UF-MBT-42 “Bjorn”
Named after the Arstotzkan mythological hero of firepower, the United Forenian Main Battle Tank 1942 “Bjorn” aims to perform the role of "Mobile Firepower". This tank is designed to feature the latest in technology in an attempt to make up for the rapid obsoletion of our current decade-old interwar-era armor.
The main armament of the Bjorn features a 100 mm 55 caliber muzzle-brake equipped sliding-block breech cannon, designed not only to match Cannalan killing power but overmatch the armor on their Bull tanks. This armament also features wet ammo stowage copied from current American M4 tanks in order to reduce the likelihood of ammo fires and torsion-bar suspension to improve on-the-move firing stability. The optical periscopes appear on the roof of the turret and drivers hatch in order to prevent breaking up the perimeter surfaces of the armor, which is intensely sloped Very Heavy frontal, Heavy side, and Heavy RHA on the turret. The surfaces of the armor are designed with ERA in mind and feature flat - but angled - surfaces. Mangalloy is used on the frontal surfaces of the tank to further improve armor. The tank is water-tight when buttoned up with the air intakes and exhausts on the upper surface of the hull.
Secondary armaments include a coaxial M3 Sorraia machinegun and floodlight, as well as a pintle-mounted M3 Sorraia machinegun and spotlight mounted on the commander’s hatch. Smoke grenade launchers are shamelessly copied from Cannala’s tanks to generate on-demand smoke screens, and our Bumblebee mechanical targeting computer is integrated into the turret to allow improved tracking of moving targets. The heavy twin-charged 12 cylinder diesel engine is mounted in a sealed chamber in front of the crew compartment in order to act as additional armor in the event of a frontal hull breach; by necessity this moves the turret mounting further to the rear of the tank. The turret is electrically operated, but features hand-cranks in the event of a power failure.
Perhaps the most ambitious aspect of the Bjorn is the 2-plane stabilizer on the barrel; a mechanical device which prevents the barrel from bouncing during travel and allowing more accurate firing capability while on the move. This stabilizer is the most advanced piece of technology not currently available to us, but it is a time-period appropriate technology that was invented in 1938 and fully implemented by 1944. With the Bumblebee targeting computer and 2-plane stabilization, the Bjorn is envisioned as a tank that can fire accurately without having to stop moving.
Main Armament: 100 mm 55 caliber muzzle-braked sliding-block cannon
Secondary Armament: Coaxial M3 Sorraia, Pintle-Mounted M3 Sorraia, Smoke Launchers, Spotlights, Floodlights
Armor: Very Heavy Sloped RHA front, Heavy RHA side, Heavy RHA turret, ERA, Mangalloy Frontal Armor, Forward-Mounted Engine(last resort)
Engine: Crystalfire Industries 4-cycle 12-cylinder water-cooled twin-charged diesel engine
Crew: 5 crew members - Gunner, Loader, Driver, Commander, Radio Operator
Suspension: Torsion-bar
Additional: Bumblebee Targeting Computer, 2-Plane Mechanical Gun Stabilizer, Wet Ammo Storage, Optical Lens Periscopes
Considering tanks are one of the most crucial pieces of ground-warfare, we really need one that's not absolutely inferior to what Cannala is fielding. By the sheer nature of not having a jet turbine in the rear, the Bjorn should be a better tank. The fact that it's designed to be an "on-the-move" vehicle that doesn't need to be stationary to fire accurately means we'll be able to overrun Cannala in the Tundra to the south and the hills to the north, as well as any other relatively flat unobscured terrain.
The best part is, this tank design doesn't feature any technology that doesn't already exist.
Hoo boy, feels like it's been a while since we did a tank!
Hard: 2 (Sorry)
UF-MBT-42 'Bjorn': The Bjorn is a heavy tank, with Very Heavy frontal armor and Heavy armor on the rest of the tank and turret. It is very wide and flat, to give the armor a shallow slope on all sides which extends over the top of the tracks. The armor is well-covered with ERA, and the material itself is a manganese alloy. The turret is a shallow conical-section shape which comes nearly flush with the flat top of the hull, and sits towards the rear of the tank. The tank is so shallow that the crew must crawl about the tank, and performing many simple tasks like moving ammo from storage to the cannon is difficult. The driver even lays on his stomach. It includes wet ammo storage, which spills water over rounds if it is damaged to prevent fires, and lensed periscopes which allow for view ports which don't break up the slope of the armor. It's powered by a twin-charged diesel V12 engine, which takes up much of the tank's front (theoretically protecting the crew), and has intakes and exhaust cutouts in the top armor. This gets the enormously heavy tank to an acceptable speed, and powers electric motors for the turret. It is armed with the 100mm L/55 sliding-breech Bjorn cannon, the 5.5m barrel extends shortly beyond the front of the tank in a forward position. This cannon is slow to load, partly owing to the tank's layout, but has impressive range and power. It is also armed with an M3 Sorraia coaxial to gun and on top of the turret, and smoke grenade launchers shamelessly stolen from Cannala's designs. Costs 8 Ore (1Mn), 5 Oil.
Planned stabilizer not included. A Bumblebee targeting computer, without significant changes, would provide no benefit in ground combat and has been eschewed as it would take up a significant amount of space. The Bumblebee's purpose is to allow a gun to track air targets moving in a straight line at a significant distance away.