I would definitely like to see it.

[Allanea]

140mm guns were becoming a real thing towards the end of the Cold War.

All the major NATO powers have or had 140mm gun test beds (The AMX Leclerc was built to have a 140mm dropped in when, if, the transition from 120mm to 140mm happens IRL, US still operates its 140mm M1 testbed, Germany has theirs in storage because 2poor.)

Russians dropped in a 152mm gun into a T-80 testbed and planned for 152mm armed whatever T-9X series blah blah black eagle tankus.

There were several Russian 152mm projected vehicles. I think every tank design bureau in the USSR had at least one at some point.

There was even a lolzy SpetzMash (I think) tank thing that was to have a 152mm gun in an unmanned turret + two-man crew.

[Mitheldalond]

Oh good, we're doing tanks. The picture is just a quick PowerPoint diagram I made to check the dimensions, so it’s a very basic outline and not much more.

M7A3 Mk. II Tulkas:

Type: Main battle tank
Weight: 65-75 tonnes (75-85t with ERA)
Length: 27.23 ft (8.3m) hull length, 39.2 ft (11.25m) gun forward
Width: 9.84 ft (3m) hull, 17.39 ft (5.3m) overall
Height: 9.02 ft (2.75m) with 0.5m ground clearance
Crew: 3 (Commander, driver, gunner)

Armor: 3-tiered defense

• Tier 1: 3rd generation depleted uranium between Chobham layers
  
• Tier 2: next generation ERA (optional)
• Tier 3: Active protection
  
  • Hard kill: Quick Kill active protection system - 4 launchers with 16 countermeasure missiles each
  • Soft kill: Softkill Active Protection System (SAPS) - disrupts semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) wire and radio guided ATGMs, laser rangefinders and target designators, and thermal and infrared ATGMs

Armament:

• 140mm L45 smoothbore gun (36 rounds)
  
  • 11 x M749 depleted uranium APFSDS penetrators
  • 11 x M751 Dramborleg gun launched ATGMs
  • 14 x M750 multipurpose rounds
• 1 x M307 25mm automatic grenade launcher or M312 .50 cal machine gun - Remote weapon station (1400 rounds)
• 1 x M240 7.62mm machine gun – coaxial (4000 rounds)
• 24 x smoke grenade launchers

Engine: 2000 horsepower diesel engine
Power/weight: 30.77 hp/t (65t configuration), 23.53 hp/t (85t configuration)
Suspension: Hydropneumatic active suspension
Ground pressure: 53.14 kPa (7.707 psi) 65t configuration, 69.49 kPa (10.08 psi) 85t configuration
Ground clearance: 0.07m - 0.75m (3 in - 2.46 ft)
Vertical step: 1.8m (5.9 ft)
Hull traverse: 45 deg/s
Turret traverse: 45 deg/s
Gun elevation: -15 deg/+25 deg (5 degrees from suspension)
Fuel capacity: 373 US gallons
Operational range: 400 mi (644 km)
Speed:

• On road (governed): 45(cruising) - 50(sprint) mph (72-80 km/h)
• Off road: 35 mph (cruising) – 40 mph (sprint) (56.33 - 65 km/h)

The M7A3 Tulkas II is the main battle tank of the Kingdom of Mitheldalond.

Protection:

Concealment:
The Tulkas II carries 24 smoke grenade launchers, capable of creating a smokescreen that obscures the tank from both visual and thermal imaging detection. The tank can also create a smokescreen by injecting fuel into the exhaust.

Active Protection:
The Tulkas II’s first line of defense is composed of the hardkill Quick Kill active protection system, and the Softkill Active Protection System (SAPS). These two systems work in concert to ensure the safety of the tank, as well as that of any nearby friendly units.

SAPS provides softkill protection by jamming and disrupting wire and radio guided semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) ATGMs, laser rangefinders and target designators, and thermal and infrared ATGMs. Projectiles defeated by SAPS are not destroyed; they are simply caused to miss. If SAPS fails to decoy a projectile, or if other friendly units would be endangered by a miss, the Quick Kill system will attempt to shoot down the projectile.

The Quick Kill system uses an AESA radar to detect incoming projectiles, which it can engage with small vertical launch countermeasure missiles. It is capable of engaging a wide range of threats, from RPGs to ATGMs to kinetic energy penetrators. Four reloadable vertical launch units, each containing 16 countermeasures, are mounted on the turret, for a total of 64 countermeasure missiles.

APS engagements are handled automatically by the Tulkas II’s onboard computer system.

Armor:
The Tulkas II uses a modular armor scheme, allowing different armor kits to be mounted according to protection and weight requirements. There are 3 primary armor schemes used: light armor, medium armor, and heavy armor. Only the 3m width of the hull is armored as indicated, not the full 5.3m width that includes the tracks. (Note that all armor values are approximations, as penetration isn’t binary.)

Light armor is used primarily for strategic transport and amphibious landings, or other scenarios when heavier armor would be impractical or detrimental. The former are common situations, as Mitheldalond is an island nation. The light armor scheme offers protection roughly on par with that of many other battle tanks; it is highly vulnerable to hits to the sides and rear, as well as to modern anti-tank mines and top-attack munitions, while remaining largely impregnable from the front. This is the lightest of the three main armor schemes, and the only one that allows the Tulkas II to be transported by standard means. A Tulkas II-LA (light armor) weighs 65 metric tons standard, but can weigh up to 75 metric tons with ERA. However, ERA is not normally mounted to a tank equipped with light armor; it is generally preferred to refit tanks with one of the heavier armor schemes once they have arrived at their location.

Light Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1000mm (1250mm) vs APFSDS, 1500mm (2000mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 150mm (400mm) vs APFSDS, 650mm (1150mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 100mm vs APFSDS, 600mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 900mm (1150mm) vs APFSDS, 1400mm (1900mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 50mm (300mm) vs APFSDS, 550mm (1050mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 50mm (300mm) vs APFSDS, 550mm (1050mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 50mm vs APFSDS, 550mm vs HEAT

Medium armor is used primarily for low intensity conflicts, where the chances of encountering enemy tanks are minimal. A tank equipped with medium armor is still vulnerable to most modern kinetic energy penetrators at typical combat ranges from all but the frontal arc, even when equipped with ERA. However, a Tulkas II with medium armor is almost completely immune to most HEAT penetrators, including RPGs, HEAT shells, and many ATGMs. As such, the medium armor scheme is used when there is a low probability of encountering enemy armor, but a high probability of RPG and ATGM attacks. Though the Tulkas II was not designed for urban combat, this armor scheme enables it to enter urban environments with little risk to the vehicle or crew, and is therefore the most commonly used armor scheme in such situations. A Tulkas II with medium armor has a base weight of 70 metric tons, and 80 metric tons with ERA. ERA is almost always mounted when medium armor is used.

Medium Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1250mm (1500mm) vs APFSDS, 1750mm (2250mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 250mm vs APFSDS, 750mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 1150mm (1400mm) vs APFSDS, 1650mm (2150mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 200mm vs APFSDS, 700mm vs HEAT

Heavy armor is used for high intensity conflicts, when enemy tanks are expected to be encountered in significant numbers. When equipped with heavy armor, a Tulkas II becomes virtually impenetrable. The frontal arc is capable of stopping 155mm armor piercing shells at all but suicidally close range. From the side, the tank is protected against 105mm guns – such as those carried by the Stryker mobile gun system and many early MBTs – at medium to long range; however, some high-pressure guns like the 105mm Improved Weapon System may be able to penetrate. The rear and top armor offers protection from guns of up to 90mm, though it can also stop 100mm rounds from the BMP-3’s low-velocity gun, and some 105mm guns at long range. A Tulkas II-HA (heavy armor) is completely impervious to almost all HEAT weapons, including top attack ATGMs and even air launched missiles such as the Hellfire. This armor scheme allows a relatively small number of Tulkas IIs to engage and defeat a much larger group of enemy tanks. This capability was seen as necessary, as the number of Mitheldalondian troops and vehicles that can be deployed abroad is limited by the capacity of amphibious assault groups. One of the consequences of being an island nation, this means that Mitheldalondian ground forces will often be going into combat with a numerical disadvantage. A Tulkas II equipped with heavy armor is a monstrously heavy vehicle, weighing 75 metric tons before ERA is added. With ERA, which is almost always mounted with heavy armor, the tank weighs a staggering 85 metric tons.

