While some argue that the modern battlefield is the domain of the armored infantryman, there are tactical situations where armored vehicles are more effective. On relatively flat, open terrain, tanks can roll quickly to spearhead assaults. Vehicles can also carry heavier weapons than infantrymen and can at least act in a support role as either improvised artillery or armor-busters.
Weirdo Zone armor assets center around three general designs that have been used for years due for their modular construction and easy refitting. Their versatility is achieved through add-on missile pods, turrets, sponson, and electronic countermeasures. Their durability is achieved through special geometric armor plates that can be quickly removed or enhanced. The special adhesive used to affix the plates also adds a 'dead space' between the armor plates and the hull to baffle anti-tank weapons. While Quik-Switch armor used to be succeptable to heat-based weapons, that problem has been fixed since 2978. Vehicle crews wear modified MPCA suits for added protection; the shoulder-guards are usually clipped and the armor "rationalized" with less points and such.
The ALT-75/16 "Wildcat XVI" light tank is the Army's primary light tank. It's anti-gravity propulsion system gives it a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour and the ability to 'jump' over obstacles up to 10 meters high. While greater speeds are possible, they are usually unsafe. The Wildcat's hull is armored with 80 to 100 millimeters of durashell armor, which can be augmented with an extra 50mm of Quik-Switch armor with only about a 20% reduction in speed. The Wildcat has a forward turret hardpoint with a 270° arc of fire and a main turret hardpoint with a 360° arc of fire. It has a crew of 4. The Wildcat usually mounts a small missile pod in the front turret and a rapid-fire antitank Blazer cannon in the main turret. Although perfectly suitable for a front-line tank, the Wildcat is more often used in reconnaisiance and flanking role, where its superior mobility can be used. The XVI model was introduced in 2996, improving upon the XVI model with a superior engine and better energy distribution.
The AMT-34/46 "Cougar IVL" medium tank is the Army's medium tank of choice. An old chassis (initially designed in 2790) with caterpillar track propulsion, it can still achieve a respectable maximum speed of 155 kph. It's hull is armored with 200-250mm of durashell armor, making it the best-armored medium tank in the known Universe today. It can be augmented up to double strength with Quik-Switch armor, making it better armored than most heavy tanks, but albiet at a 35% reduction in speed. The Cougar has two sponson hardpoints with 180° arcs of fire to their respective sides and a single main turret with three weapon hardpoints with a 360° arc on top. It has a crew of 5. The main turret can additionally mount up to two light missile pods for anti-air defense. The front-line configuration of the Cougar usually has two medium rapid-fire antitank Blazers and a single medium Gauss autocannon in the turret as well as light anti-infantry energized projectile Gatling cannons in the side sponsons. The long-range support configuration often mounts two heavy missile pods in the sponson and three medium rapid-fire Blazers for defense. The "good 'ol forty-six" (IVL) model of the Cougar dates from 2975 and is due for upgrading to the new IIIL model sometime in late 3001.
The AHT-109/12 "King Tiger XII" heavy tank is the pinnacle of the Army's armored might. A powerful anti-gravity weapons platform, it maxes out at 121 kph. It is armored with 400-500mm of armor, and this can be doubled using Quik-Switch with no drop in performance thanks to its overpowered engine. The King Tiger is knicknamed "the land battleship" for good reason. It has forward and aft turrets with three weapons hardpoints each and 270° arcs of fire to their respective facings. It has a raised central main turret with a 360° arc of fire and two sponson hardpoints on each side with 180° arcs to their respective sides. It can have a crew ranging from 7 to 9. It is usually armed with three heavy anti-tank Blazers each in the front and rear turrets; a heavy Gauss autocannon or heavy missile pod on the central turret; and medium energized-projectile Gauss cannons or medium missile pods in the sponson. The King Tiger is a large but surprisingly flat vehicle that is used primarily to spearhead assaults against well-defended positions. Crews of the "super-twelves" are known to have overarching egos and delusions of invulnerability. The scary thing is that they're practically right. The XII has served since 2988.