Madiodha tank
| Timberwolf (Madiodha) Series | |
|---|---|
 Timberwolf Type '16 on parade, 2021. | |
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | Faneria |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2002–present |
| Wars | Peninsular War, Final War of the Deluge |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1993-2024 |
| Unit cost | 7.89 million Taler/unit |
| Produced | 2001-present |
| No. built |
|
| Variants |
|
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 56.2 tons |
| Length | 30.4 ft (22.6 without gun) |
| Width | 12.1 ft |
| Height | 8.26 ft |
| Crew | 3 (Commander, gunner, driver) |
| Armor | Layered titanium and ceramic; additional reactive armor plating on front and bottom hull and parts of turret (2016-3 variant) |
Main armament | 1982-1 Model 4.75" Rifled Cannon (38 rounds, one chambered, 30 HVAP rounds in auto-loader, 7 HE rounds in hull storage) |
Secondary armament |
|
| Engine | 1600 HP |
| Power/weight | 28.4 hp/t |
| Suspension | hydropneumatic |
| Fuel capacity | 1250 litres (1500 with fuel drums) |
| Maximum speed | 72mph on road, 58mph open offroad |
The Madiodha (Timberwolf) is a main battle tank constructed by and primarily fielded by Faneria. It also serves in the armies of the Cape, Hendalarsk, Ashkenang, and Pelaxia. The design is unusual in that its construction incorporates light, expensive titanium armor instead of steel, and its cannon is a 4.75" barrel.
The Timberwolf is generally regarded as a high-crew survivability platform, with excellent speed and fuel economy, as well as relative ease-of-maintenance for a modern main battle tank. It additionally allows for a number of upgrades to improve its combat performance, defense characteristics, and further crew survivability.
Design
The vehicle features a similar configuration and the same caliber cannon as its predecessor, the Mactliat tank (Gray Wolf) Model MBT, with numerous enhancements top reflect advancing technologies, including an auto-loader, electronic soft-kill countermeasures, a more modern machine gun, slots for additional ceramic or reactive armor blocks, improved suspension and stabilization, and more comfortable ergonomics. Later variants also include active protection systems and numerous other quality-of-life changes to the electronics suite, ammunition storage and blowout panel arrangement, a coaxial cannister launcher for antipersonnel fragmentation rounds, marker smoke, cover smoke, and mode advanced sighting systems. Designers opted to forego a fourth crew spot in the Timberwold, instead layering internal sheeting to minimize shrapnel spread within the vehicle and adding a proper evacuation port on the bottom of the hull, along with the inclusion of an air conditioning system. In addition, the turret was slightly widened from the comparatively cramped and narrow one present on the Mact-liat, resolving serious issues with the gunner's mobility and the speed of disembarkment which had been noted in wargames. The use of titanium composite armor was contentious, as it dramatically affected the pricing per unit, but the advantage of greater mobility over steel and the considerable additional protection against light anti-tank weaponry and second-rate munitions eventually convinced military planners to accept the change, dependent on the inclusion of an additional layer of hull armor along key areas of the vehicle.
The cannon, at a 4.75" caliber, is slightly larger than the typical 120mm cannon found in standard battle tanks, with the weapon on the Type 2001 being rifled and designed for traditional finless rounds. Types 2016 and 2024 use a smoothbore, which is incapable of firing older rounds but much more suitable for modern fin-stabilized rounds. This makes the Type 2001 more functional as low-bar-of-entry models for trainer units and as a solid choice for countries with less robust native armaments industries to supply, while Types 2016 and 2024 are the premier models used by Faneria itself and its first-rate buyers. Functionally, the Madiodha has proven itself an equal for most modern armor outside the Caphirian and Urcean armies and faster than those that do outmatch it.
Variants
There have been several upgrade packages since the Timberwolf's introduction to keep its technological edge in light of modern wartime experiences. In 2016, the Type 2016 variant of the Madiodha was introduced, adding a smoke cannister, flare, and grenade-launching system to the turret for medium-range deployment of markers, concealment, and additional antipersonnel weaponry based on the loadout fitted by the crew. Several design edits to the hull, including internal compartmentalization and blowout sections, were made, and the Type 2016 was launched into full production to replace the shorter run of Type 2001s.
The design of the Type 2016 variation was the subject of heated debate, as it originally featured a license of an advanced Caphirian active protection system, which violates the traditional ban on foreign electronics in Fhainnin weapons systems. The Type 2016s APS also suffered from programming issues when interfaced with the Madiodha, leading to many crews removing it to prevent misfires, leaving the Type 2016 mainly distinguished by its reactive armor blocks. The Type 2024 introduced an entirely native-manufacture APS as well as an updated version of the passive electronic countermeasures and the rearrangement of reactive plating.
Suppliers
The parts for the Madiodha are manufactured entirely within Faneria, with the major companies involved being:
- Madrat Motor Design: Produces the engine and ventilation system.
- Ginearált Lionsag (General Lensing): Produces the panoramic sight, the backup gunnery sight, and other parts.
- Luthair National Munitions: Produces parts of the countermeasures systems and the ammunition, as well as the ceramic armor components in conjunction with Faena Chemical-Electric.
- Ginearált Dealbhadh Coimpiutair (General Computer Design): Produces the onboard computer, parts of the auto-loader, the advanced system upgrades present in the 2016-3 model, and numerous minor electronics.
- Teilgcheárta de Làmhachas Nàiseanta Fhainn (Fhainnin National Heavy Arms Foundry): Produces the main gun and secondary armaments.
- Werthwr Stàilinobaer: Produces the titanium armor plates and frame.
- Teilgcheárta de Armachd Nàiseanta Fhainn (Fhainnin National Armor Plant): Produces the ceramic armor components and assembles and tests the platforms.
Performance
The Timberwolf makes for a markedly comfortable ride for its crew, though the Type 2001's slightly low ammunition capacity has made it a target of accusations of pandering to low-ranking troops and deliberate suboptimal design. The first major variant, the Type 2016, adds an additional twelve rounds of ammunition at the cost of compartment space, but sacrifices some of the additional ease of embarkment and disembarkment the Type 2001 has relative to other MBT designs. Upgrades to the design frequently feature the installment of additional defensive measures and the replacement of the grenade launcher introduced in the Type 2016 with a second machine gun in the coaxial slot.
Generally speaking, the tank is designed with easy winterization and rougher terrain in mind, making maintenance in regular conditions aside from the computer systems easy to manage next to many competing tanks. Maneuver training or numbers are important for operations against heavy armored units, but quiet deployments to conflicts abroad have proven the platform's effectiveness against most systems produced outside of the major powers. The Madiodha is not a razor-edge tank in terms of its secondary armament and defense systems, but functions competently with consistency and handles well even with inexperienced crews, making it a solid platform for retrofits and a basis for future designs.
Foreign Purchases/Licensing and Use
In 2018, a total of 34 Type 2001s were sold to Hendalarsk at a heavy discount of 3 million Taler/unit, for a total of 102 million Talers. An additional four Type 2001s were gifted to Ashkenang in 2020, along with two Type 2016s in 2022. In 2024, one of the Hendalarskan units was briefly returned to Faneria for intensive maintenance following a failed truck-loading.
In 2027, the Madiodha 2016 and 2024 were nominated for the selection phase of an international tank purchase by Pelaxia. After passing, the government of Pelaxia ordered 40 Type 2024 Madiodha tanks with a cannon chambered for the new Pelaxian 120mm standard, retaining an option for another 400 units.