"I know a lot of other mercs laugh at us and how they can run circles around us with their 'bots and power armors, but that's because they just lack imagination. Sure, a lot of things can outrun us, so we got our Mammoth fitted with extra-wide tracks for soft muck, and we drive our 'track along river bottoms....Yeah, river bottoms....The 'moth's a real sub on tracks, and quite comfy, if a little cramped, but hardly anybody goes looking for tank tracks on river bottoms...We just cruise along like we're driving on a pre-Rifts stretch of highway, taking a periscope peak every now and then to get our bearings, and then come ashore when we're where we want to be...usually on the flank or behind our target....You'd be surprised how many of those other guys who made fun of us before for our 'lead boxcar', we've gotten the drop on in ambush, because they thought they had us all figured out!"

When Iron Armory found the plans for most of the United States armor designs they manufacture, they found a variety of other designs for other designs. The original owner of the plans was most likely military historian and had detailed plans for an old super heavy tank. The tank was the German Maus super tank which was designed during the later part of World War Two. When the designers at Iron Armory studied the design, they though it was an older American design but still the concept intrigued them so they decided to develop a super heavy tank. The tank is a complete redesign and shares few characteristics with the original Maus tank. The designers decided to call their new super heavy tank the "Mammoth" due to its great firepower and some say due to the tank's great size.

The hull is slanted with a lower profile turret and the Mammoth has a fully modern suspension system with wider tracks for better support and traction. It is also powered by a fusion reactor and has a much higher top speed than the Maus tank would have had although it is still much slower than most modern tanks. The power requirements of the systems are simply too high to operate effectively with a non nuclear power supply. Like the Maus, the Mammoth has the problem that most bridges will not support the tank. As such, the Mammoth is designed so it can operate underwater. The super heavy tank has full life support for extended operations in environments which the crew cannot survive. Most tanks built after the coming of the Rifts have a crew of three but the Mammoth has a crew of five with two crew members acting as gunners and operating light weaponry. An unusual provision is the tank has a troop / cargo compartment in the rear like the Israeli Merkava tank. The tank can carry up to six soldiers, additional supplies, or additional ammunition. The vehicle also has a periscope that allows the vehicle to look up to 25 feet (7.6 m) up to look over obstacles without becoming visible.

For the main gun of the tank, a 120 mm high velocity rail gun was adopted. It was the most powerful gun which the Iron Armory designers could build at the time of the tank's development although an even more powerful 150 mm high velocity rail gun is being developed currently. It is being designed so that it can be fitted in the same mounting as the 120 mm rail gun. The tank has an automatic loading for the main gun to increase the main gun's firing rate. To support the main rail gun, the super heavy tank mounts a long range ion cannon under the main cannon. It is still quite powerful but has a virtually unlimited payload although the weapon does have to recharge. There is a safety system which prevents both heavy weapons from being fired together but the system can be disabled manually. This is done by rewiring the safety system. It is not recommended and firing both cannons together can destroy the weapons. Still, some owners have bypassed the safety system. For anti-personnel purposes, the Mammoth mounts two automatic grenade launchers and two automatic pulse lasers. One of the grenade launchers is mounted on the top of the turret and is controlled by the tank's commander and the other is mounted on the main hull of the tank and is controlled by a secondary gunner. One of the automatic lasers is mounted Coaxial with the heavy rail gun and ion cannon which do not require the heavier weapons. The other is mounted on the turret on the opposite side to the turret mounted grenade launcher. On early versions of the tank, the light weapons, with the exception of the coaxial mount, required the operator to be partially exposed but the mounts were modified so they could be controlled from inside the tank in later models. These modifications are available to be back fitted to older models as well. The super heavy tank can mount up to four missile launchers with two on the turret and two on the hull. Various types are available from mini-missile launchers to medium range missiles. The vehicle also has four smoke dispensers which some experiments have been down with replacing smoke grenades with prismatic aerosol grenades. As well, smoke grenades can be used. The tank has four firing ports for the troops with two in the rear door and one on either side. The troops also have power couplings so that they can fire energy weapons without depleting their e-clips.

