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Ordered in early 3043 by the Taurian Concordat, the T2-A1 Sabre was meant to fullfill the low end needs of the TCAF. Relatively cheap to build and maintain, the vehicle is solid, though uninspired. Testing of the prototype was completed in November of 3043, and the first production unit rolled off the assembly line in March of 3044. The fact that the vehicle is still in production nearly 20 years later is a testament to its simplicity and rugged reliability. Capabilities: The T2-A1 Sabre is a light, turretless AFV with moderate speed and armor. Nothing about the tank is outstanding, yet the design is solid and fullfills its intended role. Best used as a defensive unit, the Sabre is usually best employed in dug in positions, allowing its enemies to come to it. The Sabre is given motive power by an InterComBust 140 I.C.E engine. This allows the Sabre a top speed of just under 65 KPH. While certainly not a fast unit, the decision was made to trade speed for firepower and armor protection, a wise choice in a defensive unit. The Sabre is well armored with some 6.5 tons of StarSlab/3 armor. This allows the Sabre to withstand multiple PPC hits on any side and continue fighting. Since the Sabre should always be facing its enemy during combat, frontal armor is much heavier than side and rear armor. Armament of the Sabre is simple, but heavy for a vehicle its size. A Pontiac Light AC/5 provides the main ranged firepower. This is supplemented by a Harvester 2K SRM2 Launcher and a LFN Linblad Machine Gun. Variants: In such a simple design many variants can be expected. These range from factory made modifications to field modifications. The chassis is reliable and robust, which makes it an effective mount for testing new weapons as well. Several 'One-Off' experimental designs have been rumored, but unconfirmed to date. It is known that a dedicated fire support variant does exist, trading in the AC/5 for a number of LRM launchers. Deployment: Sabres can be found in nearly every Periphery Army and Mercenary unit in the Inner Sphere. The simple robust design makes them very popular with units working on a budget, as the easily maintained tanks don't require the man hours of more elaborate units. In fact, only the Great Houses seem to shun the Sabre, prefering to use more expensive (and ironically less reliable) units to supply their armored forces. |
| Equipment | Mass | ||||
| Engine: | 140 I.C.E. | 10.0 | |||
| Cruise MP: | 4 | ||||
| Flank MP: | 6 | ||||
| Internal Structure: | Standard | 3.5 | |||
| Heat Sinks: | 0 | 0 | |||
| Turret: | 0.0 | Control Equipment: | 2.0 | ||
| Lift Equipment: | 0.0 | ||||
| Power Amplifier: | 0.0 | ||||
| Armor Factor: | 104 | 6.5 | |||
| Internal | Armor | ||||
| Structure | Value | ||||
| Front: | 3 | 30 | |||
| Right: | 3 | 26 | |||
| Left: | 3 | 26 | |||
| Rear: | 3 | 22 | |||
| Weapons and Ammo | Location | Heat | Mass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC/5 | Front | 0 | 8.0 | |
| SRM-2 | Front | 0 | 1.0 | |
| Machine Gun | Front | 0 | 0.5 | |
| Ammo-Machine Gun | Body | 0 | 0.5 | |
| Ammo-SRM-2 | Body | 0 | 1.0 | |
| Ammo-AC/5 | Body | 0 | 2.0 |