Let's Create a proper MBT for Halo.

[Stark]

As others have said, there's arguably no need for a huge gun on it anyway. Use videogame magic to replace it with missiles or a laser.

[weemadando]

You're assuming that putting a new gun on that turret or chassis works. Not a safe assumption. Look at the attempts to make tank-killer LAV-25's where 4-6 shots from a 120mm would crack the hull, or about 200 from a 105 would do the same. Sometimes hulls just can't stand up to the stress of recoil if it's that light.

A scorpion only rarely goes up against anything that can be classified as an MBT or anything else that will reasonably stand up to 30mm fire. Having a missile pod or even gun-launched missiles can easily account for those rare scenarios assuming that a covenant armoured vehicle is actually survivable against cannon fire.

[Sarevok]

An active protection system like Trophy would totally rape the few Covenant weapons capable of damaging a tank - like plasma morters and fuel rod guns. Who needs shields when enemy projectiles are intercepted a dozen meters from the vehicle ? Given absurdly low speed and range of Covenant weaponry it should be trivial to give an MBT excellent interception capability.

[Sidewinder]

My suggestions:

1) Adapt the Jackal shield units to protect the hull and turret front, and the roofs. (Incoming fire will most likely hit there- that's why contemporary tank armor is thickest there.) Increase the engine power as necessary, to provide energy the shields need.

2) Coaxial 20mm autocannon, for use against aircraft and light-armored vehicles. (See the AMX-30.)

3) A turret with a gunner's seat, giving him a "high chair" to better see with. (A Spartan can retain control of the main turret, but the anti-personnel machine gun will be better served there. Ideally, the machine gun can be fired remotely.)

4) Front-mounted engine, rear-mounted hatch. (Let players mount or dismount a Scorpion, without exposing themselves to enemy snipers. The hatch will serve as the game-balancing "Achilles heel.")

These improvements should cause minimal interference to existing production lines. After all, it's meaningless to design a better tank if your existing industries are incapable of manufacturing it.

As for an IFV, I think the UNSC will be better served by a "Scorpion Kangaroo." The machine gun turret from Halo 3 and beyond, otherwise mounted in a stupid position, can stay. However, it should be fully enclosed, mounting both the Warthog's Gauss cannon and machine gun. (The "Scorpion Kangaroo" will replace the Hog's anti-aircraft, anti-armor, and transport variants. The Mongoose can replace the Hog as a fast recon vehicle.)

[weemadando]

I mean if we want to be really nasty we could just say:

Weight 65 tonnes
Length 9.04 m (29.66 ft): rear to muzzle
7.60 m (24.93 ft): without gun
Width 3.72 m (12.2 ft)—without skirts
Height 2.66 m (8.73 ft)—turret roof

Crew 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)

Armor
Classified composite matrix of laminated ceramic-steel-nickel alloy. Sloped modular design.

Primary armament
120 mm (4.7 in) MG253 smoothbore gun, capable of firing LAHAT ATGM
Secondary armament
1 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) MG
2 × 7.62 mm (0.3 in) MG
1 × 60 mm (2.4 in) internal mortar
12 smoke grenades

Engine 1,500 hp (1,119 kW) turbocharged diesel engine
Power/weight 23 hp/ton
Payload capacity 48 rounds
Transmission Renk RK 325
Suspension Helical spring
Ground clearance 0.45 m (1.48 ft)
Fuel capacity 1400 litres
Operational
range 500 km (311 mi)
Speed 64 km/h (40 mph) on road
55 km/h (34 mph) off road

Length:
10 metres (33 ft)
Width :
3 metres (9.8 ft)
Mass :
66 metric tons (65 LT; 73 ST)
Maximum acceleration:
9 km/h/s

Shielding:
None

Hull:
Ceramic-Titanium Armor

Armament:
1 M512 90mm Smooth Bore High Velocity Cannon
1 M247T Medium Machine Gun

Crew:
Driver
Gunner (only on M808B variants with separate machine gun placement)
Passenger (4)

So the Merkava is the same size, weighs less, is far more heavily armed, can carry 4-5 dismounts internally and already has ADS. It really is silly that the UNSC can't come up with something at least as capable.

[Stark]

Sidewinder, the game doesn't need the 'achilles heel' anymore. It had to be open in Halo1 when they had no vehicle damage, but now they have their hilarious system where bits of vehicles fall off, exposing the crew.

And hey, 'cover it in jackal shields' is a good idea. Where'd you hear that?

[Artemas]

I'm glad that it took us 4 pages to just say "BMP-3 with jackal shields".

[Stark]

Actually it took four posts. Check page one.

I think the game needs a high-speed spartan tankette - sort of a heavy weapons trailer for power armour. Maybe a mortar bike?

[weemadando]

Actually it took four posts. Check page one.

