Fenrir Dynamics GV-77 'Monarch'

Hail to the King! Hail to the one! Kneel to the crown!

— Avenged Sevenfold

The Monarch, also known as the Warlord by imperial troops, is a command tank used by the Vestan Ground Defense Force. The Monarch is designed and produced by Fenrir Dynamics, sharing many features and components with the Warden and Ravager vehicles.

Ever since its first public appearance in 377, the Monarch has been a controversial vehicle, both politically and technically. Its adoption doesn't answer any major deficiencies in the Vestan military, while its use of experimental miniaturized fusion technology has led to a multitude of critics and safety concerns from the scientific community.

History

Development

The Monarch was first drafted in the 360s when research on portable nuclear energies showed promising results. Not much is known from these early drafts except some components which were tested for no other product. After spending years in the shadows, the Monarch was first publicly announced in October 377 by Fenrir Dynamics as the next-generation armored assault vehicle. Praising its novel power source and unmatched firepower, the company hoped to spark the interest of military contractors from both the Federation, for direct purchases, and the Empire, for deeper studies.

Fenrir ultimately failed both objectives, as the vehicle was deemed unpractical and unnecessary by both. Still, after several months of difficult negotiations, the Monarch was eventually adopted in May 378 as a new command tank for the GDF's armored divisions. This adoption, months after showing no interest, sparked various controversial debates on Fenrir's influence on the Vestan defense industry. Still, the Monarch proved to be as good as advertised during its numerous exercises, even if overengineered and excessively armed.

Recent history

Due to their rarity, the Monarchs are crewed by the best, who quickly earned the moniker of "Armored Royalty" by their peers. This "tradition" even goes as far as to refer to the vehicle's commander as King, the driver as Queen, the gunner as Ace and the assistant gunner as Jack. Surprisingly, these terms were applied no matter the recipient's presented sex, with these "royal" crews referring to their peers as Rooks or Knights in return. As an indirect result of this crew repartition, and because of their dedicated gunnery crew, Monarchs are often used as command vehicles for armored groups.

Behemoth Tank by Shimmering-Sword

Manufacturer
Fenrir Dynamics
Unit cost
97.2 million
No. Built
~2.600
In service
378-present
Mass
167.6 tons
Length
14.25m
Width
5.67m
Height
3.6m
Crew
4 (Driver, Gunner, Assistant Gunner, Commander)
Armor
Class VI - Non-explosive reactive armor
Main Armament
C116 152mm gun (96 rounds)
Coaxial RF8 60mm autocannon (600 rounds)
Secondary Armament
2x "Shredder" 8kJ machine gun, 48x SGL52 52mm grenade launchers
Propulsion
4*1200hp permanent magnet synchronous motors / 20 multi-vector maneuvering thrusters
Operational Range
930-1800 km
Maximum Speed
76 km/h

Design

The most striking feature of the Monarch, besides its size, is its CFP-74 miniaturized fusion reactor. This inertial confinement reactor is housed within a heavily armored capsule, both to protect it against enemy fire and to absorb most of its radiation emissions. This capsule occupies most of the rear half of the vehicle's hull, with the associated power banks located at the front to balance the weight. The driver and commander sit between the power banks and the turret, while the gunner and assistant gunner are in the turret basket. Due to this peculiar design, the crew enters and leaves the vehicle with the two side doors instead of the conventional hatches.

Armament

The Monarch's primary armament is a C116 152mm gun. With an effective range of eleven kilometers, the C116 surpasses most if not all other imperial equivalent currently in service. In addition, the gun's autoloader can reliably feed up to fifteen rounds per minutes, making the Monarch a devastating weapon platform. Should anything get close enough, or should the autoloader burn through all 96 rounds, the Monarch is also armed with a coaxial RF8 60mm autocannon.

Despite its overwhelming firepower, the Monarch's primary armament is ill-suited to combat infantry and fast-moving targets. Its low volume of fire combined with the turret's low traverse speed makes it difficult to effectively track and engage this sort of targets. For this reason, the Monarch is equipped with two independent Venom Remote Controlled Turrets, each armed with a "Shredder" 8kJ machinegun, and two clusters of 24 SGL52 52mm grenade launchers.

Mobility

With a mass of nearly a hundred and seventy tons, the Monarch relies on eight sets of tracks arranged in four sections. Each section is driven by a 1200hp permanent magnet synchronous motor, allowing the Monarch to reach top speeds of up to 76 km/h on the roads of Vesta. These engines are supplemented by twenty multi-vector maneuvering thrusters to maintain its traction, although the vehicle's mass is often more than enough. The Monarch's fusion reactor has enough fuel for an operational range of 750-1800 kilometers, depending on the environment. Due to its size and weight, the Monarch can only be transported by the Vestan Aerospace Defense Force's assault corvettes, as is it too wide to fit in any train.

Protection

In order to save weight, the Monarch is roughly as well armored as the smaller Ravager, with non-explosive reactive armor panels directly incorporated in its design to reach class VI protection on all sides. In addition, the Monarch is also equipped with the Apollo Active Protection System, as well as sixteen smoke launchers to provide concealment. While effective, these protective measures leave the Monarch just as vulnerable as the smaller Ravager to anti-armor weapons, providing no benefits to its survivability. In addition, the crew is located in the same compartment as the main armament, further increasing the risks of fatal injuries.