Combat Vehicle Technical Readout
Name/Model: Alke Prime
Designer: 09-Tyba
Source(s): Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology: Clan
Technology Rating: F
Tonnage: 75
Role: Brawler
Configuration: OmniVehicle
Era/Year: Succession Wars / 3049
Rules (Current): Standard
Rules (Era): Standard
Rules (Year): Standard
Total Cost: 16,422,656 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,899
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 'Blazar' Type 3c 300 XL
Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph
Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph
Armor: Compound 3092/6 Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
1 Type DDS "Kingston" ER PPC
1 Type 10 Ultra AC/10
2 Pattern J7 Streak SRM 6s
4 Machine Guns
Manufacturer: Niles Industriplex Alpha
Primary Factory: Niles
Communications: Build 1690/4 Tacticom with ECM Suite
Targeting & Tracking: Consolidated Type VII
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Overview:
Imported from XTRO: Project Zhukov Expanded by Steven Cross.
The attack on Niles and the loss of Tokasha brought a project to a halt whilst the Hell?s
Horses re-evaluated and prioritized construction and development. Designated the Athena, the
75-ton vehicle was to include a targeting computer to assist its gunner in engaging with its
dual gauss rifles. Low profile and hard to hit, the vehicle looked promising, and several
prototypes were completed after the attack on Niles. But, shifting priorities saw the
project slowed, paused and then cancelled (but later restarted). With the Horses forced to
adopt combined arms Nova?s as their main fighting orce, they needed vehicles that could
keep up with front line units, and the Athena as it stood simply couldn?t. And, like the
Mars it?s tracks, road wheels and suspension were built around its maximum speed of 56kph
and attempts to exceed this caused several catastrophic failures of track links as well as a
complete failure of the tank?s suspension. With the gauss rifles mounted in the hull, the
turret weight was kept down, but this greatly limited the vehicles firing arcs and its lack
of speed meant more nimble opponents could avoid the firing arcs of the big rifles.
Whilst a fine defensive vehicle (and it was in this capacity that production of the Athena
was started again in 3039) it was poorly suited to the offensive and a new vehicle was
required.
Capabilities:
What would emerge was in many ways a more traditional tank in most respects, with its main
guns mounted in a turret as well as a mix of shorter ranged weapons and point defense
weapons. But, it also incorporated the higher levels of technology the Horses were allowing
to be used in their tanks, taking the semi-modular nature of the Yama to its logical
conclusion for a fully modular tank as well as using an extra-light fusion engine to provide
power and ferro-fibrous armour to provide protection.
Massing 75-tons the tank is very much a heavy tank, but with its firepower and protection,
by Inner Sphere standards it is an assault tank.
Protected by twelve tons of Ferro-fibrous plate armour the tank can withstand hits from the
heaviest weapons whilst its 300 rated engine pushed it up to a maximum speed of 64kph.
Initially the tank was to also feature the same armoured motive system as the Yama but this
system, and, whilst effective made maintenance a nightmare. If a track was thrown, you would
have to remove a good section of the track protection to work on and repair the damaged
tracks and this required a repair bay and couldn?t really be done in the field. Instead it
was opted to forego the additional protection and make maintenance and repair easier even if
it meant there was a higher chance of a vehicle being a mobility kill.
Taking full advantage of the OmniPod system the tank was designed from the ground up to have
?plug and play? electronics and a replaceable turret system like the Yama. Weapons removed
from the hull could be plated over with ease and sections of the hull can be taken away to
fit weapons as needed. Whilst not as quickly configured as a Mech, it was still a
considerable leap forwards, one that would be used on the Kratos when it entered service as
well.
The OmniPod system and all the advanced materials that went into the tanks construction
would mean that it was expensive to produce, but its durability and firepower would make it
a worthy investment. Or so the Scientists and Engineer?s said.
