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Eisenstern Armaments Grendel MBT Mk. I

Grendel Main Battle Tank

Specifications
Manufacturer: Eisenstern Armaments
Mass: 81,392 kg
Powerplant: 2.88 MW (2 Batteries); 600 KW reserve power (6 Small Reactors)
Gyroscopes: NA ("Tracked" vehicle; 4 gyroscopes in turret)
Maximum speed, paved: 16.9 Km/hour (4.7 mps)
Armament: 1 8.8 cm RaK 11 HEKC (37 round magazine), 2 rocket launchers (8 rockets), 1 coaxial gatling gun (420 round magazine)
Cargo Capacity: 15 Small Cargo Containers (5 for magazine, 5 for spare ammunition, 5 for general use)
Refinery Facilities: NA
Assembler Facilities: NA
Medical Facilities: NA
Artificial Gravity: NA
Length: 11.5 meters (13.5 w/ barrel)
Width: 6.5 meters
Height: 3 meters

Named after the monster that terrorized Heorot, only to return again and again, the Grendel serves as the Main Battle Tank for all three terrestrial provinces in the Ard-♥♥♥. It was selected for this position based on its maneuverability, durability, and the surprisingly small target it presents.

The most unusual feature of the tank is its variable suspension, which allows it to raise or lower itself a significant distance to suite its operating conditions. For movement over rough ground, the tank can raise its body a full meter above the ground, allowing it to move at full throttle even on treacherous terrain. When in combat, the suspension is lowered, reducing the target offered by its drive system to a minimum. Furthermore, each of the ten suspension sets can be individually adjusted if necessary. This means that the tank can perform such actions as raising the two rear pairs to bring the nose into the air, allowing it to scale slopes of 45 degrees, or lower all sets on one side to cope with uneven terrain.

The tanks durability comes from the extensive use of heavy armoring; the drive system in particular is located behind a thick armored skirt. Combined with the redundancies of that system, immobilizing the tank is very difficult. The turret is similarly armored, with the only true vulnerability being the underside of the main gun when it is raised; gunners are advised not to elevate the gun to engage threats unless certain that other threats are neutralized. The rear and top of the tank are the weakest areas, as is typical in tanks. Threats from above should be dealt with either by dedicated anti-air units, or by aerospace assets. Threats from the rear present a problem for the Grendel, as it cannot turn its turret full circle; however, the tank is capable of turning very rapidly in place, and can turn a full 360 degrees in under 14 seconds. However, as always, the best defense against being flanked is to avoid being flanked by using the tank's maneuverability.

The tank achieves its low profile in part from the variable suspension, but in large measure due to the use of an autoloader; none of the crew occupy the turret. The driver and gunner/commander sit in individual compartments in the rear section of the tank; if necessary, the tank can be controlled by a single operator, though at reduced efficacy.

A CSD 8.8 cm RaK 11 HEKC provides the tank's main armament. The high explosive ammunition was selected based on its increased damage; the rounds have a slower velocity than the armor piercing variant, but gunners are expected to be trained to take this into account. The main gun, along with the coaxial gatling gun, can be elevated a full 45 degrees. Two rocket launchers, one on each side of the turret, supplement the main gun, though these cannot be elevated. Although the main gun cannot depress below 0 degrees, the tank's variable suspension can be used to raise the rear of the vehicle, dropping the nose and providing the needed depression. Spare ammunition for the main gun is stored in the turret bustle; ammunition for the secondary weapons, as well as spare parts, can be stored in additional storage compartments, as well as in the connection point located on the rear of the tank (though due to its vulnerability, this is usually used to store personal gear that the crew can afford to lose).

Power is provided by two heavy batteries. One is sufficient to power the tank on its own, with the second being present as a backup, or to allow the tank to remain in the field for extended periods if necessary. Six small reactors are also present. The Grendel has three antennae to ensure communications are maintained even if damage is suffered, and also features an emergency beacon, though this is usually used in recovery operations after combat has ended.

Despite being shown here in the colors of the Joint Provincial Fleet, the Grendel is only operated by the Provincial Armies of Han, Kansai, and Lotharingia. An export version is available, though it lacks some elements classified as restricted materials.


(Well, here goes: my first ground vehicle! It's designed to be used with some form of gravity that affects all blocks, so if you want to use it within the influence of gravity generators, you'll need to stick some artificial mass blocks on it. I know that's annoying, but consider it yet another thing to whet your appetite for planets.

Couple of notes here. First, there is some odd bug that slows the turret rotor down during use at first; to overcome this, either fire the main gun, or turn the tank rapidly while the rotor is on. Second, the wheels can stick sometimes if the Suspension group is on while in reverse; just turn that group off via the hotkeys and that'll fix things.

As always, the more feedback the better!

Update May 2, '15: added a couple screenshots showing how to get into the durned thing)


Mods used:
Main gun provided by NinjaPirate's CSD Battlecannon.
flup52's Green Screen Skybox for the blueprint background.
Check out Tristavius's excellent blueprint tutorial here!
Tested extensively on DuneD's Saturn Moons map/mod combo, located here!
Many thanks to Textor's excellent scripting tutorials[forums.keenswh.com] for helping me figure out how to make controlling this beastie easier! (Link provided is the first of many; go check them out!)