Heavy Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1500mm (1750mm) vs APFSDS, 2000mm (2500mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 350mm (600mm) vs APFSDS, 850mm (1350mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 250mm vs APFSDS, 750mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 1450mm (1700mm) vs APFSDS, 1950mm (2450mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 350mm (600mm) vs APFSDS, 850mm (1350mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 200mm vs APFSDS, 700mm vs HEAT

Armament:

Primary:
The main gun of the Tulkas II is an autoloaded 140mm, 45 caliber smoothbore cannon. The gun has a sustainable rate of fire of 10 rounds/minute, and can be used to engage helicopters.

The Tulkas II carries 36 rounds for its main gun in its turret bustle racks. There is room in the hull for an additional 8 rounds, but this is very rarely used due to safety concerns. Most tank crews use this space to store personal belongings or additional supplies. A typical ammunition load consists of 11 M749 depleted uranium APFSDS penetrators, 11 M751 Dramborleg tandem HEAT gun launched ATGMs, and 14 M750 multipurpose rounds for use against infantry, fortifications, and armored vehicles. Typical engagement ranges for APFSDS rounds are 2-4.5 km. While they can penetrate the front of many tanks well beyond this range, the probability of a hit with the unguided projectiles is less than desirable at extreme ranges. The ATGMs are typically used to engage targets between 6 km and 8km. They have a maximum effective range of around 10 km, but the Tulkas II cannot detect surface targets that far away by itself.

Ammunition:
(Note that all Penetration values are approximate, as penetration is not binary.)

M749 APFSDS:
Based on the M829A3/E4, the M749 is a depleted uranium saboted kinetic energy penetrator.

• Type: armor-piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot penetrator
• Effective range: 4,500+ m
• Penetration:
  
  • 1,250mm @ 1,000m
  • 1,175mm @ 2,000m
  • 1,100mm @ 3,000m
  • 1,025mm @ 4,000m
  • 950mm @ 5,000m

M751 Dramborleg:
The Dramborleg is a fire-and-forget anti-tank missile with inspiration taken from both the LAHAT and the Spike. It can receive targeting data from the launch vehicle, or from friendly assets beyond the Tulkas’s line of sight.

• Type: top-attack gun-launched ATGM
• Diameter: 140mm
• Warhead: 6.5 kg (14.3 lb) tandem HEAT
• Range: 8 km – 10 km
• Speed: Mach 2
• Guidance: Laser homing, IR, or active radar
• Penetration: 1,100mm after ERA

M750 Multipurpose round:
The multipurpose round is capable of engaging armor, troops, and fortifications effectively. In anti-armor mode, it functions as a HEAT shell and can penetrate the equivalent of 800mm of RHA. An airburst mode is used to combat infantry, wherein the shell performs as a high explosive fragmentation artillery shell. Against buildings and fortifications, the M750 uses point detonation delay, causing the shell to punch through the wall and detonate inside the building. A single round is capable of leveling an entire building, or demolishing a reinforced concrete bunker.

Secondary:
The Tulkas II carries an M307 25x59mm automatic airburst grenade launcher in a remote weapon station by the commander’s hatch. The M307 can be easily converted into the M312 .50 cal machine gun, but its slow rate of fire significantly reduces the M312’s effectiveness as a machine gun. As such, if an HMG is needed, the M307 is removed and replaced by an M2 Browning. The Tulkas II also carries a coaxial M240 7.62mm machine gun. Provision for a second M240 on a pintle mount or RWS in front of the gunner’s hatch has been made, though the weapon is not usually fitted.

Mobility:
The Tulkas II was designed for excellent off-road performance, even in its heaviest configuration. Its 2,000 horsepower engine enables the Tulkas II to achieve a cruising speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) on paved surfaces, with a maximum speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). This maximum speed can be maintained for short durations without damage to the tank, and is typically used for rapid maneuvering during combat. Across moderately soft terrain (dirt, grass, etc.), the Tulkas II can maintain a cruising speed of 35 mph (56.33 km/h) with a sprint speed of 40 mph (65 km/h). The tank can also move at full speed in reverse.

Fording Capability:
The Tulkas II is capable of wading through water up to the top of its hull without preparation, and through water up to 15 meters deep with preparation. It can remain submerged for over an hour with crew oxygen rebreathers, and longer with a snorkel fitted. It can fire so long as the gun barrel is not submerged, making rivers beds and lake bottoms good places from which to ambush enemy forces. The tank can enter combat ready status immediately upon resurfacing.

Suspension:
In order to achieve the low ground pressure necessary for good off-road performance, the Tulkas II’s tracks are 1.0m wide. There are nine road wheels, each 0.5m in diameter, on each side of the tank.

The Tulkas II uses a hydropneumatic active suspension system, which allows the tank to vary its ground clearance from 0.75m to effectively resting the hull on the ground. This means that the overall height of the tank can vary between approximately 2.25m and 3m. Each of the road wheels can be independently controlled by the driver, though individual wheel control is usually handled automatically while the driver concentrates on controlling the tank as a whole.

The ability to change the Tulkas II’s ground clearance allows the tank to adapt to its environment. Raising the tank to its maximum height enables it to clear taller obstacles, and reduces hull movement while traversing smaller obstacles. This results in a much smoother ride when driving off-road and through rough terrain, improving both crew comfort and accuracy when firing on the move. Lowering the hull allows the Tulkas II to hide behind shorter obstacles than would normally be possible. However, constantly raising and lowering a 65-85 ton vehicle puts quite a bit of strain on the suspension, resulting in a fair amount of wear and tear. Too much wear and tear can cause the suspension to fail, disabling the tank. Regular maintenance prevents this from becoming a problem; therefore, Mitheldalondian tank crews are trained to keep track of their vehicle’s condition, and to know how often it needs to go in for maintenance. This job is made easier by the array of electronics and sensors that monitor all of the tank’s systems, which will notify the crew of any necessary maintenance long before the situation reaches critical status.

The impressive capabilities and maneuverability afforded by the Tulkas II’s suspension were demonstrated in a novel fashion during the tank’s official unveiling to the public. During the ceremony, a group of about a dozen Tulkas IIs performed an armored rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, for which they received a standing ovation from the audience. Critics were quick to write scathing condemnations of Mitheldalond’s new “dancing tank”, remarking that is was “more suited to dance competitions than combat.” However, more observant individuals noted that the performance displayed not only the impressive agility of the tank, but also an incredible level of coordination between vehicles.

Electronics:
The Tulkas II incorporates an extensive array of electronic sensors and displays designed to improve situational awareness and combat effectiveness. Radar, infrared, and visual sensors work together to create as complete an image as possible of the surrounding battlespace.

In addition to the Mk 1 eyeball, a number of cameras arrayed around the tank's exterior provide a 360 degree view of the nearby terrain. This is primarily useful to the driver for navigation, and the commander to assist with visual detection.

The tank's AESA radar, improved considerably from the original Quick Kill radar, provides 360 degree hemispherical coverage out to a maximum detection range of 8km for surface targets, and 10-12km for aerial targets. It can track over 2 dozen targets simultaneously, and is also capable of terrain and limited weather mapping. The radar can provide targeting data for the Tulkas II's main gun and RWS, in addition to the Quick Kill launchers it was originally intended to control. Both weapons can be slaved to the tank's fire control computer, which will use the targeting data provided by the radar and other sensors to automatically aim and fire at targets selected by the tank commander. Adjustments for direction of travel and speed of both the tank and target, as well as environmental factors like wind speed, are made automatically.

All three crew stations are equipped with an array of touchscreen multifunction displays. By default, these are set up to display information most relevant to their particular crew station, in the most useful format possible for that crew member. They can be used to display a map of the immediate area and terrain, including the locations of friendly, hostile, and unidentified vehicles and troops. They can also be used to monitor the condition of the tank or other friendly vehicles, view orders and rules of engagement, or display other important information. It is also possible to use them to watch television or view the Internet, but checking Facebook during combat is generally discouraged.

All crew stations are networked together, allowing any station to be controlled from any other station. The commander for example, without leaving his seat, could take control of the driver's station, use his display screens to plot a course by placing waypoints, instruct the tank to execute the designated maneuver, switch to controlling the gunner's station, slave the main gun to the fire control system, and then start designating targets. The tank will automatically follow the waypoint course, while targeting and firing as directed by the commander. This allows the Tulkas II to operate with a fair degree of efficiency even with 2 of its 3 crew members out of action. As a security measure, the tank can only be controlled in this manner from its own crew stations; any external commands are simply ignored.

