Kodiak
This heavy tank produced by the Kuat Consortium has been nicknamed the "Baby Leo" or "Cousin Leo", and it definitely shares some DNA with the highly-successful Grand Army series of tanks. Indeed, at first glance, the Kodiak hearkens back to the no-frills simplicity of the original Leo II, with strong armor protection, firepower, and cross-country performance. Kuat, after all, has been the prime contractor for the GA's tanks for decades, however it struggled to find an appropriate armament (the GA owns the main weapons for the Leo tanks, notably the legendary 128 mm Merton "Smasher.")
Damien Gavalian wanted to "up the game" for tank primary weapons, and the Kuat Tank Team, well aware they were starting to play second fiddle to the Mecha and Walkers Division, were eager to agree. Kuat's participation in the Coalition gave them some access to Guardia's laser weapons, and for a time it was rumored that Kuat would be launching a tank with a Luminaire Projection Canon (LPC), a powerful long-range weapon. However, Kuat's laser team, working with the help of light-related-stuff expert Walter Glass, did one better, achieving a rare hybridization: the Lucent-Luminaire Laser ("Triple L"), code-named "Dawnstar." This new weapon benefits both from the power of Luminaire but some of the control of Lucent. What sets this weapon apart is its variable fire modes, including rapid-pulse fire, armor piercing "breach" single-shot, and even a wide-angle beam for infantry dispersion. The use of a special "fire prism" focusing crystal is key to this capability, although it does drive up the tanks cost.
The Dawnstar laser is new technology, and Kuat is almost certainly hoping to expand it to mecha and even spacecraft in the future. They're also debating if "Dawnstar" or "Triple L" is a more marketable name. It does, however, suffer from one major teething issue: heat. The heat build-up on this weapon is substantially greater than standard magitek weapons, and over-firing it runs the risk of severe damage to the system. Nonetheless, Kuat is quite confident that this weapon, married to a well-armored platform, will make a splash.
...and yes, offering an affordable weapon system centering around a giant laser is almost certainly a swipe at competitor Diamond and their Seraphim.
Additional armament includes two machine guns (one coaxial, and one commander's cupola). The Kodiak is also well-armored, featuring both reactive armor plates an an "active kill" system to protect it against anti-tank missiles. Speed is comparable to other heavy assault types, which means its slow.
The tank represents a bit of a gamble for Kuat, as the Consortium clearly hopes there is still a market for heavy tanks in a Web increasingly fascinated by mecha. Clearly, the sales numbers on the Steel Lynx must have convinced Kuat that there was gas left in the Web's tank market.
