SPECIFICATIONS

GOVERNMENT:United Nations
TYPE: Main Battle Hover Tank
MODEL: Britannian Dynamics Type-55 (Harbinger of Sorrow)
DATE INTRODUCED: 2055 AD
LENGTH: 50 feet
WIDTH: 12.5 feet
HEIGHT: 12.5 feet
MATERIAL: Composite-Alloy
POWER PLANT: Hensai Energy HENR-25 nuclear reactor
OUTPUT: 25 megawatts
ARMOR TYPE: Composite-Alloy
ARMOR THICKNESS: 10 inches
DISPLACEMENT: 40 tons
CREW: 3 (1 Pilot, 1 Gunner, 1 Officer/Commander)

PROPULSION

             PRIMARY (GROUND):
             2x Codilac-Kage MPIE-120
             SPEED: 100 mph
             NOTE: Actual speed is 300 mph, however, speed is divided between three ports on the engine; two ports provide the lift for the tank, while the last port is for forward movement. The four thruster ports provide a maximum hover height of 400 feet.

WEAPONS:

             PRIMARY (OFFENSIVE):
             1xLithgear LG-AC240 240-millimeter autocannon; Effective Range: 55,296 yards (31.4 miles); Payload: 300-round autoloading tray magazine; ROF: up to 240 rounds per minute.

             SECONDARY (OFFENSIVE):
             2xLithgear LG-RL150 150-millimeter rocket launcher; Missile Type: 6-inch laser-guided RPG with HEAP warhead; Effective Range: 17 miles; Payload: 16 rockets each; ROF: any combination of 1 to 8 rockets can be fired at once.

             PRIMARY (DEFENSIVE):
             1x Infield I-AC20 20-millimeter AC machine gun; Effective Range: 384-3072 yards; Payload: 1000 rounds of armor-piercing ammunition from an autoloading belt-fed drum; ROF: Fully automatic with a rate of up to 540 rounds per minute.

ELECTRONICS:
              1x Basic Radio Communications array with a 1000-mile range.
              1x Standard RADAR array with a range of 50 miles.
              2x Multispectral Video/Optical array with a range of 100 miles.

Description/Overview:
         The second UN hovertank built was the dreaded Britannian Dynamics Type-55. This MBHT is designed for use in any environment including the vacuum of space. The Type-55 was a very successful design and was produced by the UN, and subsequently the UNSC and Solar Empire, from its introduction in 2055 all the way through until the end of the Solar Empire in 2076 AD.
         The Type-55 was a very maneuverable design. Using its four side ion jets (two on each side) and its two vector thrust ion jets in the rear in conjunction with the forward braking jets, the Type-55 was far more maneuverable than other conventional treaded, arthropod, and hovertanks before it. This gave the MBHT an unprecedented advantage over its contemporaries.
          The Type-55 used two Codilac-Kage MPIE-120 120-kilowatt multi-port ion engines. Each engine had two ion jet ports, one ion vector port, and one braking port. Two ports provided lift and maneuverability, the rear port was for steering and forward thrust, and the front port was for braking. Each engine was capable of pushing the tank at 300 mph. However, so much thrust was used to provide lift for the tank that the top speed of each engine was reduced to 100 mph.
         The Type-55 was originally built to replace the aging Type-43 hovertank and was intended to combat other main battle tanks, not battlerobots. The main reason the Type-55 was unable to measure up to the MBR-01 or other battlerobots of the day was because of the versatility of the battlerobot design itself. The Type-55 was not able to dodge like the MBR-01, or swivel its turret with the speed of the MBR-01’s mechanical waist area. Nor was the Type-55 able to leap, roll, duck, or run in a zigzag like the MBR-01 or other battlerobots. What the Type-55 was able to do was hit with tremendous firepower for a tank.
         The Lithgear LG-AC240 240-millimeter autocannon was the Type-55’s devastating main weapon. It could destroy an MBR-01 with one hit to the torso or cockpit. The weapon was the most powerful autocannon mounted on any armored vehicle of its time. In addition to the massive 240-millimeter autocannon, the Type-55 was also fitted with two four-shot, Lithgear LG-RL150 rocket launchers. These launchers carried sixteen UNRPG-6 rocket-propelled grenades. The Type-55 also used an upgraded version of the standard Infield I-AC20, 20-millimeter automatic cannon. The cannon was mounted on the commander’s copula turret and intended for use mostly against personnel and aircraft.