PT-20 Plasma Tank “Mahdi”
Model number: PT-20
Code name: Plasma Tank Type 20
Nickname: Mahdi
Classification: prototype energy
weapon-optimized main battle tank
Manufacturer: Xining Experimental
Weapons Facility
Operator: Coalition Defense Force
First deployment: CY 20
Crew: 1 driver, 1 gunner, 1 sensor
officer, 1 tech in central cabin
Height: 26.25 meters
Weight: 410 metric tons
Armor type: palladium
glass/titanium/ceramic composite
Powerplant: cold fusion reactor,
max output 2630 KW
Propulsion: 4x hover casters: top
ground speed 98 kph; 180° turn time 1.48 seconds
Sensors: radar, thermal, optical
Fixed armaments: mega plasma
cannon, output rated at 220 MW, mounted in recess in upper central
hull
Special Equipment: ion field
projector
Pilot: Ffasch Lohm
General Notes
The Coalition’s West China Region
remained a hotbed of lawlessness into the CY 20s. When a succession
of governors failed to bring the bandits, jackals, and insurgents
infesting its vast deserts to heel, SOC Secretary-General Prem Naryal
charged CDF Commander Ffasch Lohm with pacifying the region.
Lohm set out to implement his personal
credo that any problem was solvable with the judicious use of
firepower. One of his first acts was to commission a weapon platform
better suited to desert warfare than the more space-oriented combat
frames. Based on his own designs, the PT-20 plasma tank prototype
rolled out of the Xining Experimental Weapons Facility in early CY
20.
The “Mahdi” as local workers
nicknamed the awe-inspiring tank, incorporated many novel design
elements. Its spherical main hull rode upon four hover casters
combining functions of vectored thrust nozzles and ball bearing-style
wheels. This unique drive system allowed the PT-20 to roll over rocky
ground or glide across fine sand that would stymie bipedal CFs.
The centerpiece of the PT-20 was a mega
plasma cannon more powerful than any energy weapon of the time. The
cannon was ensconced in a central recess within the tank’s main
hull, giving the PT-20 the appearance of a giant rolling eyeball. The
tank’s upper hull could rotate freely, affording its devastating
weapon a full 180° field of fire, while its independently adjustable
casters allowed the cannon to point straight up if desired.
Already armored with cutting-edge
materials, the PT-20’s defenses were further bolstered by Lohm’s
installation of an ion field made possible by the tank’s enormous
generator. The field surrounded the PT-20 with an ion envelope
capable of repelling most energy-based attacks.
Lohm originally intended to unleash his
deadly creation on a horde of hill bandits preying on trade in the
Hexi Corridor. A better test of the tank’s capabilities presented
itself when Coalition Customs shot down a shuttle carrying a rogue
XSeed over Lohm’s backyard. The PT-20 initially mauled the jackal
band that had salvaged the XCD-100, but it and Lohm finally met
destruction when Zane Dellister triggered the YFS-100’s nuclear
detonator.
Amazing, a must read for Japanese mecha anime fans!
