IRS M98A2 'Archer II' Main Battle Tank -Remake-

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Nation of Origin: Interstellar Republic of Singapore

Designer: Moren Gloshovik and Farid Bin Abdul Hassan

Manufacturer: TRD Facilities Terrestrial Division, the Military

Weight: 56 Tons Fully Loaded

Armor: Enhanced Tryomite Composite Armor Plating electroplated with Aegis Energy Repellent Layers

Power Plant: XType-2 Dual-Cell Etherium Generator

Engine: ETM-03 Electric Turbine Motors provide top speeds of 85 KM/H on smooth roads and 70 KM/H on rough terrain

Armament: 1 EFAC-M2A1 130mm Electromagnetic Force Assisted Cannon, 1 Co-axial Machine Gun, 2 Copula-mounted Machine Gun, 1 12-tube JAVELIN Missile Launching System and 1 Front-mounted Machine Gun

Ammunition Capacity (in order stated above): 60 Shells, 400 Rounds, 5 200-Round Box Magazines, 12 Missiles and 300 Rounds

Crew Number: 4 (1 Driver-Gunner, 1 Engineer, 1 Communications Operator and 1 Vehicle Commander)

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Background: When the IRS was first expanding across the stars and establishing colonies, they realized that much of their Earth-based equipment were pretty much useless in fast-paced solar system-wide warfare since they were not fuel-efficient in an environment lacking of supplies and were not fast enough, in addition to sporting good armor and firepower. So for their main battle tanks, they decided that they must be simple enough to be constructed and maintained by a colony's militia as well as fulfilling speed and fuel-efficiency requirements. By the 2060s, this concept was materialised in the Mobiliser MBT and was fielded by both the Interstellar Reserve and almost all colonies. It was well-received for its small size, speed and ruggedness but during the Nagron Wars the age of Mobilisers came to an end as their armor and design proved to be a flaw that allowed Nagion energy to easily disintegrate through the tank. The Mobiliser served for a short time in the post-Nagron years and was eventually replaced by the Archer. The Archer resembled the terran tanks of the past and its armor design allowed more protection than the Mobiliser. The Archer was an excellent tank and was fielded against Separatist forces in 2097. It underwent major redesigns and upgrades, thus becoming the Archer II. The Archer II sported better armor, a more powerful power plant and engine, a harder-hitting railgun and Electromagnetic Catapults in JAVELIN launchers to provide longer range and velocity of the missile fired. Thanks to more advanced construction technology and abundant resources, this tank is relatively affordable to build in numbers and supplied to all colonies and companies of the Interstellar Reserve. The Archer II's all-terrain capability, versatility and usefulness makes it a military vehicle suitable for almost all types of planets, be it the lush Earth-like grassy plains, hot scorching desert worlds, freezing snow of Ice Worlds or dense urban jungles of population centres. Overall, the Archer II is a great tank in IRS hands and will be in service for times to come. Many respect and recognize this tank as a new symbol of Singapore's dominance in its home galaxy and beyond.

Roles and Tactics: As the Main Battle Tank, the Archer II is expected to fulfil every offensive battlefield role and is often the spearhead of an advance to crush the remaining enemies after artillery strikes have passed. This makes them responsible for not only engaging and destroying other enemy tanks and armored vehicles but also for providing heavy direct-fire against heavily entrenched forces, defensive emplacements, fortifications and the destruction of enemy strategic assets such as Command and Control Centres, communications facilities, anything that supplies necessities to their soldiers and occupied residential buildings used as a defensive garrison or vantage point. Archer IIs may also be utilized to destroy other targets when ordered to. The M98A2 is also used in dense areas to provide cover to friendly infantry and can assist them in taking out enemy units as well. Archer IIs are either organized into small squads of tanks for a full-fledged armored assault or individually assigned to a squad or infantry group in a joint operations manoeuvre. 

