Commanders!
With the current Battle Path in its second half, we’d like to show you what comes after you are finished with the history of mercenaries. The next Battle Path will be called Rough Riders and will focus on the history of U.S. cavalry, from its humble beginnings during the Revolutionary War to its transformation into the armored cavalry it is today. And the first vehicle of the Battle Path will be none other than the ELKE technology demonstrator.
The ELKE is a part of the late 1970s and early 1980s search for a Sheridan replacement, which started with the HSTV-L and included the RDF and DFSV prototypes.
The word ELKE stands for Elevated Kinetic Energy. Following the dismissal of the early replacements to the Sheridan (the HSTV-L program), Pacific Car and Foundry was tasked in 1982 to produce a single prototype of their proposed elevated gun design using a Sheridan hull.
The 75mm XM274 Ares gun would depress and elevate on a hydraulic-controlled arm, producing amazing elevation and depression angles. The Ares gun was a prototype of hypervelocity medium caliber cannon featuring penetration values similar to main caliber tank guns – at a fraction of their weight. Additionally, it was envisaged to have a very high rate of fire. The gun would be magazine-fed and the whole prototype weighed mere 15 tons.
Unfortunately, while impressive, the arm design was deemed much too unreliable. Another major issue of these designs was the limited amount of ammunition carried (far below the military requirements). As such, the prototype did not go anywhere but paved the way for the RDF Light Tank.
In Armored Warfare, the ELKE will become a Tier 7 Premium Light Tank and the first prize of the Rough Riders Battle Path.
For its Tier, the ELKE will be the ultimate Light Tank with unparalleled mobility and firepower. The downside? Nearly complete lack of armor, although most of the elevated weapons station does count as a weapons module rather than a turret.
But this tank won’t be about armor. It will be the embodiment of speed and precision as, for its mere 15 tons, it’ll use a 300hp engine (with 400hp being available through additional progression). The gun will feature a unique animation based on our analysis of the ELKE drawings and the few photographs that are available, allowing for extreme depression and elevation angles (-40/+25 degrees).
The 75mm gun caliber lower damage will be compensated by extremely high rate of fire in two modes:
- Rapid burst mode (6 round magazine) with a longer reload (upgradable to 12 rounds)
- Regular fire mode (60 rounds per minute) (potentially upgradable to automatic, autocannon-like fire)
And what’s the right tactic for what is essentially an armored and armed race car? Go in with the gun blazing, of course! For those who love unrivalled firepower and speed, this will be one of the most purist vehicles in the game.
On the other hand, its high-positioned cannon along with its gun depression will allow for some creative use of terrain when planning ambushes. Either way, the ELKE will devastate softer targets in seconds – you don’t want to find yourselves on the wrong side of that gun.
We hope that you’ll enjoy the ELKE as well as the entire Battle Path and, as always:
See you on the battlefield!