At first sales of the super heavy tank were very slow but sales have increased to the point that the tank is selling relatively well. Some purchasers see it as the ultimate tank but others see it as having restricted mobility and being very expensive. Sales greatly increased when the Coalition taking over Iron Heart Industries. The designers are considering several different variants including one mounting an even more powerful 150 mm high velocity rail and a mobile artillery version which mounts a conventional 203 mm artillery piece in a specially modified turret.

Model Type: IA MT-103
Vehicle Type: Super Heavy Battle Tank
Crew: Five (Driver, three Gunners, and Commander).
Troop Carrying Capacity: Six soldiers in full gear (No cyborgs / power armors)

M.D.C. by Location:

	[1] Tractor Treads (2):	200 each
	Weapon Turret:	450
	High Velocity 120 mm Rail gun:	250
	Ion Cannon (Coaxial with Main Gun):	150
	[2] Coaxial Rapid Fire Laser Cannon (Turret)	50
	Cupolas on Turret (2, Left and Right Side):	80 each
	[2] Cupola Fire Laser Cannon (Left Cupola)	50
	[2] Cupola Automatic Grenade Launcher (Right Cupola):	70
	Cupolas on Hull (1, Forward):	80
	[2] Hull Automatic Grenade Launcher (Hull Cupola):	70
	Variable Missile Launchers (4, 2 Rear Hull & 2 Rear Turret):	50 each
	Smoke Grenade Dispenser (4):	20 each
	[2] Headlights (2):	10 each
	Rear Troop / Cargo Door	250
	[3] Main Body:	900

Notes:
[1] Depleting the M.D.C. of a tread will immobilize the tank until it is replaced. Replacing a tread will take 1D6x10 minutes by a trained crew (2 replacements are carried on board) or three times as long by the inexperienced. Changing the tread is only advisable when the vehicle is not under attack.
[2] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a "called shot," but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.
[3] If all the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the vehicle is completely shut down and unsalvageable, but crew and troops may survive in their reinforced compartments.

Speed:
Ground: Cruising speed on land is 48 mph (77.2 kph) on specially prepared surfaces and 40 mph (64.4 kph) off road maximum. Vehicle will destroy normal roads when driving on them. Only MDC concrete reinforced surfaces will allow for full speed driving. The vehicle is designed to traverse virtually all terrain and can climb at up to a 60% grade although at a much slower speed (About 10% of maximum road speed). It can also climb barriers and ford trenches. The vehicle can also handle side slopes of up to 30%.
Underwater: Buttoned up, it can travel under water at 20 mph (32 km).
Maximum Range: Effectively unlimited.

Statistical Data:
Height: 10.5 feet (3.2 meters)
Width: 14.5 feet (4.4 meters)
Length: Main Body: 33.2 feet (10.1 meters) With Gun Forward: 42.6 feet (13 meters)
Weight: 130 tons (117.9 metric tons)
Power Source: Nuclear (Should have an average lifespan of 10 years).
Cargo Capacity: Minimal in crew compartment, enough for equipment with crew. Six carbines and two hand-held missile launcher with four loads each are stored in a compartment in the crew compartment. In cargo compartment, up to 1500 lbs (680 kg) can be carried instead of troops or ammunition.
Black Market Cost: 58 million credits for a later model. Deduct 2 million for early models which have not been refitted.

