Patton

The Patton tank is a 65-ton armored combat vehicle, specializing in conventional armored warfare. Identical to its twin, the Rommel, in every way but armament and armor configuration, the Patton has primarily served with the Lyran Commonwealth and the Lyran Alliance. It is named after General George S. Patton, Jr., a legendary commander of armored and mechanized forces renowned for his exploits during World War II on Terra.

Designed concurrently with the Rommel, Defiance Industries decided that a vehicle to replace 'Mechs was needed in the early 3000s. Since 'Mech production was nearly at a standstill, the ability to produce and field armored vehicles became a necessity no Successor State could ignore.

Unlike the Rommel, which features a massive and powerful but short-ranged AC/20 as its main gun, the Patton mounts an AC/10, giving it twice the ammunition capacity and superior firing range while also enabling it to be fitted with more armor. The Patton is capable of fighting in short-ranged and urban environments, but is far more suited than the Rommel to engaging targets at medium to long range.

Weapons and Equipment
The Patton uses a single Defiance Killer Type T Autocannon/10 as its main armament. While not as able to cripple 'Mechs when compared to the Rommel's AC/20, the Patton has a longer ranged AC/10 and 14.5T of armor. More armor than the Rommel, and indeed many mechs. The Patton adds a Coventry Five-Tube LRM-5 for added punch at range. To counter attacking infantry, a turret mounted Defiance ASL Small Laser, and a front mounted HotShot Flamer are equipped.

Variants

 * Patton Ultra : This variant of the Patton replaces the standard weaponry with a turret-mounted Ultra AC/10 and a pair of Medium Lasers to support it. For anti-infantry work, the Patton Ultra has three Machine Guns: One covers the rear while the other two cover the front of the tank. BV (2.0) = 1,160


 * Patton-SB : This version of the Patton was built with the intent of functioning in hostile environments like the vacuum of space. Environmental Sealing protects the crew from hostile environments. An XL Fusion Engine with Supercharger allows the Patton-SB to perform sprints of up to 86km/h to reposition quickly. It retains the LRM-5, but replaces the other weaponry with a pair of ER Medium Lasers and a Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle with three tons of ammunition. The tank is protected by eleven and a half tons of Heavy Ferro-Fibrous armor. BV (2.0) = 1,468

Related Designs

 * Rommel - The Rommel tank is built on the same chassis, but carries a massive Autocannon/20. While giving the Rommel signifcant short range firepower, backed up by a LRM-5 and Small Laser, the heavier weapon forces a reduction in armor to a still quite respectable 11 tons.


 * Axel - Produced in a Mark I and a Mark II version on Spittal by Benson and Bjorn since the inception of the Free Rasalhague Republic, the Axel tanks are internal-combustion-engine variants of the Rommel and Patton designs, respectively.

Design Quirks
The Patton-SB variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Prototype
 * Trailer Hitch