M1 Heavy Tank

The practical replacement of the M8 Hydra.


The M1 was built as a direct replacement for the M8 Hydra, as doctrine for the heavy tank role was changed to fit the current time period. The Hydra, while being a heavily armored fortress on tracks capable of breaching fortified lines, was a completely obsolete design, structurally unfit for combat in the jungle conditions of Gorlan, and was very costly to maintain. On top of that, the 140 ton weight meant that no bridge located on Gorlan were strong enough to carry it. Most would think that simply fording the river or stream would solve the problem, but this sadly isn't the case for the Hydra. High track pressure in combination with relatively narrow tracks prevented the Hydra from fording water deeper than four feet, and even the smallest streams on Gorlan are at the least five feet in depth. To top it off, crew comfort and storage in the Hydra was abysmal to say the least. Most of the space in the central turret was dominated by the massive howitzer, cramming everyone into their controls, and the driver was sandwiched between the front secondary turrets, thereby squishing him into a small, claustrophobic space.

The M1 Heavy Tank remedied all of this. The entirety of the hull and turret was redesigned to fit current standards. The hull was cast into an egg shape, increasing armor protection by both strengthening the armor itself and also by creating a better sloped surface, making the effective armor even greater. The turret was designed specifically to mount the 165mm L5 Rifled Anti Tank Gun, a new development in ordinance technology. Despite the caliber, the ammunition it fires is remarkably light weight at only 25 pounds per shell. These new shells had much better ballistics than the howitzer's, and therefore penetrated much thicker armor at far greater distances, and not to mention much more accurately. On top of both the stronger armor and armament, the M1 was also much more mobile and had a superior top speed at 45 km/h over the Hydra's 34 km/h. Overall, the M1 was a vast improvement over the Hydra and very quickly replaced it for the heavy tank role.

Name: M1 Heavy Tank

Type: Heavy Tank

Weight: 85 tons

Engine: 1200 Hp General Motors V20 Turbo Charged Diesel Engine

Top Speed: 45 km/h (27 mph)

Armament: 165mm L5 Rifled Anti Tank Gun (25 rounds)  ~ 50. cal M2 Browning (mounted on loaders hatch)

Armor: Titanium Alloy infused RHA (250x stronger than standard RHA, and 130x stronger than Chobham and Depleted Uranium combined)

Armor Thickness, Turret: 350/180/150 mm (front, sides, rear) ~ 150 mm Gun Mantlet ~ 10 mm Turret Bustle (made of industrial grade construction steel)

Armor Thickness, Hull: 253/150/90 mm (front, sides, rear)

Crew Capacity: 4 (Gunner, Loader, Commander, Driver)

Non-Critical Components: Internal Cold Water Dispenser ~ XC-32 Air-conditioning Unit ~ Large First-Aid Kit