Leo tanks
Principal series of tanks for the Grand Army, the Leo tanks are some of the most venerable and long-serving weapons designs in the Web. Despite more and more budget cuts, Celiose Cole has resisted cutting the tank force, realizing that it is still the key to the GA's offensive striking power. Several design elements which are virtually standard in Web combat vehicles, such as sloped armor, were pioneered on Leos.
- Leo mk I (prototype)
The Leo mk I was a break from earlier dwarven designs. It was never intended for combat; it is purely a "proof-of-concept" design, though some of them are still used today as trainers. A smaller, lighter tank, the mk I featured a turret with 360' rotation, a more sophisticated drivetrain, all-welded construction, and radio communications. All this sounds very simple today, but in 24 WR integrating all of this in one package was innovative and high tech.
The Leo mk I was armed only with a machine gun in practice, though it had a large turret to show that there could be space for one.
- Leo mk II Main Battle Tank
When GA tankers say, "You owe your freedom to the Leo," this is the tank they mean.
In its earliest iterations, the Leo mk II focused on fundamentals: armor, firepower, and mechanical reliability. With its 90 mm nuke, thick, well-sloped armor, and ruggedability, the Leo mk II provided the backbone of the GA's armored thrusts in the Great War. Celiose reportedly said that he wanted as many built as possible, and guaranteed that the GA would buy every one of them for the duration of the war.
These strong basic characteristics have allowed the mk II to remain in service for as long as it has. Over the years it received several upgrades, mostly in upgraded sensors, electronics and communications. Armor protection is still very strong, benefiting from reactive armor and improvements in metallurgy in the past two decades. The main weapon is still a 90 mm nuke magitek cannon, but has improved range and hitting power over the similar Great War-era armament. The GA has continued to refine the design with modern improvements rather then adopt a completely new tank. Today's Leo mk II-45 does everything better then the first mk IIA did, but is still instantly recognizable to a Great War veteran as it is fundamentally the same design.
Originally, the Leo mk II's main armament was supplemented by a needle machine gun. The current production variant adds two MABS (Modular Armaments Bay System) for flexible loadout and supplementary firepower.
The only sore spot for the mk II is its speed; by modern standards it is considered a slower then-average vehicle. GA tankers are quick to point out that logistics and the ability to defeat enemy opposition are much more important factors then individual vehicle speed when it comes to determining rate of advance.
- Leo mk III "King Leo" Heavy Battle Tank
During the Transbaron campaign, the GA encountered heavy opposition and formidable Dark Wrath fortifications. The GA sought a "breakthrough tank" capable of defeating any opposition; speed and handling were secondary considerations. The GA added several tons of additional armor, and gave the resulting frame the new 128 mm Merton "Smasher" cannon, capable of penetrating any armor fielded at the time. Although deployed in only small numbers before the end of the war, the King Leo soon attained a legendary reputation. Handfuls of these powerful tanks would shoot apart whole regiments of Dark Wrath troops. Some DW soldiers would surrender on seeing the tank, so fearsome was its reputation. For the whole war, the Dark Wrath never had a weapon capable hurting the King Leo, no King Leo was lost to enemy action in the Great War or the KMT War. The King Leo served with distinction in the Hivan War, though Hivan acid finally proved capable of knocking out a few of these extremely tough tanks.
Like its 'little brother', the King Leo has received refinements and upgrades, but the fundamental design remains unchanged. Sensors and communications have seen the most improvement, while armor and firepower remain well ahead of the curve. The GA claims that the high powered 128 mm Merton cannon's current incarnation is fully capable of defeating Seraphim armor.
In addition to its main armament, His Majesty has a coaxial and turret-mounted machine guns, and a total of four MABS (two turret, two hull.)
Still regarded by die-hard GA tankers as the most powerful combat vehicle in service anywhere, Dracoforms and Seraphim be damned.
- Leo mk IV and V?
A hotly debated topic, because the II and III have proven so successful, is what could possibly come next?
Developing the next-gen tank has become a budgetary mess for the GA, and was a nightmare for Rimmel Coward, who was in charge of the program before he retired. (Some say that the hassle of the program was why he retired.) The GA cannot decide if it wants to be more "evolutionary", with a newer, better, but essentially similar tank, or more "revolutionary", with a radically different design. The Leo series is a victim of its own success.
(See also: Tilly Assault Gun, an artillery piece mounted on a Leo hull.)
