H5 Oliphaunt

H5 Oliphaunt
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Gaellicia Seylos
Service history
In service	1987-present
Production history
Unit cost	$1.39 million (1993)
Specifications
Weight	47 t
Length	7.51 m (24 ft 8 in) hull 10.62 m (34 ft 10 in) with gun forward
Width	3.3 m (10 ft 10 in) 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in) with appliqué armour
Height	2.48 m (8 ft 1.64 in)
Crew	4 (commander, gunner, loader and driver)
Armor	Chobham
Main armament	105 mm rifled gun 120 mm gun 120 mm rifled gun
Secondary armament	Jakosinné TGM 77 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun (Mk. 4)
Engine	MacNamera Motors supercharged diesel engine 1,100 hp (820 kW) at 2,300 rpm
Power/weight	20.9 hp/t–21.2 hp/t
Transmission	automatic
Suspension	helical spring
Ground clearance	50 cm (1 ft 8 in)
Fuel capacity	1,130 litres (249 imperial gallons; 299 US gallons)
Operational range	550 km (340 mi)
Speed	61.2 km/h (38.0 mph).

The H5 Oliphaunt is a third generation Gaellician-Seylosian main battle tank designed and produced as a private venture by MacNamera Heavy Industries. The name Oliphaunt is a nod to the preceding H Series Tanks, as well as a tribute to Aexamenid history and mythology.

History

Following the success of the H3 tank, the defense design division of MacNamera Heavy Industries began work on a new H series tank variant. A future need for a more heavily armed tank was anticipated leading to the beginning of design work in 1976 as a private venture. Initially the design began as a variant of the H3, the most significant changes being the addition of improved armor on the turret face, and the replacement of the H3's 105mm gun with an 120mm rifled gun. Additional 120mm armed H3 variants were iterated upon but all remained confined to paper.

In 1978, work began on a fresh H series tank. Designated the H4, the new tank would utilize the same hull and chassis as the H3, but the turret would be an entirely new design. The turret consisted of a welded steel design, with appliqué armor plates. The design also incorporated Explosive reactive armour on the tank hull. Concurrently, MacNamera anticipated that there would be a need in the next decade for a new main battle tank for the Ríogan Army, whose Tigranedear tanks were aging and nearing retirement due to obsolescence. In answer to this anticipation, work was begun on a new third generation MBT intended for Gaellicia and peer nations. Initially, this tank was not intended to be a part of the H series, instead being referred to as the 3GMBT.

In 1980, MacNamera concluded that the H3 platform was suitable for extensive through life support and upgrades, negating most of the purpose of the H4. As a result, the H4 program was discontinued and its staff reassigned to either the H3 platform, or to the third generation MBT program. The 3GMBT program was subsequently reorganized and its priorities reassessed. The tank would be designed to meet the high end export market while also meeting the needs of heavily industrialized nations for a quality though lower cost MBT. In the words of Gaellician designer Michéal Moran:

We were threading the needle with this design. Really pushing our abilities as engineers to the max, really more than we thought ourselves capable. It pushed our industry too but I think in the end we made a fine fine tank."

The reassessment and reorganization led to the decision to make the tank a part of the H series, being dubbed the H5. The common name Oliphaunt was chosen for a number of reasons. As an H series tank, it was intended at least partially for export, with the oliphaunt being a name for the Azanian native animal the elephant. MacNamera being a Geltic corporation, Oliphaunt was a famed creature from later Geltic mythology. With the hopes of securing a contract with the Ríogan Army, Oliphaunt also served as a reference to Axaemenid history. Oliphaunts were the names of Tigranes the Great's war elephants. Finally, one of the project leads for the tank was a fan of the works of Seylosian fantasy author T.K.K. Rorican, who took inspiration from Geltic mythology and Europan history.

H5 development proceeded first testing the H4 prototype and turret before construction of a dedicated H5 prototype in 1982. Evaluation and testing of the prototypes occurred at the Twix Testing Grounds in Southern Gaellicia, with testing of individual components occurring in Seylos. The H5 was nearing readiness for full production by 1985.

MacNamera began lobbying the Gaellician government in earnest in 1983 to acquire the Oliphaunt as a replacment for its existing MBT. MacNamera emphasized that the tank was tested in, and would be built in Gaellicia. Gaellician armor officers had extensive input during the design process, in addition to submitting an unofficial requirements list. Nevertheless, the army general stuff expressed a lack of interest in purchasing the Oliphaunt. The general staff eventually made it clear that they wanted to phase out tanks entirely from the Gaellician army. Gaellicia at the time was embroiled in a sectarian conflict known as The Silent War, with the Ríogan Army adopting counter insurgency tactics that did not make use of tanks. For defense of the Southern Highland Gap, the General Staff intended to use a combination of towed artillery, mechanized infantry, and fixed emplacements.

Despite the lack of desire on the part of the Gaellician Army General Staff, the political will and desire for tanks remained strong. Though most armor officers did not hold the highest positions in the Army, they remained politically connected and influential. The Gaellician Daíl at the time, led by southern highlander Isolde MacTurf, favored the Army and particularly the heavily aristocratic armored corps. Public will lent support to the government as well. The Long War was in the living memory of many Gaellicians and was often cited in contemporary literature and at least three studies by the Marian War College in the context of initially poor Gaellician armor performance. Despite the advancement of technology and tactics, the majority of the public felt passionately that maintaining an armored corps would be essential for the protection of the nation from foreign invasion. Representatives from MacNamera capitalized on public sentiment, engaging in an extensive and comprehensive lobbying campaign to further galvanize the public and to pressure elected officials. This piece of political theater would be dubbed by the media as the Tank Debate. The campaign climaxed in a high profile debate in the Dáil regarding defense spending which ended in a victory for tank proponents. In the 1986 Defense Budget, the Dáil required the acquisition and allocated the funds for 60 H5s.

Design

In the tradition of other H Series tanks, the Oliphaunt was designed from the start with an emphasis on reliability and maneuverability. In hopes of expanding the market of the tank, features that would make the tank competitive with heavily industrialized peer nations were also a consideration. Significant resources were expended to incorporate state of the art armor, and fire control systems. At the time of production in the late 1980s, the Oliphaunt was one of the most innovative tank designs in the wurld without excessively increasing cost.

Electronics

Due to relations between Gaellicia and Tagmatium at the time of development, the variant of the Oliphaunt operated by the Ríogan Army is fitted with significantly different electronic equipment and software than other versions of the tank.

Variants

H5 Oliphaunt

• H5 Oliphaunt
  • H5C1
  • H5C2
  • H5C3 "Franken-Oliphaunt"