N-1 Repulsor Tank
| N-1 Repulsor Tank | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Repulsor/Hover Tank |
| Place of origin |  Thrashia |
| Service history | |
| In service | NIE1 ~ Present |
| Used by | Thrashian Imperial Army |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Bastion Arms Inc. |
| Designed | 001.03.02 NIE |
| Manufacturer | Bastion Arms Inc. |
| Unit cost | 45,000 Credits |
| Produced | 003.05.22 NIE |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 40 tons |
| Length | 7.5 m (24.6 ft) |
| Width | 3.5 m (11.5 ft) |
| Height | 2.3 m (8.2 ft) |
| Crew | 3 (commander, driver, gunner) |
| Armour | Classified |
Main armament | Bastion Arms Inc. Heavy Laser Cannon |
Secondary armament | F-Web Repeating Blaster |
| Ground clearance | 4 m |
| Speed | 430 km/h |
Development General History
The N-1 Repulsor Tank gets its name from the new era of the Empire, alongside many other various weapons systems, as part of the "New Imperial Era" weapons development program. Due to its robustness and relatively smaller frame in comparison to older generation armored repulsor fighting vehicles and tanks, it is often referred to as the Rhino by its users and the common soldiery. The name was coined, apparently, when a visiting Dornalian officer commented on its paint job and large gun, "like a horn". The N-1 is the latest in a long line of repulsor-motivated armored fighting vehicles. The decision to create this new series of repulsor vehicles, instead of a walker program, was made by Director Jamison Salizar of the Imperial Military Research and Technologies.
The N-1 repulsortank is made to be used exclusively by the Thrashian Imperial Army. It builds upon the progress made by older generation repulsor craft such as the S-1 Firehawke Heavy Repulsor Tank. Early design variants included a version with an unmanned turret, which was later scrapped in favor of manned turret designs. There were strict requirements by the Imperial Ordnance Board that required the N-1 to have a primary weapon on par with that of the armament of the AT-AT, which was readily accepted. A new advance in repuslor grav-engines enabled this to be so.
Engine and Power Plant
Repulsorlifts only worked within a gravity well, as the technology requires mass to push against. Repulsorlifts used minimal power and are reliable enough to be utilized continuously. Repulsorlifts can be assembled in arrays, clusters, or vanes studded with micro-coils of gravitic "knots". These units were then mounted on a vehicle or spacecraft, usually on the underside. The many repulsorlifts needed for a large ship were typically powered by a dedicated "antigrav generator."
The repulsorlift or repulsorlift engine, often referred to simply as a repulsor, was an anti-gravity technology capable of levitating an object. It was created from subnuclear "knots" of space-time made by enormous AI-manned power refineries encompassing black holes. The application of transferring this energy into self-sustaining containment cells that can be used in repulsorlift engines is a closely guarded secret and one which has never been successfully replicated by a foreign foe. The N-1 is equipped with the Neukraft-Alpha-12 Engine, which allows it to sustain heavy armament and armor without any detriment to speed or maneuverability.
Weapon Systems
Primary
The primary armament of the N-1 is a Bastion Arms Inc. development based on the Taim & Bak MS-1 fire-linked heavy laser cannon, designated the NA-2 Heavy Laser Cannon. It is capable of a high rate of fire and is powerful enough to match the AT-AT's damage output. The NA-2 HLC is under the control of the gunner, as is the movement of the tank's turret.
Secondary
The secondary armament of the N-1 is a Bastion Arms Inc. anti-personnel laser cannon, the NA-50, that is mounted on the commander's cupola. Powerful enough to punch through the heaviest of infantry power armor, it is controlled from the Commander's Weapons Station Program. This allows the weapon to be aimed and fired from within the tank via a HUD-link.
