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A simple and small medium tank developed to fill the role of an escort for the widely produced LAV series of combat vehicles from the DSC Armory, the Sturmklinge and its cousin, the Sturmritter, are very basic medium tanks. Both designs grew out of the need for the LAV type units to have an escort that could adequately handle larger threats, such as vehicles and battlemechs, and even provide anti-armor support for ground troops once they had been deployed by the LAV units. Such a task mandated that the vehicles maintain respectable cross-country performance in order to maintain a formation with the faster LAVs. The fusion engines in these tanks push the wheeled Sturmklinge to 97 kph while the tracked Sturmritter sacrifices a bit of speed for the added ruggedness of a tracked vehicle and comes in at 86 kph. Armor was a large consideration on both of these vehicles, as they were intended to be the only anti-battlemech support for the LAVs and accompanying infantry. This makes them the prime targets of battlemechs and vehicles. Designers went to geat lenghts to ensure adequate protection yet manage to keep the speed and payload within their specifications. In the end, the Sturmklinge carries seven tons of DSC Standard plate while the Sturmritter has eight tons. This provides ample protection for small 40 ton tanks while still allowing them to mount a decent payload. Both vehicles share similar payloads which have been optimized for flexibility in their role. The primary weapon is a DSC Bluebolt particle cannon housed in the turret. This weapon is both reliable and powerful enough to serve in the anti-battlemech role. Backing up the PPC are Holly SRM packs which are also turret mounted. The single pack on the Sturmklinge and the double packs on the Sturmritter provide close in firepower and are effective against smaller vehicles and softer targets. Rouding out the weapons package are a pair of hull mounted miniguns. Designers were concerned that the vehicles may, at some point, be required to defend themselves from opposing infantry, so the minigun pair was included to both expand short range firepower and provide an adequate deterent for infantry. Both the Sturmklinge and Sturmritter have been in full production from the DSC Armory's Prosperina-based vehicle plant since 3018 and have been sold in great numbers. To improve sales, a package deal was offered for a armored combined arms company consisting of eight LAVs and four of either tank at a considerable discount. This package is still a relatively popular order for backwater planets. |
| Equipment | Mass | ||||
| Engine: | 220 Fusion | 15.0 | |||
| Cruise MP: | 6 | ||||
| Flank MP: | 9 | ||||
| Internal Structure: | Standard | 4.0 | |||
| Heat Sinks: | 10 | 0 | |||
| Turret: | 1.0 | Control Equipment: | 2.0 | ||
| Lift Equipment: | 0.0 | ||||
| Power Amplifier: | 0.0 | ||||
| Armor Factor: | 112 | 7.0 | |||
| Internal | Armor | ||||
| Structure | Value | ||||
| Front: | 4 | 29 | |||
| Right: | 4 | 22 | |||
| Left: | 4 | 22 | |||
| Rear: | 4 | 11 | |||
| Turret: | 4 | 28 | |||
| Weapons and Ammo | Location | Heat | Mass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPC | Turret | 10 | 7.0 | |
| SRM-2 | Turret | 0 | 1.0 | |
| Machine Gun | Front | 0 | 0.5 | |
| Machine Gun | Front | 0 | 0.5 | |
| Ammo-SRM-2 | Body | 0 | 1.0 | |
| Ammo-Machine Gun | Body | 0 | 1.0 |