Zk.3 Bison

Zk.3 Bison
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Maverica
Service history
In service	2009-Present
Used by	Maverica Innominada
Wars	Innominadan Crisis Uhmmayah Civil War
Production history
Designer	Zeigwick Armaments Company
Designed	1995-2004
Manufacturer	Zeigwick Armaments Company
Unit cost	ZK.3A - 4,500,000 NSD
Produced	2005-Present
No. built	18,000 all variants
Specifications
Weight	50 tons
Length	7 meters long (hull) 10.45 meters long
Width	11.5 feet
Height	(Maximum Suspension Height)
Crew	3 (commander, gunner, driver)
Armor	ERA armor with K Mixture Composite armor
Main armament	125mm 2A46 smoothbore.
Secondary armament	1x Coaxial M60 Machine gun 1x top-mounted KPV machine gun
Engine	12 cylinder water-cooled Yarnark Diesel 1,400 hp
Power/weight	28 hp/ton
Transmission	Automatic
Suspension	Hydropneumatic
Ground clearance	60 cm
Operational range	347 miles (without fuel drum)
Speed	Road: 45 mph (sustained) Off-Road: 40 mph

The Zk-3 Bison tank (Zirh Katar 3 translated to Armored wagon 3) is a Maverican 3rd generation main battle tank which entered service in 2005.

History

In the early nineties, the Maverican Armed Forces identified the need for a new, more high-quality tank to enter service with frontline units in order to compete with foreign tank models, as well as a replacement for the aging Bear tank in service. As a result, the Army began studies into a replacement vehicle, and development began on a new Main battle tank. Unlike other nations Maverica never designed a tank from the ground up and the Bison project quickly became a matter of national pride. At first development bureaus came up with several mock ups many staying close to the FSR designs of cast iron turrets and carousel autoloaders. However the army picked the new and unique Project 231 that will later become the Bison. The design called for a radical change from the carousel autoloaders and instead championed a new modern bustel loader with a blow back panel to avoid any crew fatalities in an event of a cook-off that was seen to be prevalent in old FSR tanks. Meanwhile talks with Chervakia in allowing Maverica to produce a version of the new Zaslon APS system was growing slow. So in the meantime the older Shorta-1 APS and electronics found of the Zk.2 Bear was used until the electronics were developed. A newly developed and domestic Yanark 1,400 hp diesel engine was being produced for the new tank giving it a power to weight ratio of 28 hp to a ton. Giving it unprecedented power. By 2002 and in response to the Menghean JCh-6 being tested two years earlier Project 231 was tested in front of goverment officials and military generals. Many were impressed by the tank and it's new design, especially the bustel loader. However a considerable faction built up against the use of torsion bars used on the suspension. A large support for hydropneumatic suspension grew as they argued it would give the tank an edge. However by 2005 after several more years of work the first Zk.3 Bison tank rolled off the production line in Zeigwick Defense Company. Only a limited number of Zk.3s were produced until a updated A variant was made incorporating modern electronic systems and a new ERA armor. This A varient went on to become the backbone of the tanks produced.

Design

The Bison is a fairly conventional tank, with a 3 crew member layout; 2 in the turret, and 1 in the special driver's compartment. It uses a bustle autoloader instead of the carousel autoloaders in use on the Bear and Buck tanks; a blast wall and blowoff panel seperates the bustle ammunition storage from the crew compartment. The Bison also features an APS system which includes four smoke grenade dispenser on either side of the turret, whose smoke canisters can also block IR and laser designation. For hard kill APS the prototypes and A variants had the Shtora-1, however the mass produced B Variant is fitted with the partially domestic Dhālam-1APS system. For most or operational purposes, the Bison can also create a smoke screen by injecting fuel directly into the exhaust, and the Along with this the Bison is fitted with the EMT 7 electro minesweeper and a automatic firing system. One last thing the Bison has are a early warning system named the Shtora-1. This system can detect oncoming enemy anti tank missiles and sends out a electronic wave that disrupts the enemy missile along with shooting a smoke grenade to conceal the tank. The tank is also fitted with radar, and radio.

Armament

The Bison is fitted with a turret-mounded HMG in an RWS, which serves as the commander's gun, as well as a coaxial GPMG of 7.62mm calibre. Its main armament is the FSR liscensed produced 2A46 125 mm gun used in the previous ZK.2 Bear. The cannon is of 48 calibers and fires single piece ammunition.

Protection

Due to limited availibility at the time the first ZK.3 production models were fitted with old Shtora Active protection systems and Kontakt-5 ERA however this was a liited production run and by June of 2006 it was dicontinued and the new variant the ZK.3A were fitted with the new Chervakian-Maverican Dhālam-1 active protection system. The system works first by sending out electronic jamming disrupters and a smoke screen around the tank to stop or disrupt oncoming rounds. If those countermeasers are useless a hardkill module fitted on the side of the tank the round is coming from sends out a dense ring of fragments to destroy the round before contact where either Kontact-5 ERA or Kaṭāhaḥ-1 ERA (ZK.B and on) will then try to stop the round. If there is no ERA were the round hits a classified compsite armor will serve as the last defense against any oncoming rounds. The most common varriant the ZK.3B is fitted with Kaṭāhaḥ-1 ERA and the Dhālam-1 APS however in 2018 the ZK.3C was unvailed with new Maverican produced Dhālam-1 APS that in turn is rumored to be a FSR liciensed produced Afghanit APS system.

Variants

With development of the Zk.3 Bison several variants and improvements developed from it over the years.

• Zk.3: Orginial production variant, was only in limited production for a year. Incorporated old electronic and ERA systems from the Bear.
• Zk.3A: Was given the new Zaslon APS system.
• Zk.3B: Most common variant, was given new domestically produced Kaṭāhaḥ-1 ERA, new fire control system, Armored side skirts.
• Zk.3C New variant that will enter production in summer of 2018. Is equipped with the modular domestic Dhālam-1 APS system and the also domestic TAKS fire control system. This greatly increases the effectiveness of the tank and shows the world Maverica's long waited appearance as a producer of effective electronic systems.