Siege tank

Template:Unitbox The Siege Tank is a Terran vehicle that can be configured to fulfill both the armored support and the long-range artillery support roles.

Overview

The dual-mode Siege Tank concept was a response to the Guild Wars and the Goliath. Prior to the war, work had progressed on a static "final defense" cannon. However the war demonstrated the need for mobility and as a result an effort was made to make the cannon more mobile. The solution was creative. An existing tank design was modified so that it could operate as a conventional tank in addition to being able to deploy the cannon and become a static artillery emplacement at will.

Siege tanks function in two modes. First is the "tank" or "assault mode" whereas the vehicle maybe used in the familiar armored support role using relative light weapons. The second is the more radical "siege mode" whereas the vehicle becomes a static emplacement able to deploy a much more powerful and longer ranged weapon.

Types

AAV-5 Arclite

File:Arclite.jpg

The AAV-5 Arclite Siege Tank

The AAV-5 was in service by the late 2490's, renowned throughout the Confederacy for its heavy firepower and stalwart emplacement/advance tactics. It had a crew of three: gunner, driver, and commander/navigator, though could still be crewed by a single operator In addition, the Arclite version could serve as an APC of sorts, carrying personel into a hot zone and deploying them via side/rear hatches.

The Arclite made navigation easy via its interior viewscreen, although a top hatch still existed should a crewmember wish to survey the area personally and/or signal fellow soldiers. The tank also provided a targetting computer, which not only keyed in on heat sources, but also identified their range, notably whether they were in range or not.

Arclite armament consisted of twin 80mm PPG-7 plasma cannons when mobile and the 120mm Shock Cannon when in siege mode. Later on this was upgraded to the 120mm Mjolnir Artillery Cannon, which fired plasma shells in contrast to the standard explosives of the Shock Cannon..

Experience found the AAV-5's protection and "assault mode" armament to be inadequate. This inhibited its ability to advance and establish a "siege mode" fire base. Furthermore, once in "siege mode" it became difficult to repel a close-assault by any enemy forces taking advantage of the "deadzone" formed by its artillery cannon. As such, it has been replaced by the Crucio variant (see below).

Crucio

File:Crucio.jpg

Schematics of the Crucio Siege Tank

The Crucio was designed to correct the perceived deficiencies of the AAV-5 and entered Dominion service as the AAV-5's replacement following the Brood War. The new turret layout features an upgraded assault-mode armament package so that the Crucio can fend for itself more successfully in an open battlefield. Force deployment costs for the Crucio have increased over the older Arclite, but the increased versatility of the powerful new siege tank more than compensates for the additional expense. The Crucio features twin 90mm cannons and has retained the 120mm Shock Cannon.

Game Unit

StarCraft

The Siege Tank in StarCraft I

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Siege Tank in Siege Mode.

In tank mode the Siege Tank is decent against "Large" ground units. Arguably, it's still not as efficient as a group of Marines, especially if a force is being moved by Dropship (which can carry 2 tanks or 8 marines).

With siege mode the Siege Tank comes into its own. Very long range and high damage make it eminently useful for defense (supporting bunkers) or offense (using two groups of tanks to leapfrog forward). The temporary loss of mobility is a small matter. The Shock Cannon has longer range than the tank's own sight range, so using another unit as a spotter gets the most out of siege mode.

The Shock Cannon causes splash damage to all units and has a minimum range. Therefore tanks in siege mode need other units to guard it (perhaps even other tanks in siege mode), although these guards might take damage from the shock cannon as well as the enemy. The guards can also screen for the tanks as they withdraw. Transforming between modes takes time, during which the tank is unable to move or attack.

Some players prefer to "wall-in" their Siege Tanks, by erecting buildings to surround the tank, thereby preventing the enemy from getting closer than the minimum range of the shock cannon.

Abilities

• Siege Tech
  • Cost: 150 150 Template:Tergas
  • Researched at: Machine Shop
  • Allows Siege Tank to deploy into Siege Mode.

Upgrades

• Vehicle Weapons
• Vehicle Plating

Quotations

See: StarCraft I Siege Tank Quotations

The Siege Tank has many stereotypical, military quotes. The driver of the tank is seen as a large man in body armor who speaks in army lingo. Several of his quotes are obviously taken from the classic Vietnam War films Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now.

StarCraft: Ghost

File:SC Ghost Siege Tank Plasma Rounds.jpg

Plasma rounds being fired (SC:Ghost)

In StarCraft: Ghost, Nova was able to call down artillery support from Siege Tanks by identifying targets. The Shock Cannon fired blue plasma rounds in campaign, but green in multiplayer. Siege Tanks were player drivable in multiplayer, and were able to run over and crush other players and vehicles.

