Cavalier Main Battle Tank
| Cavalier Main Battle Tank | |
|---|---|
 Cavalier Mark 2 | |
| Place of origin |  Arthurista |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1945-present |
| Used by | Commonwealth Army Lion's Rock Army Niyerian Army Allamunnic Federal Army Enyaman Ground Forces |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Arthuristan Dynamics |
| Produced | 1947-present |
| No. built | 12,000 units (sans exports) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 49-51 tonnes |
| Length | 10m (gun forward) |
| Width | 3.38 m |
| Height | 3.01 m |
| Crew | 4 |
| Armor | cast steel and rolled homogenous steel (51-152mm RHA-equivalence), explosive-reactive armour (Mark 3 only) |
Main armament | Ordnance QF 17-pounder or Ordnance QF 20 pounder (Mark 1), L7 105mm L/52 rifled gun (Marks 2 and 3) |
Secondary armament | Typically 2x medium machine guns, co-axial and pintle mount. |
| Engine | Vickers-Dener V-12 diesel 550 kW |
| Transmission | Hydropneumatic |
Operational range | 550km on road |
| Speed | 50 kph on road |
The Cavalier was Arthurista's first main battle tank, succeeding the Constable Cruiser Tank as the most numerous tank in Commonwealth Army service. It came into service soon after the end of the Great Fascist War, during which the Commonwealth's tanks proved inadequate against Fascist armour. As such, Vickers Armstrong decided to create what was then-termed a 'Universal Tank': nearly as mobile as an old cruiser tank, as well-protected as an infantry tank and has the firepower to knock out heavy tanks at reasonable combat ranges. It was also intended to be a simple, dependable vehicle which could be easily maintained in the field, as well as straightforwardly upgraded, factors which boosted its sales among the third world countries of Pardes.
Modernisation
Cavalier Mk.1
The first generation Mk.1 model was armed with a 17-pounder or, later, the 20-pounder rifled gun. Its secondary armaments consisted of a pair of M1919 medium machine guns, one installed co-axially to the main gun, another on a pintle mount at the commander's hatch.
Cavalier Mk.2
The Mk.2 variant of 1957 introduced an improved L7 105mm rifled gun, with an IR-illuminator replaced the floodlight for night fighting. Its auxiliary weapons were changed to a pair of L6 machine guns, not counting the ranging gun which fires special 12.7mm tracer rounds ballistic-matched with the main gun.
Cavalier Mk.3
The Mk.3 was introduced in 1980, by which date the Commonwealth Army was already armed with the Endurance and was about to introduce the Boudicca. As such, it was conceived mainly as an export model to provide less well-resourced armies with a reasonably modern MBT. It features bricks of explosive reactive armour on the forward-arc of the turret and the glacis plate for improved resistance against HEAT ammunitions. The main gun received 3-axis stabilisation for accurate firing on the move. Passive thermal sight and laser range-finder were fitted for the benefit of the gunner, all of which tie into a new solid-state ballistics computer. It could fire new tungsten-cored APFSDS ammunition, as well as the laser-guided AVO-2 "Cricket Bat", Arthurista's first gun-launched anti-tank missile.
Cavalier Mk. 3L
The Mk.3L is a deep upgrade variant of the Cavalier, currently in service with the Lion's Rock Army. It features an improved fire control system which includes an indigenously-developed fire control computer and second-generation night sights for both commander and gunner, and which enables the use of ASTAM top-attack gun-launched anti-tank missiles. The commander's thermal sight is a panoramic model which may be rotated 360-degrees independently of the gunners' sight, enabling the use of hunter-killer tactics. The upgrade also includes improved explosive-reactive armour, slat-armour which protects the flanks and rear of the vehicle from shaped-charge warheads, as well as the installation of Iron Fist active protection system.
