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The 120mm Rheinmetall anti-tank gun is a gun based on the tank guns used on the M1 Abrams, British Challenger Tank and German Leopard tank, allowing it to easily take on the majority of tanks in the world, and mounted on a 155mm Howitzer mount, although it utilizes a small diesel engine to help it move in to position. While designed predominately towed like a 155mm howitzer, it has a small on-board hybrid electric engine to allow for self propulsion and aiming mechanisms, that powers a computer and the electric motor for short range transportation.






Hybrid Engine




Armor
. With the outer armor using approximately 3/4 of an inch AR500 steel, it's more than capable of stopping most armor piercing .50 caliber or 14.5mm rounds. It is slightly stronger than the previous ATI-500 steel, and uses twaron and dyneema as a backing over kevlar, which is more fire resistant than kevlar but just as strong, which became a serious problem in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Behind this are multiple layers of energy absorbing composites and polymers, similar to Kanchan armor, that works like reactive armor, but is non-explosive, being reusable and preventing collateral damage. It also has an added benefit if disrupting and stopping armor piercing penetrators and shaped charge jets, making the armor more resistant to anti-tank threats and aiding the ceramic armor below. Approximately 315 mm (12.4 in) of Kanchan armor weighs the same as 120 millimetres (4.7 in) RHA while providing the same protection as 12.4 inches of RHA, giving it much higher strength than steel alone. The armor is similar in strength to the MRAP and Stryker, with the MEXAS, and should theoretically be stronger at the same weight or lighter weight with the Advanced Modular Armor Protection armor.

The armor is similar to the M117, in that it is sloped on both sides; it is additionally, sloped underneath the vehicle, with a monocoque V-Hull, as to deflect the blast of land mines away from the vehicle, as similar to the RG-33, or MRAP "cougar", and is a monocoque v-hullI design. In addition to this, the armor uses caged "Slat" armor in order to better help protect from RPG's, and prematurely detonates warheads before they can come in contact with the armor below. On top of this is the iron curtain active defense system, which helps to shoot down missiles before they come in contact with the armor. Extremely reliable, capable of targeting multiple weapons at once, fast moving projectiles, and with very little collateral damage, it is an ideal way to disrupt or stop shaped charge weapons, especially lightweight anti-tank missiles, and it works against the RPG-7, as well as newer weapons such as the RPG-29 and RPG-32.

As a result of the design, shape, and material, it provides substantial protection against RPG's, light arms, heavy arms, and mines. Behind this are several layers of composite material and energy absorbing polymers, that act similarly to non-explosive reactive Kanchan armor, which help disrupt the penetrators of armor piercing rounds. With five layers of defense, the iron curtain active defense system to shoot down missiles, slat armor to prematurely detonate warheads, the kanchan armor to absorb armor penetrating warheads, spaced armor to give space for such rounds and explosive force to be diffused, and finally the ceramic armor underneath, the armor is very well protected against shaped charges and low-end armor piercing kinetic energy rounds, capable of stopping 30mm and 40mm DU armor piercing rounds, although only a few round in the same spot due to the brittle nature of the ceramic armor.


ALON (Aluminium oxynitride)
Aluminium oxynitride (AlON) is a transparent ceramic composed of aluminium, oxygen and nitrogen. It is marketed under the name ALON and described in U.S. Patent 4,520,116. It is 4 times harder than fused silica glass, and 85% as hard as sapphire. The material remains solid up to 1,200 °C (2,190 °F). When formed and polished as a window, the material currently (2005) costs about US$10 to US$15 per square inch (~ US$20,000/m²).

The material is composed of three parts, an outer layer that's exposed to gunfire and made of baked aluminum oxynitride, a middle layer of glass, and a rear layer of polymer backing. The aluminum armor can deflect rounds from small-caliber weapons and still be more clearly transparent than bullet-resistant glass that's been shot, it also passes a much more important test -- it resists .50-caliber armor-piercing bullets and anti-aircraft weapons that typically use .30-caliber rounds, and is roughly half the weight and thickness of traditional ballistics glass.



Electronics
The System is operable with the Land warrior operating systems. In addition, it carries a GPS. The radio system is also compatible with the MARS system, and as well include a microwave and radar communications disk and radios. The vehicle charges the electronics of the soldiers, serving as a sort of mobile generator with the hybrid engine producing electricity for the men. The weapon systems of the vehicles are electronically controlled and remoted operated, generally by the CROWS II or Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station program, which not only protects the crew member by removing their need for exposure, but also allows them to operate a greater number of weapons without having to change position. Despite the plethora of weapon systems on the vehicle, only a certain number can be fired at any given point in time, based on which systems the weapons operator chooses. These weapons can also be operated by passengers in the vehicle, to free up operating control needed by the weapons operator.

As an intelligence counter measure, the vehicle sports a Boomerang Anti Sniper acoustic orientation device, intended on finding the location of incoming shots, using an array of speakers. This information is relayed directly to soldiers through the land warrior system, alerting them to the presence and location of enemy fire. With a very adept radar system, similar to the Longbow Apache radar, it can target multiple moving vehicles at once, and can intercept enemy vehicles, from aircraft to tanks, with missiles if necessary; this radar system is used to aim the AGM-114 hellfire missiles, and is useful in anti-aircraft targeting features to aid the 40mm bofors in anti-aircraft attacks, as well as help locate enemy vehicles in general. Various FLIR thermal vision cameras are used to help locate enemy forces as well, and can be used to detect and automatically avoid missiles and incoming artillery. The same radar system can be combined with additional radar systems to serve as mortar and artillery battery radar,

The vehicle also comes with built in flood lights, laser strobes, infrared laser lights and strobes, and other equipment which are designed not only to illuminate the target, but also be used as a form of non-lethal weapon. The laser strobes and flood lights can be used to blind the target and will automatically track enemy forces, shining light at the enemy, where as the infrared lights can be used to help soldiers see at night with night vision and thermal infrared cameras, and particularly help soldiers see in smoke. UV lasers also exist in the event UV tracking systems are utilized, but Infrared lasers can in theory be used to ignite particularly flammable substances at close range and over time (such as tents or fuel), but make poor weapons in general. The lights are designed to flash a subject not only to blind them but to disorient them, switching between various levels of brightness and using specifically programmed pulses of light to prevent the eye from adjusting to the surrounding environment and to disrupt the user's senses, in similar effect to a flash bang. The lights can be used to replicate the appearance of the muzzle flash of rifles, or mimic other signatures, serving as a decoy to distract the enemy from softer targets. The can be used in replace of flares, which reduces the consumption of equipment in the field, and be used to direct artillery or air strikes. In addition, the lasers can be programmed and used to automatically track and disrupt aircraft, but as this is illegal in warfare is only expected to be used in events of total war or as acts of desperation. The lights work best at night, but have notable effective during the day, especially if shined at targets indoors. While of minor importance overall tactically except in the use of anti-aircraft purposes, strategically it's a small feature that can come in handy in specific circumstances, particularly to stun or disorient the enemy or to help track certain types of targets.