FMB 46M Tjván

'''Strojní Zařízení Břetislav, Střední Tank Vz. 46 (Inventory designation: Střední Tank, Vz. 46''').

Great Kesh War
The ST Vz. 46, ST Vz. 46. A and ST Vz. 46. B all saw service in the Great Kesh War with Kodeshia and SiWallqanqa. At the time of its service the vehicle was deemed an extremely competent vehicle and popularising it for decades after. Combat reports from the Great Kesh War showed that the primary armament of the ST Vz. 46. A (Gustav Ocelárny, 90mm Tk Vz. 48 L/55) had significant range and penetration advantages over the 76mm guns which were common amongst the nations of Kesh, and its armour had made the vehicle practically impenetrable to Tiperyn's 3-inch (76mm) rifled cannons from the frontal arc. The stop gap ST Vz. 46 with the 75mm main gun proved to be competent however was slower and most 76mm guns of the time were capable of penetrating the vehicle at average combat ranges, these models were quickly upgraded to model A standard.

The Kesh War also revealed that the early ST Vz. 46 engines were prone to catching fire due to the hotter climate, the ST Vz. 46. A's engine was less likely to do so however there were a few cases of overheating which resulted in a new coolant and engine ventilation. Similarly, after two tanks were destroyed in the Great Kesh War the early hydraulic fluids in the ST Vz. 46 and ST Vz. 46. A were found to be flammable, igniting the interior of the tank due to the hydraulic lines upon shell impact, this was also fixed extremely quickly after the discovery.

The Great Kesh War made the Modrovian tank and tank gun designers and manufacturers become globally respected and recognised for their products. The ST Vz. 46 would be adopted by many nations post war, some still in operation today, and the overall effectiveness of the design would result in Tiperyn and other nations rapidly accelerating their tank research in order to match the new Modrovian design, resulting in the Tiperyn made PsF Mamba.



Veikan Civil War
During the League of Free Nations coalition intervention into the Veikan Civil War, late model ST Vz. 46. D's alongside with HBT Vz. 68's would see combat with the 9th Modrovi Obrněná Divize. At this point in its existence its armour was no longer effective due to advancements in ammunition and the general Artemian standardisation of guns of 100mm or larger, its biggest advantage was its agility and advanced targetting system which would allow it to achieve a 70% chance to hit a tank sized target at 1,500 metres. This model also featured a two plane stabiliser allowing it to fire on the move, however the first production series of the Model D had an unreliable stabiliser due to a minor technical fault which caused the stabiliser to cut out at speeds over 35km/h, the issue was quickly fixed upon discovery of the problem.

The ST Vz. 46's smaller size and lower weight in comparison to the HBT Vz. 68 allowed it to be more mobile and was used to reach regions where the larger HBT Vz. 68 couldn't, with the HBT Vz. 68 being better suited to direct head on encounters in open spaces due to its armour and 120mm gun. Despite the lack of protection, the ST Vz. 46. D's 105mm gun was still capable of knocking out most tanks of the time due to new APFSDS ammunition.

Upgrades
The ST Vz.46 saw a few upgrades due to its long service life around the world. The Modrovian official upgrades for the vehicle were:
 * Strojní Zařízení Břetislav, Střední Tank Vz. 46(1946) - Stopgap production model, still featuring a hull gun, and an older high power 75mm gun. This version featured an older engine which was prone to fires and had low range, it also featured thinner armour in a bid to lower the weight as a means to achieve minimum mobility requirements. This model was released due to delays to the development of key systems in the original vehicle.
 * Strojní Zařízení Břetislav, Střední Tank Vz. 46. A(1948) - The original planned production model, featured the engine which was intended to be added and 90mm gun originally intended to be mounted on the vehicle, it featured 35mm of additonal armour plating to the frontal arc, and an additional 20mm on the side armour plates.
 * Strojní Zařízení Břetislav, Střední Tank Vz. 46. B(1952) - Featured a new engine upgrade as well as the introduction of infrared lamps for night operations. The cupola also received a machine-gun mount due to requests from Modrovian and foreign tank commanders alike.
 * Strojní Zařízení Břetislav, Střední Tank Vz. 46. C(1955) - Featured a new 105mm gun with centre aligned bore evacuator, as well as the addition of 80mm of armour to the frontal arc of the turret, and 40mm of armour to the upper glacis, as well as an additional 10mm to the weakest portions of the tank. Featured an effective single plane vertical stabiliser, also updated the IR lamp to a more effective model, as well as a new smoke dispensers.
 * Strojní Zařízení Břetislav, Střední Tank Vz. 46. D(1966) - Featured the addition of a new fire control system with automatic lead prediction and passive thermal imaging removing the need for IR lamps. Utilised a domestic Modrovian laser range finder which proved to be more effective than those available on the market at the time. Featured a two plane, vertical and horizontal stabiliser. Mounts for ERA and composite add-ons were available.
 * Strojní Zařízení Břetislav, Střední Tank Vz. 46. E(1988) - A private venture by Vyrdakov a.s to mount a new light weight Modrovian designed 120mm gun and completely digitised the fire control system, and fully encased the turret in composite addon armour. Was tested by the Modrovian army however was not deemed a worthwhile acquisition, the upgrade kit was then sold internationally to other ST Vz. 46 operators.

Variants

 * Strojní Zařízení Kalishma, Střední Tank "Střelec" Vz. 65(1965) - A radar guided Self Propelled Anti-Air Gun variant of the ST Vz. 46 mounting two, 35mm autocannons which fired in an alternating manner. It was used into the 1970s before being replaced by the ST Vz. 68 "Střelec" variant.
 * Strojní Zařízení Kalishma, Střední Strojírenské Vozidlo Vz. 50(1950) - An engineering variant of the ST Vz. 46, the turret was removed and a flat super structure replaced it. It featured a dozer blade to clear obstacles and featured crane arms and equipment for vehicle recovery. Some models kept their turret however mounted a 152mm howitzer for heavy demolitions, and some were mounted with bridge-laying equipment.

Current Users

 * Kodeshia - ST Vz. 46 and ST Vz. 46 A's saw service Great Kesh War, later bought ST Vz. 46. D which remain in service.
 * South Veikaia - Lend-leased to the South Veikaians during the Veikan Civil War.
 * SiWallqanqa - Operates ST Vz. 46. D's, saw service in SiWallqanqan Civil War and Quechan Wars.
 * Pukara - Operated ST Vz. 46. C's modified with the ST Vz. 46. D's stabiliser and fire control system (didn't featured passive IR), has now upgraded all vehicles to ST Vz. 46. D standard.
 * Republika Akhalia - Operated ST Vz. 46. B, now operating ST Vz. 46. C's and ST Vz. 46. D's acquired from SiWallqanqa.
 * Kartvelian Tributary State - Operated ST Vz. 46. B, now operating ST Vz. 46. C's and ST Vz. 46. D's acquired from SiWallqanqa.
 * Slivensk Republic - Operates ST Vz. 46. D's and also ST Vz. 46. E's which were a private venture by Vyrdakov a.s which mounted a light weight Modrovian 120mm gun.

Former Users

 * Modrovia - Operated all upgrades from 1946 - 1987 before the tank was retired. Engineering model was kept in service until 2015.
 * Gardarike - Operated ST Vz. 46. C's and later upgraded a limited quantity to model D standard.
 * Veikan Kingdom - Operated limited quantities of ST Vz. 46. A's and ST Vz. 46. C's until the Veikan Civil War
 * Legantus - Operated ST Vz. 46. A's and ST Vz. 46. C's until _____
 * Mero-Curgovina - Operated all variants from 1946 - 1974