The Iron Fist tank is an excellent design in many ways. It is quite fast for its size and is relatively light weight, allowing it to travel over most terrain. Still, there has been some criticism of the design including the tanks lack of missiles or other forms of air defense. It was decided to develop a new medium tank which would attempt to correct these flaws. The first solution considered was simply to add a set of box launchers to the turret of the Iron Fist but several other designs already do this and payload would be limited. Instead it was decided that a different solution would be used. One of the engineers at Iron Heart Industries had perused an old pre-rifts book about tanks. There was a picture of a prototype version of the T-72 tank produced in Chechoslovak at the end of the Twntieth Century which mounted a pair of 20 mm cannons with one on either side of the turret. The mounts were for anti-aircraft roles and rotated with the turret. While the original design was never produced, the design inspired the engineer to develop a new version of the Iron Fist which he named the Iron Gauntlet and the name stuck.
The development of the new tank design was extremely straight forward and shares virtually all systems with the Iron Fist with the exception of a rebuilt turret. Even the turrets are extremely similar to reduce development. Because of this, the tank from concept to the first prototype took less than two months. Tests were completed even quicker with the tank passing all of its rigorous field trials without problem. It was decided that the Iron Gauntlet would not replace the Iron Fist in production and would instead supplement the design. The two tanks shared most of the same production lines but were simply pulled off to be completed in their modified version at the last stages of production. Full production has begun before the factories were seized by the Coalition but were only produced in relatively small numbers. All production ceased when the Coalition took over and captured the facilities deciding not to use the design themselves. Still, the design was extremely popular while it was produced although most units which operated these vehicles only had one in four armed in this manner and having all of the tanks operate as one unit with the Iron Gauntlet acting as protection against aircraft for the other tanks. As might be expected, there are several groups pushing for a similar design to be produced by another company. There is rumor than Northern Gun is considering a modified version of the Lightning Fist to fill the same role.
In appearance, the tank is little changed from an Iron Fist. The exception of course is the addition of an auto-cannon on either side of the tank's turret. Iron Heart never produced a 20 mm cannon and it was decided to go with a 30 mm cannon instead for ease of production. The same lightweight model which is used on Iron Weasel is also used on the Iron Gauntlet. The cannons move side to side with the turret although elevation is independent. The weapon has a special radar and tracking system for the accurate targeting of aircraft and missiles. While weapon is designed for use against aircraft, its extremely high rate of fire makes it incredible against ground vehicles as well although it does not have the range of the main gun. Payload is 800 rounds per gun although unlike most other Iron Heart designs, the guns have to be reloaded externally. The 120 mm smooth-bore cannon carried on the Iron Gauntlet is identical to the cannon carried on the Iron Fist and retains the automatic loading system. Payload is reduced from fifty rounds to forty-five rounds to partially compensate for the addition of the twin auto-cannons. Still, the cannon far outranges any weapon which could be mounted effectively on any robot vehicle design and the engineers did not want to reduce the payload by too great a margin. The laser cannon mounted in the nose of the tank is retained along with the co-axial rail gun but the rail gun mounted in the commander's position was deleted to reduce weight and because the twin 30 mm cannons compensate for the loss of the mount.
Like the standard Iron Fist medium tank, the Iron Gauntlet was originally available with a conventional combustion engine, a high capacity battery system, or with a fusion reactor. Like with most Iron Heart designs, most were conventionally powered with a gas turbine system which can burn a variety of different fuels although diesel and kerosine are the preferred fuels. The gas turbine is highly efficient and get better fuel economy than even diesel powered tanks from the beginning of the Twenty-First Century. Most of the versions powered by nuclear engines are operated by mercenary companies and of course give virtually unlimited range. The original Iron Fist could carry two additional passengers behind the driver in extremely cramped conditions. The Iron Gauntlet uses this space and cannot carry any additional passengers inside the tank.
Model Type: IH-14C
Class: Assault / Air Defense Tank
Crew: Three: one driver, a gunner, and a commander.
M.D.C. by Location:
| Main Turret: | 200 | |
| IH-B 120 mm Smooth Bore Cannon (turret): | 120 | |
| IH-105 Rail Gun (coaxial with main gun) | 25 | |
| IH-280-LW 30 mm Chain Gun (2, sides of turret) | 50 each | |
| Reinforced Crew Compartment in the Turret: | 50 | |
| IH-34L Forward-mounted Laser (main body) | 25 | |
| Smoke / Gas Dispensers (2): | 15 each | |
| [1] Main Body: | 450 | |
| Reinforced Crew Compartment (main body): | 100 | |
| [2] Track Treads (2): | 90 each |
Notes:
[1] Depleting the M.D.C. from the main body will shut the tank down
completely, rendering it useless.
[2] 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 possible when the vehicle is
not under attack.
Speed:
Ground: 65 mph (104 km) on land. 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 30 mph
(48 km)
Maximum Effective Range: 600 miles (960 km) with a full tank
of fuel (Diesel or Gasoline) or via electric motor before needing refueling
/ recharging; unlimited if nuclear (10 year life).
Statistical Data:
Height: 10.5 feet (3.2 meters
Width: 10 feet (3 meters)
Length: 32 feet (9.7 meters)
Weight: 38 tons (34 metric tons) fully loaded
Cargo: Minimal storage space; about four feet (1.2 m) tor extra
clothing, weapons, and personal items. Three Wilk's 447 laser rifles and
two WI-23 missile launchers with five loads each are stored in a compartment
behind the driver's seat.
Power System: Combustion, electric engine, or nuclear.
Black Market Cost: 3.5 million with gas turbine engine, 4.2 million
for one with an electric motor, 26 million with nuclear engine (life-time
of 10 years).
Weapon Systems:
Special Equipment:
[Coalition TM, Iron Heart Industries TM, Northern Gun TM, Phase World TM, and Triax TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and
Palladium Books Inc.]
By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).
Copyright © 2005 & 2009, Kitsune. All rights reserved.
