IRS M100 Archer II MBT

M100 Archer II Main Battle Tank
----------------------------------
Nation of Origin: Interstellar Republic of Singapore

Developer: Military Department of Weapons Design, Heavy Armaments

Length of Service: 2100- present time 2125

Weight: 60 tons

Armor: Tryomite Class C Composite Armor Plating electroplated with Aegis Energy-repellent Layers

Armament: 130mm Electro-Magnetic Rail Cannon, Remote-controlled 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun, 2 JAVELIN II Anti-Tank Vertical Launch System Launchers with 4 missile pods each

Engine: EMT-100M2 Electric Drive

Top Speed: 80 KM/H

Power Plant: ETH-100A Ethervoltaic Generator

Crew: 4 (1 Driver-Gunner, 1 Secondary Weapons Controller, 1 Vehicle Commander, 1 Communications Officer)
---------------------------------------------

Background: After decades of use, the original Archer main battle tank was to be retired as it was an aging but venerable vehicle that served well in the Markenn War of 2091. The original Archer's design was upgraded and modified heavily enough to become a new vehicle with brand new technologies and equipment as well as vast improvements to its weapon systems, armor and engines to further augment the armored capability of the IRS's tank forces. The result was the next in line of the original Archer tank; the Archer II MBT, which was designed to effectively replace its predecessor in military service. The first models were constructed in 2100 and shortly after tested in Camp Orion where it indeed proved its worth as the next better tank that the IRS needed. Mass production of the Archer II was approved and began immediately while remaining Archer I MBTs were refurbished with as much as they can while they are slowly decommissioned from service. By 2120, the Archer II was fully integrated into the armored ranks of the IRS's tank forces with enough Archer IIs and the Archer I was completely phased out and had its parts recycled in scrap yards. By this time, the Archer II saw service in the First and Second April Fools War against Separatist forces and faced tough competitors from their faster, lighter yet as deadly and advanced Skirmisher MBTs and Grav Tanks. Using combat data gathered from such battles, upgrades were immediately devised to improve the tank in further battles with better armor, more powerful rail cannons and additional warheads for the JAVELIN II as well as new armor packages that could be mounted on the tank on the field to improve its survival. Like most IRS tanks, the Archer II Main Battle Tank is a powerful mobile lightweight weapons platform that is versatile, easily adaptable and cost-effective to mass produce with continued implementation of only the most practical and useful technologies and advanced equipment and nothing else too fancy for regular combat use.  


Tactics and Roles: Like most main battle tanks, the Archer II is meant for all-round combat and can engage most if not all kinds of targets on the armored frontlines. The MBT is usually delegated to a mixed attack force supporting lighter mechanized elements such as infantry transports and IFVs and take on enemy tanks and fortifications from far or up close. Its speed, agility and all-terrain mobility allows it to traverse a variety of environments quickly with little problem and with this it is able to catch up to APCs and conduct a fast, lightning joint attack on enemy formations in a blitzkrieg strike. The powerful 130mm rail cannons is complemented by the JAVELIN II ATVLS and can destroy most armored units and structures with ease which when combined with its agility, the Archer II can quickly take out other tanks and armor while evading their fire. Also effective in ambushes, long-range sniping from afar and quite potent in defensive roles with a tough armor to draw fire away from defending infantry and can entrench itself as a heavy anti-armor and anti-infantry emplacement to hold the line. Like most tanks, the Archer II is vulnerable to anti-tank infantry especially in close quarters and requires an infantry or mechanized escort to protect its flanks. Works in a squad of five in full armored formations or in pairs when in urban combat. Can be para-dropped or orbitally deployed in Drop Pods right into the battlefield due to its light weight and conduct shock and awe attacks in the middle of enemy territory. 


