The Grey
Source: Armoured Warfare (Video Game)
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Creating a new formidable albeit mechanically troublesome Tracked Main Battle Tank system for the First Order Stormtrooper Corps with a turret fully capable of rotating three-hundred and sixty degrees.
- Image Source: Armoured Warfare (Video Game)
- Canon Link: TX-225 GAVw "Occupier" combat assault tank
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: TX-225 GAVw "Occupier" combat assault tank, Incredible Cross Sections TX-225 Occupier
Designer:
Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (Intellectual Property Holder)
[*]
Manufacturer: Closed-Market
- First Order Corps of Imperial Engineers (Licensed Production)
- Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (Intellectual Property Holder)
[*]Model: TX-230A GAVw "Equaliser" Combat Assault Tank
[*]
Affiliation: Closed-Market
- Core Imperial Confederation
- First Order
- Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (Intellectual Property Holder)
[*]Production: Minor
[*]Material: Depleted Duranium, Quadanium, Titanium, Reinforced Duraplast.
[*]Squadron Count: Very Low
- 4x TX-230A "Equaliser" GAVw Combat Assault Tank (Inc. PLTCOM Vehicle)
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Classification: Tracked Assault Tank
- Role: Infantry Support, Tank Destroyer.
- Length: 10.77 Meters (Inc. Cannon Length w/Gun Foward), 7.5 Meters (Hull)
- Width: 3.66 Meters
- Height/Depth: 2.9 Meters
- Weight: 70 Metric Tons
- Minimum Crew: 1 (Driver)
- Optimal Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner/Mechanic, Commander)
- Propulsion: Double-Pin Rubber pad Tracks
- Engine: FOCIE 6.2L Supercharged 8-Cylinder Multifuel 900hp (671kW) Combustion Engine.
- Power/weight: 13hp/tonne
- Transmission: Electro-Hydraulic Semi-Automatic Transmission (Eight-forward, Eight-reverse gears)
- Suspension: Hydropneumatic Suspension
- Operational Range: 450km (279 mi)
- Combat Radius: 225km (140 mi)
- Top Speed (Low): 48 km/h (Road), 30 km/h (Off-road)
- Maneuverability (Low): Electro-Hydraulic Semi-Automatic Transmission (Eight-forward, Eight-reverse gears), 2x Rear-Mounted Sproket Wheels, 12x Road wheels, 2x Return Wheels, 8x Return Rollers.
- Armament (High): 1x 120mm L/55 Chemical Mass-Driver Cannon (40 Rounds), 1x FWMB-10 Repeating Blaster (Coaxial Mount), 1x FWMB-10 Repeating Blaster (Pintle-Mount, Commander's Cupola).
- Defenses (Very High): 2x 4-Barrel forward-facing smoke grenade dischargers, Depleted Duranium Composite Armour, Heat-Shedding Laminate, titanium interspersed armor.
- Passenger Capacity: 4 (Engine Deck).
- Cargo Capacity: 200kg (In Turret Bustle Rack).
- Air Conditioned
- Auxiliary Power Unit
- Bore Evacuator
- CBRN Overpressure Protection System
- Engine Block Heater
- Electric Engine Starter
- Electic Turret Drive
- EMP Hardened
- Fully Stabilised Armament
- Fire Suppression System
- Manual Turret Traverse Handwheels (Horizontal + Vertical Axis)
- Passive Night-Vision System
- Smoke Generator
- Spall Liner
- Thermal Sleeve (Gun Barrel)
- Thermal/IR Spectrum Vision System
- Ultraviolet Spectrum Vision System
- Wired Tank-Infantry Comlink
- Autoloader: Equipped with a Hydraulically Powered Autoloader the Equaliser has significant internal volume for ammunition storage and what's more the Autoloader can complete a loading cycle in approximately four seconds. The only drawback of the loading cycle is that the gun must be depressed back to the horizontal by the Gunner.
- CBRN Overpressure: TX-230 tanks are equipped with a CBRN Overpressure system to prevent the entrance of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear contaminants from entering the vehicle. Effectively vacuum sealing the vehicle against contaminants though in these kinds of environments the vehicle cannot discharge the main armament.
