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                 Combat Vehicle Technical Readout

Name/Model:         Alke [BASE]
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:         14,366,406 C-Bills
Battle Value:       794

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:             
Manufacturer:         Niles Industriplex Alpha
    Primary Factory:  Niles
Communications:       Build 1690/4 Tacticom with ECM Suite
Targeting & Tracking: Consolidated Type VII

================================================================================================
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.

================================================================================================
Equipment                                                             Mass                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                          Standard                  7.50                     
Engine:                                       300 XL                  14.50                     
    Cruising MP:                                4                                               
    Flanking MP:                                6                                               
Heat Sinks (Single):                            10                     0.00                     
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                                              

================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo                                            Location              Tonnage       
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trailer Hitch                                                 Rear                 0.00         
ECM Suite                                                     Body                 1.00         

================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics                                                    
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 23
TP: CV,  SZ: 3,  TMM: 1,  MV: 8"t
Damage: (S) 0 / (M) 0 / (L) 0
Armor (A): 8,  Structure (S): 4
Specials: ECM, ENE, HTC, OMNI, SRCH
 
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Code Release 2.24.13 (2024-05-02T16:46:03-04:00)