User:Norman-123/M905A Viper Main Battle Tank

The M905 Viper MBT is the successor to the M808 Scorpion MBT, being the main battle tank of the UNSC. While it remained similar aesthetically to the Scorpion, it had a large variety of improvements, most notably an energy shield generator and that its cannon now utilized railgun technology.

Development
The UNSC had always seen the ability to constantly field units with energy shields as a major advantage the Covenant had over it. Technologies such as the MJOLNIR Mark. V allowed them to bridge the gap in some areas, and soon the UNSC attempted to protect the rest of their units with energy shields as well, such as spacecraft, aircraft and vehicles.

The M905 Viper MBT was the first vehicle to receive energy shielding technology. Blueprints for it were drawn up for it in 2554, and a prototype was built in 2560. The prototype had numerous problems-the energy shield generator was prone to malfunctioning and the engine was frequently overworked. Those kinks were finally ironed out in 2565, where it began to roll off the production lines.

Service History
M905 Vipers were first deployed in 2567 in small numbers against rebel forces during the Second Insurrection on Mamore to great effect. Not one of the tanks were destroyed on Mamore, despite facing fierce resistance.

Against the Covenant Hegemony, the M905 MBT also fared very well, proving massive superiority compared to the. It was able to fight even s and s on even terms.

The M905 MBT served with distinction throughout the rest of the Human-Covenant War as well, capable in a wide variety of roles.

Crew
The M905 Viper has a crew of three-a driver, a gunner and a commander. The driver is responsible for driving the vehicle into positions that are superior for firing at enemies or avoiding fire. The gunner controls the main turret from a control panel, and is responsible for selecting the desired type of ammunition for the auto-loader to load. Through another control panel, the gunner is also capable of firing the machine gun without exposing himself. The commander is responsible for coordinating with other units on the battlefield, giving orders to his two subordinates and, if the gunner is for whatever reason unable to do so, fire the machine gun from a control panel.

Armament
Main Article: M69 Rail Gun

The main armament on the M905 MBT is the M69 Railgun. Using magnetic acceleration technology, similar to that in the M68 ALIM or the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, it can launch a 85mm projectile at speeds up to 30,000 meters per second, or (roughly) 0.01% the speed of light, allowing for enormous destructive ability. It has no trouble penetrating the thickest armor, and even energy shields.

It is also capable of firing several types of rounds. For anti-tank purposes, the Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot rounds (typically shortened to APFSDS or just armor piercing), for demolition purposes, High Explosive rounds and for anti-infantry purposes, Canister rounds.

The secondary armament is the M247T Medium Machine Gun. While boasting a high rate of fire, it lacks the incredible power of the primary armament. It is sufficient for mowing down large quantities unshielded infantry, but runs into difficulty with large amounts of infantry with energy shields.

M905A "Horned Viper" MBT
The M905A was similar to the M905 in every way, with one exception. Instead of mounting a M69 Railgun, the M905A was armed with an upscaled version of the Spartan Laser, which allowed for increased anti-armor warfare abilities, though it was less versatile than the M69 Railgun.