- Ease of Maintenance: One of the few saving graces of this Tank's automotive design and construction is the ease of maintenance for the engine bay. The entire powerplant and transmission along with the final drives can be completely replaced with new parts within a couple of hours provided the crew has access to the necessary utility equipment to physically lift the Tank's engine up and out of its' bay.
- EMP Hardened: The TX-230 is equipped with a reinforced duraplast sheet in its superstructure and turret which creates a highly resistant armoured vehicle against Ionic attacks and Electromagnetic Pulses.
- Fire Suppression System: To ensure the automotive components receive minimal damage in the event of a fire the Engine bay will be snuffed with Argon to suffocate it there is only sufficient Argon stored in the tank for two dischargers in total; two in the Fighting Compartment, Two in the Engine Bay. The System in the Fighting Compartment is designed to minimise the risk of crew injury and ammunition detonation.
- Hydropneumatic Suspension: The tank offers unparallelled comfort to its prestigious Stormtrooper Crew while moving over terrain at speed, adapting to whatever surface the vehicle is travelling across with the suspension effectively "Cushioning" hard blows to the crew and armament this also assists in the accuracy of the Equaliser's armament minimising the impact of harsh terrain on the sighting.
- Main Armament: The Equaliser is equipped with a Mass Driver cannon capable of propelling 120mm diameter ammunition at velocities in excess of 1.5km/s creating a massively devastating weapon useful for neutralizing Armoured Vehicles and Fortifications accurately at ranges up to seven kilometres. The Cannon is capable of adequately defeating armoured vehicles even of formidable armour protection.
- Stabilised Armament: Stabilisation is provided by a gyroscope system on the x and y axis meaning that as the Tank moves over terrain even at high speed their accuracy is not impacted and the Cannon will continue to track the Gunner's target with droid-like accuracy.
- Potent Armour: Equipped with dense and tough materials in its thick armour envelope the Equaliser tanks are capable of withstanding tremendous amounts of punishment to their hull front, sides and turret front and sides. Engaging the vehicle from the front with a shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket system would be folly unlikely to do anything but scratch the tank's paint job and maybe induce a highly distressing event for its crew.
- Bridges Beware: Due to its sheer weight the Equaliser will destroy most land crossings it encounters if it attempts to cross forcing the vehicle to prepare its' snorkel system or find another way across a body of water.
- Carousel Autoloader: The Carousel ammunition Compartment for the tanks' hydraulically powered autoloader system is set deep in the hull but despite this, it is vulnerable to catastrophic ammunition detonate when penetrated by high explosive ammunition or laser weapons typically. A detonation of this type will without a question render the vehicle inoperable, more than likely separate the turret from the turret ring and kill most if not all of the crewmen inside an Equaliser's hull.
- Compact Engine Bay: Penetrating shots to the engine bay are likely to impact one of the following critical automotive components, Motor, Transmission, Radiator and Fuel Tanks. Any damage to most automotive components within the Engine bay can severely reduce the vehicle's performance or outright disable it depending on the component destroyed or damaged.
- Engine Deck: The deck plating covering the engine bay is very thin and under-protected when compared to the rest of the hull and can be easily penetrated by modern shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon systems carried by Infantry. The Engine deck features exhaust opening where one could, in theory, pour flammable liquid inside in an attempt to disable the tank, though it is worth mentioning many of the openings on the engine deck itself have armored coverings to prevent ingress of foreign liquids.
- Elevation & Traverse: Equaliser model tanks have quite a limited elevation of traverse for the main armament due to the breech of about -10 Degrees for Depression and +20 Degrees for Elevation, making it impossible for the Equaliser to bring its cannon to bear against enemies who are at a great elevation or depression and in close proximity to the vehicle. presenting a real vulnerability in metropolis and built-up urban environments.
- Limited Munition: TX-230 Model tanks carries approximately 40 rounds of ammunition; with all 40 rounds ready to fire and loaded into the Autoloader Carousel and while the loading cycle is very fast at four seconds there is only a finite supply and this can be a detriment in long-endurance fights with significant amounts of hostile armour or fortified positions. It also puts the vehicle at a disadvantage when fighting hostile armoured units with energy-based weapons.
