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Ares

Armament:

1 Series 7Ja ER Large Laser

1 Type X "Short Bow" LRM 10 w/ Artemis IV

1 Type XV "Crossbow" LRM 15 w/ Artemis IV

Manufacturer:    Various

   Location:    (Unknown)

Communications System:    2SH C3

Targeting & Tracking System: Build 4 JVJ TTS

Overview:

         Designed to provide direct and indirect fire support, the Ares tank operates well in a wide range of roles. Specifically, the vehicle's top speed of 86 kph makes it an ideal escort for armored personnel carriers (APCs) and transports. Though the Ares is not classified as an infantry fighting vehicle, most Ares crews are trained to work in conjunction with both battle armor and standard infantry.

Capabilities:

         The three-man crew of the Ares is protected by four and a half tons of ferro-fibrous armor, which provides consistent protection on all sides. Unlike most vehicles, the Ares' rear armor is only marginally inferior to the front glacis and sides, and that only because the rear location carries CASE blowout panels. Designed to channel the blast away from the vehicle's most delicate components in the event of an internal ammunition explosion, the CASE system allows the crew to survive an otherwise catastrophic explosion, though the vehicle itself is rendered inoperable.
         Most vehicles equipped with CASE can be repaired and returned to active duty after an ammunition explosion; at the very least, most of the systems are salvageable. With the exception of the driver's bulletproof view port, none of the crew have a direct view of the exterior of the tank. Instead, they rely on camera feeds or periscope sights, a design choice that minimizes the number of weak points in the armor and increases crew survivability.
         A turret-mounted, extended-range large laser serves as the tank's primary weapon, allowing accurate direct-fire against targets up to 750 meters away. Prone to slight warping when fired repeatedly, the barrel of the weapon is monitored by the fire-control system, which automatically compensates for heat-induced distortion.
         Hull-mounted missile launchers provide secondary direct-fire capability. The ten- and fifteen-tube box-launchers can also use targeting data from other vehicles to loft indirect fire against targets masked by terrain features. Because ammunition for the missile tubes is strictly limited by the vehicle's carrying capacity, most commanders favor the turret laser.

Deployment

         Most commonly found in Clans Wolf and Coyote, the Ares has played an increasingly significant role in the Wolves' homeworld garrison forces since the Refusal War. Troop shortages in the invasion force prompted the transfer of many warriors to the Inner Sphere and, in a dramatic and desperate strategy, these warriors have been replaced by recruits from the lower castes. Because vehicle training is less intense than that required for 'Mech operations, most soldiers recruited through these "garrison-level" Trials of Position have been assigned to the crews of newly manufactured tanks and APCs. After the Zorya, the Ares crews have seen the largest influx of recruits.

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Type/Model:	Ares Medium Tank
Mass:	40 tons

Equipment:		Items	Mass
Internal Structure:	20 pts Standard	0	4.00
Engine:	200 Fusion	0	8.50
Shielding & Trans Equip:		0	4.50
Cruise MP:	5
Flank MP:	8
Heat Sinks:	12 Single	0	2.00
Cockpit & Controls:		0	2.00
Crew:	3 Members	0	.00
Turret Equipment:		0	.50
Armor Factor:	86 pts Ferro-Fibrous	1	4.50