Fire Control System
The N-1 is equipped with an advanced fire-control system linked to an Extremely High Frequency Sensor System deployed on the frontal arc of the turret, along with a traditional laser rangefinder and crosswind sensor. The system is capable of a "lock-on" mode, which can acquire and track specific targets up to a range of 20 km (12.4 mi) using a multi-spectral/thermographic camera. This allows the crew to fire accurately while moving, as well as to engage low-flying aircraft.
The fire-control system is also linked to an advanced gun stabilizer and trigger-delay mechanism to optimise accuracy while moving in uneven terrain. If the trigger on the main gun is pulled at the same time the tank encounters an irregularity in the terrain, oscillation of the gun barrel will cause temporary misalignment between a laser emitter at the top of the barrel and a sensor at the base. This will delay the fire-control system from activating until the beam is re-aligned, improving the chances of hitting the intended target.
The commander of the tank has the ability to override the command to take control of the turret and gun from the gunner. Moreover, unconfirmed reports state that, in the event of an emergency, the vehicle can be operated by only two crew members, or even a single one.
A specially designed IFF program has been integrated with the Imperial Army's Full Battle Sphere Command and Control Program (FBSCC) that allows the fire-control system to automatically spot and track visible targets, compare them using the data link established with other friendly vehicles to prevent redundant target engagements, and fire its main gun without manual input. This is supplemented with an droid-assisted program that coordinates with the crew via their HUDs.
Defensive Capabilities
Details concerning the composite armor of the N-1 are classified. It does however mount a personal shield generator that allows it to better survive in battle environments where enemy artillery or aerial support is in abundance. There has been some talk of accepting Dornalian suggestions regarding the inclusion of reactive armor upgrade packets, but have thus far not been approved.
Defense against incoming missiles is provided by a soft-kill anti-missile system. The Millimeter Band Sensor System (MBSS) mounted on the turret is capable of operating as a Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS). The vehicle's droid-assisted computer in turn can triangulate incoming projectiles, immediately alert the vehicle commander, and fire off Visual and Infrared Screening Smoke (VIRSS) grenades, which can effectively block optical, infrared and radar signatures. Once the hard-kill AMS is installed, the radar system will also be responsible for tracking and targeting the incoming missiles for the AMS.
There is an optional hard-kill AMS that will enable the droid-assisted computer to launch anti-munition grenades capable of intercepting hostile missiles and projectiles as part of the overall active protection system. The hard-kill Active Protection System is an indigenously developed hard-kill active protection system designed to protect the N-1 from anti-tank threats. It uses a three-dimensional detection and tracking multi-spectral sensor imager to detect incoming threats. Warheads can be detected out to 200 meters from the tank, and a defensive rocket is fired to destroy them at 20–25 meters away. The system can neutralize rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles.
The N-1 also has a Sensor Warning Receiver (SWR) and sensor jammer. Four all-bearing Laser warning receivers (LWR) are also present to alert the crew should the vehicle become "painted", and the droid computer can also deploy VIRSS grenades towards the direction of the beam.
An automatic fire suppression system is programmed to detect and put out any internal fires that may occur, and atmospheric sensors alert the crew if the tank enters a hazardous environment. It can be sealed against even hard vacuum, as well as a general gamut of biological and hazardous scenarios.
Network-Centric Considerations
The N-1 houses the following features which help to improve situational awareness for the crew:
- C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Droids, Computers, and Intelligence) uplink.
- PPS (Planetary Positioning Satellite) uplink.
- IFF/SIF (Identification Friend or Foe/Selective Identification Feature) System. If a proper response signal is shown by the target, the fire control system automatically identifies it as a friendly. If the target fails to respond to the identification signal, it is then declared as a hostile. A droid-assisted program ensures that false IFF signals are carefully curated and correctly targeted.
- Full Battle Sphere Command and Control Program (FBSCC) allows the vehicle to share its data with friendly units, including other armored vehicles and aerial support. This ensures that unit commanders are able to tap into a wide range network of data, enabling better battlefield decision making.
- Each N-1 is also equipped with two ID10 Seeker Droids that are capable of carrying out a wide range of missions under the direction of the vehicle commander.