Fiction:France/French Army/Vehicles

Tanks
French tank doctrine places emphasis on maneuver warfare, and their tanks are designed to match: they possess high mobility, very hard-hitting and accurate guns, and excellent stabilizers. Their major drawback is that they lack in armor when compared to other tanks. Made out of sensor-resistant material and possessing systems that baffle enemy detection systems, they are difficult to track from a high altitude and cannot be targeted from orbit. This forces enemies to spot the tank directly in order to fire upon it.

A French tank's shielding is normally turned off, even in combat, though advanced motion detection systems activate it immediately before an impact before disabling it again. Not only does this conserve energy, this makes the tank harder to detect, as an energy shield is a conspicuous target for enemy sensors. In the past, these systems have been less than reliable, especially in the early C-39 era, but recent advances have made it a near-foolproof technology.

C-41 Ulysse A3
The fruit of a Franco-Roreinian collaboration, the C-41 combines the best of French and Roreinian tank design. It is a strong main battle tank with decent armor, extreme mobility, advanced fire and control systems, and the mother of all French tank guns: the ERT A-2000. At a range, it is equipped to launch anti-tank guided missiles, and can defend itself against missile attacks with limited point-defense capability. The Roreinian Uoi-2778 autocannon makes it deadly in close range. While the Roreinian version--stripped of most of its armor--achieves an astounding 155 kilometers per hour, the French C-41 clocks in at a respectable 120 kilometers per hour at top speed. This makes it the king of maneuver warfare.

However, for all of its advantages, the Ulysse suffers from two weaknesses: low armor and high price. Firstly, while it is by no means a glass canon, it fields less armor than other tanks of comparable price while still being able to take a respectable amount of punishment. Secondly, it is costly to manufacture given the materials and technology involved, driving up its price-per-unit. It can be modified and stripped of some technology to be made more affordable, though that would reduce its overall effectiveness. Once built, its operating cost is about average.

The French field the C-41 Ulysse A3 variant of the chassis while the C-41 Ulysse A2 variant is up for sale. See complete list of variants.

C-40
The C-40 is a nearly-unarmored, exceptionally fast, and cheap counterpart to the C-41. Like the Ulysse, it fields the ERT A-2000 and Uoi-2778 autocannon, though the similarities stop there. Its chassis is completely different: light and low to the ground, lending to the craft a degree of mobility that would be impossible to achieve with the C-41. However, its hull and shields are easy to penetrate, meaning it cannot last long under direct fire.

The general idea behind the tank was that the C-41 would act as the main line in a tank battle while the C-40 raced around, plugged up holes, exploited weaknesses, and performed flanking attacks before darting back to safety.

C-39B3
The C-39B3 is the descendant of a long and proud line of French tanks from the 2750's. It has evolved out of its role as a main battle tank to serve as what France calls a "paratrooper tank." In French doctrine, it is essentially a cheap and compact compromise between the C-41's strength and C-40's maneuverability, perfect for accompanying and supporting landing parties in specialized transports. Its main gun and autocannon are respectable, though they are starting to show their age. Much to the frustration of French technicians, the chassis is too old to support modern French guns like the ERT A-2000, falling back instead on the fast-firing ROL-5 which fires a medium caliber cartridge.

Like all French tanks, it lacks armor, but its main advantages are its low price and ease of transport and maintenance. It is still used as a light tank, colonial tank, and expeditionary tank in the armies of many nations. See complete list of variants.

Maxin 3B
Derived from the C-39 chassis, the Maxin 3B mounts France's Maxin 3 anti-air missile system. Capable of tracking and firing upon four targets at once, it is France's primary ground-based defense against strike craft. The Maxin 3 has an average range and does not carry enough firepower to guarantee a kill against advanced airframes, but it is decently accurate and reliable. It uses an infrared targeting system which cannot be traced by SEAD, but has a smaller range than radar or subspace-based systems.

C-39 Batterie Volante
Also derived from the C-39 chassis, the appropriately named "Flying Battery" artillery almost nearly lives up to its name. It is designed as a light artillery piece which sets up quickly, takes a few shots, and then speeds away to avoid counterbattery fire. Its gun fires rapidly, has medium range, and uses medium-caliber shells which have quite a bit of shock value, but next to no armor penetration. The piece is used by the French exclusively on the defensive in order to compensate for the lack of orbital support.