Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Takhar

"My tank is now diamonds."

-Mbuto Aminata, after his request for Diamondizer support was granted.

The OF-40 "Takhar" tank is the main medium tank of the Bastion, based on the Antivan OF-40. is planned to be voiced by.

Tactical analysis

 * Hear me roar: The OF-40 "Takhar" is the main Battle Tank of the Bastion, possessing two modes and superior resilience makes up for that.
 * Thunder of Essos: The Takhar Ramjet cannon is serviceable against vehicles, due to being equipped with explosives that his clustered units, and a pair of machineguns for infantry.
 * Besieging: The Takhar indeed is a pretty lackluster fighter in open combat, though it can soak more than enough damage to make up for its price, providing cover for infantry, however, they truly shine when in Artillery mode, being an effective, if modest, artillery platform.
 * Takhar it for granted: This versatility doesn't come cheap though, Takhars are the costliest of main battle tanks, which isn't quite compensated by their combat performance. Though resilient, any losses will be costly, and losing them to air strikes will be particularly horrible.

History
"Now look at your tank, then back to mine, then back to your tank, then back to mine."

"Sadly, your tank isn't mine, but if you defected and joined the Siege Divisions, your tank could look like mine."

-Mbuto Aminata, negotiating with a MLA Scorpion Pilot

The need for armored divisions is a simple reality of modern warfare, much like the cavalry of antiquity, the need for units that can outflank and or break through entrenched positions is invaluable. Their use as supporters of infantry and the protection they bring to those marching on foot beside them is simply too much of a necessity to simply relinquish them.

The Bastion is all too aware of this fact, but the issue was that they simply had huge problems when it came to getting providers to wage war against those enemies of the Bastion Dream. Trade embargoes brought from a little too many enemies over which they had declared war and their allies, denial of service from major providers due to being mislabeled as terrorists, or simply a huge string of misfortunes left the Bastion without access to the usual providers of weapons. International Incorporated simply wouldn’t work with them, affiliates of the Syndicate were prohibited from selling to those who usually were the ones trying to expulse them from the very lands they were inhabiting anyways. The few tanks found in Essos were called into service during the build-up to Elysea's Conflict and few were in acceptable condition, if in the continent at all. Neither Ally nor Voshkod plans could had been smuggled into the factories and, though the Tsunami Tank managed to get licensed in Esso under dubious circumstances, it soon became apparent that they simply wouldn’t be able to cover the needs of a force that constantly clashed with forces who could penetrate all too easily their paper-thin armor and would not be fighting on terrain where amphibiousness was a great virtue. Eventually, the Bastion was left with no option but to come up with an indigenous design, the problem was, how do you come up with a tank design without prior experience?

The engineers in Scion Labs took up to the challenge, basing themselves on the single example of the Antivan OF-40, the group suddenly decided to relinquish the puny guns that were proposed for the vehicle for some much more impressive 150mm Howitzer (which became the Palmaria) which, while it performed excellently in the field testing when it was used as an artillery platform to bombard positions from afar, as it’s customary of Bastion’s military doctrine, it was soon realized it was somewhat… Cumbersome when it came to actual close combat fighting, which was technically the role it was being built for.

After going back to the drawing board, the engineers opted for a more conventional 105mm gun for the tank, but then it was realized that the vehicle, while performing decently enough to pass the tests that would lead to its use as a mainstay of the Siege Division forces, it still lacked some kind of punch that could give it an edge in the battlefield, even though they had overcome the difficulties that had been found in the way of preparing for a modern conflict, the Bastion was still stuck at least two generations back in military engineering design. Fighting at a disadvantage, the Siege Divisions found their actions all the more heroic, bravely fighting through the Babylonians who wore better equipment and wouldn’t let them have this victory easily, who’d go out of their way to make their plight all that more pitiful and the ordeals much greater, these new tanks, though lacking in several aspects, became a symbol of the Bastion Force. Of course, mere symbols couldn’t win wars. Eventually, the breakthroughs in material sciences through the investigation in Zakim Diamonds led to a new compound, similar in hardness to diamonds, but more malleable and that could theoretically be used to reinforce the armor of the various vehicles in the service of the Westerosi, Void Elf, Valyrian and Vulperan they provided for.

Refurbishing old vehicles eventually led to rebuilding them entirely, made with an entirely neo-carbon frame, the vehicles were discovered to be incredibly durable, resilient to most anti-tank ordnance, as long as it wasn’t sustained fire, and capable of surviving the travel over minefields, if barely. Their lightweight aspect also led to the capacity of some other improvements, specifically, a very bold proposition was made of reinstating the 150mm howitzer, while keeping the 105mm cannon, somehow and, more importantly, all this while keeping the frame of the feeblish old tank that the Bastion used, for inspiring purposes. Though a daunting task, the rich coffers of the heads of the various Westeros Houses could more than pay for these lavish expenses, and as such there was no lack of various bold engineers willing to tackle this task for glory and fame, but more importantly, for the excessive amount of money found in the contracts. A rotating system somehow was created, by an artist and engineer that’s only known as “Takhar”, a patented model held secret by the top wigs of the command, the legend telling that the plan detailing the figures was cut in three parts and safeguarded in the vaults of the three richest commanders of the Bastion.

