<<How about a show of force?>>
The M3 Crusader is a main battle tank in service of Federation of Gilead army.

LORE

Being one of the superpowers in the world comes with both privileges and responsibility. Having the opportunity to have an influence that reaches almost every nook and crannies of a hemisphere, a superpower also has the responsibility to safeguard said influence from internal and external threats. One of which threats is war. War could happen anywhere, with any country, in any biome, especially so in modern times. No amount of geographical obstacles can impede either side of a war from trying to hurt the other side. Understanding this, there exists a need for a combat platform suitable for every environment and compatible to use anywhere across the globe to respond to these scenarios. And the M3 Crusader main battle tank is a prime example of such trend in today’s military.

The M3 Crusader is a main battle tank produced by the Raymond Defense company. First introduced in the 2010s, the Crusader was promised to be the perfect replacement to the aging M2A2 Schwarzkopf MBT, despite the radically different design philosophy to the tank it’s supposed to replace. The key difference lies on its weight and deployability, which are the most emphasized features of the tank. The tank weighed at a measly 30 tons, practically half of the weight of a Schwarzkopf. Such light weight allows the tank to have more means of transportation, including air transport by large utility helicopter. Moreover, the Crusader’s less weight meant that it has more in terms of mobility, having a superior acceleration when compared to almost any current existing MBT, save for the Type 11 of the Empire of Zipang and the K-2 tank of Goryeo.

The tank’s advantages from being a lighter build when compared to its predecessor extends to its deployability too. When it comes to export, Gileadian tanks have two most common problems, and that is cost and compatibility. Schwarzkopf, unlike the Crusader, was designed and tailored according to the Federation's needs, rendering only a few of her allies can utilize the tank’s full potential as it’s too heavy and expensive for many members of the alliance. The Crusader was designed exactly to fix these problem, and hopefully becomes the common MBT used by all of the Western Hemisphere. The M3’s trial by fire would come at summer 2015 when Gilead waged the Great War on Terror. The result was astonishing. The Crusader performed its role immaculately, being an integral part of Gileadian QRF in the war as the tank is light enough to be quickly airlifted into any desired location to strike the enemy from vulnerable spots or to reinforce allied infantry. Moreover, the fuel consumption and cost was considerably lower when compared to the M2A2, proving that it performed as promised. By 2017, thousads of the M3 has been adopted into the ranks of many nations across the globe, its adaptability and compatibility a praised feature especially from nations with difficult-to-traverse terrains. The Crusader is now trusted to carry the legacy of the Schwarzkopf, to be the next shining example of the ingenuity of Western armor.

ARMAMENTS

• 120mm smoothbore cannon
• 12.7mm coaxial
• 12.7mm machine gun

CONTROLS

VTOL for throttle
Roll for turret rotation
Yaw for tank turning
Trim for gun elevation

ACTIVATION GROUP

AG4: Lights