The ADMIN Combat System:
The Tulkas II is fully compatible with Mitheldalond's Arena Distributed Mass Information Network (ADMIN). ADMIN is an information sharing and coordination system, integrated into all Mitheldalondian combat vehicles, aircraft, and ships. Contrary to what its acronym implies, it is not an administrative system; rather, it is a decentralized library of all information available to Mitheldalondian forces in a battlespace. If any Mitheldalondian unit (vehicle, plane, ship, etc.) knows a piece of information, all Mitheldalondian forces in the battlespace can know that information. All information is not known by all units at all times; it is merely accessible to all forces in the battlespace at all times. The amount of information, and level of detail of that information, that can be "known" by any vehicle, aircraft, or ship at any one time is mostly dependent on how much processing power it has.

A trade-off between width of focus and level of detail is necessary; a wider focus will offer less detailed information, while a narrower focus will offer much more detail. For example, a supercarrier and a main battle tank can both view a map of the entire battlespace. However, the map in a tank will likely be little more than an overview, similar to a strategic map displaying general information about troop deployment and approximate strength at perhaps battalion level or higher. If the tank crew wants information about a particular battalion, they will have to narrow their focus, losing information about the rest of the battlespace in exchange for more detail about a smaller area. A carrier on the other hand, could view the entire battlespace in far more detail. It is possible to make an analogy to real-time strategy games: a tank would be able to view either the minimap or a small section of the main map, while a supercarrier would be able to view the entire main map at once.

The ADMIN system allows unprecedented situational and battlespace awareness, enabling such a high level of coordination among Mitheldalondian forces that they can appear to think and act as one. For this reason, many people refer to the ADMIN system as the “hive mind”, a surprisingly accurate nickname. Some of this coordination is automatic. In the case of the Tulkas II, as well as most other combat vehicles, this is applied most obviously in the active protection systems. When a group of tanks are faced with multiple incoming projectiles, they will automatically communicate with each other to determine which vehicles could most effectively engage which projectiles, and assign targets to each vehicle accordingly.

As might be obvious, the effectiveness of the ADMIN system increases with the number of units connected to it. If only a single vehicle was connected, the system would be completely useless. More vehicles, aircraft, and ships offer a greater wealth of available information.

There is an extremely high level of security built into the ADMIN system. Highly complex encryption protocols and many other security features work together to ensure that any unauthorized sources trying to access the network will be completely unable to acquire any information in any comprehensible form.

[Inyourfaceistan]

Oh good, we're doing tanks. The picture is just a quick PowerPoint diagram I made to check the dimensions, so it’s a very basic outline and not much more.

M7A3 Mk. II Tulkas:

Type: Main battle tank
Weight: 65-75 tonnes (75-85t with ERA)
Length: 27.23 ft (8.3m) hull length, 39.2 ft (11.25m) gun forward
Width: 9.84 ft (3m) hull, 17.39 ft (5.3m) overall
Height: 9.02 ft (2.75m) with 0.5m ground clearance
Crew: 3 (Commander, driver, gunner)

Armor: 3-tiered defense

• Tier 1: 3rd generation depleted uranium between Chobham layers
  
• Tier 2: next generation ERA (optional)
• Tier 3: Active protection
  
  • Hard kill: Quick Kill active protection system - 4 launchers with 16 countermeasure missiles each
  • Soft kill: Softkill Active Protection System (SAPS) - disrupts semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) wire and radio guided ATGMs, laser rangefinders and target designators, and thermal and infrared ATGMs

Armament:

• 140mm L45 smoothbore gun (36 rounds)
  
  • 11 x M749 depleted uranium APFSDS penetrators
  • 11 x M751 Dramborleg gun launched ATGMs
  • 14 x M750 multipurpose rounds
• 1 x M307 25mm automatic grenade launcher or M312 .50 cal machine gun - Remote weapon station (1400 rounds)
• 1 x M240 7.62mm machine gun – coaxial (4000 rounds)
• 24 x smoke grenade launchers

Engine: 2000 horsepower diesel engine
Power/weight: 30.77 hp/t (65t configuration), 23.53 hp/t (85t configuration)
Suspension: Hydropneumatic active suspension
Ground pressure: 53.14 kPa (7.707 psi) 65t configuration, 69.49 kPa (10.08 psi) 85t configuration
Ground clearance: 0.07m - 0.75m (3 in - 2.46 ft)
Vertical step: 1.8m (5.9 ft)
Hull traverse: 45 deg/s
Turret traverse: 45 deg/s
Gun elevation: -15 deg/+25 deg (5 degrees from suspension)
Fuel capacity: 373 US gallons
Operational range: 400 mi (644 km)
Speed:

• On road (governed): 45(cruising) - 50(sprint) mph (72-80 km/h)
• Off road: 35 mph (cruising) – 40 mph (sprint) (56.33 - 65 km/h)

The M7A3 Tulkas II is the main battle tank of the Kingdom of Mitheldalond.

Protection:

Concealment:
The Tulkas II carries 24 smoke grenade launchers, capable of creating a smokescreen that obscures the tank from both visual and thermal imaging detection. The tank can also create a smokescreen by injecting fuel into the exhaust.

Active Protection:
The Tulkas II’s first line of defense is composed of the hardkill Quick Kill active protection system, and the Softkill Active Protection System (SAPS). These two systems work in concert to ensure the safety of the tank, as well as that of any nearby friendly units.

SAPS provides softkill protection by jamming and disrupting wire and radio guided semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) ATGMs, laser rangefinders and target designators, and thermal and infrared ATGMs. Projectiles defeated by SAPS are not destroyed; they are simply caused to miss. If SAPS fails to decoy a projectile, or if other friendly units would be endangered by a miss, the Quick Kill system will attempt to shoot down the projectile.

The Quick Kill system uses an AESA radar to detect incoming projectiles, which it can engage with small vertical launch countermeasure missiles. It is capable of engaging a wide range of threats, from RPGs to ATGMs to kinetic energy penetrators. Four reloadable vertical launch units, each containing 16 countermeasures, are mounted on the turret, for a total of 64 countermeasure missiles.

APS engagements are handled automatically by the Tulkas II’s onboard computer system.

Armor:
The Tulkas II uses a modular armor scheme, allowing different armor kits to be mounted according to protection and weight requirements. There are 3 primary armor schemes used: light armor, medium armor, and heavy armor. Only the 3m width of the hull is armored as indicated, not the full 5.3m width that includes the tracks. (Note that all armor values are approximations, as penetration isn’t binary.)

Light armor is used primarily for strategic transport and amphibious landings, or other scenarios when heavier armor would be impractical or detrimental. The former are common situations, as Mitheldalond is an island nation. The light armor scheme offers protection roughly on par with that of many other battle tanks; it is highly vulnerable to hits to the sides and rear, as well as to modern anti-tank mines and top-attack munitions, while remaining largely impregnable from the front. This is the lightest of the three main armor schemes, and the only one that allows the Tulkas II to be transported by standard means. A Tulkas II-LA (light armor) weighs 65 metric tons standard, but can weigh up to 75 metric tons with ERA. However, ERA is not normally mounted to a tank equipped with light armor; it is generally preferred to refit tanks with one of the heavier armor schemes once they have arrived at their location.

Light Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1000mm (1250mm) vs APFSDS, 1500mm (2000mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 150mm (400mm) vs APFSDS, 650mm (1150mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 100mm vs APFSDS, 600mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 900mm (1150mm) vs APFSDS, 1400mm (1900mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 50mm (300mm) vs APFSDS, 550mm (1050mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 50mm (300mm) vs APFSDS, 550mm (1050mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 50mm vs APFSDS, 550mm vs HEAT

Medium armor is used primarily for low intensity conflicts, where the chances of encountering enemy tanks are minimal. A tank equipped with medium armor is still vulnerable to most modern kinetic energy penetrators at typical combat ranges from all but the frontal arc, even when equipped with ERA. However, a Tulkas II with medium armor is almost completely immune to most HEAT penetrators, including RPGs, HEAT shells, and many ATGMs. As such, the medium armor scheme is used when there is a low probability of encountering enemy armor, but a high probability of RPG and ATGM attacks. Though the Tulkas II was not designed for urban combat, this armor scheme enables it to enter urban environments with little risk to the vehicle or crew, and is therefore the most commonly used armor scheme in such situations. A Tulkas II with medium armor has a base weight of 70 metric tons, and 80 metric tons with ERA. ERA is almost always mounted when medium armor is used.

