Estevez

Named after a militia officer on New Avalon where it was built, the Estevez was the main battle tank of the Federated Suns throughout the twenty-fourth century and into the Age of War. It entered service by 2310 as one of the earliest and most effective tank designs developed outside the Terran Hegemony. With its sheer size and power the Estevez often caused lighter armed enemies to break and run, thus developing a fearsome reputation over decades of service.

By the early 2400s, however, advancing technology had made the Estevez obsolete. Its main gun proved ineffective against more modern armor, made worse by its now-outdated fire control system and inability to fire specialized munitions. Its large crew and high fuel consumption also drained Armed Forces of the Federated Suns resources in prolonged conflicts. The Estevez was eventually taken out of front line service in the mid-25th century after a disastrous simulated battle against Draconis Combine BattleMechs on Robinson. Some were kept in service for a few more years after conversion into anti-air tanks but eventually all Estevezes were scrapped and replaced by the modern Tiger MBT.

Weapons and Equipment
The Estevez's main gun was a turret-mounted, large-caliber Avalon Slugger tank rifle which provided great punch against contemporary enemies. Its seven tons of ammunition stored in the hull also gave it enormous battlefield endurance. Two coaxial PC-50 machine guns on the turret plus a smoke grenade launcher mounted on each side protected the tank against infantry.

Variants

 * Kestrel : Built under license in the Free Worlds League, it was virtually identical to the base model. BV (2.0) = 647.


 * Estevez AA : A 2360 conversion into a second-line garrison tank, the anti-air variant replaced the old turret armament with two Autocannon/2s with three tons of ammo and one machine gun while leaving everything else unchanged. BV (2.0) = 571.