Designated the Alke after the Ancient Greek spirit or concept of courage or strength in
battle, four variants were developed prior to Operation REVIVAL and would see service in the
Hell?s Horses Touman. One notable feature of the tank was that if it mounted energy or
projectile weapons as its main armament, they were always mounted atop one another in an
?over-under? arrangement. This reduced the amount of space taken up by elevating gear and
breech penetration into the hull, but it also increased strain and wear on the elevating
system for the gun, meaning the crew spent a lot of time maintaining it.
Deployment:
Used almost exclusively by Clan Hell?s Horses, the Alke became the most common big tank in
Horse service but is still produced in lesser numbers than the Yama. The few taken as Isorla
by other Clans were usually stripped down for their weapons and other components and only
Clan Coyote used them in any number, with them largely replacing the Mars assault tank.
During REVIVAL the Alke was a match for any current Inner Sphere tank up to and including
assault weight vehicles and only ComGuard who fielded vehicles like the Alicorn and ?Royal?
Puma had tanks that could match it in a stand-up fight. Later developments closed this gap
but the Alke is still viewed as an exceptionally dangerous tank.
Variants:
The Prime version of the tank features a DDS ?Kingston? ER PPC as well as a Type 10 Ultra-10
pattern autocannon as its main punch. At the same ranges as the autocannon can engage, it
can also deploy a pair of Pattern J7 Streak SRM-6 launchers whilst four machineguns provide
anti infantry protection. Two machine guns are mounted in the bow and two mounted in the
commander?s cupola and all four weapons are capable of being fired either manned or
unmanned. Finally the electronics featured an ECM to protect the tank and jam hostile
communications.
The Alfa variant features a pair of ER Large lasers as well as a single Artemis equipped
LRM-20 launcher, making it a fearsome sniper whilst heavy machine guns could cut down any
infantry forces attempting to engage the tank in close quarters.
The Bravo variant was heavily influenced by the Athena design and features a pair of gauss
rifles with a targeting computer linked to the weapons and the tanks electronics making it a
pure sniper and it only has a single flame thrower for point defence.
The Charlie variant is also the rarest and is billed as an anti-aircraft unit, and its
paired Large pulse laser and LB-5 series autocannon seemed to back this up. But most notably
is the box launcher for the Arrow IV missile system. As a tactical artillery system, the
Arrow could fire at targets many kilometres away, but the Horses insisted that it only
carries surface to air missiles allowing it to guard its Cluster or Star from air attack.
That the ammunition could be swapped out within ten minutes was never pointed out and Alke
C?s would regularly carry a full load of surface to surface missiles during REVIVAL. Like
it?s Prime, A and B kin the C also featured an ECM for additional protection although the C
also had no self defense weapons beyond the missile launcher, pulse laser and light
autocannon.
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Equipment Mass
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Internal Structure: Standard 7.50
Engine: 300 XL 14.50
Cruising MP: 4
Flanking MP: 6
Heat Sinks (Single): 15 5.00
Control Equipment: 4.00
Lift Equipment: 0.00
Power Amplifier: 0.00
Turret: 2.50
Armor Factor: 230 12.00
Type: Ferro-Fibrous
Armor
Value
Front: 56
R/L Side: 46
Rear: 36
Turret: 46
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Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
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2 Machine Guns Front 0.50
ER PPC Turret 6.00
2 Machine Guns Turret 0.50
2 Streak SRM 6s Turret 6.00
Ultra AC/10 Turret 10.00
Trailer Hitch Rear 0.00
ECM Suite Body 1.00
Machine Gun (Ammo 100) Body 0.50
Streak SRM 6 (Ammo 30) Body 2.00
Ultra AC/10 (Ammo 30) Body 3.00
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Alpha Strike Statistics
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Point Value (PV): 45
TP: CV, SZ: 3, TMM: 1, MV: 8"t
Damage: (S) 7 / (M) 6 / (L) 3
Armor (A): 8, Structure (S): 4
Specials: CASE, ECM, HTC, OMNI, SRCH, TUR(6/6/3)
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