Medium Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1250mm (1500mm) vs APFSDS, 1750mm (2250mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 250mm vs APFSDS, 750mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 1150mm (1400mm) vs APFSDS, 1650mm (2150mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 200mm vs APFSDS, 700mm vs HEAT

Heavy armor is used for high intensity conflicts, when enemy tanks are expected to be encountered in significant numbers. When equipped with heavy armor, a Tulkas II becomes virtually impenetrable. The frontal arc is capable of stopping 155mm armor piercing shells at all but suicidally close range. From the side, the tank is protected against 105mm guns – such as those carried by the Stryker mobile gun system and many early MBTs – at medium to long range; however, some high-pressure guns like the 105mm Improved Weapon System may be able to penetrate. The rear and top armor offers protection from guns of up to 90mm, though it can also stop 100mm rounds from the BMP-3’s low-velocity gun, and some 105mm guns at long range. A Tulkas II-HA (heavy armor) is completely impervious to almost all HEAT weapons, including top attack ATGMs and even air launched missiles such as the Hellfire. This armor scheme allows a relatively small number of Tulkas IIs to engage and defeat a much larger group of enemy tanks. This capability was seen as necessary, as the number of Mitheldalondian troops and vehicles that can be deployed abroad is limited by the capacity of amphibious assault groups. One of the consequences of being an island nation, this means that Mitheldalondian ground forces will often be going into combat with a numerical disadvantage. A Tulkas II equipped with heavy armor is a monstrously heavy vehicle, weighing 75 metric tons before ERA is added. With ERA, which is almost always mounted with heavy armor, the tank weighs a staggering 85 metric tons.

Heavy Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1500mm (1750mm) vs APFSDS, 2000mm (2500mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 350mm (600mm) vs APFSDS, 850mm (1350mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 250mm vs APFSDS, 750mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 1450mm (1700mm) vs APFSDS, 1950mm (2450mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 350mm (600mm) vs APFSDS, 850mm (1350mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 200mm vs APFSDS, 700mm vs HEAT

Armament:

Primary:
The main gun of the Tulkas II is an autoloaded 140mm, 45 caliber smoothbore cannon. The gun has a sustainable rate of fire of 10 rounds/minute, and can be used to engage helicopters.

The Tulkas II carries 36 rounds for its main gun in its turret bustle racks. There is room in the hull for an additional 8 rounds, but this is very rarely used due to safety concerns. Most tank crews use this space to store personal belongings or additional supplies. A typical ammunition load consists of 11 M749 depleted uranium APFSDS penetrators, 11 M751 Dramborleg tandem HEAT gun launched ATGMs, and 14 M750 multipurpose rounds for use against infantry, fortifications, and armored vehicles. Typical engagement ranges for APFSDS rounds are 2-4.5 km. While they can penetrate the front of many tanks well beyond this range, the probability of a hit with the unguided projectiles is less than desirable at extreme ranges. The ATGMs are typically used to engage targets between 6 km and 8km. They have a maximum effective range of around 10 km, but the Tulkas II cannot detect surface targets that far away by itself.

Ammunition:
(Note that all Penetration values are approximate, as penetration is not binary.)

M749 APFSDS:
Based on the M829A3/E4, the M749 is a depleted uranium saboted kinetic energy penetrator.

• Type: armor-piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot penetrator
• Effective range: 4,500+ m
• Penetration:
  
  • 1,250mm @ 1,000m
  • 1,175mm @ 2,000m
  • 1,100mm @ 3,000m
  • 1,025mm @ 4,000m
  • 950mm @ 5,000m

M751 Dramborleg:
The Dramborleg is a fire-and-forget anti-tank missile with inspiration taken from both the LAHAT and the Spike. It can receive targeting data from the launch vehicle, or from friendly assets beyond the Tulkas’s line of sight.

• Type: top-attack gun-launched ATGM
• Diameter: 140mm
• Warhead: 6.5 kg (14.3 lb) tandem HEAT
• Range: 8 km – 10 km
• Speed: Mach 2
• Guidance: Laser homing, IR, or active radar
• Penetration: 1,100mm after ERA

M750 Multipurpose round:
The multipurpose round is capable of engaging armor, troops, and fortifications effectively. In anti-armor mode, it functions as a HEAT shell and can penetrate the equivalent of 800mm of RHA. An airburst mode is used to combat infantry, wherein the shell performs as a high explosive fragmentation artillery shell. Against buildings and fortifications, the M750 uses point detonation delay, causing the shell to punch through the wall and detonate inside the building. A single round is capable of leveling an entire building, or demolishing a reinforced concrete bunker.

Secondary:
The Tulkas II carries an M307 25x59mm automatic airburst grenade launcher in a remote weapon station by the commander’s hatch. The M307 can be easily converted into the M312 .50 cal machine gun, but its slow rate of fire significantly reduces the M312’s effectiveness as a machine gun. As such, if an HMG is needed, the M307 is removed and replaced by an M2 Browning. The Tulkas II also carries a coaxial M240 7.62mm machine gun. Provision for a second M240 on a pintle mount or RWS in front of the gunner’s hatch has been made, though the weapon is not usually fitted.

Mobility:
The Tulkas II was designed for excellent off-road performance, even in its heaviest configuration. Its 2,000 horsepower engine enables the Tulkas II to achieve a cruising speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) on paved surfaces, with a maximum speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). This maximum speed can be maintained for short durations without damage to the tank, and is typically used for rapid maneuvering during combat. Across moderately soft terrain (dirt, grass, etc.), the Tulkas II can maintain a cruising speed of 35 mph (56.33 km/h) with a sprint speed of 40 mph (65 km/h). The tank can also move at full speed in reverse.

Fording Capability:
The Tulkas II is capable of wading through water up to the top of its hull without preparation, and through water up to 15 meters deep with preparation. It can remain submerged for over an hour with crew oxygen rebreathers, and longer with a snorkel fitted. It can fire so long as the gun barrel is not submerged, making rivers beds and lake bottoms good places from which to ambush enemy forces. The tank can enter combat ready status immediately upon resurfacing.

Suspension:
In order to achieve the low ground pressure necessary for good off-road performance, the Tulkas II’s tracks are 1.0m wide. There are nine road wheels, each 0.5m in diameter, on each side of the tank.

The Tulkas II uses a hydropneumatic active suspension system, which allows the tank to vary its ground clearance from 0.75m to effectively resting the hull on the ground. This means that the overall height of the tank can vary between approximately 2.25m and 3m. Each of the road wheels can be independently controlled by the driver, though individual wheel control is usually handled automatically while the driver concentrates on controlling the tank as a whole.

The ability to change the Tulkas II’s ground clearance allows the tank to adapt to its environment. Raising the tank to its maximum height enables it to clear taller obstacles, and reduces hull movement while traversing smaller obstacles. This results in a much smoother ride when driving off-road and through rough terrain, improving both crew comfort and accuracy when firing on the move. Lowering the hull allows the Tulkas II to hide behind shorter obstacles than would normally be possible. However, constantly raising and lowering a 65-85 ton vehicle puts quite a bit of strain on the suspension, resulting in a fair amount of wear and tear. Too much wear and tear can cause the suspension to fail, disabling the tank. Regular maintenance prevents this from becoming a problem; therefore, Mitheldalondian tank crews are trained to keep track of their vehicle’s condition, and to know how often it needs to go in for maintenance. This job is made easier by the array of electronics and sensors that monitor all of the tank’s systems, which will notify the crew of any necessary maintenance long before the situation reaches critical status.

The impressive capabilities and maneuverability afforded by the Tulkas II’s suspension were demonstrated in a novel fashion during the tank’s official unveiling to the public. During the ceremony, a group of about a dozen Tulkas IIs performed an armored rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, for which they received a standing ovation from the audience. Critics were quick to write scathing condemnations of Mitheldalond’s new “dancing tank”, remarking that is was “more suited to dance competitions than combat.” However, more observant individuals noted that the performance displayed not only the impressive agility of the tank, but also an incredible level of coordination between vehicles.

Electronics:
The Tulkas II incorporates an extensive array of electronic sensors and displays designed to improve situational awareness and combat effectiveness. Radar, infrared, and visual sensors work together to create as complete an image as possible of the surrounding battlespace.

In addition to the Mk 1 eyeball, a number of cameras arrayed around the tank's exterior provide a 360 degree view of the nearby terrain. This is primarily useful to the driver for navigation, and the commander to assist with visual detection.