Armament: The Archer II MBT is armed with a 130mm EMRC gun which uses electromagnetic rails to propel tank rounds at hypersonic speeds, giving itself both penetrative power, accuracy and a long range to engage armored targets that the tank locks-on in its gun sights. It is complemented by a variety of sub-systems; firing control, auto-stabilization, auto-lock-on and tracking, computer-assisted targeting and calculation of firing solutions and an autoloading feed system that helps the tank crew to ensure that they hit the target at a sustainable rate of fire. The tank also has a total of two JAVELIN II ATVLS launchers one 4-pod launcher at each side of the turret to augment its capability against armored vehicles. Firing a standard large APHE warhead, the missiles can incapacitate or destroy most armored targets easily in one shot. With its versatile targeting system, the missile launcher can be additionally used as a missile artillery platform or take out low-flying aircraft as a SAM of sorts. To take out infantry that otherwise might get too close for comfort, the Archer II has a remote-controlled 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun mounted on the top of the tank turret which can be delegated to the tank computer's control to automatically detect and engage any hostile units around it without the manual control of the Secondary Weapons Controller. 


Power Plant and Engine: Power is provided by an Ethervoltaic Generator which houses photo-voltaic bacteria known as Etherium to convert light or excess biomass into usable electricity. Ethervoltaics are coat-effective, safe to operate and relatively simple to repair and maintain by engineers. Its Electric Drive engine converts electricity into kinetic motion and drives the tank's propulsion systems at relatively good speeds. Also easy to maintain for its simple operation and construction.  


Armor and Defensive Subsytems: Ferolattice crystals are natural alien crystals which converts and incorporates minerals and other elements in the environment it is planted in into its own lattice structure, forming a tough metal-like material. Ferolattice is extracted and melted down into a variety of materials formed by varying pressures, temperatures and industrial catalysts. One of them is Bryoceramic, a metallic lightweight ceramic commonly used as building material and its reinforced versions as bullet-proof armor worn by soldiers. When added with carbon and atomically tempered to reinforce intermolecular forces in Byroceramic, it forms an alloy known as Tryomite. Thickness of Tryomite is classified by classes, with Class C used by medium armor such as the Archer II MBT. Tryomite Class C is a tough but lightweight piece of armor plating that provides the tank with protection from small-arms, heavy caliber weapons and can absorb a good amount of kinetic damage from hypervelocity shells, shaped explosives and even lasers and plasma. Layers of Aegis are electroplated onto the Tryomite armor to diffuse heat energy away from the tank hull preventing lasers, plasma and hypermatter from melting through. Armor packages can be mounted on the tank in the field by engineers to further improve its survival and such includes simple blocks of additional Tryomite armor or advanced modules such as Kinetic Wave Barrier Generators and Active Energy Shield Generators. Canister launchers are mounted on the turret and can pop an Infrared-Radio Disruptor smoke cloud that not only makes the tank invisible from the naked eye, but also to sensor systems and targeting systems as the cloud disrupts radio and infrared signals. 



Mobility and Terrain Handling: The Archer II can drive on almost any land terrain thanks to its Individual Wheel Suspension System that allows it to drive over rough uneven terrain such as rocks and rubble without much difficulty and has ground pressure controllers which enables it to maneuver across mud, sand and loose soil without sinking or being trapped. It is also very fast for a tank and can travel across large distances quickly as well as changing its direction on the fly immediately, making it an agile vehicle capable of switching an attack direction to evade fire and strike an enemy at an unsuspecting vector. Due to its relatively small size and light weight, it can comfortably operate in tight urban zones and move between buildings and narrow streets as well as use local infrastructure without worrying if it can withstand its weight. This also enables it to be fitted inside normal-sized dropships and carried right into the heart of the battlezone to where it is needed, or dropped straight into the battlefield via parachute or orbital drop pods.  


Sensors and Communication Systems: The Archer II is fitted with a versatile HOLMES Mk2 Pulsar device which can perform motion tracking, GPS positioning, radar and scanning functions and is paired up with a Multi-Spectra Camera which can provide 360 degree visuals in multiple spectrums, from normal visible light to infrared, thermal and night vision. It is also connected to the Integrated Intelligence Network and continuously receives and broadcasts battlefield information in this secure military network, allowing them to coordinate military actions more effectively and keep track of everything from enemy and allied positions to terrain and landmarks. The Vehicle Commanding Officer in charge of the entire tank and its crew can see everything in the battlefield in a virtual projection on his holographic interface, allowing him to see things from a larger view and strategize accordingly. It also has a central computer that is capable of gathering combat data from both the IIN and the tank's own sensory equipment and use it to calculate everything from battlefield analysis to firing solutions which is then utilized to adjust the rail cannon's aim or to input coordinates into the JAVELIN II missiles.