Klemm

Specifications
Use	Light Battle Tank
Production Code	NT-9
Manufacturer	Norlight Industries
Height	2.5 meters

The Klemm, named after a famous Terranovan officer of the early days of the Norlight Confederacy, is the main CNCS light battle tank. They were commissioned in TN 1798 by the Norlight Armed Forces to intimidate the two neighboring leagues (UMF and WFP) to avoid confrontations, and initially designed by Variance Industries. The latter only manufactured 200 units before selling them to the Norlight army and transferring all manufacturing rights to a new branch of Variance, Norlight Industries, which was partially owned by the Norlight government. While it was never proven, there were always strong suspicions that Variance (which went bankrupt in TN 1881) had been coerced into selling the rights to the Klemm; it never received other contracts from the NLC and never prospered as it should rightfully have.

Since its first production run, there have been two revisions to the Klemm’s design, one to improve its fire control system (in TN 1820) and another one to upgrade its internal electronics (in TN 1878). There have been discussions of another overhaul of the Klemm during the coming cycles, particularly with the re-emergence of North-South tensions, but budgets may not allow for it.

The driver rides in the main body of the tank and also serves as the tank’s communications officer. The commander sits in the turret and operates both the 30 mm chaingun and the battery of six RAVEN anti-tank missiles. He is helped in this task by an automated CP-S25 fire control display, a standard that was established in TN 1901 and proved invaluable both during the pre-War tensions and during the War of the Alliance itself. The tank is protected against infantry assaults by an anti-personnel grenade launcher mounted in a small turret placed at the front of the chassis. In addition, layers of ceramite armor are bonded within the armored skin to deflect HEAT-effect warheads used in many infantry-launched anti-tank missiles.

Usage

The Klemm has seen action on many fronts, first while serving with the Norlight Confederation’s armored forces, then with the CNCS’s Northern Guard. The Klemm is well liked by its crew thanks to its ruggedness, although several soldiers complain about its cramped combat chamber. Before the TN 1820 modifications to the fire control system, the Klemm suffered from reduced accuracy to the point that armored regiments refused to enter it into the Norlight Military Games.

Past that date, however, the tank improved greatly and had no trouble competing or performing efficiently on the battlefield. Its ability to fire almost a hundred rounds in a minute without overheating and its good speed allowed it to remain dangerous while avoiding precise artillery fire. Field refits during the War of the Alliance, such as the addition of 25 mm plates to the front armor or extra ammunition compartments for the autocannon and the grenade launcher, allowed it to survive many GREL and hovertank attacks, but could still not prevent the loss of over a two hundred Klemms.

Regardless of the Klemm’s early failings, the most eloquent argument in its favor are the numerous decades during which it has been used. While it has been often modified for specific missions, its basic chassis remains unchanged and its popularity with tank drivers is high.

Media

•