The tank's AESA radar, improved considerably from the original Quick Kill radar, provides 360 degree hemispherical coverage out to a maximum detection range of 8km for surface targets, and 10-12km for aerial targets. It can track over 2 dozen targets simultaneously, and is also capable of terrain and limited weather mapping. The radar can provide targeting data for the Tulkas II's main gun and RWS, in addition to the Quick Kill launchers it was originally intended to control. Both weapons can be slaved to the tank's fire control computer, which will use the targeting data provided by the radar and other sensors to automatically aim and fire at targets selected by the tank commander. Adjustments for direction of travel and speed of both the tank and target, as well as environmental factors like wind speed, are made automatically.

All three crew stations are equipped with an array of touchscreen multifunction displays. By default, these are set up to display information most relevant to their particular crew station, in the most useful format possible for that crew member. They can be used to display a map of the immediate area and terrain, including the locations of friendly, hostile, and unidentified vehicles and troops. They can also be used to monitor the condition of the tank or other friendly vehicles, view orders and rules of engagement, or display other important information. It is also possible to use them to watch television or view the Internet, but checking Facebook during combat is generally discouraged.

All crew stations are networked together, allowing any station to be controlled from any other station. The commander for example, without leaving his seat, could take control of the driver's station, use his display screens to plot a course by placing waypoints, instruct the tank to execute the designated maneuver, switch to controlling the gunner's station, slave the main gun to the fire control system, and then start designating targets. The tank will automatically follow the waypoint course, while targeting and firing as directed by the commander. This allows the Tulkas II to operate with a fair degree of efficiency even with 2 of its 3 crew members out of action. As a security measure, the tank can only be controlled in this manner from its own crew stations; any external commands are simply ignored.

The ADMIN Combat System:
The Tulkas II is fully compatible with Mitheldalond's Arena Distributed Mass Information Network (ADMIN). ADMIN is an information sharing and coordination system, integrated into all Mitheldalondian combat vehicles, aircraft, and ships. Contrary to what its acronym implies, it is not an administrative system; rather, it is a decentralized library of all information available to Mitheldalondian forces in a battlespace. If any Mitheldalondian unit (vehicle, plane, ship, etc.) knows a piece of information, all Mitheldalondian forces in the battlespace can know that information. All information is not known by all units at all times; it is merely accessible to all forces in the battlespace at all times. The amount of information, and level of detail of that information, that can be "known" by any vehicle, aircraft, or ship at any one time is mostly dependent on how much processing power it has.

A trade-off between width of focus and level of detail is necessary; a wider focus will offer less detailed information, while a narrower focus will offer much more detail. For example, a supercarrier and a main battle tank can both view a map of the entire battlespace. However, the map in a tank will likely be little more than an overview, similar to a strategic map displaying general information about troop deployment and approximate strength at perhaps battalion level or higher. If the tank crew wants information about a particular battalion, they will have to narrow their focus, losing information about the rest of the battlespace in exchange for more detail about a smaller area. A carrier on the other hand, could view the entire battlespace in far more detail. It is possible to make an analogy to real-time strategy games: a tank would be able to view either the minimap or a small section of the main map, while a supercarrier would be able to view the entire main map at once.

The ADMIN system allows unprecedented situational and battlespace awareness, enabling such a high level of coordination among Mitheldalondian forces that they can appear to think and act as one. For this reason, many people refer to the ADMIN system as the “hive mind”, a surprisingly accurate nickname. Some of this coordination is automatic. In the case of the Tulkas II, as well as most other combat vehicles, this is applied most obviously in the active protection systems. When a group of tanks are faced with multiple incoming projectiles, they will automatically communicate with each other to determine which vehicles could most effectively engage which projectiles, and assign targets to each vehicle accordingly.

As might be obvious, the effectiveness of the ADMIN system increases with the number of units connected to it. If only a single vehicle was connected, the system would be completely useless. More vehicles, aircraft, and ships offer a greater wealth of available information.

There is an extremely high level of security built into the ADMIN system. Highly complex encryption protocols and many other security features work together to ensure that any unauthorized sources trying to access the network will be completely unable to acquire any information in any comprehensible form.

I assume this monstrosity is supposedly able to withstand 120mm M829E4?

But on another note, is it worth the AGM-65 it will take for me to kill it?

[Allanea]

Javelin top-attack.

[Mitheldalond]

Oh good, we're doing tanks. The picture is just a quick PowerPoint diagram I made to check the dimensions, so it’s a very basic outline and not much more.

M7A3 Mk. II Tulkas:

Type: Main battle tank
Weight: 65-75 tonnes (75-85t with ERA)
Length: 27.23 ft (8.3m) hull length, 39.2 ft (11.25m) gun forward
Width: 9.84 ft (3m) hull, 17.39 ft (5.3m) overall
Height: 9.02 ft (2.75m) with 0.5m ground clearance
Crew: 3 (Commander, driver, gunner)

Armor: 3-tiered defense

• Tier 1: 3rd generation depleted uranium between Chobham layers
  
• Tier 2: next generation ERA (optional)
• Tier 3: Active protection
  
  • Hard kill: Quick Kill active protection system - 4 launchers with 16 countermeasure missiles each
  • Soft kill: Softkill Active Protection System (SAPS) - disrupts semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) wire and radio guided ATGMs, laser rangefinders and target designators, and thermal and infrared ATGMs

Armament:

• 140mm L45 smoothbore gun (36 rounds)
  
  • 11 x M749 depleted uranium APFSDS penetrators
  • 11 x M751 Dramborleg gun launched ATGMs
  • 14 x M750 multipurpose rounds
• 1 x M307 25mm automatic grenade launcher or M312 .50 cal machine gun - Remote weapon station (1400 rounds)
• 1 x M240 7.62mm machine gun – coaxial (4000 rounds)
• 24 x smoke grenade launchers

Engine: 2000 horsepower diesel engine
Power/weight: 30.77 hp/t (65t configuration), 23.53 hp/t (85t configuration)
Suspension: Hydropneumatic active suspension
Ground pressure: 53.14 kPa (7.707 psi) 65t configuration, 69.49 kPa (10.08 psi) 85t configuration
Ground clearance: 0.07m - 0.75m (3 in - 2.46 ft)
Vertical step: 1.8m (5.9 ft)
Hull traverse: 45 deg/s
Turret traverse: 45 deg/s
Gun elevation: -15 deg/+25 deg (5 degrees from suspension)
Fuel capacity: 373 US gallons
Operational range: 400 mi (644 km)
Speed:

• On road (governed): 45(cruising) - 50(sprint) mph (72-80 km/h)
• Off road: 35 mph (cruising) – 40 mph (sprint) (56.33 - 65 km/h)

The M7A3 Tulkas II is the main battle tank of the Kingdom of Mitheldalond.

Protection:

Concealment:
The Tulkas II carries 24 smoke grenade launchers, capable of creating a smokescreen that obscures the tank from both visual and thermal imaging detection. The tank can also create a smokescreen by injecting fuel into the exhaust.

Active Protection:
The Tulkas II’s first line of defense is composed of the hardkill Quick Kill active protection system, and the Softkill Active Protection System (SAPS). These two systems work in concert to ensure the safety of the tank, as well as that of any nearby friendly units.

SAPS provides softkill protection by jamming and disrupting wire and radio guided semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) ATGMs, laser rangefinders and target designators, and thermal and infrared ATGMs. Projectiles defeated by SAPS are not destroyed; they are simply caused to miss. If SAPS fails to decoy a projectile, or if other friendly units would be endangered by a miss, the Quick Kill system will attempt to shoot down the projectile.

The Quick Kill system uses an AESA radar to detect incoming projectiles, which it can engage with small vertical launch countermeasure missiles. It is capable of engaging a wide range of threats, from RPGs to ATGMs to kinetic energy penetrators. Four reloadable vertical launch units, each containing 16 countermeasures, are mounted on the turret, for a total of 64 countermeasure missiles.

APS engagements are handled automatically by the Tulkas II’s onboard computer system.

Armor:
The Tulkas II uses a modular armor scheme, allowing different armor kits to be mounted according to protection and weight requirements. There are 3 primary armor schemes used: light armor, medium armor, and heavy armor. Only the 3m width of the hull is armored as indicated, not the full 5.3m width that includes the tracks. (Note that all armor values are approximations, as penetration isn’t binary.)

Light armor is used primarily for strategic transport and amphibious landings, or other scenarios when heavier armor would be impractical or detrimental. The former are common situations, as Mitheldalond is an island nation. The light armor scheme offers protection roughly on par with that of many other battle tanks; it is highly vulnerable to hits to the sides and rear, as well as to modern anti-tank mines and top-attack munitions, while remaining largely impregnable from the front. This is the lightest of the three main armor schemes, and the only one that allows the Tulkas II to be transported by standard means. A Tulkas II-LA (light armor) weighs 65 metric tons standard, but can weigh up to 75 metric tons with ERA. However, ERA is not normally mounted to a tank equipped with light armor; it is generally preferred to refit tanks with one of the heavier armor schemes once they have arrived at their location.

