Big thanks and credits to Wogchamp, 232287168147825, & Kennneth for the Night Cruise map mod.

The Thunderbolt IIA7, or TULIP(Thunderbolt Universal Lethality Improvement Program), or simply Tulip, is a heavily modernized and ugraded Thunderbolt II. It was devised as a cheaper alternative than having the new AMH.70 replace the entire Thunderbolt II fleet of the Royal Army. It incorporates several technologies found on the Manticore, including the the Bulwark soft kill active protection system and jammer, an advanced fire control system, and the 1,800hp turbine engine.

Design

The design of the Tulip is modern, with several angles throughout the vehicle. The base hull has several modifications, notably the adjustment of the driver's port for easier access. The the base turret itself was redesigned from the previous models, with better ergonomics and newer technologies implemented. It has NBC protection, spall liners, and several other technologies and equipment to keep the crew safe and provide an overall improvement to the tank.

Protection

The composite armor of the base thunderbolt was replaced with Gen 2 Stroheim armor, increasing the base armor protection. Additional Gen 2 Stroheim is added on the hull with slat armor located in the rear. The redesigned turret was also fitted with spaced armor. The Tulip is equipped with two active protection systems, the Bulwark soft kill APS, which also acts as a line of sight jammer, and the Lyre hard kill APS, which is already used with other Thunderbolt II variants.

Armament

The main gun is the new GR.130/60A1 smoothbore gun which is longer and performs better than the previous L55. It can fire APFSDS, HEAT, Canister, HE-F, and ATGMs. It is coupled to a bustle autoloader with blowout panels. For secondaries, it is equipped with a 7.62 co-axial machine gun, and a 12.7mm HMG RWS mounted on the roof.

Mobility

Though the Tulip is equipped with an 1,800hp gas turbine engine, it is slower than some of its contemporaries and isn't that much faster than previous Thunderbolts due to its weight of 72 tons. Its transmission has 4 forward gears and 4 reverse gears. The gas turbine engine could be swapped out for a 1,740hp diesel engine.

CONTROLS
Ag.1= Smoke Launchers(cannons), Bulwark APS
Ag.2= Arm main gun, open gun sight and CITV
Ag.7= Lights

Pitch+Roll=Movement

TRIM=Gun Elevation

Yaw=Turret Traverse

Screenshots:

Bulwark APS activated:

Closer view of the Royal Army Insignia and Lyre APS:

Firing:

Dare I say, rushed. This I think is a rushed project once again, especially on the finer points. I hope you guys enjoy looking at it. I probably missed a couple of bugs and lots of oversight, and I apologize again for those.

-UC