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Kingdom of Horizon: Masada Medium Tank http://forums.heavymetalpro.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=22139 |
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Author: | CavGunner [ Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:30 pm ] |
Post subject: | Kingdom of Horizon: Masada Medium Tank |
Code: BattleTech Vehicle Technical Readout VALIDATED Type/Model: Masada Medium Tank Tech: Inner Sphere / 3025 Config: Tracked Vehicle Rules: Level 1, Standard design Mass: 50 tons Power Plant: 200 UVZ 200 I.C.E. Cruise Speed: 43.2 km/h Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h Armor Type: Starshield Standard Armament: 1 Thunderbolt A5M Large Laser 1 Harvester SRM 2 1 Coventry Light Autogun Machine Gun Manufacturer: UVZ Location: Horizon Communications System: Basix 200 Targeting & Tracking System: ComStar Test-2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ==Overview:== Like its ancient fortress namesake, the Masada was envisioned as the bastion that would deliver Horizon from its many enemies. Its introduction was heralded with great fanfare in the Horizon news media. The UVZ tank plant on Horizon, refurbished at great expense to the nation, was prepared to construct an estimated 6 tanks per month. The Horizon Royal Army confidently submitted an order for 320 units. Unfortunately, the Masada has come to represent yet another chapter in Horizon's story of hard luck. Since production started in 3014 only seventeen vehicles have been contructed. Production is currently stalled because the Lyran Commonwealth has refused further shipments of the compact Defiance Industries "Thunderbolt" A5M Large Laser that the Masada was designed around. Unfortunately Horizon currently lacks the technical capability to produce a local copy, and attempts to substitute a different laser have not been successful. ==Capabilities:== The Masada is outwardly similar to the Goblin and Bulldog tanks, and does draw some design elements from those vehicles. However, it is actually an entirely new tank, completely produced and assembled on Horizon with the exception of the large laser. One could be forgiven for wondering why the Horizon Royal Army put such faith in this vehicle. Weighing in at 50 tons, the Masada possesses average armor protection, average mobility, and average firepower for its class. However, if one looks closer, it becomes clear that the large laser largely frees the Masada from the ammunition supply chain. The time-proven and efficient Harvester SRM and Coventry minigun are the exact same types found on Horizon's other military vehicles. Even the vehicle's electronics and fire control system are the same type already produced by Horizon. Furthermore the tank can fit snugly in a light vehicle bay, a key requirement given Horizon's limited dropship capacity. Finally, the per-unit cost of the tank comes in at just under 750,000 C-bills, meaning it costs virtually the same amount as a Vedette yet provides far more overall capability. The Masada was never intended to be the best combat unit on the battlefield. Instead it was intended to be just good enough. Most importantly it was to be produced in such quantities that any potential adversary of Horizon would face dozens, even hundreds of tanks. After all, any Battlemech of comparable weight can probably defeat a single Masada, all else being equal. However, even the most powerful mechs in service would be very hard-pressed to fight four or five of them at once. ==Variants:== Casting about for some sort of solution that would make use of their rebuilt factory, UVZ has recently developed a variant of the Masada equipped with a Thumper artillery piece. The "Redoubt" class artillery vehicle will be covered in another entry. ==Deployment== Unfortunately, the Masada's greatest strength, the "Thunderbolt" large laser, has also proven to be its greatest weakness. Currently, Horizon lacks the technical capability to produce large lasers. During the Masada's development several large laser types were evaluated and proved to be unsatisfactory. However, the Defiance Industries Thunderbolt A5M is by far the most advanced laser weapon currently available in the Inner Sphere. The Thunderbolt alone was found to have met all design requirements of compactness, power efficiency, power output, and reliability. At first, Defiance Industries made every sign that they were eager to supply the lasers needed for Masada production. Contracts were signed, thousands of workers were trained up, and Horizon poured hundreds of millions of C-Bills into rebuilding the old and decaying UVZ tank plant. All seemed well until just after UVZ had produced the first dozen vehicles. Suddenly, Defiance ceased all further shipments of lasers. The official reason that Defiance provided to defend this action was that tensions with the Draconis Combine have increased (they have not), and that every Thunderbolt laser produced is needed for Zeus production (currently, far more lasers are produced than Zeus battlemechs). The Horizon Special Service believes that this action is purely a political move. Defiance Industries almost certainly was, by all accounts, truly eager to do business with Horizon. The current theory is that the order to stop shipment originated somewhere far higher up in the Lyran government. As for why? That is unknown, but perhaps there are actors in the Steiner chain of command who have a vested interest in keeping Horizon as a weak neighbor, rather than as a strong one. Meanwhile, although Defiance stands to be financially penalized for voiding the contract, that issue is currently mired in litigation. The end result is that Horizon has only been able to produce seventeen tanks in five years. All tanks built after the first dozen were only made possible by second-hand acquisitions of salvage on the gray market. Currently, a single company in the 3rd battalion/3rd Armor Regiment is equipped with the Masada. The remaining vehicles have been retained by UVC for evaluation purposes as the search for a replacement laser continues. -------------------------------------------------------- Type/Model: Masada Medium Tank Mass: 50 tons Equipment: Items Mass Int. Struct.: 25 pts Standard 0 5.00 Engine: 200 I.C.E. 0 17.00 Power Amplifiers: 0 .50 Cruise MP: 4 Flank MP: 6 Heat Sinks: 8 Single 0 8.00 Cockpit & Controls: 0 2.50 Crew: 4 Members 0 .00 Turret Equipment: 0 1.00 Armor Factor: 128 pts Standard 0 8.00 Internal Armor Structure Value Front: 5 32 Left / Right Sides: 5 24/24 Rear: 5 18 Turret: 5 30 Weapons and Equipment Loc Heat Ammo Items Mass -------------------------------------------------------- 1 Large Laser Turret 8 1 5.00 1 SRM 2 Turret 0 50 2 2.00 1 Machine Gun Turret 0 100 2 1.00 -------------------------------------------------------- TOTALS: 8 5 50.00 Items & Tons Left: 10 .00 Calculated Factors: Total Cost: 742,750 C-Bills Battle Value 2: 585 (old BV = 306) Cost per BV: 1,269.66 Weapon Value: 242 / 242 (Ratio = .41 / .41) Damage Factors: SRDmg = 10; MRDmg = 5; LRDmg = 0 BattleForce2: MP: 4T, Armor/Structure: 0 / 5 Damage PB/M/L: 1/1/-, Overheat: 0 Class: GM; Point Value: 6 |
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