Light Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1000mm (1250mm) vs APFSDS, 1500mm (2000mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 150mm (400mm) vs APFSDS, 650mm (1150mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 100mm vs APFSDS, 600mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 900mm (1150mm) vs APFSDS, 1400mm (1900mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 50mm (300mm) vs APFSDS, 550mm (1050mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 50mm (300mm) vs APFSDS, 550mm (1050mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 50mm vs APFSDS, 550mm vs HEAT

Medium armor is used primarily for low intensity conflicts, where the chances of encountering enemy tanks are minimal. A tank equipped with medium armor is still vulnerable to most modern kinetic energy penetrators at typical combat ranges from all but the frontal arc, even when equipped with ERA. However, a Tulkas II with medium armor is almost completely immune to most HEAT penetrators, including RPGs, HEAT shells, and many ATGMs. As such, the medium armor scheme is used when there is a low probability of encountering enemy armor, but a high probability of RPG and ATGM attacks. Though the Tulkas II was not designed for urban combat, this armor scheme enables it to enter urban environments with little risk to the vehicle or crew, and is therefore the most commonly used armor scheme in such situations. A Tulkas II with medium armor has a base weight of 70 metric tons, and 80 metric tons with ERA. ERA is almost always mounted when medium armor is used.

Medium Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1250mm (1500mm) vs APFSDS, 1750mm (2250mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 250mm vs APFSDS, 750mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 1150mm (1400mm) vs APFSDS, 1650mm (2150mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 200mm vs APFSDS, 700mm vs HEAT

Heavy armor is used for high intensity conflicts, when enemy tanks are expected to be encountered in significant numbers. When equipped with heavy armor, a Tulkas II becomes virtually impenetrable. The frontal arc is capable of stopping 155mm armor piercing shells at all but suicidally close range. From the side, the tank is protected against 105mm guns – such as those carried by the Stryker mobile gun system and many early MBTs – at medium to long range; however, some high-pressure guns like the 105mm Improved Weapon System may be able to penetrate. The rear and top armor offers protection from guns of up to 90mm, though it can also stop 100mm rounds from the BMP-3’s low-velocity gun, and some 105mm guns at long range. A Tulkas II-HA (heavy armor) is completely impervious to almost all HEAT weapons, including top attack ATGMs and even air launched missiles such as the Hellfire. This armor scheme allows a relatively small number of Tulkas IIs to engage and defeat a much larger group of enemy tanks. This capability was seen as necessary, as the number of Mitheldalondian troops and vehicles that can be deployed abroad is limited by the capacity of amphibious assault groups. One of the consequences of being an island nation, this means that Mitheldalondian ground forces will often be going into combat with a numerical disadvantage. A Tulkas II equipped with heavy armor is a monstrously heavy vehicle, weighing 75 metric tons before ERA is added. With ERA, which is almost always mounted with heavy armor, the tank weighs a staggering 85 metric tons.

Heavy Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1500mm (1750mm) vs APFSDS, 2000mm (2500mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 350mm (600mm) vs APFSDS, 850mm (1350mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 250mm (500mm) vs APFSDS, 750mm (1250mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 250mm vs APFSDS, 750mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 1450mm (1700mm) vs APFSDS, 1950mm (2450mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 350mm (600mm) vs APFSDS, 850mm (1350mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 200mm (450mm) vs APFSDS, 700mm (1200mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 200mm vs APFSDS, 700mm vs HEAT

Armament:

Primary:
The main gun of the Tulkas II is an autoloaded 140mm, 45 caliber smoothbore cannon. The gun has a sustainable rate of fire of 10 rounds/minute, and can be used to engage helicopters.

The Tulkas II carries 36 rounds for its main gun in its turret bustle racks. There is room in the hull for an additional 8 rounds, but this is very rarely used due to safety concerns. Most tank crews use this space to store personal belongings or additional supplies. A typical ammunition load consists of 11 M749 depleted uranium APFSDS penetrators, 11 M751 Dramborleg tandem HEAT gun launched ATGMs, and 14 M750 multipurpose rounds for use against infantry, fortifications, and armored vehicles. Typical engagement ranges for APFSDS rounds are 2-4.5 km. While they can penetrate the front of many tanks well beyond this range, the probability of a hit with the unguided projectiles is less than desirable at extreme ranges. The ATGMs are typically used to engage targets between 6 km and 8km. They have a maximum effective range of around 10 km, but the Tulkas II cannot detect surface targets that far away by itself.

Ammunition:
(Note that all Penetration values are approximate, as penetration is not binary.)

M749 APFSDS:
Based on the M829A3/E4, the M749 is a depleted uranium saboted kinetic energy penetrator.

• Type: armor-piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot penetrator
• Effective range: 4,500+ m
• Penetration:
  
  • 1,250mm @ 1,000m
  • 1,175mm @ 2,000m
  • 1,100mm @ 3,000m
  • 1,025mm @ 4,000m
  • 950mm @ 5,000m

M751 Dramborleg:
The Dramborleg is a fire-and-forget anti-tank missile with inspiration taken from both the LAHAT and the Spike. It can receive targeting data from the launch vehicle, or from friendly assets beyond the Tulkas’s line of sight.

• Type: top-attack gun-launched ATGM
• Diameter: 140mm
• Warhead: 6.5 kg (14.3 lb) tandem HEAT
• Range: 8 km – 10 km
• Speed: Mach 2
• Guidance: Laser homing, IR, or active radar
• Penetration: 1,100mm after ERA

M750 Multipurpose round:
The multipurpose round is capable of engaging armor, troops, and fortifications effectively. In anti-armor mode, it functions as a HEAT shell and can penetrate the equivalent of 800mm of RHA. An airburst mode is used to combat infantry, wherein the shell performs as a high explosive fragmentation artillery shell. Against buildings and fortifications, the M750 uses point detonation delay, causing the shell to punch through the wall and detonate inside the building. A single round is capable of leveling an entire building, or demolishing a reinforced concrete bunker.

Secondary:
The Tulkas II carries an M307 25x59mm automatic airburst grenade launcher in a remote weapon station by the commander’s hatch. The M307 can be easily converted into the M312 .50 cal machine gun, but its slow rate of fire significantly reduces the M312’s effectiveness as a machine gun. As such, if an HMG is needed, the M307 is removed and replaced by an M2 Browning. The Tulkas II also carries a coaxial M240 7.62mm machine gun. Provision for a second M240 on a pintle mount or RWS in front of the gunner’s hatch has been made, though the weapon is not usually fitted.

Mobility:
The Tulkas II was designed for excellent off-road performance, even in its heaviest configuration. Its 2,000 horsepower engine enables the Tulkas II to achieve a cruising speed of 45 mph (72 km/h) on paved surfaces, with a maximum speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). This maximum speed can be maintained for short durations without damage to the tank, and is typically used for rapid maneuvering during combat. Across moderately soft terrain (dirt, grass, etc.), the Tulkas II can maintain a cruising speed of 35 mph (56.33 km/h) with a sprint speed of 40 mph (65 km/h). The tank can also move at full speed in reverse.

Fording Capability:
The Tulkas II is capable of wading through water up to the top of its hull without preparation, and through water up to 15 meters deep with preparation. It can remain submerged for over an hour with crew oxygen rebreathers, and longer with a snorkel fitted. It can fire so long as the gun barrel is not submerged, making rivers beds and lake bottoms good places from which to ambush enemy forces. The tank can enter combat ready status immediately upon resurfacing.

Suspension:
In order to achieve the low ground pressure necessary for good off-road performance, the Tulkas II’s tracks are 1.0m wide. There are nine road wheels, each 0.5m in diameter, on each side of the tank.

The Tulkas II uses a hydropneumatic active suspension system, which allows the tank to vary its ground clearance from 0.75m to effectively resting the hull on the ground. This means that the overall height of the tank can vary between approximately 2.25m and 3m. Each of the road wheels can be independently controlled by the driver, though individual wheel control is usually handled automatically while the driver concentrates on controlling the tank as a whole.

