M98 Archer -Remake-

EDIT*- 50 rounds changed to 70 rounds.

Author's note: I decided to redesign the IRS M98 Main Battle Tank since the previous one had the turret on the rear, which is actually the feature for SPHs. So here it is, the M98 Redesigned with additional information.
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M98 Archer Main Battle Tank
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Manufacturers: TRD Facilities (Design), several military war factories and licensed industries.

Armor: Tryomite Composite Armor Platings coated with Reflectium Energy Repellent Layers

Weight: 50 Tons (Without Additional Armor Packages)

Power Plant: Dual Cell Etherium Generator

Engine: Etherium-powered motors provide the Archer with top speeds of 100 KPH on rough terrain and 130 KPH on smooth consistent terrain.

Armament: M9524 Stabilised 200mm Railgun, 2 GPMGs on the top, JAVELIN Missile Launcher, a 20mm Bolter mounted on each sponsor, a co-axial 12.7mm Automated Machine Gun and a 7.62mm GPMG on the front.

Ammunition Capacity (in order of weapons stated above): 70 Rounds, 200 rounds in each box magazine, 24 missiles in total with 16 missiles ready for firing, 900 Rounds for each bolter, 1000 Rounds, 200 Rounds in each box magazine.

Crew Number: 1 Driver (operating main gun and co-axial AMG controls), 1 Vehicle Commander (operating the Communications relay), 1 Engineer (operating the ML), 2 Sponsor Gunners, 2 soldiers firing the top GPMGs, 1 Co-Commander (operating the front machine gun). Total with full crew: 8. At the very least three personnel that can take the role of Driver, Vehicle Commander and Engineer must be present to run the vehicle.
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Background: The request for a new main battle tank came by when IRS commanders found out that the Leman-Russ design of the Mobiliser proved to be inconvenient in engagements against Seperatist forces as the tall height of the Mobiliser made it a large easy target for RPGs and railgun cannons fielded by the Seperatists. Thus the commanders asked for a new tank that has a lower silhouette and more powerful armaments without sacrificing armor, mobility and firepower. The design was taken by the Target Research and Development Facilities in late 2097 and the prototype model was manufactured by Gong Long Assembly Lines in early 2098. Immediately after it's approval during it's testing in Camp Orion on Earth by the Autarch himself, the order of mass production was sent to every avalible military war factories and some private military industries. Central Command expects enough M98s to be produced to replace the Mobilisers by 2100. While then, the Mobilisers are still retained for service as a Main Battle Tank. The future remains cloudy for the Mobilisers and it was speculated that it will be serving as a medium tank as it's small size enables them to move in tight spots.

Armament: The M98 Archer sports a M9524 Stabilised 200mm Railgun that utilizes electromagnetic plates which are placed in the barrel to propel the tank shell at extreme speed, distance range and velocity. This decreases the time the shell has to take to get to the target and increases the maximum range the M98 can fire and the penetrating power of the shell. This makes the M98 much more lethal, as it can act as an indirect artillery weapon. The M9524 system sports an autoloader which not only reduces a need for a manual loader but also increases the rate of fire the M98 can offer. It can fire 20 rounds per minute, which is more than enough for a main battle tank. Aside the M9524 Railgun, the Archer also has a JAVELIN Missile Launcher. This baby is compromised of two missile launchers which has 6 HEM warheads in each of them. The JAVELIN first designates a target and then fires a missile upwards into the sky until it reaches a certain altitude, which by then the missile falls down on the target at a high speed. With it's crushing velocity, the missile will penetrate the enemy tank armor and detonate it's payload from the inside, destroying the enemy completely. One is all it takes. The JAVELIN serves as direct artillery against enemy tanks and vehicles but it also can fire it's missile at airborne targets or directed to an enemy structure or emplacement with precise GPS coordinates. This makes the JAVELIN a fearsome weapon, able to take out the enemy without having to get the tank in the enemy's line of sight. The M98's 20mm Sponsor Bolters, if mounted, can do high amounts of damage to hostile vehicles and obviously infantry trying to flank the tank in vain as they get exploded into bits of bone and chunks of bloody flesh as the explosive Bolter rounds violently explode in their bodies. The Co-axial machine gun is there to lay down suppressing fire, disabling light vehicles, eliminate enemy infantry and destroy hostile airborne helicopters at the front. If fully armed, the M98 gains the benefit of having extra firepower from three more machine guns with two GPMGs at the top and one at the front. A fully armed M98 Archer is no monster to underestimate as it is capable of laying waste and destruction to any type of units it targets.

Armor: The Tryomite platings gives the M98 full all rounded protection from small arms fire, large calibre projectiles, shaped explosives, rockets and effectively stand head on against railgun fire for some time before breaking. The Reflectium Energy Repellent Layers coated on the Tryomite platings give the M98 resistance to lasers, plasma and some decent amount of anti-matter energies such as nagion. The M98 has very good amount of survivability in battle and fulfilled the criteria of armor and survivability which a MBT needs to continue the armored offensive tactics which the IRS favours.

Mobility: The Archer is very mobile and fast in combat and is capable of reaching up to 100 KPH on rough terrain and 130 KPH on smooth terrain even when mounted with additional armor packages. The M98 Archer can overrun other tanks or vehicles and also evade enemy fire in combat. It can keep up with the faster vehicles such as the Strucker and the IFVs. The Archer do not put much pressure on the ground and do not sink into the ground pretty easily. The M98 therefore fulfilled the requirement for speed and agility.

Sensory equipment: The Archer sports advanced electronics and is able to communicate with its allies to form a Intergrated Grid, piecing up infomation from the others as well as its own to form the current battlefield situation. Basically the tank may exchange infomation with one another to know what is the current cituation such as the location and movement of enemy forces. For maximum efficiency, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) drone accompanies the tanks in its operations to recon enemy positions, movements and such so that the battle group can plan ahead and execute it with a high percentage of success. The Archer also sports thermal imaging cameras to distinguish the enemy from its surroundings, night vision to enable night-time operations, laser range finders and a Etherium Pulse Sensor device to de-stealth cloaked units in its vicinity. The Archer also uses the current targeting system OS and the additional features included in the OS are motion trackers and a faster processing rate compared to its predecessors. The new OS covers the control of radio communications and channels.

Defensive Measures: An 'Iron Dome' Minigun Automated Turret may be placed at the expense of one GPMG at the top. It is able to detect incoming projectiles and will immediately spray hails of bullets in the efforts to stop the incoming projectile, making the M98 harder to kill. Smoke canisters are placed at the sides and can be launched to make the tank concealed from sight while it can retreat. At the same time, the canisters fire infared decoys to distract any missiles away from the tank. This gives the M98's armor and survivability a bonus mark.

The IRS is fond of versatility thus by now there are alternate weapon modules for the M98 for different mission requirements and scenarios.