Buffalo

Summary

The M17A3 Buffalo is a low armor MBT made for the SRK and the terrain of the Great Plains of Middle North America. It had the idea in mind that with a poor industry that lower armor and more speed and sensors would be important for a MBT of the region.

Flaws

The M17A3 suffers in a few regions: the inside is cramped even with less armor, the crew has mobility issues, there is a slight backside weight so the tank is not sitting flat on the ground, as well as a few quality issues of the armor. It is also a lot flatter than other vehicles, as well as with the flat front side of the turret, but is not a problem is the vehicle is not made to be hit.

Important information

Being that it was designed for the Great Plains, it was not required to have great incline for the gun or depression, so it lacks in it but does not require it in its terrain. However, the tank excels in Weaponry as it is armed with a L/55 Rh-120 120mm smooth bore gun, a M2HB HMG, and a M240 (co-axle). It is armed with 35 rounds for the L/55 behind a blast door to prevent being destroyed by a ammo rack. It is also armored with cage armor to prevent Rocket Propelled Grenades being a problem, as the lighter armor of the tank can only withstand up to a standard 25mm shell in the lightest regions near the back and is stronger in the front only being able to withstand up to a 50mm shell. The Buffalo is fitted with a crew of 4 usually, a Driver, Gunner, Loader, and a Commander/Machine Gunner that are seated extremely close to their exit hatches, which are easy to open from the inside. The Sensors & Systems of the vehicle include a Digital Fire Control System which is updated every second with images of what is seen by its cameras, which include a near 360 degree thermal camera on the top of the tank which can not see below -15 degrees but can see up to 85 degrees up, a front facing visual and infrared camera which can be magnified to 3x. The Commander is given a 360 degree periscope and a front facing periscope. The Gunner's optics include a visual optic that provides 2x, 5x, and 10x magnifications physically and 20x digitally. It also provides a thermal optic that provides 2x, 5x, and 10x magnifications physically as well, similar goes for digital. The armor quality of Buffalo is a composite of steel, ceramic, and titanium. It is mostly thinner sheets and uses spaced armor techniques but still lacks in quality. The turret is speedy with a turn rate of 75 degrees per second. As a result of the industry of the SRK, only about 50 are planned, even though they only cost 3-4 million USD and have a light weight of 45-48 tons and a top speed of 58mph.

controls

AG1-lights
AG2-M2HB control (VTOL/TRIM)
AG3-Turret and coaxle control (VTOL/TRIM)