The ability to change the Tulkas II’s ground clearance allows the tank to adapt to its environment. Raising the tank to its maximum height enables it to clear taller obstacles, and reduces hull movement while traversing smaller obstacles. This results in a much smoother ride when driving off-road and through rough terrain, improving both crew comfort and accuracy when firing on the move. Lowering the hull allows the Tulkas II to hide behind shorter obstacles than would normally be possible. However, constantly raising and lowering a 65-85 ton vehicle puts quite a bit of strain on the suspension, resulting in a fair amount of wear and tear. Too much wear and tear can cause the suspension to fail, disabling the tank. Regular maintenance prevents this from becoming a problem; therefore, Mitheldalondian tank crews are trained to keep track of their vehicle’s condition, and to know how often it needs to go in for maintenance. This job is made easier by the array of electronics and sensors that monitor all of the tank’s systems, which will notify the crew of any necessary maintenance long before the situation reaches critical status.

The impressive capabilities and maneuverability afforded by the Tulkas II’s suspension were demonstrated in a novel fashion during the tank’s official unveiling to the public. During the ceremony, a group of about a dozen Tulkas IIs performed an armored rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, for which they received a standing ovation from the audience. Critics were quick to write scathing condemnations of Mitheldalond’s new “dancing tank”, remarking that is was “more suited to dance competitions than combat.” However, more observant individuals noted that the performance displayed not only the impressive agility of the tank, but also an incredible level of coordination between vehicles.

Electronics:
The Tulkas II incorporates an extensive array of electronic sensors and displays designed to improve situational awareness and combat effectiveness. Radar, infrared, and visual sensors work together to create as complete an image as possible of the surrounding battlespace.

In addition to the Mk 1 eyeball, a number of cameras arrayed around the tank's exterior provide a 360 degree view of the nearby terrain. This is primarily useful to the driver for navigation, and the commander to assist with visual detection.

The tank's AESA radar, improved considerably from the original Quick Kill radar, provides 360 degree hemispherical coverage out to a maximum detection range of 8km for surface targets, and 10-12km for aerial targets. It can track over 2 dozen targets simultaneously, and is also capable of terrain and limited weather mapping. The radar can provide targeting data for the Tulkas II's main gun and RWS, in addition to the Quick Kill launchers it was originally intended to control. Both weapons can be slaved to the tank's fire control computer, which will use the targeting data provided by the radar and other sensors to automatically aim and fire at targets selected by the tank commander. Adjustments for direction of travel and speed of both the tank and target, as well as environmental factors like wind speed, are made automatically.

All three crew stations are equipped with an array of touchscreen multifunction displays. By default, these are set up to display information most relevant to their particular crew station, in the most useful format possible for that crew member. They can be used to display a map of the immediate area and terrain, including the locations of friendly, hostile, and unidentified vehicles and troops. They can also be used to monitor the condition of the tank or other friendly vehicles, view orders and rules of engagement, or display other important information. It is also possible to use them to watch television or view the Internet, but checking Facebook during combat is generally discouraged.

All crew stations are networked together, allowing any station to be controlled from any other station. The commander for example, without leaving his seat, could take control of the driver's station, use his display screens to plot a course by placing waypoints, instruct the tank to execute the designated maneuver, switch to controlling the gunner's station, slave the main gun to the fire control system, and then start designating targets. The tank will automatically follow the waypoint course, while targeting and firing as directed by the commander. This allows the Tulkas II to operate with a fair degree of efficiency even with 2 of its 3 crew members out of action. As a security measure, the tank can only be controlled in this manner from its own crew stations; any external commands are simply ignored.

The ADMIN Combat System:
The Tulkas II is fully compatible with Mitheldalond's Arena Distributed Mass Information Network (ADMIN). ADMIN is an information sharing and coordination system, integrated into all Mitheldalondian combat vehicles, aircraft, and ships. Contrary to what its acronym implies, it is not an administrative system; rather, it is a decentralized library of all information available to Mitheldalondian forces in a battlespace. If any Mitheldalondian unit (vehicle, plane, ship, etc.) knows a piece of information, all Mitheldalondian forces in the battlespace can know that information. All information is not known by all units at all times; it is merely accessible to all forces in the battlespace at all times. The amount of information, and level of detail of that information, that can be "known" by any vehicle, aircraft, or ship at any one time is mostly dependent on how much processing power it has.

A trade-off between width of focus and level of detail is necessary; a wider focus will offer less detailed information, while a narrower focus will offer much more detail. For example, a supercarrier and a main battle tank can both view a map of the entire battlespace. However, the map in a tank will likely be little more than an overview, similar to a strategic map displaying general information about troop deployment and approximate strength at perhaps battalion level or higher. If the tank crew wants information about a particular battalion, they will have to narrow their focus, losing information about the rest of the battlespace in exchange for more detail about a smaller area. A carrier on the other hand, could view the entire battlespace in far more detail. It is possible to make an analogy to real-time strategy games: a tank would be able to view either the minimap or a small section of the main map, while a supercarrier would be able to view the entire main map at once.

The ADMIN system allows unprecedented situational and battlespace awareness, enabling such a high level of coordination among Mitheldalondian forces that they can appear to think and act as one. For this reason, many people refer to the ADMIN system as the “hive mind”, a surprisingly accurate nickname. Some of this coordination is automatic. In the case of the Tulkas II, as well as most other combat vehicles, this is applied most obviously in the active protection systems. When a group of tanks are faced with multiple incoming projectiles, they will automatically communicate with each other to determine which vehicles could most effectively engage which projectiles, and assign targets to each vehicle accordingly.

As might be obvious, the effectiveness of the ADMIN system increases with the number of units connected to it. If only a single vehicle was connected, the system would be completely useless. More vehicles, aircraft, and ships offer a greater wealth of available information.

There is an extremely high level of security built into the ADMIN system. Highly complex encryption protocols and many other security features work together to ensure that any unauthorized sources trying to access the network will be completely unable to acquire any information in any comprehensible form.

I assume this monstrosity is supposedly able to withstand 120mm M829E4?

But on another note, is it worth the AGM-65 it will take for me to kill it?

From the front, yes.

"When equipped with heavy armor, a Tulkas II becomes virtually impenetrable. The frontal arc is capable of stopping 155mm armor piercing shells at all but suicidally close range. From the side, the tank is protected against 105mm guns – such as those carried by the Stryker mobile gun system and many early MBTs – at medium to long range; however, some high-pressure guns like the 105mm Improved Weapon System may be able to penetrate. The rear and top armor offers protection from guns of up to 90mm, though it can also stop 100mm rounds from the BMP-3’s low-velocity gun, and some 105mm guns at long range. A Tulkas II-HA (heavy armor) is completely impervious to almost all HEAT weapons, including top attack ATGMs and even air launched missiles such as the Hellfire."

An AGM-65 may or may not be able to penetrate it. It would take more than one to get a hit anyway, though. You have to get past both the softkill and hardkill APSs before you get to the armor. The best way to destroy it is probably to hit it with a 500 lb bomb or a cruise missile or something, though taking out the tracks and external electronics and sensors would get you an effective mission kill.

EDIT: I'd guess that this would cost no less than $20 million each, so you have a bit of leeway in what you can use to kill it cost effectively.

[The Soodean Imperium]

-snip-

See, it's this sort of armor data that gives NS tanks a bad name. How on earth are you are getting more than three times the M1A1 Abrams' RHAe values for a modest 20-ton increase in weight? And more importantly, why on earth are you designing some kind of latter-day Maus when you specifically state that your doctrine is contingent on deploying troops from amphibious assault ships?

[Mitheldalond]

-snip-

See, it's this sort of armor data that gives NS tanks a bad name. How on earth are you are getting more than three times the M1A1 Abrams' RHAe values for a modest 20-ton increase in weight? And more importantly, why on earth are you designing some kind of latter-day Maus when you specifically state that your doctrine is contingent on deploying troops from amphibious assault ships?

Crap, I forgot to change the weight. Medium armor should actually be 75t - 85t, and heavy armor should be 90t - 100t.

The light armor scheme is used for strategic transport, via plane or ship. The tanks are uparmored after the landings are complete.

It was designed to handle those situations when your enemy throws 2,000 tanks at your landing force which only has 72 tanks to fight them off with.

[Spirit of Hope]

See, it's this sort of armor data that gives NS tanks a bad name. How on earth are you are getting more than three times the M1A1 Abrams' RHAe values for a modest 20-ton increase in weight? And more importantly, why on earth are you designing some kind of latter-day Maus when you specifically state that your doctrine is contingent on deploying troops from amphibious assault ships?

Crap, I forgot to change the weight. Medium armor should actually be 75t - 85t, and heavy armor should be 90t - 100t.

The light armor scheme is used for strategic transport, via plane or ship. The tanks are uparmored after the landings are complete.

