M1 Sherman II

The first Human designed Corsair Mech to make it to full-scale production. It was designed to have significantly more armor and larger weapons than the TH-30 Corsair. The design team named it in honor of the M4 Sherman tank from Earth's World War II.   The design process started when reports from Human mercenaries serving on the frontlines of The Great Wychmyr-Kharst War made it back to Earth. Troops that were fortunate enough to be deployed in the TH-30 had plenty of positives to say about it in general. However, when they began facing the Corsairs designed by the Kharst company Corgak complaints began to mount. Corgak made their mechs heavily armored and with weaponry that was begining to make the TH-30 almost obsolete. They needed something with more punch and staying power. It was found that the contempory main battle tanks that accompanied the mercenaries from Earth were more than enough to deal with the Corgak mechs, however, they were of no use in fleet engagements. Corsairs can fight equally well with or without gravity or atmosphere, but tanks are bound to traditional terrestrial combat.   The challenge posed to the design team was to meet those demands while also not loosing out on the maneuverability that the troops loved about the TH-30. While some loss of mobility was bound to happen, it was was great effort that the M1 was unveiled. It had to make many compromises in its design, but was able to bear the weight a similar 120mm Cannon that was mounted on the Abrams tank. The TH-30 could not handle the weight of the Cannon, enough ammunition to be useful, and the autoloading mechanism that had to be added as Corsairs are only crewed by a single person.   Over the years of its production, it went through several upgrades to keep it as relevent as possible. By the end of 1994, it was deemed that it was no longer economically beneficial or technologically practical to continue manufacturing. The mechs proliferated about Earth and anywhere Humans found themselves in the galaxy after the end of The GWKW even decades after it was no longer manufactured. Unfortunately, from a commerical standpoint, the Sherman II is a sturdy design that requires only a minimum of training to keep running properly. The parts are also relatively easy to reproduce if you are on a planet with even a very weak industrial base. Aftermarket parts and upgrades are common.   They were a common sight on the battlefields of The Earth Unification Wars, often in the hands of guerilla forces resisting the nascent United Earth Government.