Thumper (Combat Vehicle)
Sarna News
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| Thumper Artillery Vehicle | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Brooks Incorporated |
| Mission | Fire Support |
| Type | Wheeled |
| Cost | 2,063,750 C-bills |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 60 |
| Armor | Durallex Heavy |
| Engine | Strand 220 Fusion |
| Speed | 64 km/h |
| Crew | 3 |
| Armament | |
| BV (2.0) | 797[1] |
Description
The TAV-1[2] Thumper was created by Brooks Incorporated as a cheap knockoff of the SLDF's Thor Artillery Vehicle. The vehicle was mass produced and and sold to the Successor States from 2735 to 3046. Sales of the vehicle fell off in the years following the Fourth Succession War.
The vehicle was put into production again and refitted for modern combat during the Jihad. During this chaotic time, Brooks Inc. used the advantage of defense spending increases to begin selling its vehicle to the Word of Blake. It is suspected that Brooks conspired with the the fanatical Blakists to ensure that newly revised equipment and sales would go to them. Brook Inc attempted to sell the vehicle to other powers, including Periphery realms, however had failed in their endeavours.
The current version of the vehicle is noted for its mobility, crew comfort, and electronic defenses. By the time of the Dark Age, it has become the most common mobile artillery platform used in that era.[3]
Armament
The vehicle's primary weaponry is the Edward Industries Thumper Artillery Piece with two tons of ammunition. For close-in defense, the vehicle is armed with two Hellion c-II ER Small Lasers mounted in the turret. It also mounts a pair of Voelkers Machine Guns in the front and the back to protect from infantry. The Machine Guns share a ton of ammunition, which is stored in the main body with the artillery ammunition in a CASE protected compartment. The vehicle is also protected by a Guardian ECM Suite.
Variants
- ICE - The original version of the vehicle produced at the end of the Star League until after the Succession Wars utilized an ICE power plant and slightly more armor. The vehicle was not equipped with turreted lasers, ECM, or CASE. It is equipped with four machine guns, mounted in pairs on each side of the vehicle. The vehicle been given 1 ton of ammunition for the Machine Guns. BV (2.0) = 568[4]
- TAV-2 - Second variant produced during the Jihad, the simply swaps the Guardian ECM for a Beagle Active Probe. BV (2.0) = 682[5]
References
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3075 p. 59 - Thumper's BV
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged p. 26 - Model designation listed for 3075 Thumper.
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3075, pp. 58-59 - Thumper main article.
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged p. 25 - Original Thumper Artillery Vehicle.
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged p. 27 - Thumper TAV-2 variant.