J12-M Mastodon Cannon

== Overview ==
The powerful roar of the Mastodon Cannon can be heard from dozens of miles away, striking fear into the hearts of PVT troopers. The Mastodon Cannon is a 120mm direct-fire high velocity cannon, and is the flagship weapon in use with the Iron Horde's Armored Division. The cannon commonly fires a High Explosive Armor Piercing (HEAP) Uranite sabot, maximizing its penetration capabilities. The weapon was developed in Y3557 in the early days of the Iron Federation, during the collapse of the Collingian Empire. The octagonal rifling and active rotation barrel provide superior accuracy at range, making the Mastodon not only immensely powerful but extremely precise. The gun is primarily used on the Iron Horde's K2A Black Anvil Main Battle Tanks, mounted with a concentric recoil spring instead of a separate buffer and recuperator hydraulic cylinders.
=== History ===
==== Pre-Collingian Civil War ====
Tension prior to the collapse of the Collingian Empire was palpable: The current ruler, Queen Kellie, was incompetent in her leadership. She was blessed with natural beauty, but her addled mind led her down the path of promiscuity, and in her absence the kingdom fell to the hounds in the Collingian House Politica. Looking to create an advantage for his kingdom, Berach Corsair consulted with his Iron Apparat on weapons procurement. It was proposed that armored supremacy would be paramount in the coming war, and whoever possessed the strongest cannon would most likely emerge victorious. 
==== Version I: Kodiak Cannon ====
In Y3548 the Iron Ordinance Department secretly recruited disaffected engineers from the Collingian-backed Swartwolf Engineering Group (SWEG). The engineers took classified Jaeger Cannon designs from the Collingian arsenal, iterating and improving upon it. Pressure on the secret project was high, as the penalty for betraying the Collingian Throne was undoubtedly death, and the Iron Federation could not fully trust that there were not Collingian loyalists amongst the defected engineers. Despite the pressure the project continued, up until the start of the war in Y3556.
The war had begun, however the gun was only in its initial testing phase. at this point information about the project had somehow been leaked to the Collingian Civil Authority, who dispatched troops from its dying empire to apprehend Corsair and shut down the project. Corsair, sensing the situation had turned sour, retreated to a secret bunker deep within the gnarled vines and roots of the Mofford Forest, taking the top secret schematics for the prototype Kodiak Cannon with him. In late Y3556 the ballistics testing facility was bombarded and destroyed, however a number of SWEG engineers managed to escape to Mofford Forest. The rest were apprehended and put to death by the CCA. 
Despite the Collingian Military's dogged pursuit of Corsair, they could not track him down before the Collingian capitol of Messiah had all but disintegrated due to the civil strife within as well as from enemy attacks without. In early Y3557 Corsair managed to return to the Iron Federation's capitol city of Lexington, precious schematics in tow. There he and the remaining engineers were able to finish the design and mount it to their small fleet of K1 Bastion Tanks, which up to that point had been woefully underpowered against Collingian armor or otherwise. As the newly upgraded tanks were deployed to the battlefront the Iron Federation made incremental gains in their territory, starting first with the Collingian Empire's weapons manufacturing hub of Napier. This small but strategically significant conquest would ultimately spell victory for the IF, as they would leverage the city's abundant military resources to further fuel their war effort.
==== Version II: Mastodon Cannon ====
By the end of the Collingian Civil War the Kodiak Cannon had proved its combat effectiveness, punching holes in countless enemy vehicles, tanks and bunkers. The Berach Corsair himself had given the defected SWEG engineers highest honors, commending them as heroes to the Federation. Peace in the world of Cindershore does not long persist however, and there was soon another conflict to be had. War against the Laroussian Sandhawks erupted in late Y3598, with the Laroussian Warlords fielding superior tactics and unconventional weaponry that the Iron Horde was unequipped to handle. Berach Corsair called upon the newly restructured SWEG to improve the Kodiak's design to address the new threat. If only to save themselves from the grim fate of fellow Boerelem engineers working on the sister Sabretooth Cannon project, the SWEG engineers worked feverishly to meet Corsair's fastidious expectations. In early Y3600 SWEG produced its first J1A Mastodon Cannon prototype, with testing slated for later that year. The design greatly increased the traverse speed of the cannon while also maintaining aim through the use of an integrated gyro-stabilization unit. an aluminium thermal shroud and a pad for fixing the muzzle reference sensor was also added, which was found to be critical when operating the weapon system in the hot climate of the Synovian Desert. The cannon performed well in testing, meeting and exceeding Corsair's expectations. Production and armament of the Mastodon began in early Y3601, with new K1 Bastion MBTs rolling off assembly lines pre-equipped.
==== Version III: J12DB-M Mastodon Double Barreled Cannon ====
The Mastodon Cannon performed well in the Laroussian war alongside it's sister Sabretooth Cannon. Its superior traverse and increased heat dissipation characteristics allowed it to keep up with the lightning tactics employed by the Laroussians. By Y1613 the Laroussians had been beaten back, and the CD42 base had been re-taken. 
It was not until the defeat of the 1st Battle of Bulwark that the Iron Ordinance Department made an in-depth analysis of their entire arsenal, searching for ways to improve firepower as quickly as possible with minimal impact to production time and tooling. Much like with the Sabretooth Cannon, members of the IOD suggested that it made the most sense to simply double up on the cannon; a simple measure that effectively doubled firepower while making minimal impact to production facilities and tooling. Hence the double barreled Mastodon Cannon was conceived, following the production schedules of the Sabretooth. 
=== Features ===
==== Updated Gun Tube ====
the J12 gun tube was extended by 2m compared to the J11D and it could tolerate a higher chamber pressure. It was expected to have improved penetration performance, particularly with the upcoming C500G HEAP (later cancelled and superseded by the D300G). 
==== Eccentric Bore Evacuator ====
The bore evacuator forces the majority of the propellant gases and combustion byproducts to exit through the muzzle by generating a pressure differential in the barrel after the shell has fired. As a result, those gases and residues do not escape into the crew compartment and endanger the gun crew when the breech opens for reloading.
==== Active Rotation Barrel ====
To aid in the gyro-stabilization of fire projectiles, the Mastodon is equipped with an optional barrel rotation engine, powered by the tank's auxiliary systems. The engine activates shortly before the firing sequence, spinning the barrel to an extreme RPM. This added torque imparts extra spin to the projectile as it moves down the barrel, further stabilizing its flight and ultimately improving terminal range and accuracy
Pictured: K3C Tyrant Gigatank with mounted two J12DB-M Mastodon Cannons