PaPø-35

TAL-35
Type	Airborne Tank Destroyer
Place of origin	Trinovantum
Service history
Used by	Trinovantum
Production history
Designer	Global Defense Land Systems
Designed	1990-1994
Manufacturer	Global Defense Land Systems
Produced	2004-Present
Specifications
Weight	20.1 tonnes (22.2 short tons; 19.8 long tons)
Length	6.2 metres (20 ft 4 in)
Width	2.69 metres (8 ft 10 in)
Height	2.37 metres (7 ft 9 in)
Crew	3 (commander, gunner, driver)
Armor	Welded Aluminium
Main armament	12 x Global Defense Aerospace GMS-52 Hypersonic Anti-Tank missiles
Secondary armament	1 x CAM-74 machine gun
Engine	9.0L V6 turbo-diesel engine 552 hp
Power/weight	28 hp/tonne
Suspension	torsion bar
Ground clearance	410 millimetres (1 ft 4 in)
Fuel capacity	570 L (150 US gal)
Operational range	483 km (300 mi)
Speed	70 km/h (43 mph)

The TAL-35 is a Trinovantan air-deployable Anti-tank missile carrier developed by Global Defense Land Systems to augment the anti-armor capabilities of Trinovantan rapid deployment forces. It uses the same chassis as the TAG-35 airborne tank and carries the unconventional GMS-52 kinetic Anti-Tank Guided Missile as its primary weapon.

Development

The development of third generation main battle tanks the during the 1980s was expected to degrade the effectiveness of currently in-service anti-tank missiles to an unacceptable degree. At this time the best and primary means of neutralizing hostile armored threats available to the Trinovantan rapid deployment forces was the ATAL-24 ATGM carrier. The current Trinovantan TAG-33 had already demonstrated an exceptional resistance to current anti-tank missile systems, including the ATAL-24. Modern foreign designs such as the Notreceauen AVS 54 and the Dnieguin Tarskvagn-124 were believed to be similarly resistant to anti-tank missile threats. The expected proliferation of these vehicles, or other MBTs with similar capabilities, would thereby pose a significant risk to Trinovantan rapid deployment forces.

To address these concerns, a competition for a new anti-tank weapons system was initiated in 1987 to replace the ATAL-24. Requirements were simple; the weapon had to be able to defeat the armor of any current armored vehicle, it had to be capable of being paired to a airdrop capable vehicle, and it had to have a per-unit production cost that did not exceed 5 times the current cost of the GMS-23 missile used on the ATAL-24. Several designs were submitted, using various methods to achieve the criteria set out by the competition such as large tandem HEAT warheads or top-attack flight profiles. However, the Global Defense Aerospace proposal utilized a novel approach, a hardened steel penetrator mated to a high-output rocket. This weapon system, mounted on a new turret designed for Global Defense's recently developed TAG-35 airborne tank, would go on to win the program.

Armament

The primary armament for the TAL-35 is Global Defense Aerospace's GMS-52 Hypersonic Anti-Tank missile. Instead of carrying a shaped charge like most contemporary ATGMs, the GMS-52's kill mechanism is a nearly two meter long high-hardness steel penetrator. As a result of this payload, the missile is significantly larger than most other ATGMs with a 162 millimeter diameter and a 2.8 meter overall length. The entire system weighs in excess of 80 kilograms. Guidance is provided via a simple laser seeker for semi-active laser homing. Propulsion is provided by a high-output solid fuel rocket fitted with a thrust vectoring nozzle for flight control. This rocket is capable of propelling the missile up to a maximum speed of 1500 meters per second in less than a second. The GMS-52 reaches its maximum range of 5000 meters four seconds after being fired.

When travelling at its maximum speed the missile has a kinetic energy of 90 Megajoules, which is approximately 8 times greater than the muzzle energy of a modern APFSDS penetrator fired by a main battle tank. During testing, the GMS-52 demonstrated that it was capable of inflicting catastrophic damage to the most heavily armored vehicles in the Trinovantan military's inventory. It is projected to be capable of destroying any current or near-future armored threat. The TAL-35 does not carry more than the 12 missiles contained within the turret. Extra ammunition for reloading must be transported in a separate vehicle. While reloading by hand is possible, due to the size and weight of the GMS-52 missile and the height of the turret it is recommended that a loading crane is used to reload the vehicle.

For defense against infantry and light vehicular threats, the TAL-35 mounts a single CAM-74 heavy machine gun above the turret.

Protection

As per the TAG-35, the TAL-35's is protected by lightweight aluminum armor. The high hardness steel plates reinforcing the TAG-35 have been stripped in order to keep the weight of the vehicle within acceptable air-dropping tolerances. Similarly, the turret of the TAL-35 is primarily constructed out of aluminium. This gives the TAL-35 protection against most anti-material rifles from the front and sides. In the event of a penetration into the fighting compartment of the vehicle, several countermeasures are in place to mitigate damage. A modern spall liner is installed along the interior of the vehicle to reduce spall fragmentation from armor perforation and an automatic fire extinguisher is present in the engine bay. The vehicle also features an overpressure system to protect the crew from CBRN threats.

Operators

Current

• Trinovantum
• Temuair

See Also

• TAG-35