Variants
Cavalier MBT
- Cavalier Mk.1 (Ordnance QF 20 pounder)
- Cavalier Mk.2 (L7 105mm L/52, IR illuminator)
- Cavalier Mk.3 (Main gun tri-axis stabilisation, ERA, passive thermal sight, laser rangefinder, ballistic computer, GL-ATGM integration)
- Cavalier Mk.3L (Improved FCS, commander's panoramic thermal sight, new GLATGM, improved ERA, slat-armour and APS integration)
<imgur thumb="yes" w="300" comment="Cavalier MGS">SMb3rmU.jpg</imgur>
Other variants
- Cavalier AVCE ("Armoured Vehicle Commonwealth Engineers" - 165mm demolition mortar, engineering equipment
- Cavalier ARV ("Armoured Recovery Vehicle")
- Cavalier Bridgelayer
- Cavalier MGC ("Medium Gun Carrier" - 5.5-inch self-propelled gun)
- Cavalier AA Mk. 1 (Cavalier chassis equipped with quadruple 20mm cannons and electro-optical sight, later upgraded with radar
- Cavalier AA Mk. 2 (Equipped with Marksman anti-aircraft system)
Olyfynt Family Vehicles
Starting from 1948, a licensed domestic production variant of the Cavalier was produced in the Allamunnic States. Designated the M48 Olyfynt, the tank would become a ubiquitous part of Allamunnic armored forces for the next half-century, upgraded and refitted numerous times to accommodate the evolving needs of the Allamunnic Federal Army and Allamunnic Federal Guard. The original M48 was itself a variant of the Cavalier, modified to use a diesel rather than petrol engine. In 1991, a modified design supplanted the M48, the M91/V Olyfynt, also known as the Olyfynt V, which was originally intended to be a straight upgrade, but instead wound up having its chassis elongated to accommodate new systems and a larger main cannon. The M91 has been partially supplanted in Federal service, in turn, by the M15/VII Olyfynt.
The ubiquitousness of Olyfynt tanks led to Allamunnic tankers receiving the nickname "Olyfynt Riders".
Main Battle Tanks
- M48/I Olyfynt (1948) - Allamunnic domestic production model of original Cavalier MBT. Modified for 750hp diesel engine.
- M48/II Olyfynt (1957) - Upgraded to Arthuristan 105mm L7 gun. IR illuminator added. Belly armor reinforced.
- M48/III Olyfynt (1966) - Torsion bar suspension added. Transmission changed to 3-speed semiautomatic system.
- M48/IV Olyfynt (1976) - Hand-held laser range-finder added. Belly armor reinforced. Sideskirt armor added to protect drive wheels.
- M91/V Olyfynt (1991) - New production model. Turret redesigned to house Vulksaron SG4 (120mm smoothbore gun). Ceramic-composite armor. Undercarriage given v-shape and reinforced to deflect mines and improvised explosive devices. Engine upgraded to 1100hp diesel. Computerized fire-control system.
Other Variants
- M48 ARV - Armored recovery vehicle
- M48 ENG - Armored engineering equipment vehicle
- M48 BR - Bridge-laying vehicle
- M48 FG155 - Propelled 155mm field gun
- M48 HW203 - Propelled 203mm howitzer
- M48 AA - Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun System
- M48 AA2 - Propelled Anti-Aircraft Missile Defense System
- M48 RML - Rapid-deployment minelayer
- M48 APC - Armored personnel carrier
Vityaz
The Vityaz is a Nekulturnyan upgrade of the Cavalier tanks it produced under license in the 1960's-1970's. In many ways, it was similar to the Allamunic M91/V Olyfynt program. It consists of the incorporation of a Vannoisian 120mm smoothbore gun compatible with modern APFSDS ammunition, improved stabilisation for the main gun, an upgraded fire control system with a thermal imaging sight for the gunner, and applique laminate armour for the turret and glacis consisting of layers of high-hardness steel, rubber and ceramics. The engine was replaced by a more reliable and potent Belfrasian diesel power pack, whilst its suspension was strengthened to deal with the increased weight. The upgrade program ran from 1985 to 1991. The Vityaz saw extensive service during the Great Northern War.