Federal Republic of Denton

[ezgo394]

Lion MBT Family, Mk.I

The Lion/Löwe is Denton's Main battle tank. Design work started in the early 1960s and the first units came off the production line in 1969. Several key requirements dictated the design, which included easy repair, cost effectiveness, modularity, and the use of the 120mm rifled gun, which was also being developed to fire ATGMs.

Several key things to know:
-The engine is located in the front, adding additional frontal protection, as well as making the chassis adaptable to many other roles. Front Sprocket drive.
-The turret is a design similar to that of the M60A2 Starship, but has a more sloped side.
-The gunner sits to the right, the commander in the center, and the loader to the left. The driver is located on the left side, next to the engine. All crew members have a hatch.
-There is a door in the rear of the hull. Ammunition racks are standard, however, these can be removed and the tank can be used for command and control, minimum troop transport, or medevac.

Some of these design features inspired the design and creation of the Israeli Merkava, which was built 10 years later.

There are three marks, built over the course of 40 years.
Mk.I - 1969-1974
Mk.II - 1977-1987
Mk.III - 1998-2011
Each mark has significant improvements from the last, but all retain the same basic chassis and components. The engine was uprated from 930hp to 1200hp to 1500hp in the Mk.III. Older Mk.Is and Mk.IIs, including the engineer variants, were later upgraded with the 1500hp engine.
Engineer and specialty variants are often rebuilt on older Mk.I MBT chassis.


In order, from left to right:
MBT, SPAAG-37mm-2, 155mm Artillery, Heavy APC,
Armored Recovery Vehicle, Combat Engineer Vehicle, Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge

Specs, Mk.I:
Width: 12'1"
Length, Hull: 25'10"
Height: 8'8"
Weight: 46 short tons
Main Gun: 120mm Rifled gun, able to fire laser guided ATGMs.
Secondary Armament: 2 .30 Cal MG (1x coaxial, 1x commander's hatch), 1x 60mm mortar for smoke, HE and illumination rounds (on later MkIs).
Engine: 980 (many later uprated to 1500hp)
Suspension: Helical Spring
Range: 320 miles
Max Speed: 30mph (later uprated to 45mph)

The APC concept was proposed by the Israelis in the 1990s but did not progress further than design. Intrigued by the concept, the Denton Army requested 2 prototypes. The prototypes were built on the chassis of the MkI, and tests were successful, however armor requirements dictated that later designs be built on the chassis of the Mk.II and/or Mk.III. The APC can hold up to 12 troops. An IFV version is being produced, which will reduce the troop count to 9, but will include a 37mm turret, borrowed from the Tiger IFV. The Lion APC is in limited production and currently in use in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I'll soon have another class of vehicles ready, including the Lion Mk.II and Mk.III (which are only MBTs, no specialty variants).

-Ethan

[adenandy]

VERY nice looking tank Ethan

Jolly well done old chum

Can't wait to see the Mk 2s and 3s

[apdsmith]

Nice looking tanks Ethan! There's a good level of detailing on these.

[sebu]

Good work Ethan. Though, perhaps too much of "lighting" in some places...

[ezgo394]

Thanks guys!

Lion MBT, Mk.II and III

The Lion MkII was a step up from the MkI. The original turret with the gunner's side 'parapet', proved to be a weak spot in the armor and was removed, bringing the gunner's hatch onto the turret base (the same as it was on the other side for the loader). The turret mantlet for the main gun was changed, fixing issues with the vertical traverse and with the recoil mechanism. With the recasting of the turrets, the side walls were made thinner so that ceramic and steel plates could be affixed to the sides of the turret, giving the turret much better protection.
Inside the hull, ceramic armor was added in various places, the engine was upgraded to a 1200 hp V12, an upgrade from that in the MkI, and the transmission was regeared to provide a higher top speed of 40mph. In 1982, Brittany Motors manufactured a Twin Turbo V8 Engine/Transmission Package that produced 1500 hp. This would give a top speed of 45mph and also reduce the engine footprint inside the hull. All MkIIs built after 1983 came with the V8 engine installed and all previous Lions were upgraded.

The Lion MkIII was the most recent model. The MkIII featured a brand new turret that was designed to minimize the Lion's silhouette, as well as create more room inside the turret itself. The hull and turret recieved significant armor upgrades, including ceramics and depleted uranium. An urban modification was also developed, which included an exhaust cooler, reactive armor, and slat armor in sensitive locations.



Specs, Mk.III - 1998-2011:
Width: 12'1"
Length, Hull: 25'10"
Height: 8'4"
Weight: 68 short tons
Main Gun: 120mm Rifled gun, able to fire laser guided ATGMs.
Secondary Armament: 2 .30 Cal MG (1x coaxial, 1x commander's hatch), 1x 60mm mortar for smoke, HE and illumination rounds
Engine: 1500hp V8 liquid cooled diesel engine
Suspension: Helical Spring
Range: 270 miles
Max Speed: 45mph

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Tiger IFV Family

The Tiger IFV was designed to keep up with the newly re-engined Lion MBTs, which then had a new top speed of 45mph. The old Eichhorn/Squirrel APC, with a top speed of 40mph, could not keep up. Like the Squirrel before, the design was made to be modular, cost effective, and easy to repair.


In order, from left to right:
37mm IFV, 105mm Light Tank, 81mm/120mm Mortar Carrier, SPAAG-37mm-2
Command Vehicle, Medevac Vehicle, Recovery and Repair, 227mm MLRS

Specs - 1983-present
Width: 11'10"
Length, Hull: 22'1"
Height: 8'8"
Crew: 3 Crew + 8 Troops
Weight: 30 short tons
Main Gun: 37mm Autocannon
Engine: 710hp V8 liquid cooled diesel engine
Suspension: Helical Spring
Range: 360 miles
Max Speed: 45mph

Cookie for whoever can pin down the inspiration for the IFV. Apdsmith, you already know so don't spoil it!

-Ethan

[odysseus1980]

I always wonder if that fin on Mk1 tank's hull prevents the turret from turning 360 degrees. Probably there was some problem, because in Mk2 version the fin was reduced in size and became exctinct in Mk3. That Tiger IFV should be the best protecrted IFV of its time (concering from its 30tn weight). Or this weight is the current variant and early were lighter.

The Lion tank seem to have engine at front, like the Israel Merkava. Nice design though.

[eswube]

Nice.

[adenandy]

Cookie for whoever can pin down the inspiration for the IFV....

-Ethan

Erm.... The British Army's new General Dynamics "Scout", the successor to the Scimitars currently used by the Royal Armoured Corps and reconnaisance elements of the Armoured Infantry by any chance

[Blackbuck]

It's still an ASCOD at heart. Given the similarity with a family graphic I've seen elsewhere I'ma say it's the MCV-80 series when there was hope of further sales.

[ezgo394]

Yep! It's based on the ASCOD.

Odysseus, I don't know what you are talking about. What fin? The turret turns fine, it's just a Dentonite version of the M60A2 Starship turret. The MkI had a sort of parapet for the gunner on the side which made the armor weak in that area. The MkII brought the gunner's hatch down to the turret base and armor plates were applied. The MkIII has a different turret entirely. I wrote all of this stuff in the descriptions.
Again, yes, as I stated in the post with the MkIs, it is a front engine, front sprocket drive tank, which would be the inspiration for the Merkava 10 years later.

The weight of the Tiger is the same as the Bradley, 30 short ton.