Weapon Systems

1. High Velocity 120 mm Heavy Rail Gun (1): Main weapon mounted in turret. It has a long range and is very devastating. This rail gun normally fires a solid dart of MDC materials that does massive damage to targets that it hits but can also use explosive warheads against lighter targets. Explosive rounds are very effect against soft targets. The turret can angle 45 degrees up and down and has 360 degree rotation. The weapon system is also gyrostablised and has an advanced fire control computer which it shares with the Ion cannon. Weapon is controlled by the main gunner.
   Maximum Effective Range: 5 miles (8 km) for direct fire and 12.4 miles (20 km) for indirect fire
   Mega Damage: A single round does 5D6x10+60 MDC (optional rule is that cannon gets a critical on a natural 18, 19, or 20 due to its high penetration). Can use High Explosive rounds that do 1D6x10 with a blast radius of 20 ft and High Explosive Anti Tank that do 2D6x10 with a blast radius of 10 ft.
   Rate of Fire: Maximum of four per melee from automatic loader. Rounds require about a melee each to load from storage compartment
   Payload: 80 rounds in main storage in an automatic loader. An additional 80 rounds can be carried in rear compartment if troops or cargo is not being carried. Rounds in storage compartment need to be hand loaded into automatic. Anti-tank rounds are most commonly carried with high explosive rounds being commonly carried for long range use against infantry.
   Bonuses: Has a special fire control computer that helps to aim the cannon. Gives +2 to strike with rail gun and cannon does not have minuses to fire when tank is moving.
2. High Powered Ion Cannon (1): Mounted directly underneath the 120 mm rail gun. Tracks and targets the same location as Rail gun. Designed for slightly smaller targets then the main gun and if the main gun runs out of ammo. There is a safety system which prevents both heavy cannons cannot be fired together. This Safety can be bypassed by rewiring. If this is the case, both cannons fired together create and enormous power drain. If both guns are fired, roll percentile: 1-50 means that the guns are undamaged, 51-80 means that one of the guns (50/50 chance of either) is overloaded and it is rendered inoperative, and 81-00 means that both cannons are overloaded and both cannons are inoperative.
   Maximum Effective Range: 8,000 feet (2,400 meters)
   Mega Damage: 3D4x10 per blast
   Rate of Fire: Equal to the pilots combined hand to hand (usually 5 or 6)
   Payload: 60 shots. Recharges at the rate of 1 shot per minute
   Bonuses: Shares the same fire control computer that helps to aim the main cannon. Gives +2 to strike with rail gun and cannon does not have minuses to fire when tank is moving.
3. Automatic Grenade Launcher (2): One is located on top of the main turret on the right side and is controlled by the Tank's commander. The other is located in front of the vehicle and is on the front deck of tank. It is controlled by one of the tank's gunners. Weapons are WI-GL21 Automatic Grenade Launchers mounted on special mounts. Early models of the tank which have not been upgraded required the gunner and commander to expose himself to fire but later models have been upgraded so that the weapon can be fired within the tank. Many older models have been upgraded with this feature.
   Maximum Effective Range: 3,000 feet (914 meters)
   Mega-Damage: 4D6 for single shot of Fragmentation with a blast area of 12 ft, 1D4x10 for a single shot of Armor Piercing with a blast area of 3 ft, 2D6x10 for a burst of ten rounds of Fragmentation with a blast area of 40 ft, and 3D6x10 for a burst of ten rounds of Armor Piercing with a blast area of 8 ft.
   Rate of Fire: Equal to combined hand to hand attacks of gunner
   Payload: 400 Rounds each
4. Rapid Fire Machine gun Style Laser Cannons (2): A light laser designed for anti-infantry use that allows for all the bursts available to a machine gun except full melee burst. One mount is coaxial with the 120 mm heavy rail gun and heavy ion cannon and is controlled by the same gunner. The other is located on the top of the turret on the left side. Early models of the tank which have not been upgraded required the gunner to expose himself to fire but later models have been upgraded so that the weapon can be fired within the tank. Many older models have been upgraded with this feature.
   Maximum Effective Range: 3,000 feet (914 meters)
   Mega-Damage:
   2D6 for single shot (Costs 1 attack)
   4D6 for ten round burst at one target (Costs 1 attack)
   2D6 for ten round burst at 1D4 targets (Costs 1 attack)
   1D6x10 for thirty round burst at one target (Costs 1 attack)
   2D6 for thirty round burst at 1D8 targets (Costs 1 attack)
   Rate of Fire: Equal to combined hand to hand attacks of gunner
