Cobra (Combat Vehicle)

Cobra Transport VTOL
Production information
Manufacturer	Aldis Industries
Mission	Transport
Type	Light
Cost	1,282,000
Technical specifications
Mass	30
Armor	FiberTech Light
Engine	Hermes 100 Fusion
Speed	129 km/h
Crew	2
Communications System	Datacom 100
Armament	1x Medium Laser 2x Anti-Missile System
BV (1.0)	257
BV (2.0)	367

Description

The Cobra Transport VTOL was introduced by the Star League Defense Force in 2582 to assist the SLDF during the Reunification War and has seen constant action since that conflict. During the Succession Wars, the Cobra fell out of production, but Word of Blake restarted the manufacturing line following their liberation of Terra in 3058.

The Cobra is a rear-echelon combat vehicle that was designed for support missions. It carries a scant three tons of armor, though it can maintain speeds up to 129 km/h. It also mounts two McArthur Anti-Missile Systems that were specifically installed to shoot down man-portable missiles. As befits its status as a transport, the Cobra's Cargo Bay has a capacity for ten tons of equipment or personnel, and is extensively equipped with tie-down and hook-up points for cooling, filtration and power systems for handling any cargo. The cargo bay can even be sealed, allowing the Cobra to transport liquids. Because of this flexibility, the VTOL still sees extensive use in peacetime; one of the tasks commonly associated with the Cobra is as a fire-fighting vehicle, the cargo bay filled with water which is then dumped onto forest fires.

The Cobra was initially deployed with the Striker-pattern regiments and proved successful enough that it became a standard transport vehicle for the entire SLDF. During the Amaris Civil War many Cobras became mobile bases for resistance fighters within the Terran Hegemony. ComStar inherited the Cobra along with many other Star League designs, although it wouldn't be put back into general production until the Word of Blake conquest of Terra, and it provided the basis for the Anhur transport vehicle developed by the Clans.

Armament

The Cobra VTOL mounts only one offensive weapon, an Omnicron 950 Medium Laser. The laser is not truly meant to be used, however, as the Cobra is not supposed to be that close to combat.

Variants

• Command Cobra - This variant reduces the Infantry Bay to three tons and mounts seven tons of communications equipment. This allowed a commander to control his forces while on the move. BV (2.0) = 367

• MASH Cobra - This version is used to evacuate injured soldiers. The infantry bay has been converted to provide room for the wounded, and it carries a ton of paramedic equipment. The MASH name is something of a misnomer as those surgical suites cannot be used while the VTOL is in motion, but this Cobra would deliver the injured to a MASH facility. BV (2.0) = 367

• Original specification - The first version of the Cobra to enter service lacked the two Anti-Missile Systems and was instead equipped with a fourteen ton cargo bay. Following losses to man-portable missile launchers in the Reunification War Aldis chose to reduce the cargo bay capacity of the original version to allow for Anti-Missile Systems to be embodied. The tactics commonly used by pilots to allow the AMS to engage incoming missiles added unanticipated levels of stress to the airframe, prompting Aldis to further redesign the Cobra, switching to a reinforced airframe in future production runs.

Bibliography

• Combat Operations
• Technical Readout: 3026, Revised Edition
• Technical Readout: 3075
• Record Sheets: 3075
• Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged