Armored by Shohndon on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

MT-83 'Praetorian' tanks conduct maneuver exercises in the Jelkelvich Expanse.

Introduced in the late 1980s, Praetorian was the final MBT of Strojian Federation before it's collapse. And arguably, it marked a revolution armored thinking. Traditionally, Strojian ground forces relied on a defense in depth strategy, allowing hostile armies to overextend their supply lines before destroyed by ambush tactics and high mobility raids.

As a result, their vehicles were light, fast, and often air transportable. New developments in guided missiles jeopardized this thinking with no ground vehicle being faster than the weapons designed to kill it. Worse yet, Strojia's geopolitical rivals began to deploy advanced tanks like the Cheetah Mk2 and M-4 Jameson. These vehicles introduced new concepts like multi-layered composite armors and digital fire control systems that married heavy firepower with extreme survivability, which outclassed Strojian armor.

In response, the Strojians developed a highly adaptable, 'modular' tank concept. The new MT-83 Praetorian tank retained the high speed capabilities of previous vehicles, while keeping its tonnage as low as possible to allow for heavy air transport. However, the MT-83 was built with an ability to mount external armored blocks, improving survivability. To compensate, Praetorian was designed with an overpowered engine for this additional weight, albeit at the price of fuel consumption.

Now, Strojian ground commanders have gained some flexibility in their tactics- their vehicles can push fast to exploit opportunism weakness or hunker down if they are expecting a determined enemy. To match rival technologies, the Praetorian featured a modern fire control system and stabilized gun, allowing the tank to fire on the move. Smoke canisters and anti-missile laser dazzlers further the tank's survival on the battlefield. These features made the Praetorian to be a export favorite, with client states essentially getting a vehicle that can be tailored to their specific nation's needs.