Armament: The M98A2 is primarily armed with a 130mm Railgun capable of firing different ammunition types and is supported by an array of machine guns and a devastatingly accurate missile launcher. The Railgun works by using electromagnetic rails in the barrel to attract the shell and propel it at supersonic speeds, enabling it the paramount accuracy and sheer velocity needed to hit a target and penetrate the armor. The standard-issue 130mm ammunition is the caseless Armor Piercing High Explosive Round (APHER). The APHER is lethal to almost about everything a MBT would face as it is capable of penetrating through most armor and after that it would detonate its high-explosive charges located in the inside of the shell, causing a great amount of damage and killing everyone present inside the target. The 130mm Railgun can fire other types of shells approved for use and such include APTR (Armor Piercing Thermobaric Round), HESH (High Explosive Squash Head), Nuclear Warheads and APAC (Armor Piercing Agent Canister). The last two can only be used when strict approval is granted by Central Command. The 130mm Railgun is also able to fire anti-tank missiles if they can fit in the barrel. Another weapon system of great notice is the JAVELIN Missile Launching System. Firing Armor-Piercing High Explosive self-propelling warheads, the JAVELIN is able to devastate an armored unit easily and adds to its lethality with extreme precision. This accuracy is enabled by the use of Electromagnetic Catapults (technically electromagnetic rails found in the EFACs) which allows a very long range and velocity of the missile as it is propelled at near sonic speeds. The JAVELIN is near impossible to intercept as its missiles are usually fired high into the sky and then uses the power of gravity and its boosters to descend on the target, causing a huge amount of shockwave and penetrating deep into the armor and detonating from within, causing catastrophic damages. The versatile locking-on system of the JAVELIN ML allows the Archer II to not only target ground targets, but also aircraft such as helicopters and VTOLs. This weapon is also utilized as an artillery weapon, striking unwary enemies from afar and inflicting massive disarray and confusion. The machine guns mounted in the turret, on top of it and at the front gives the tank anti-infantry capability against enemy soldiers especially those with anti-armor weapons.

Armor: Much of the tank's hull is made out of Tryomite Composites and thicker parts of it are found on the around the turret, the front of the chassis, the bottom of the chassis and the engine and ammunition compartments. Though not very sophisticated, Tryomite Composite is very durable and strong, able to deflect small arms fire, withstand shaped explosives and intense shockwaves and its high melting points allow some amount of energy-based fire before melting. Thus, Aegis energy repellent layers are plated on the armor and they can effectively dissipate and dispose laser, microwave beams and plasma away from the armor therefore preventing the tank's hull to melt and breached. Tests have shown that the Aegis layers can repel anti-matter blasts for a while before disintegrating away. These results may not be much, but it does pave a way to counter such energies like Nagion. The Archer II can have extra armor packages mounted on them for more degrees of protection. Some armor packages come in the form of composites but advanced ones such as Smart Armor, conventional ERA and Repulsor Composites have also been invented for use. Overall, the Archer II is well protected and safe from attack.

Mobility: The Archer II is capable of going up to 85 KM/H on roads and around 70 KM/H on rough terrain thanks to its powerful engine. It has also excellent off-road capability and can traverse almost any kind of terrain and over much obstacles like rubble thanks to its shock absorbers and Individual Wheel Suspension Systems. Equipment such as dozer blades also improves the tank's performance in harsh environments. 

Power Plant and Engine: The tank is powered by a Xtype2 Etherium Generator which uses the photosynthetic alien bacteria to convert its excess glucose into electrical charges. These electrical charges are collected and transferred to superconducting wires where it is distributed to various electrical components and systems existent in the vehicle. This generator can technically produce a decent amount of electricity for an infinite amount of time and is relatively simple to construct. The Archer II makes use of the ETM-03 Electric Turbine Motor to move about and the engine is very powerful, allowing the tank to achieve good mobility. The ETM is a well respected piece of engineering and is widely used in various applications such as cars and other civilian vehicles, as well as other military ones.