Goliath Main Battle Tank

The main battle tank of the Karsian Military, a vehicle reknowned for its durability, long-range gun and extremely heavy armour.
=Background Info=
==Development==
The Goliath began development in 82 AF by Karsol Defense Industries as a replacement over the Titan which had served their forces for over half-a-century. Ordered by the Karsian Military, the designers were asked to create a tank that was capable of slugging it out with H.M.Vs either on the ground or in the air and being capable to take extremely heavy punishment to ensure fewer battle loses and crew survivability. The vehicle also needed to be moderately quick to allow for battlefield mobility.
Designing a tank with multiple weapon systems, thick armour, and moderate speed, however, proved to be extremely difficult to produce affordably and numerous prototypes were made only to have disappointing performance to the observers. Some were either too costly, unreliable, or just outright pathetic and it looked like the Karsol Defense Industries would lose the contract to off-world competition.
It was not until the 13th prototype that a sufficient vehicle was produced to satisfy the needs of the military, but the army wanted live testing to occur to ensure this tank would be suitable.
Taken to the battlefields on various worlds by Karsian Expeditionary Forces, the Goliath as it was named, proved to be suitable for most climates and was well-armed and armoured proving to be quite a nasty surprise to many, having thought tanks now obselete by H.M.Vs. The vehicle performed especially well versus infantry without having to use its main gun due to the 75mm canister launcher mounted under the main barrel which acts as a giant anti-personnel shotgun.
Soon, enough combat data was gathered and production began with the first combat-ready model being rolled off the assembly line by 84 AF with hundreds of orders coming in from the military to replace all Titan Tanks– many which were melted down to provide material for the new tanks with the remaining being used as a training tank or repurposed into the Titan Self-Propelled Artillery Piece.
The Goliath, since its creation, has constantly been tweaked and many addon packages are available which are expected to allow the vehicle to continue serving with the military. The newest variant of the Goliath is the MK II version which saw an enlarged turret, removal of the shot traps, better protected sides that extend to the tread wheels, integration of smoke launcher into the hull, wider, heavier treads and another machine gun for use as a coxial.
==Role==
The Goliath's main role on any battlefield is to act as a main battle tank or as a breakthrough vehicle depending on the situation.
It has proven to be excellent at these roles, but the vehicle has also found its way as an anti-armour sniper when paired with the Karsol Intelligence Agency which can feed the tank coordinates on the whereabouts of the enemy as the shells can reach a very considerable distance before dropping-off.
The vehicle, however, is rarely used in dense terrain where it's easy to ambush. Like any tank, these vehicles require infantry to support their advance in the confined quarters of cities, forest or jungles.
==Weaponry==
The Goliath is armed with a single 200mm gun as its main weapon against ground targets for long-range and has a variety of ammunition to use depending on the mission making it deadly against most targets that the gun can traverse to hit due to its high-velocity and accuracy.
For anti-air duty, the Goliath is armed with a triple-tubed AA missile system. The missiles themselves are not particularly effective against armoured H.M.Vs and can only hit low-flying bogies, but it does provide the Goliath some protection when the main gun cannot traverse to hit the target.
For anti-infantry, the Goliath is armed with two 12.7mm machine gun mounted on the sides of its armoured track guards and each is pre-loaded with over eight-hundred rounds. The low ammunition, for a machinegun, is due to the power of the machine guns and limited space each small turret has. An additional machine gun has been added as a coxial to add to the tank's self-defense in close-quarters.
Finally, the Goliath is armed with the fearsome and the infamous 75mm canister launcher. This weapon is deadly due to its wide arc once the projective leaves the barrel, acting as an over-sized shotgun which can mutilate anything in its path that is made up of flesh and bone. Ammunition for this weapon can vary depending on the terrain to ensure walls or foliage are little proof versus such power.
The vehicle also has four smoke launchers in pairs on the both sides of its turret to provide some concealment, mainly against less advanced forces in terms of technology.
==Speed and Defense==
Capable of reaching a max of 80km/h with the newest variant having wider treads to allow for better cross-country performance and less likely to become bogged down, the Goliath is not the quickest main battle tank, but can reliably cross terrain and it can even go over water thanks to modifications that take the form of an armour package.
The Goliath's has the most armour at the front with the sides and the top following in terms of armour thickness to protect against aerial attacks and those trying to flank the vehicle. This has come at the cost of the top hatches with entry available through the rear and emergency hatches underneath the tank, with the engine relocated to front.
Armour packages further add to the vehicle survivability either through additional plating, reactive armour to defeat shaped-charges, or even point-defense against rockets, commonly causing one in every four tanks being equipped with such system to protect the other tanks.
==Servicing and Repair==
The Goliath, though not terribly easy to maintain, is much easier to keep in operation than an H.M.Vs due to the general lack of joints. Sections of armour are easily removed to reach its moving parts and parts are easier to obtain should a vehicle throw a track, lose a wheel or plate compared to say a whole new H.M.V arm or head.
Work has been going on to develop a variant that has a rechargable reactor to make up for the Goliath's limited operation range, but so far, without a whole new design for the engine compartment there has been little success.
Category:Vehicles