- Mechanical Reliability: With an overworked powertrain and gearbox the Equaliser suffers a large number of casualties to mechanical breakdown particularly in the final drives when turning on the move due to the sheer weight of the tank. Failure of the power plant and transmission most often occurs on sharp inclines and the final drives gives out when traversing the hull, this is the reason why the tank turns slowly and is not very maneuverable.
- Side Sponsons: The side sponsons protected by the thin Titanium Armoured Skirts above the wheels but beneath them is a sponson vulnerable to penetration from high-powered shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon systems which can lead to penetration of the ammunition carousel for the Autoloader and trigger a catastrophic explosion inside the fighting compartment.
- Sluggish Turret Traverse: The Equaliser's turret traverse and elevation are powered by an electric drive and traverse is notably sluggish with a rotation speed of 19.0 Degrees/Second which is sluggish when compared to many examples of bidedal walkers and even other tracked combat vehicles. It, as a result, struggles to track fast moving targets particularly speeders in close quarters.
- Tracks: Without sufficient maintenance, the tracks are liable to shear under strain they're also highly vulnerable to high explosives such as mortar rounds or mines. They can also be damaged and destroyed using anti-tank weapons and even concentrated laser cannon fire that would be otherwise incapable of penetrating the hull.
- Turret Roof: The rear turret roof doesn't feature Depleted Duranium Armour and the Titanium Interspersed Armour there itself is thin enough to be liable to penetration from most modern Shoulder-Fired anti-tank weapon systems, shots fired in this area from directly above the tank can hurtle down the turret through the carousel's titanium roof and into the ammunition beneath detonating any ammunition the tank is carrying for its mass driver armament. It's also worth noting that the Turret's Electrical Drive and Auxilliary Power Unit in their armoured housing at the turret rear can both be targeted from above.
The Driver's Station is without a doubt the most comfortable station in the entire vehicle with a fully-reclining leather seat, when reclined in the hull-down position they have access to a pair of instrument and control panels for the Vehicle's Automotive functions and also provide diagnostic information in the event of an issue. Their only source of vision is a single forward-facing Episcope which provides quite a narrow field of view so they rely heavily upon the Commander for navigation especially in Metropolis or Urban areas. The Commander and Gunner while cozy at their stations are actually quite comfortable with the vehicle being large enough to provide more than sufficient leg room for Stormtroopers and the turret itself also features a Boiling Vessel Electric; a kettle for the preparation for hot beverages and meals which has a positive impact on morale. Situational awareness in the vehicle is an issue so when in combat it is imperative that the Commander attempt to fulfill a "Hunter" Role with their rotating Periscope while the Gunner engages targets. The only downside to this is the Periscope features no image magnification which usually forces the Commander to forgo the relative safety of their Equaliser's turret to scan the Terrain with Macrobinoculars. The Gunner's primary sight for the armament is quite sophisticated and has the capability of viewing the Ultraviolet and Thermal/Infrared Spectrums, allowing the Gunner and Commander to identify targets which might be equipped with comprehensive passive camouflage out to ranges exceeding five kilometres. The Commander's station is equipped with a Commander's Master Override which allows them to assume all of the Gunner's controls, this is particularly useful if the Gunner is injured or the Commander needs to slew their Gunner onto a new target quickly. The Turret's Electrical Drive traverses the turret at a speed of nineteen degrees a second which is a distinct weakness of the vehicle's especially in close quarters fighting where it might need to engage multiple targets or sight new targets on vastly different bearings quickly. Both the Gunner and Commander are provided with Analogue Azimuth Indicators to determine the current bearing of the turret's axis relative to the Hull's which is extremely important for situational awareness when buttoned up.
