GV(MBT)-1 Bandersnatch

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GV(MBT)-1 Bandersnatch
GV-1 Bandersnatch.png
Type: Main Battle Tank
Place of origin: Shireroth

In service: 1643
Used by: Imperial Forces

Designed: 1642 AN
Manufacturer: Red Bear LLC

Crew: 4
Propulsion Gravimetric Drive
Powerpack 1x Deep-cycle Battery Bank
Speed: 59 km/h level cruising (40 km/h lateral)
Range: 2,832 km within 48 hr lifespan of Battery Bank
Weight: 88 tonnes
Length: 14.2 metres
Width: 3.72 metres

Main armament: L33 120mm rifled gun (98 rounds)
Effective range: 3,400 metres
Maximum range: 4,000 metres
Secondary armament: Coaxial 7.62 mm MAG MG
Polybolos .50 HMG Commander's cupola machine gun

Cost: 130 Anunia Points

The Bandersnatch is an all-terrain gravimetrically powered hovertank designed and manufactured by the Red Bear LLC for service in the Imperial Army.

Unlike conventional hovercraft the gravimetric engine permits more readily the lateral manoeuvring of the main battle tank, with a fluidity that belies its size. The Bandersnatch is capable of movement on land and water and is also capable of limited flight under its own power, however the lack of fundamental aerodynamic properties as well as an auxiliary power source, means that an operational ceiling of 10 metres off the ground level is enforced on Bandersnatches and their crews. Reports from the field however suggest that, in practice, the Bandersnatch is capable of far more than that.

As noted its all terrain capabilities mean the Bandersnatch can be employed with equal effect on the water as well as on land; both the Imperial Army's River Army and the Imperial Navy's Coastal Command have expressed an interest in the Bandersnatch as a patrol vessel.

In comparison to the next generation of the enemy's main battle tanks the Bandersnatch is slower, heavier and more lightly armed. However by contrast it is more heavily armoured, carries more ammunition and is capable of covering far greater distances. Its main logistical handicap is a reliance upon fuel cells which need to be swapped out for recharge as their store of electrical current becomes depleted.

Main armament

The L33 120mm rifled tank gun, produced by Red Bear LLC, is a shortened 33 calibre version of the L30 55 calibre rifled gun developed by the Royal Ordnance Factory of Lichbrook for the LFV4041 MBT used by the armoured formations of Minarboria. In common with the L30, the barrel is made of electro-slag refined (ESR) steel. The bore and chamber are electro-plated with chromium to give a barrel life of 1500 effective full charges.

The breech mechanism is a split sliding-block breech. One vertically sliding block holds the obturation ring (which is necessary because the propellant charges are combustible cases or bags) and is locked for firing by a second block. When the second block falls, the first is released to open the breech.

The ammunition types which are currently or were formerly in use include:

  • APFSDS L27A1: a DU long rod penetrator projectile. The round uses the L16A1 combustible case charge.
  • HESH L31 This is employed as a general purpose high explosive round, though it also has a good anti-armour performance, and is effective against fortifications and structures. The HESH L31 is fired using the L3 bag charge. Muzzle velocity is 670 metres per second (2,200 ft/s).
  • SH/Prac L32A6 A training projectile, which matches the trajectory of the HESH L31. It is available as a completely inert form, or can be filled with an inert HE substitute (a composition of calcium sulphate and castor oil) or an inert HE substitute plus a live fuze and a flash pellet for spotting purposes.

Unlike the L30, the L33 does not feature a bore evacuator, a device on the gun barrel of an armoured fighting vehicle which helps prevent poisonous propellant gases from venting back into the vehicle's fighting compartment when the gun breech is opened to load another round. For this reason the crew of the tank are equipped with personal oxygen masks to prevent nausea or distraction by fumes.

Sensors & fire controls

The digital fire control computer from Elwynn High Tech Engineering (EHTE) contains two 32-bit processors with a MIL STD1553B databus, and has capacity for additional systems, such as a Battlefield Information Control System.

The commander has a panoramic EHTS VS 580-10 gyrostabilised sight with laser rangefinder. Elevation range is +35° to −35°. The commander's station is equipped with a rotational optical sensor for 360° vision.

The Thermal Observation and Gunnery Sight II (TOGS II), from EHTE, provides night vision. The thermal image is displayed on both the gunner's and commander's sights and monitors. The gunner has a stabilised primary sight using a laser rangefinder with a range of 200 m (660 ft) to 10 km (6.2 mi). The driver's position is equipped with a EHTS Optronics image-intensifying Passive Driving Periscope (PDP) for night driving and a rear view thermal camera.

Armour

The Bandersnatch is one of the most heavily armoured and best protected tanks in the world. The turret and hull are protected by second generation of Babkhan derived Zinjibar armour (also known as Norashti Silk Steel), the details of which are classified but which is said to be more than twice as strong as steel. Crew safety was paramount in the design, using a solid state electric drive for its turret and gun movement, thus removing the traditional risk of hydraulic rupture into the crew compartment. Explosive reactive armour kits are also fitted as necessary along with additional bar armour. The nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protection system is located in the turret bustle.