MBT-27 Centurion

The MBT-27 Centurion is a next generation main battle tank developed by the United Earth Federation to serve as its primary front line tank. It saw a long service life with a fair amount of variants both upgrades, derivatives and experimental types. The tank saw heavy use and action during the 1st Interstellar and also the Sentinel Wars, before being replaced by the MBT-29 in active service by the 25th century.

Due to its long service in the UEF, it has earned itself the nickname 'Century Tank'.

Development History
The MBT-27 was designed to be cost efficient while retaining a balance of speed, firepower and armor. It was a joint development project for the first time after the formation of the UEF, being jointly developed by the Russian Federation, United States, Germany and Japan with further contributions from the United Kingdom, France, China and the Southern African Republic.

Origin
The need for a global, universal main battle tank was first conceived in 2079, one year after the formation of the Federation Army to protect the newly formed Federation's interests and in the scenario of a 'Space War'. This came after the issue of having multiple tanks from multiple countries was brought up, such issues included; logistics, coordination, transportation and research and development. As such, in 2081, multiple tank programs from multiple countries were merged.

The MBT-27 was the final result of these mergers and it was decided to use the United States' XM3 Program or Project Crusader as the basis. The task of development was originally primarily handled and split between countries with experience of tank development, these countries included; the United States, Russian Federation, Germany and Japan. In 2085 however, the program was further expanded to the United Kingdom, France, China and the Southern African Republic. By 2087 the program was global with many other countries contributing in production and technology sharing.

Upgrade
In 2206, the MBT-27 received a upgrade designated the B model or MBT-27B. It was armed with a newly developed 134mm Kinetic Accelerator Cannon (simply shortened as KAC) which increased penetration, velocity and lethality all together. This upgrade was a subsequent result of the federation BW-Alpha Plan in preperation for the war with the Icarusian Empire.

MBT-29 Gladiator
The MBT-29 Gladiator was a further development of the MBT-27 Centurion utilising new technologies such as newly developed plasma weaponry.

Primary
The MBT-27 was initially equipped with a advanced, high-velocity 130mm smoothbore gun that fired telescoped ammunition. It was supported by a bustle autoloading system which eliminated the need for a loader. The bustle rack carried a total of 40 shells maximum with varying different shells.

The upgrade in 2206, dubbed the B model or MBT-27B, however used a newly developed kinetic accelerator cannon, a cannon that utilised both electricity and a specialised charge to propel the projectile at hyper velocity speeds. Like its predecessor, the new 134mm KAC used telescoped ammunition with an bustle autoloader.

Secondary
The secondary armament initally consisted of twin .50 caliber heavy machine guns, designated M7 HMG or HMG-7, as coaxial. It could be further armed with remote weapon systems fitted with either HMG-7s, Automated Grenade Launchers, M194 Rotary HMGs or a M12 20mm Autocannon.

The MBT-27B in 2206 replaced the coaxial twin HMG-7s with a variant of the M12 20mm Autocannon, designated M12CL, improving lethality and reducing ammo consumption.

Countermeasures
Smoke launchers are mounted on the turret with airburst capability. Two with 8 barrels were mounted in front with a further two with 4 barrels facing the rear. In the 2nd Sentinel War, a new type of smoke was introduced that scattered much of the concentrated energy of plasma bolts, effectively creating a temporary shield. This proved useful against Sentinel weaponry which consisted primarily of plasma weapons. Many MBT-27Bs were refitted with this mid-war and by the late war, all active armor units were equipped with it and was notably fitted on the D model and MBT-28s.

Some vehicles were also mounted with a hard-kill active protection system on top of the turret in the form of a small, 360 rotating launcher that fired small intercepting projectiles. This system was known as the APS-56 'Custodian' and had 18 shots. Unofficially any vehicles equipped with the system were known as the MBT-27G or 'Guardian'.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Variants

 * MBT-27A - Initial production variant, used up until 2206 before being replaced by the B model. All produced MBT-27A up to that point were later upgraded to the B model standard.


 * MBT-27B - An upgraded model of the previous design initiated in 2206 in response to the Icarusian Empire threat. Upgrades included the new 134mm KAC replacing the old conventional 130mm smoothbore cannon, replacing of the twin .50 coaxial with a single 20mm coaxial autocannon, improved drivetrain and a new FCS.
 * MBT-27C - An experimental upgrade that redesigned the turret to fit a M75 Type 2 150mm KAC from the MTU-575 Matador. Only reached prototype stage with 20 MBT-27B's being converted. All were assigned to the 841st Armored Battalion of the 52nd Armored Division and participated in the Battle of Planet Yakul. Saw somewhat successful use, however the autoloading system proved hard to maintain on the MBT-27 compared to the MTU-575 and it was decided not worth the cost.
 * MBT-27D - A late upgrade model near the end of the 2nd Sentinel War. It replaced the 134mm KAC with a powerful 120mm Railgun as well as improved armor layout for increased protection and survivability. Saw limited production and service. All surviving tanks would later be converted to the MBT-27D2 or the MBT-28A model.
 * MBT-27D2 / MBT-28A - Another late upgrade model that saw service in the 3rd Sentinel War, complementing the MBT-29 before it reached mass production. Turret was overhauled with a similar turret from the MBT-29 program, using the same MK-P1 1st Generation Plasma Cannon used on the MBT-29 and a upgraded engine to power the new cannon. Initially designated MBT-27D2, was redesignated MBT-28A when it entered service. At least half of MBT-27Bs produced up to that point were upgraded to this new model while all surviving MBT-27Ds were also upgraded.
 * MBT-27CM - Command variant. Slightly larger turret and removed a portion of ammo stowage for extra communication and command equipment as well as the addition of a long range command radio. In order to avoid confusion with other upgrade variants, specifically MBT-27C, all variants modified to this variant simply had CM added onto their already existing designation.
 * MBT-27A-CM
 * MBT-27B-CM
 * MBT-27D-CM
 * MBT-27G 'Guardian' - Unofficial designation for vehicles equipped with the APS-56 Custodian hard-kill active protection system.
 * MRL-25 Arbiter MLRS - A specialized variant. It saw the removal of the turret and replaced by a M725 Rocket Launcher Turret (RLT). A new FCS to work with the new rocket launcher and crew was limited to 3 (Driver, gunner, commander). The M725 RLT was capable of being configured with multiple different modules, each with different rockets or missiles.