Nowadays the Takhar tanks are a symbol not only within the Bastion forces and their foes, but also the most frequent view in the various news reports that Syndicate-affiliated networks stream to the rest of the world. Rarely seen changing barrels in live action, it’s a frequent assumption that the tank is actually two different vehicles, a fact sometimes used as propaganda by Syndicate backed-warlords, as a way to demonstrate the power of the Bastion’s production capacities, but for the most part the officials of Westerosi don’t mind, after all, nobody will see the blast coming when the tank changes gear…

Guardians of the Tacitus

 * Crusader/Laser Crusader (Aquila)
 * Coyote/Stryker MGS
 * Centurion Hovertank/Enforcer Hovertank
 * Grizzly Tank (Alliance)
 * Cavalier Tank
 * Liberty Tank
 * M1 Predator (ADI)
 * Type 74 MBT/Tsunami Tank (Protectorate)
 * Leopard 3 (Andora)
 * Guardian Tank
 * Panther
 * Battlemaster Tank (Empire)
 * Nuclearmaster
 * Cadillac Stingray (Community)
 * Bushmaster Tank (Wolf Clan)

Destroyers of Balthazar

 * Kodiak Tank (Voshkod)
 * T-64 Rhino
 * Ursa II Tank
 * Tick Tank (Brotherhood)
 * T-62
 * Type 59 (Horde)
 * Looted Lemia Russ Tank
 * T-72 "Scarab" (MLA)
 * Lasher Tank (Collective)
 * T-55 (Encantadia)
 * Ch'onma-Ho (Hathoria)
 * M15/42 (Lireo)
 * Devourer Tank (Scrin)

Neutrals

 * Predator Destructor (Coalition)
 * Sicaran Tank (Heralds)
 * Cleric Track (Order)
 * M48 Patton "Mastiff" (Survivors)
 * Talos AFV (Syndicate)
 * BMPT Terminator (Conglomerate)
 * Lemia Russ Tank (Legion)

Bonus Faction

 * MBT-52 Kuma (ASA)
 * OF-40 "Takhar" (Bastion)
 * MBT Creep (Rangers)
 * AAV-7 (Pirates)
 * PT-76
 * KPz T-62 "Hammer" (Ascalia)
 * White Shock Rhino Tank (Alfheimr Shock Corps)
 * Rama Tank (Elona)
 * Lion of Babylon
 * Predator Walker (Dominion)
 * M60 Sabra (Security)
 * Dandelin Armoured Rover (Ascendancy)

DLC

 * Bison (Federation)
 * Qilin Tank (Corona)
 * ... (Party)
 * AAT (Skynet)
 * Sd. KS 78 "Isegrim" (Elemental)
 * 2-M (Autocracy)
 * 59-Patton (League)
 * ... (Swarm)
 * TAM Tank (Confederation)
 * Oaxaca Tank
 * Tyrian Leopard 1D
 * Strv 103B (Kingdom)
 * Strider (Goo)
 * Panzerwagen (Imperium)
 * ... (Dynasty)
 * T-44 (Warlords)
 * Abomination (Cult)
 * Bison Combat Tank (Raiders)
 * Mark V (Theocracy)
 * Panzer IV (Reiksgard)
 * T-55AMV (Insurgents)
 * Conqueror (Guardians)
 * Phase Tank (Hierarchy)
 * ... (Sundered)
 * T-62M (Ecumene)
 * Centurion (Concordat)
 * Cromwell
 * Cantha-Panzer
 * M60-2000 (Contingent)
 * PL-01 (Eden)
 * Edenfire Crusader (InGen)
 * ... (Hallows)
 * M47-Mod (Commune)
 * Type 61 (The Uncorrupted)
 * Vickers (Clique)
 * Chi-Ha (Guild)
 * ... (Threat)
 * Gallagher Outlaw Mk. II (Traders)
 * CS-63 (Entente)
 * Mancubus (Oblivion)
 * ... (Corporation)
 * ... (Covenant)
 * H.I.S.S. Tank (Institute)
 * TT77 Nosorog (Eremite)
 * ... (Nimbus)
 * Parasol Tank (Carnival)
 * ... (Wraiths)
 * ... (Chronophage)
 * Tiger Armoured Car (Privateers)
 * ... (Foundation)