StarCraft II

File:SC2 Siege Tank.jpg

StarCraft II Siege Tank (tank mode)

File:SiegeTankSC2 1.jpg

StarCraft II (siege mode)

The Siege Tank continues to function as it did in previous games with the dual tank and artillery modes. Although it was previously speculated that the Siege tank cannot attack while moving, the Starcraft 2 website listed that the Siege Tank had 2 weapon systems just like in the previous game. It can fire two 90mm cannons in assault mode and 120mm Shock Cannon as a siege weaponry.

The Siege Tank in StarCraft II represents the Crucio type.

Known Siege Tank Commanders and Crewmen

• Edmund Duke (formerly an officer of the Terran Confederacy)
• General Martin (mercenary leader)
• Sergeant Forest Keel
• Private Armstrong

Trivia

• The Mjolnir cannon is a reference to the hammer of the Norse god of thunder, Thor.

• Crucio is a Latin word which means "to torture."

External Links/References

Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft/Brood War v • e

Infantry SCV Marine Firebat Medic (BW) Ghost Ground vehicles Vulture Goliath Siege tank Air units Wraith Dropship Valkyrie (BW) Science vessel Battlecruiser Basic buildings Command center ComSat station Nuclear silo Supply depot Engineering bay Barracks Refinery Missile turret Academy Bunker Advanced buildings Factory Machine shop Armory Starport Control tower Science facility Physics lab Covert ops Other Nuclear missile Spider mine Scrapped units Cargo ship Merc biker Mercenary gunship Raider Spysat Scrapped buildings Cantina Dry docks Power station Repair bay Star base

Terran Units and Weapons of StarCraft: Ghost v • e

Units and Buildings Infantry PC Light infantry Marine Firebat Ghost Other Engineer/Scientist SCV Land Vehicles PC Stinger Vulture Siege tank Other Goliath Air Units PC Grizzly Other Assault dropship Battlecruiser Mini science vessel Science vessel Security camera Seeker droid Valkyrie Experimental Spectre Buildings Bunker Missile turret Mobile factory Weapons and Equipment Guns AGR-14 rifle BOSUN FN92 rifle C-14 rifle Flak pistol Gauss rifle Submachine gun Torrent SR-8 shotgun Grenades BE3 grenade EMP grenade Flash grenade Hellfire grenade Irradiate grenade Lockdown grenades Mines Spider mines Firefly mines Mantis mines Other E-11 lockdown device Napalm rocket Perdition flamethrower Psyblade Tactical nuke launcher Constructable Automated chain gun Decloaking device Gun turret

Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft II v • e

Versus Units and Structures Infantry SCV Marine Reaper Marauder Ghost Terrestrial Vehicles MULE Hellion Hellbat (HotS) Siege tank Cyclone (LotV) Thor Widow mine (HotS) Aerospace Vessels Viking Medivac dropship Banshee Raven Battlecruiser Liberator (LotV) Spawned Units MULE Drop pod Nuclear missile Basic Buildings Command center Refinery Supply depot Barracks Engineering bay Automated Defenses Auto-turret Missile turret Point defense drone Repair drone Support Buildings Orbital command Planetary fortress Sensor tower Bunker Add-ons Tech lab Reactor Advanced Buildings Ghost academy Factory Armory Starport Fusion core Campaign and Co-op Missions Units and Structures Mercenaries Devil Dogs Hammer Securities Siege Breakers Spartan Company War Pigs Hel's Angels Dusk Wings Jackson's Revenge Dominion Elite Guard Sons of Korhal Prometheus Company Death Head Aegis Guard Field Response Theta Outback Hunter Bulwark Company Shock Division Blackhammer Sky Fury Squadron Night Wolves Winged Nightmare Pride of Augustgrad Valor of Vardona Infantry Firebat HERC Medic Rebel Spectre Trooper Terrestrial Vehicles Armored personnel carrier Diamondback Goliath Militarized transport Predator Sensor drone Vulture Warhound Aerospace Vessels Asteria wraith Assault galleon Hercules dropship Science vessel Harvester Special ops dropship Sonar drone Sovereign battlecruiser Strike fighter Tac fighter Theia raven Valkyrie Wraith Spawned units A.R.E.S. Bio-mechanical repair drone Advanced Buildings Dominion starport HERC compound Merc compound Shadow ops Add-ons Tech reactor Support Buildings Laser drill Hive mind emulator Psi disrupter Nuclear silo Strike fighter platform Automated defenses Devastation turret Gun turret Flame turret Perdition turret Sentry gun Shrike turret Spider mine Cerberus mine Canceled Terran Units and Structures of StarCraft II v • e Scrapped Removed Units Anti-air walker Block B Bulwark D-8 charges Guardian Gundam HERC Hercules tank Incinerator Laser drill tank Mine drone Missile launcher Nomad Pillager Predator Prison infantry guard Quantradyne APOD-33 dropship Red Adder Scout Shredder Super crane Targeting drone Valkyrie Zeus battle tank Zeus lander Removed Buildings Drop pod facility Listening post Munitions depot Radar tower Star base