The Vehicle's primary deficiencies revolve around its' automotive components; they were designed for a vehicle which weighs approximately 40 tons less than the Equaliser and though they were quite powerful for those TX-225 based tanks the same cannot be said for the Equaliser which has a greater total surface area of armour covered along with a rotating turret. Breakdowns are frequent with it not uncommon for Equaliser tank units reporting the minimum readiness rating of 40%; the majority of casualties to these units is projected to come from breakdowns particularly due to self-ignited fires inside the engine bay on motor startup and final drive breakdown, the only reconciliation here is that the breakdowns such be relatively easy to rectify under field conditions with spare parts and enough time. The final drives are spared some pain when stationary as the transmission features a neutral gear but when on the move and attempting to turn particularly in low gears the final drives suffer and are quite prone to failing, often forcing the Driver and Commander to turn only either at speed or when stationary if they want to be sure to minimise the risk of final drive breakdown. Like other modern First Imperial Armoured Vehicles the TX-230 is equipped with an Auxiliary Battery Pack positioned outside the fighting compartment inside an armoured housing on the back of the turret behind the Commander's Cupola which allows the tank's electronics, turret electrical drive, engine starter and other electrical systems to remain functional when the engine is offline, however, the autoloader will not function without the engine functioning as it runs off of hydraulic principles and relies on the motor for power. Behind the Loader's station in an adjacent armored compartment to the Auxilliary Power Unit is the Turret's Electrical Drive, both are accessible by a service hatch on the turret roof.
Navigation and driving guidance is provided by three high-powered Lights; beside each track mudguard fore of the driver's position is an LED foglight capable of projecting a red near-infrared light under tactical conditions, in addition, the Commander has a Spotlight that shares a viewing axis with their rotating periscope in their hatch. The tank usually leaves the factory with a dark yellow or gunmetal grey paint coat and has any of six passive camouflage patterns applied by units it is delivered too, another passive camouflage system featured on the vehicle is the ability for it to dump vaporised fuel into its rear exhaust creating a dense thick white fog from which it can retreat when necessary or depending on the wind direction use to cover an advance. Smoke Grenades are also stored in two dischargers on the turret front edge vertice; one on either side of the main armament. Crew belongings are stored in a skeletal bustle rack that extends from the turret's rear to help free up space inside the fighting compartment, in the event the crew need to evacuate quickly through the turret; the Turret can be rotated to the nine o' clock position which allows the Driver to disengage his seat and slide it back into the turret where he can then squirm around the Autoloading system and the Carousel's roof and up out of either the Commander or Gunner's hatch. The Equaliser is capable of fording through river's and streams of 1.5m in depth without preparation but for anything greater than that must have its snorkel erected and the engine-bay waterproofed before attempting a crossing, with the snorkel erected the vehicle can wade through depths of six meters. For communication with the Outside world the vehicle features two long-range com-link antennae which provide signal broadcast and reception for the vehicle's radios in excess of 1,000km in addition the vehicle features a Global-Positioning System for the Driver and Commander which allows the crew to track their own movements and the movements of friendly units with the inclusion of hostile unit positions based on their last reported position providing good battlefield situational awareness. A tank-infantry wired comlink sits in a discrete armoured housing beside one of the two reverse lights on the tank to permit dismounted Infantry to communicate with the tank commander if they do not share a frequency.
Fire Control Systems on the Equaliser is sophisticated and efficient though in the event they fail the Main Armament is Provided with a pair of hand-cranks to traverse the turret and elevate or depress the gun. The Targeting Computer is very effective and uses a laser rangefinder to determine range, wind speed and direction along with identifying the angle of attack necessary to get steel on the sighted target. The FCS also allows the Commander to queue upto five targets prior to engaging which the FCS will then track based on their infrared profile and signature while the Gunner engages the First Target, after the shot is fired the turret will automatically traverse and depress the gun appropriately once the loading cycle is complete by the autoloader the gun will then sight the designated target. This massively decreases the tank's reaction time when the crew has to engage multiple targets.
SUBMISSION MODIFICATION RECORDS
- 25/03/2019: Edited the Affiliations, Manufacturer, Designer to include the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation and Core Imperial Confederation. Specified Closed-Market. Increased Production to Minor from Limited to more accurately reflect scale of Manufacture, gave it a Squadron Count Rating.
