Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Paladin

"Preserving Aquila's Freedom."

-Paladin leaving the Armor depot

The primary "superheavy" MBT of Aquila, the M1A4 Paladin sports greater firepower and better armor compared to all other Aquilan tanks. With a 120mm ramjet-assisted cannon that can punch through armor and buildings, a point defense laser for neutralizing missiles, and tough composite armor, the Paladin is perhaps one of the tanks with the highest survivability in the world. This unit is planned to be voiced by Richard Epcar

Tactical analysis

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History
"We fight for peace."

-Paladin engaging enemy

When the original M1 Abrams main battle tank was introduced in 1980 V.C., it was during the Cold War, when military planners were most concerned about the possibility of thousands of Voshkod tanks and infantry rolling across again. The M1 Abrams was a product of those times, weighing in at 67 tons, protected by thick slabs of composite armor, and armed with a powerful smooth-bore gun.

Up to the new millennium the Abrams remained the main battle tank off the Aquilan military, with a plethora upgrades to keep it viable, exports like the Zemurians prior to the formation of the ADI, and saw action in overseas deployments when the Aquilans intervened in Elona and Encantadia. However, it was around this time the Abrams' issues began to be exposed. Though it was powerful, proving itself superior to Elonan and Encantadian main battle tanks during those both wars, as the focus of conflicts shifted towards asymmetric warfare the Aquilans started to seek a lighter, more nimble vehicle that could supplement the Abrams. After several attempts that failed to meet their expectations, the highly successful Crusader tank was introduced in 1996 V.C., and began replacing the aging M60A3 Pattons in many overseas deployments and medium tank roles.

Despite this, the Abrams remained the primary main battle tank of the Aquilan Army until the 2004 V.C. invasion of Aquila, which the Abrams fought fair against the Kodiaks, Ursa II and Rhinos until they faced the Big 3 Monsters of Voshkod (Apocalypse, Catastrophe and Blackbear) which result in mixed outcomes for Abrams.

In response the Aquilans began to develop the XF-32 FIST as their main counter to the Big 3 Monsters, but development troubles and delayed progress that result delayed their entry to battle, as a cost-measure Aquilan engineers installed a 120mm ramjet-assisted shells and an anti-missile Point Defense Laser system that are intended for the FIST to the Abrams, at the time considered by many as exorbitant and outlandish. This experimental variant of the M1, dubbed the M1A4 Paladin, was adopted by several elite armored units for field evaluation before the war's end.

However, the Paladin would only truly prove itself when Aquila committed itself to the destruction of the Moonlight Liberation Army. Against the obsolete tanks of the MLA, the Paladin excelled, the Point Defense Laser efficiently destroying anti-tank rockets and missiles, and surprisingly proving to be an effective and gruesome anti-infantry weapon as well, capable of inflicting lethal burns on infantry at short range. Impressed by the Paladin's performance, the Aquilan Army greenlit a conversion program to upgrade all existing Abrams tanks to Paladin standard, a project that was completed shortly before the Aquilans recalled most of its overseas forces to their home.

Today, the Paladin Tank project is considered a complete success by the Aquilan military, though with Aquila power projection capabilities a shadow of what it was a few decades ago, most Paladins remain at home, while the lighter and more flexible Crusader II and tried and true Abrams is used for conflicts outside of their home. While the Paladin is inferior to other super-heavy tanks, it still performs remarkably. Aquilan armor may lack in brute strength when compared to other faction's armor; however, what they lack in brute strength they make up for with technology and ingenuity.

Guardians of the Tacitus

 * Paladin/Plasma Paladin (Aquila)
 * Chevalier/XF-32 F.I.S.T. (Task Force Wolf)
 * Wolfhound Tank Destroyer (Alliance)
 * Mammoth Tank (ADI)
 * King Oni (Protectorate)
 * Type 40 Yonmaru
 * Greater King Oni (Exo-Command)
 * Jagdmammut (Andora)
 * Overlord (Empire)
 * Conqueror Tank (Grand Chase Royal Guards)
 * Emperor Overlord (Elsword's Royal Force)
 * K3 Grey Tiger (Community)
 * Sensenmann Tank (Lotus Clan)
 * Wasteland Superheavy Tank (Wolf Clan)

Destroyers of Balthazar

 * Apocalypse Tank (Voshkod)
 * Catastrophe (Kvant Division)
 * Blackbear (Zenit Division)
 * Stealth Tank (Brotherhood)
 * Gorkanaut (Horde)
 * BRDM-1 "Roach" (MLA)
 * Shturm-S (Nightborne Chemical Division)
 * Colossus (Collective)
 * Shagohod Tank (Encantadia)
 * Sentinel (Hathoria)
 * FCM F1 (Adamya)
 * Annihilator Tripod (Scrin)

Neutrals

 * Land Raider Phobos (Coalition)
 * Hekaton Land Fortress (Primaris Votann Guards)
 * Fellblade (Heralds)
 * Cataphract Land Ironclad (Order)
 * Sidewinder Burrow Tank (Survivors)
 * Stormsurge (Syndicate)
 * Mastodon Walker (Conglomerate)
 * Baneblade (Legion)

Bonus Factions

 * T-140 Angara (ASA)
 * Voidpanzer (Bastion)
 * Linebreaker Creep (Rangers)
 * Ariavanna Tank (Pirates)
 * Rakshasa Land Cruiser (Elona)
 * Lion Heavy Tank
 * Gorgon Mammoth Tank (Ascalia)
 * Thor (Dominion)
 * Super Merkava (Security)
 * ... (Ascendancy)

DLC

 * UNSC Elephant (Federation)
 * Zhurong Assault Tank (Corona)
 * ... (Party)
 * Executor Tripletank (Skynet)
 * SKS 300 "Kaiser" (Elemental)
 * AT-AT (Autocracy)
 * BZ-75 (League)
 * Ultralisk (Swarm)
 * Machu Pichu Advanced Tank (Confederation)
 * Strv 2000 (Kingdom)
 * Scorpion Grav-Tank (Aeldari Guard Corps)
 * ... (Goo)
 * Maus (Imperium)
 * Doomsday Ark (Dynasty)
 * ST-II (Warlords)
 * ... (Cult)
 * Dais of Destruction (Raiders)
 * Sigmar Tank (Theocracy)
 * T28 (Insurgents)
 * ... (Guardians)
 * ... (Hierarchy)
 * ... (Sundered)
 * Ifrit Tank (Ecumene)
 * Black Prince (Concordat)
 * Akula Tank (Contingent)
 * Cerberus (Eden)
 * ... (InGen)
 * ... (Hallows)
 * MBT-70 (Commune)
 * ... (Clique)
 * O-I (Guild)
 * Tanker Bug (Threat)
 * O-75b "Ares" (Traders)
 * EG-14 Terminator (Entente)
 * Tyrant (Oblivion)