Ishtar (Combat Vehicle)

Description
The Ishtar Heavy Fire Support Tank is less popular than smaller, more maneuverable combat vehicles, but its heavy firepower has made it a staple of heavy garrison units. Though the original design was faster, over the years the tank has become slower and better armored. It is only capable of moving up to 54 km/h, but it can rely on seven and a half tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor to keep it safe. The armor does little to protect the wheels from shrapnel, however, so it can quickly become immobilized. Something of an oddity on a vehicle, a "Goalkeeper" Anti-Missile System shoots down missiles before they can threaten, though it is only effective against incoming missiles from in front of the tank.

Weapons and Equipment
The Ishtar features two heavy autocannons, the Type 9 Ultra Autocannon/10 that can double its rate of fire and the Type KOV LB-X Autocannon/10 that can switch between slug and cluster munitions. Mounting these two autocannons in the vehicle's turret gives them the maximum possible flexibility in acquiring targets. For long range it carries a Type XV "Crossbow" LRM-15 that is augmented by an Artemis IV Fire Control System except when firing indirectly. Augmenting the Ishtar's firepower at medium range is a pair of Series 2b ER Medium Lasers.

Variants

 * Original : The original version of the Ishtar was introduced earlier in the Succession Wars era. It lacked the modern Ishtar's lasers and Anti-Missile System, and the weapons loadout consisted of only the Ultra and LB-X Autocannons, and an Artemis IV-guided LRM-10 instead of the LRM-15. This version also had slightly less armor, which was made up for by using a larger engine, bringing its top speed up to 64 k/ph. BV (2.0) = 1,072


 * Gauss : This is a Jihad era variant of the Ishtar, which replaces the modern version's LB-X & Ultra Autocannons with a Gauss Rifle and a Class 20 Hyper Assault Gauss Rifle in the turret. Each of these weapons is fed by two tons of ammunition, and the vehicle's Anti-Missile System has been removed. BV (2.0) = 1,616