   Payload: Effectively unlimited shots.
5. Variable Missile Launchers (4): Two are mounted on either side of the rear of the turret and two are mounted on either side of hull towards the rear. Vehicle can be constructed with one of three different type of missile launchers. The type of launcher is normally built onto the vehicle at the factory and would take a mechanic about 8 hours to switch from one launcher to another. The gunner which controls the main gun normally controls the missile launchers but the commanders and driver also have controls for the missile launchers.
   1. Medium Range Missile Launchers: Longer ranged than the other launchers but less missiles are carried. Usually used for long range bombardment or anti-aircraft roles.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, medium range missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Mega-Damage: Varies with missile types, medium range missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Rate of Fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2, 4, or 6.
      Payload: each launcher carries 3 medium range missiles for a maximum of 12 medium range missiles. Carries 12 medium range missiles as reloads inside vehicle
   2. Short Range Missile Launchers: More commonly carried for use against incoming missiles and aircraft with a shorter range than medium range missiles but more can be carried.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, short range missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Mega-Damage: Varies with missile types, short range missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Rate of Fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2, 4, 6, or 12.
      Payload: each launcher carries 6 short range missiles for a maximum of 24 short range missiles. Carries 24 short range missiles as reloads inside vehicle
   3. Mini Missile Launchers: Mostly used for short range bunker busting and against other armored vehicles. Much shorter range and not independently guided although more mini-missiles are carried than short range missiles.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, mini-missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Mega-Damage: Varies with missile types, mini missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Rate of Fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2, 5, 10, or 20.
      Payload: each launcher carries 10 mini-missiles for a maximum l of 40 Mini-missiles. Carries 40 mini-missiles as reloads inside vehicle.
6. Firing Ports (4): The Mammoth has four firing ports that allow soldiers in the troop bay to fire their guns out of the vehicle. There is one firing port on each side of the vehicle and two in the rear door. Firing ports can be closed in order to make the vehicle a sealed environment. Firing ports are fairly small and grenade launchers and missile launchers cannot be fired from firing ports. The Mammoth has power connectors so that troops can fire energy weapons without draining their energy clips.
7. Smoke Dispenser (4): Mounted on either side of the tank and launches smoke grenades. While other types of grenades can be used, they have been rarely carried. Recently, there has been consideration for the use of prismatic aerosol and decoy grenades to help protect the vehicle against lasers.
   Effect: Creates a cloud of smoke 40 ft (12 m) in diameter. Other special effects per grenade type
   Rate of Fire: Two per melee
   Range: 1,200 feet (365 m)
   Payload: Carries 12 smoke grenades per launcher.

Sensory Equipment:

• Radio/ Video Communications: Long range, directional, has a range of 500 miles with short range directional radio of 5 miles.
• Laser Targeting System: Range is 2 miles and gives +1 to strike with long range weapons. Not applicable to hand to hand.
• Combat Computer/ Targeting Computer: Assist in the tracking of targets.
• Radar: 50 miles, can identify 96 targets and track 48 as low as 500 ft. Same as robots Maxi-Radar.
• Full Life Support: Protects pilot and tank from heat and radiation and gives a breathable atmosphere inside the Tank.
• Spotlight: Range: 600 feet (182.9 meters)
• Thermo-Imager: Range: 2,000 ft (609 m). Finds the infra-red radiations of things that are warm. Also enables pilot to see in smoke, shadows and darkness.
• Nightvision Optics: Range: 2,000 ft (609 m). Uses light amplification to make a picture. Emits no light but will not work in absolute darkness. System can be dazzled by sudden bright lights but does not physically blind the pilot.

[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]

Introductory Quote by Talis D. Merrill (taalismn@pop.tiac.net).

Drawings by Talis D. Merrill (taalismn@pop.tiac.net).

By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

Copyright © 1998, 2003, & 2008, Kitsune. All rights reserved.