Leopard III Heavy Tank:
With the new century well over four decades old, and a new Cold War starting to get uglier every year, it had become clear to the Military of the European Union that their tank armies were now vastly outclassed by the tank brigades of the SSSR. The first glimmers of this had been seen in 2012, when the SSSR fought a quick and devastating war with the Ukraine, and utterly crushed the fledgling republic's forces with massive waves of tanks. Still, intelligence reports had shown that almost all of these tanks had been T-90 and T-12 types, tanks that had been designed in the late twentieth century. The EU forces fielded tanks of similar age, and greater sophistication.
But in the intervening years, all this changed. While the SSSR continued
to field their magnificent T-95 in ever greater numbers, the EU forces
still relied on the Challenger II and the Leopard II mk5, numbers of which had been
severely cut due to the so-called "Peace Dividend". This could not go on.
The golden age of science might still be in full swing, but the relatively
restful age of peace was drawing to an end as the soviets once again began to
look outward, and tank armies once again began to amass in Russia. Although
the Leopard and Challenger 2s would hold their own against the T-90 and T-12 types,
a new tank was needed to counter the T-95.
Instead of creating a entirely new tank, designers looked towards the Leopard 2.
There was still room for improvement and additions to the frame, and additions
were certainly needed. The tanks armor was upgraded by replacing the standard
spaced steel and ceramics armor with British "Dorchester" type armor, a steel
enclosed laminate of depleted uranium, ceramics and polymers which gave outstanding
protection against exlosive and kinetic energy weapons.
Sensors were not overlooked, and the Leo recieved the latest in infra red sensors,
passive night vision equipment, and a monopulse millimetre radar. In addition to
this there was a extensive ECM loadout, with both passive and active countermeasures.
But the most obvious addition to the tank was its new main gun, a huge
140 mm smoothbore cannon which was actually quite old, having first been tested in the closing
days of the 20th century. Even then this weapon had been capable of firing a APFSDS
dart with a penetration of a meter of solid steel at a range of a kilometer. In
the intervening years ammunition technology had seen considerable improvements....
A autoloader was mounted in the turret, with the ammunition stored horizontally in
the turret bustle, and more rounds to the left of the smoothbore. The autoloader selected and slid
the rounds into the breech of the gun, removing the need for a fourth crew member.
The entire auto loader and ammunition
store were separated from the crew compartment (both commander and gunner were located
to the right of the cannon) by a large armor plate,
which meant that even after an enemy hit ignited the ammunition, the crew
had a good chance of survival.
The last weapons were two medium railguns (having finally come into service), one
mounted coaxial to the 140 mm smoothbore, and the other on the turret roof,
capable of being fired by hand, or from within the turret by remote control.
All this came at a price though, with the tank being nearly ten tons heavyer than it had been before. This had been recognized in the planning stages though, and both the engine, the drive train, and the suspension were upgraded. In fact the engine was a nuclear turbine, giving the tank nearly unlimited range. The tracks were also widened, to retain a normal ground pressure. In order to protect them, the side armor was sloped outwards at a shallow angle, giving somewhat improved protection as a added bonus. All in all it was a virtually new tank, and ultimately it was given the "III" designation to reflect this.
The military liked the new tank. Liked it a LOT. Here was a tank which could take on
anything the Soviets could throw at it, and come out on top. The Soviet tank soldiers were
markedly less pleased. For years their T-95 had appeared to be the most powerful tank on the battlefield, but the scales
had swung the other way, and once again they would have to rely on numbers to overwhelm the enemy...
Although the EU generals and troops loved the new tank, the politicians were less pleased.
Even though it was clear that a tank was needed, did it have to be *this* expensive? As a
result the Leopard III was only acquired in small batches at any one time, and it was a
common military complaint that there were never enough Leo IIIs. Fortunately there was never
a real clash between the EU and the SSSR, although there are unsubstantiated reports of clashes
between Leo IIIs and T-95`s in Poland, during the winter of 2063.
Although the Leopard III would ultimately be replaced by other tanks, it was a mighty piece of machinery, and there were still hundreds of them in army depots around Europe when the Rifts finally came. Every now and then a new cache is found, and although the NGR and Triax show little interest in them there are several small companies specialized in refurbishing and maintaining Leopard III tanks, and making the ammunition for its 140 mm cannon. There are even conversion kits out there that replace the 140 mm cannon with a tribarrel laser similar to the one fitted onto later versions of the Panther, but for some reason they are not very popular. Apparently the mercenaries and adventurers who are the main users of the tank in Rifts time like the smoothbore, calling it simple, dependable, and making "A sufficiently loud bang, both when firing and when hitting the target...". This is especially so in units who often face magic users, and really like the extended range of the smoothbore. Hitting targets from more than six miles away means that even with the flash of the cannon, there is a reasonable chance you won`t get spotted.
Model Type: Kampfpanzer Leopard III
Vehicle Type: Heavy Tank
Crew: Three (Driver, Gunner, and Commander).
M.D.C. by Location:
| [1] Tractor Treads (2): | 120 each | |
| [2] Turret: | 350 | |
| 140 mm smooth-bore gun: | 110 | |
| Tri-barrel Laser: | 90 | |
| 8 mm turret mounted Railgun: | 40 | |
| 8 mm Co-axial Railgun: | 30 | |
| Firefly Chaff Launchers (2): | 25 | |
| [2]Reinforced Crew Compartment: | 150 | |
| [3] Main Body: | 650 |
Notes:
[1] Depleting the M.D.C. of a tread will immobilize the tank until
it is replaced. Replacing a tread will take 1D6x10 minutes by a trained
crew (2 replacements are carried on board) or three times as long by the
inexperienced. Changing the tread is only advisable when the vehicle is
not under attack.
[2] The turret IS manned by the crew, notably the commander and the gunner. Destroying
it knocks out the weapons, although a ammunition fire/explosion will blow out of the top of the turret,
since it is designed with blow-out panels. Since the commander and the gunner are seperated from
both ammo and cannon they are not endangered until the reinforced crew compartment
is also destroyed.
without otherwise damaging the vehicle. This makes the tank very survivable,
and it can retreat and have a new weapon's turret fitted relatively quickly.
[3] If all the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the vehicle is
completely shut down and is unsalvageable.
Special: As the tank's armor is constructed out of "Dorchester"
armor, all damage done by Explosives and Kinetic energy weapons
is reduced by 25%. Directed energy weapons and plasma weapons inflict full damage.
Speed:
Ground: 55.9 mph (90 kph) maximum road speed; 43.5 mph (70 kph)
off-road.
Maximum Range: Unlimited (Nuclear Fusion power supply; 5 years.)
Statistical Data:
Height: 9.3 feet (2.79 meters) to top of commander's cupola.
Width: 13.3 feet (4 meters)
Length: 25.6 feet (7.69 meters) not including gun barrel
Weight: 79 tons (72 metric tons).
Power Source: Nuclear fusion turbine; Must be refueled every
five years, otherwise effectively unlimited.
Cargo Capacity: Minimal, enough for equipment with crew
Black Market Cost: 8,500,000 Credits to build, usually double to triple
that to buy one today. If fitted, any extra weapons systems will add to
the cost of the tank; Leopard IIIs are usually found very heavily modified, though
they main cannon is seldom replaced.
Weapon Systems:
Sensors:
[NGR, New Sovietskiy, and TRIAX are trademarks
owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and
Palladium Books Inc.]
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By Mischa (E-Mail Mischa ).
Copyright © 2002, Mischa Campen. All rights reserved.
