M6 Timberwolf MBT

The M6 Timberwolf is a Miklanian/Svalbardian third generation Main Battle Tank, produced in both countries. Designed to dominate other tanks in open battle, the Timberwolf is fast, agile, well armored, and heavily armed. A powerful multi-fuel turbine engine, composite and tungsten armor, and an automatic countermeasures system make it one of the most survivable tanks in the region.

It was designed in the late 1970's and 80's to replace the M60 tanks of Miklania and the Leopard 1 tanks of Polar Svalbard. The two allies concluded that they would be able to develop a better tank and reduce program risk if they collaborated. The first tanks entered service in 1981, serving alongside the tanks they were meant to replace for over a decade until they finally became the only type in service. M60s still serve in the Miklanian National Guard.

The three main models are the M6, the M6A, and the M6B. The upgraded models feature better armor, optics, electronics, and weapon systems. These upgrades have allowed the Timberwolf to continue to excel in battle against other tanks. The M6E export variant features the hull and turret of the M6, the electronics of the M6A, and the engine and powertrain of the M6B.

History

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In 1976, the Miklanian Army began searching for a new main battle tank that could dominate the newest foreign models. Their M60 tanks were aging, and by the end of the decade would be close to obsolete. The options were to go onto the export market and try a new tank design, or try and build one at home. Failing to find a tank that already met their requirements, the Army decided to contract out to Miklanian defense contractors to design and test a new, third generation MBT. This was the first time in twenty years that a tank was being designed domestically. The preliminary winner was General Miklanian. The prototype, dubbed TX-76, was heavily inspired by other western tanks of the period, and featured a superior gun, armor, and engine compared to its predecessor.

However, the lack of recent tank design expertise meant that certain systems presented problems. The most complex and serious problem was in the suspension. The GM engineers had reverse engineered the suspension from the M60, but that design failed under the heavy load of the new tank, and had unacceptably poor all terrain performance. The solution came from Polar Svalbard, who were at the same time developing their own tank, and had a very effective suspension system, but an under performing hull. In 1981 it was decided that the two nations should work together to design the new MBT. The turret and hull of the Miklanian design were coupled with the suspension and drive train of the Svalbardian prototype. The new model, now designated M6, was an excellent tank. It' lightweight advanced composite armor, a powerful multi-fuel turbine engine from Isotoni, and a good suspension design gave it exceptional speed, cross country performance, and range.

Over the next several decades, the design would be further refined and upgraded, ultimately evolving into the most powerful and respected tank in The Western Isles.

Design

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Hull

The hull of the M6 was based off of the M1 Abrams, which was preferred for its low profile and light weight, simple design. The hull on the original M6 was armored only with Chobham, an advanced composite that is lighter and stronger than traditional steel armor. Beginning with the M6A, a layer of Depleted Uranium was added to the glacis, sides (behind the tracks), and in a few parts of the rear. The M6B, the newest version, features a slightly V-shaped lower hull, to deflect the explosive force of a mine blast, tungsten armor in place of DU, and thicker armor on the top over the engine compartment, to defeat missiles that explode over the tank.

There is only one crew man inside the hull. The driver is responsible for steering the vehicle, and sits in the center, directly in front of the turret. He has a 240* periscope with both normal and night vision modes. The periscope is mounted on the main hatch for the driver. Recent experiments have created a better panoramic system for the driver that functions similarly to the helmet of advanced fighter aircraft. It would allow the driver to "see through" the tank, using cameras located around the hull and turret, projecting a composite image onto a visor that would be mounted to the helmet. This would greatly increase situational awareness, and help spot mines before thy are driven over. however, it would not replace the conventional periscope.

Turret

The turret was also derived from the M1 Abrams tank, although the designers created a different rear turret, as they were not happy with the layout and storage space of the original design. This was too address concerns of test crews that drove models of the M1 back when the Army was considering it to replace its older M60s. The turret is armored on all sides with Chobham and heavy metal armor, much like the hull. The M6B features thicker top armor, to defeat missiles that explode over the tank. The rear area, where the ammunition is stored, is designed to "blow out" if penetrated. The armor panels are connected in such a way that the explosion would cause them to blow away from the tank, allowing the ammunition to detonate out. The principle allows for the force to the blast to follow the path of least resistance, away from the tank instead of into it.

The turret houses the other three members of the crew, the gunner, the loader, and the commander. The loader and the commander have their own hatches on the top of the turret, and typically, there are machine guns mounted in front of each. In Miklanian and Svalbardian service, the M6B typically has an M240B for the loader, and an M2 .50 cal for the commander. Currently the commander's mount features a shield with ballistic glass protecting him from the front, although a remote weapons mount is replacing the manned weapon. This allows the commander to stay inside the tank while observing outside or engaging enemy infantry.

Main Gun

The main weapon in the turret however is the main gun, a Rheinmetall 120mm smoothbore cannon. The massive gun can fire a wide variety of ammunition. The most common ammunition types are HE, high explosive, rounds, optimized for destroying buildings, unarmored vehicles, and entrenched positions. HEAT rounds are used against better armored vehicles, such as APCs. Canister shells can be used to devastating effect against infantry and light vehicles. The main anti-tank round is an APFSDS DU round, or Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot Depleted Uranium round. The sabot holds the dart like projectile while it travels through the barrel, acting as a spacer to allow the much smaller projectile to have a tight seal with the barrel. After the round leaves the barrel, the sabot is caught by the wind and peels away, releasing the projectile. The projectile is a dart made of depleted uranium, which is the best material for penetrating tank armor, due to its unique physical properties. Depleted uranium is extremely dense, allowing it to slice through steel and composites. It is also self sharpening, with the outer layers ablating as they come into contact with the armor, reducing the friction on the projectile and creating a cloud of white hot DU particles around and behind the penetrator. When the projectile breaches the armor, and goes through the inside of the tank, it creates a pressure wave, which by itself can kill and destroy crew and material inside. The real killers are the particles of ablated DU that come in with the round. The white hot cloud of particles ignites explosively with the air inside, vaporizing anything inside, including ammunition, crew members, and fuel.

Engine

The Isotoni MA1500RC multi-fuel turbine is a powerful turboshaft engine, the same kind of engine used in helicopters. It is more closely related to a jet engine than a conventional internal combustion engine. It can use an amazing variety of fuels, from jet fuel to gasoline, diesel to cooking oil with wood chips. The engine is reliable, rugged, and very powerful. Early models were plagued by problems with maintenance, as they were extremely complicated and did not come apart in easy to manage segments. The latest versions that equip M6B and M6E tanks feature a modular engine design that has fewer parts and compartmentalized component sections that can be switched out easily. The system dramatically reduces the time tanks need to spend in the shop, and reduces repair costs.

Operators

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Miklania - 583 (M6A and B)
Polar svalbard - 100 (M6B)
Norstham - 70 (M6B)
Keomora - 30 (M6E)
Dormill and Stiura - 360 (M6E)