I think the game needs a high-speed spartan tankette - sort of a heavy weapons trailer for power armour. Maybe a mortar bike?

Bring back the kettenkrad?

[Stark]

Yeah yeah, maybe some kind of really fast track+engine thingo with a 20mm. Even the Mongoose could have been SPARTAN-ISED with a different layout etc.

Even better would be a vehicle that used the armour as a structural system to hold wheels and a big gun. ZOOOOOOOOOM!

I've got it - a recumbent motor bike with a fuel rod gun and side blades.

I'm a fucking genius.

[Chaotic Neutral]

What makes anyone think that jackal shields are even available? Just because they are used on an extremely expensive suit of power armor, doesn't mean they can be put on a MBT.

[Stark]

Are you a fucking idiot? Like I already said, just follow MC around for five minutes. Jackals aren't even a big threat to regular UNSC guys, so they're hardly rare.

MC's armour uses ELITE shields, not jackal shields. they're totally different.

[Artemas]

Hell, they've got those big portable shields as barricades everywhere. Probably not hard to nab a few.

[Stark]

Shit I forgot about the giant ones. You'd imagine they'd be a great shape for protectign a tank if you knocked them over.

[Sidewinder]

And hey, 'cover it in jackal shields' is a good idea. Where'd you hear that?

It's NOT "covered in Jackal shield units." I'm only putting the shields on the frontal hull and turret- protecting them from direct fire weapons, like armor on contemporary MBTs- and the hull and turret roofs, protecting them from top-attack weapons- see TOW-2B and Javelin missiles- and ground attack aircraft.

The reason I don't want 360 degree coverage, is concerns regarding the Scorpion engine's ability to power multiple shield generators, and cost. As the Germans learned the hard way in WW2, it's pointless to bankrupt the army getting a handful of "the best" tanks, if your arms manufacturers are struggling just to mass-produce "good enough" tanks.

[Stark]

The scorpion's ability to power self-powered shield units? That's a pretty big concern, I admit.

I love how you worked in irrelevant military trivia into your 'I'm so smart' post, though. Hell, just issue tank crews with magnetic coasters and they can fit Jackal shields in the field. OH NOEZ JUST LIKE TEH NAZZYS!

Oh man, you even needlessly linked to even more military trivia.

[Sidewinder]

MC's armour uses ELITE shields, not jackal shields. they're totally different.

Here we see Stark EPIC FAILs at research.

The second major breakthrough was the addition of a self-recharging energy shield system, reversed engineered from captured Jackal Point Defense Gauntlets, which repel objects and energy bursts, plus any other hazardous elemental energies. While impacts on the shield place a substantial drain on the system's power supply, the system's energy regenerates once the user is no longer under fire. However, the adaptation of the shield covering the entire body weakens the magnetic field, making the Mark V's shield system vulnerable to ballistic arms fire.

Emphasis mine.

[Stark]

That's not using jackal shields, moron; that's reverse-engineering and building a different system. Otherwise you could insta-heal your shield by swapping out the shield unit.

I love how those mechanics don't make any sense, though; wikis are the best sources, after all.

[Bottlestein]

I think we should use the M-113 Gavin , with the mortar carrier. We will make a mortar round whose nose is a Gravity Hammer, and load the Gavin with excess "hammer rounds." We will have 3 of these to a Pelican, one in the troop bay, one on a rope dangling down, one on top that does a back flip to deploy...

The Gavin will have a ammo carrier vehicle, that is also a Gavin.

[Stark]

I still think a recumbent quadbike with engine under the rider's head and a heavy weapon at their feet covered in jackal shields would be the shit. Kneecapper blades would just cap it off as awesome.

[Bottlestein]

^ We could merge our ideas : a sidecar to the quadbike - in the direct path of the blades. The sidecar has a mortar and 2 Gravity hammer rounds.

Can we call the sidecar the Gavin ?

[Stark]

Why a sidecar? Have magnetic knee-wheel kits for spartans so they can just grab on. Maybe let them use the blades as melee weapons even.

[JointStrikeFighter]

I still think a recumbent quadbike with engine under the rider's head and a heavy weapon at their feet covered in jackal shields would be the shit. Kneecapper blades would just cap it off as awesome.

More interesting than the brute Ghost chopper

[Bottlestein]

Why a sidecar? Have magnetic knee-wheel kits for Spartans so they can just grab on. Maybe let them use the blades as melee weapons even.

This is pure win, and we will draw this.

Also, I'm pretty sure there's a video-game where panty - clad chicks race "motorcycles" that consist of upper torso armor with wheel kits, and armored high heel boots with one big wheel

[Stark]

More interesting than the brute Ghost chopper

Wasn't that a giant track-layer you sat on?

I wonder if you could make an electic bike small enough to be easily carried, like a SPARTAN SKATEBOARD.