Retry
03/28/16 09:16 PM
68.103.19.152
|
Groundhog Mk.I
Clan advanced
10 tons
BV: 384
Cost: 324,500 C-bills
Movement: 6/9 (Tracked)
Engine: 60
Internal: 5
Armor: 75 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
Front 1 20
Right 1 15
Left 1 15
Rear 1 10
Turret 1 15
Weapons Loc Heat
Flamer TU 3
Improved Heavy Medium Laser TU 7
----------------------
Groundhog Mk.II
Clan advanced
10 tons
BV: 460
Cost: 639,833 C-bills
Movement: 10/15 (Tracked)
Engine: 100 XL
Internal: 5
Armor: 56 (Ferro-Lamellor)
Internal Armor
Front 1 12
Right 1 12
Left 1 12
Rear 1 8
Turret 1 12
Weapons Loc Heat
Flamer TU 3
Improved Heavy Medium Laser TU 7
--------------------
Hedgehog Mk.I
Clan advanced
10 tons
BV: 195
Cost: 104,500 C-bills
Movement: 6/9 (Tracked)
Engine: 60 ICE
Internal: 4
Armor: 56
Internal Armor
Front 1 16
Right 1 15
Left 1 15
Rear 1 10
Weapons Loc Heat
'Mech Mortar 1 FR 1
Ammo Loc Shots
Airburst Mortar 1 Ammo BD 24
--------------------
Hedgehog Mk.II
Clan advanced
10 tons
BV: 234
Cost: 154,183 C-bills
Movement: 7/11 (Tracked)
Engine: 70 Fuel Cell
Internal: 4
Armor: 56
Internal Armor
Front 1 16
Right 1 15
Left 1 15
Rear 1 10
Weapons Loc Heat
'Mech Mortar 1 FR 1
Micro Pulse Laser FR 1
Ammo Loc Shots
Airburst Mortar 1 Ammo BD 24
------------------------------------------
The Groundhog and Hedgehog are ultra-light vehicles of Crossroads, an alternative history faction.
While most other clan and IS factions vehicle weights were burgeoning, the Crossroadian military was investigating ways to make small cheap, yet effective vehicle designs. The military created a design challenge called the Tankette Program for an ultra-light vehicle no larger than twenty tons. A fifteen ton prototype was considered, but it lost out to Taneli Industry's cheaper ten tonner after determining that the 15 tonner was "too similar to the Mouse ACC to warrant production".
The 10 tonner proved to be surprisingly hardy and powerful, considering that its smaller than almost every conventional combat vehicle ever developed. The Tankette is a very rare vehicle of its class, whose closest equivalent is the Kruger Combat Car. In comparison to the Kruger, the Groundhog Tankette has a slightly inferior speed and inferior range over the Combat Car for roughly equivalent costs and armor. However, the Groundhog has a weapon that can deal about the same amount of damage as the twin ERMLs, a tracked chassis which makes terrain easier to cross, and most importantly a flamer, which lets the Groundhog function well regardless if the threat is battle armor, light vehicles, or unarmored infantry. The flamer allows the Groundhog Mk.I to compete on the export market.
The Mk.I was used heavily by Crossroad's own forces against hostile periphery states, transferring most heavier armor for the Mk.I, in order to cut down operating costs. Initially dismayed at the switch-out, the border patrols quickly learned to appreciate its quirks and utilized the nimble Groundhog (along with infantry and heavier vehicles) to route periphery forces on several fronts.
The success was highly surprising, as previous history and experience with Tankettes showed that they were too fragile and underpowered to provide any serious battlefield role. The change is attributed to modern technology. Regardless, its success ensured that a more advanced variant would be sought after.
The Mk.II Groundhog is a more expensive version incorporating the 100 XL Standard engine, which drastically increases the speed of the Groundhog to hovercraft levels. The weapon load remains the same and the armor is changed to a thinner coat of Ferro-Lamellor, arguably not for the better: The front armor is actually less well protected in the new mark than the old one. The armor choice is optimized to drastically increase the resilience of the Tankette against light weapons like machine-guns, SRMs, and infantry, instead of the heavy weaponry of tanks and mechs. The Mk.II is not on the export market.
Groundhog exports began to die down as the tankette craze subsided and began to be replaced by a derivative of the Scorpion tank. Hungry for money, Taneli Industries pulled a fast one with the Hedgehog. The Hedgehog is a turret-less variant of the Groundhog armed with a Mech Mortar, which as such took only a tiny amount of re-tooling of the assembly lines before commencing mass production. A brilliant marketing campaign advertised the Hedgehog as "the downright cheapest self propelled artillery vehicle you'll ever find, anywhere!", hyping up the mortar and its air burst ammunition as a cheap and easy way to support any military lance. "Twenty Hedgehogs to One Thumper" was the daily slogan.
The Hedgehog was a great commercial success. Units that couldn't afford traditional artillery gobbled up the sleek mortar boat. While noted to lack raw punch (which resulted in some lawsuits for misleading advertising), its mobility and simple, cheap construction kept the Hedgehog plenty and even easier to produce than the Groundhog Tankette. The Mk.II was developed, resulting in a slightly more mobile version of the weapon carrier with a micro pulse laser for self defense. SRM4 and LRM5 variants of both Mk.I and Mk.II were made available to buyers on demand, further increasing the life of the Hedgehog on the export market.
The Groundhog and Hedgehog series of vehicles are notable for being rapidly produced in a short time frame, and being surprisingly effective in both the battlefront and as an economic product.
|