It was designed to handle those situations when your enemy throws 2,000 tanks at your landing force which only has 72 tanks to fight them off with.

Then you should be choosing your landing points better, and deploying more landing forces. Plus you should have near overwhelming air superiority and naval superiority at the landing. Any fleet would have more than enough missiles to smash up any enemy force that trys to throw themselves at you like that.

[Allanea]

If the enemy has thrown 2,000 tanks at your 72 tanks, and they are fighting already, I can't imagine you'll have time to airlift enough tanks to make a difference in the fight.

[The Soodean Imperium]

See, it's this sort of armor data that gives NS tanks a bad name. How on earth are you are getting more than three times the M1A1 Abrams' RHAe values for a modest 20-ton increase in weight? And more importantly, why on earth are you designing some kind of latter-day Maus when you specifically state that your doctrine is contingent on deploying troops from amphibious assault ships?

Crap, I forgot to change the weight. Medium armor should actually be 75t - 85t, and heavy armor should be 90t - 100t.

Even this seems too modest, given that it's the general range I've seen quoted for certain up-armorings of the Merkava and Challenger 2. Remember, you're taking a considerably larger internal protected volume than the Abrams and giving it twice the pre-ERA RHAe values on the frontal arc and even more on the sides and rear.

The light armor scheme is used for strategic transport, via plane or ship. The tanks are uparmored after the landings are complete.

This doesn't really change anything, because you're still transporting the same tonnage - tanks carried with armor already on, versus tanks carried with armor stored separately. Either you need much larger individual planes and ships, or you need twice as many planes and ships.

Additionally, you must bear in mind that the up-armoring of a tank is not the sort of task you can easily perform in the field, let alone on a beachhead. Depending on the sort of armor kit you're dealing with, the task may be impossible without factory-grade heavy lifting equipment, and will keep your armored formations delayed in a vulnerable position for hours or perhaps days.

It was designed to handle those situations when your enemy throws 2,000 tanks at your landing force which only has 72 tanks to fight them off with.

There are easily dozens of different ways you can handle such a situation that don't involve armoring your engine block to withstand 105mm APFSDS from point-blank range. Naval gunfire, naval MLRS (featured on many Soviet landing craft), iron bombs, guided bombs, HEAT cluster bombs, helicopter-launched ATGMs, plane-launched ATGMs, plane-launched standoff fire-and-forget ATGMs, cruise missiles, tactical nuclear weapons, and whatever else your supporting fleet happens to be packing. Or - even better than all the above options - landing your battalion at a location that isn't within within easy striking distance of ten enemy Armored Divisions.

[The Greater Luthorian Empire]

Oh good, we're doing tanks. The picture is just a quick PowerPoint diagram I made to check the dimensions, so it’s a very basic outline and not much more.

Shit like this is why I hate people listing armour values. Short of like Sumer and two other guys I really do not trust anyone to have accurate protection levels, but I will get to that later.

Width: 9.84 ft (3m) hull, 17.39 ft (5.3m) overall
Height: 9.02 ft (2.75m) with 0.5m ground clearance

Strange dimensions, very long and tall but really narrow, I would actually be worried about high speed turns because it is almost as tall as it is wide.

• 140mm L45 smoothbore gun (36 rounds)

I have my doubts about such a large amount of ammunition. The Abrams only have like 40ish rounds and it has a much smaller gun.

Gun elevation: -15 deg/+25 deg (5 degrees from suspension)

Is the elevation/depression from the gun already added in? If not I would change that around, because -20 degrees depression and 30 degrees elevation is pretty cray cray.

Fuel capacity: 373 US gallons
Operational range: 400 mi (644 km)

Your fuel capacity is only slightly higher than that of the Leopard 2 yet your range is about 100 km longer, this is in spite of your significantly larger engine. Honestly, this is the main problem with NS tanks and their lulzy armour claims, if you have a heavy tank you need a bigger engine to move it as fast, if you have a bigger engine you need more fuel in order to give it the same operational range, if you give it a bigger engine and more fuel your tank needs to be bigger, a bigger tank means a higher protected volume, meaning your armour will need to cover a larger area. At a certain point you need to sacrifice somewhere.

Light Armor (values in parentheses include ERA):
Turret:

• Front: 1000mm (1250mm) vs APFSDS, 1500mm (2000mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 150mm (400mm) vs APFSDS, 650mm (1150mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Underside: 100mm vs APFSDS, 600mm vs HEAT

Hull:

• Front: 900mm (1150mm) vs APFSDS, 1400mm (1900mm) vs HEAT
• Sides: 100mm (350mm) vs APFSDS, 600mm (1100mm) vs HEAT
• Rear: 50mm (300mm) vs APFSDS, 550mm (1050mm) vs HEAT
• Top: 50mm (300mm) vs APFSDS, 550mm (1050mm) vs HEAT
• Bottom: 50mm vs APFSDS, 550mm vs HEAT

Here is where I will really start bitching, and yes, it is bitching, not at you, but at your entire race (people who feel compelled to list RHAe armour values), if you are personally offended I am sorry but I meant no offence, simply need to get this off my chest. Okay, the M1A1 weighs about 57 metric tons, a little more than 10 tons less than your light tank. As was posted earlier its armour values were 820 mm max on the turret, 907 max on the hull. Now assuming you are only posting max thickness values your tank somehow has 52% more armour on the turret front and 27% more armour on the front hull. How the hell are you added all that armour with only 10 tons of weight and a significantly more powerful engine? Beyond that I have two more gripes, one that you should list more places (eg. replace hull front with lower front hull and glacis, replace sides with sides and sides+tracks), and two, although I don't remember the actual thicknesses, your sides seem abnormally thick.

The problem is that the values are arbitrary, even if you know the thickness in all places of modern tanks all you are doing is an arbitrary comparison and adding armour where you want, and results in stuff like you will see below where you have over double the thickness of an Abrams in places because who knows? And the thing is this adds nothing to the vehicle since the values are arbitrary, it just results in wank like rocket assisted APFSDS and gold lined HEAT in order to defeat these absurd armour levels.

If you wanna go in depth into your protection just list the materials your armour is made of and the general focus on its layout. Eg. if your tank is an 85 ton monster that uses a modern composite armour scheme with DU mesh inserts and heavy ERA like the East uses to defeat APFSDS that has virtually no rear and side protection (only protects against 14.5 mm ammunition) and a tiny engine leaving it underpowered than yeah, I might give you 1800 mm protection against KE in places on the front, doesn't mean it is a good design but I can imagine what it was designed to protect against. Arbitrary thickness values just motivate your opponent to masturbate more to bigger weapons to kill your tanks.

Turret:

• Front: 1500mm (1750mm) vs APFSDS, 2000mm (2500mm) vs HEAT

See, and this is exactly the shit I am talking about. Why do your need 2500 mm against HEAT or 1750 mm against KE? Seriously even without the ERA you are beyond redundant levels of protection, just stop this shit.

• 1,250mm @ 1,000m
• 1,175mm @ 2,000m
• 1,100mm @ 3,000m
• 1,025mm @ 4,000m
  
• Penetration: 1,100mm after ERA

See, I'm not even looking at the specifics because frankly that has nothing to do with my bitchfit, lets assume you face someone with a tank as heavy as your heavy tank. Not only can they easily defeat all of your munitions from the front at all ranges even without ERA, they can defeat you missile from literally every direction except the bottom. Forget top attack munitions we need fucking tunneling missiles.

[Smolvaniak]

Hi, sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this

My nation has a boarder with a very hostile neighbour and the boarder is heavily fortified on both sides and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to use old heavy tank turrets as fortified defensive guns? My idea was to take the turrets off my old heavy tanks that I had in storage then then put them on top of hardened bunkers along the boarder.

[Santa Agua]

Hi, sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this

My nation has a boarder with a very hostile neighbour and the boarder is heavily fortified on both sides and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to use old heavy tank turrets as fortified defensive guns? My idea was to take the turrets off my old heavy tanks that I had in storage then then put them on top of hardened bunkers along the boarder.

I know that Bulgaria worked their T-34's into static defense positions. There are probably other, better options but if you have too much manpower when compared to material, you could certainly do such a thing, with various levels of effectiveness.

[Imperializt Russia]

god help us

at one point the thought crossed my mind to use a 203mm pion in direct fire as an anti tank weapon...

The firing alarm may pose issues there.

[Allanea]

The USSR also did this.

Obviously it was part of a complicated defense system.

[Padnak]

The firing alarm may pose issues there.

this idea entered my mind at the height of bagger madness so I wasn't exactly thinking rationally