Marsden II
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| Marsden Main Battle Tank | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Arcturan Arms MacEnroe Motors |
| Mission | Main Battle Tank Frontline Combat Vehicle |
| Type | Tracked |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 60 tons |
| Armor | AA-50 Diamondplate |
| Engine | OmniDiesel 180 ICE |
| Speed | 54 K/ph km/h |
| Crew | 3 |
| Armament |
Autocannon/5 |
| BV (2.0) | 1,056 |
Contents
Description
The Marsden II Main Battle Tank was introduced by Arcturan Arms in 2463 to improve upon and replace its venerable predecessor after 70 years of frontline service. It did not only share the name of the Lyran Commonwealth's late founding father with the Marsden I but also its mission profile and much of its general layout. Improved technical and manufacturing knowledge stemming from the acquisition of BattleMech technology eight years earlier allowed the company to improve the new tank's arms and armor while still making it 5 tons lighter. With its excellent firepower and thick armor it was considered a cutting edge combat vehicle during its premiere during the Age of War.
Deployment
The initial full production of the Marsden took a decade, with its predecessor, the Marsden I, utilizing what has become termed as Primitive Technology. Once House Steiner commandos acquired BattleMech technology, the 'Mech grade armor techniques were applied to Marsden II.
Through the 2470s and '80s, the tank became Lyran Commonwealth's frontline Battle Tank. However, problems with Arcturan financial difficulties, and moving of Commonwealth's capital from its home base on Arcturus led to the company be purchased by MacEnroe Motors of Donegal. The company's bad business decisions, lead to end the tank original production run in 2545. The new owners attempted to produce successor to the tank, Marsden III, with disastrous results for the company.
The Marsden II continue to soldier on in various planetary militias and private security force arsenals until Succession Wars finally erupted and destroyed the last of them.
During the Word of Blake's Jihad, the Marsden II design was revived in new incarnation.
Armaments & Capacities
The tank's main gun, the turreted mounted Arcturan Arms Longarm Series Autocannon/5, serves as its principle long range weapon, with 1 ton of ammunition it. Providing for close-in firepower, the tank has two front mounted 6-tubed Short Range Missile launchers with two tons of ammunition. To handle infantry, the Marsden II mounts a pair of General A70 Model Machine Guns which share half ton of ammunition.
The tank is protected by 17.5 tons of 'Mech grade armor, with more protection allocated to its front. The Tank's internal combustion engine provides enough horse power to give tank good 54 k/ph. This allowed it to keep with respectable speed when facing frontline forces.
Variants
- Marsden II (Primitive Armor) - Original prototype for the Marsden II, the tank features even amount of primitive armor on all locations. Tank itself, same weaponry and speed as its production model. BV (2.0) = 800
- Marsden II-A - Only successful field variant from original production run of the tank. This variant, removes both machine guns, single SRM-6 launcher and a ton of SRM ammo for swaps out AC/5 for Strongarm AC/10 & 4 tons of ammunition. BV
- Marsden II-A (LB-X) - A Jihad era production variant of the Marsden II-A, this tank receives a fusion of modern weaponry. The Tank's Strongarm Autocannon is swapped out for a LB-X 10 variant of the weapon, with 2 tons of ammunition. The original II-A's SRM-6 is swapped out for pair of Streak SRM 2 launchers with 1 ton of ammunition mounted in front of the vehicle. To add some protection from infantry, the tank been given a single turret mounted Machine gun with half ton of ammo. BV (2.0) = 1,090
Notes
- Earlier version of the Marsden II are not written in detail, as of this writing. The early & later variants of the tank only appears in the Unabridged Record Sheet book for 3075.
References
- Record Sheets: 3075
- Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged, pp. 254-257
- Technical Readout: 3075, p. 274-275