Stolen UNSC Technical Documents
Posted By: Neile Pederson<pederson@msoe.edu>
Date: 14 January 2003, 1:55 pm
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Technical Documents
UNSC Ground Assault Forces
Series 17-843-9G, Packet 12B M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle Length: 402.908 cm
Width: 274.955 cm
Height: 239.078 cm
Weight: 2349.302 kg | Prim. Use: rapid troop transport and support
Top Speed: 105 km/h
Nickname: Warthog
Crew: 1+1 (plus one gunner in rear) |
The Warthog is classified as a Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV), weighing in at 2349 kilograms. The majority of the Warthog is constructed of a super-alloy of titanium, carbon fibre and steel-alloy supports, an alloy discover late in the 22nd century. The four fully independent control arm assemblies are constructed of an experimental honeycomb structure of densely packed carbons with crush properties resembling those of diamond. Attached to the ends of each of the arms are heavy-duty electric motors with an output nearing 1500 standard horsepower and 1660 Nm each. This gives the Warthog incredible acceleration capabilities for its size but requires an electronically limited top speed nearing 105 kph in an effort to resist blown coils. Many field units have been known to remove the governors from their Warthogs, although this is not a recommended practice. It has been recorded that some of these vehicles have achieved 225 kph before destroying the coils in the motors. Coupled with the compact fusion core encased in the center of the vehicle, the Warthog can operate for an almost indefinite period of time, with cooling duties of the motors and core being performed by the massive heat vent and exchanger arrays. But the primary function of the M12 is a troop transport, and with this role comes the necessity for the capability to accept a wide range of offensive weaponry. The standard equipped weapon is a M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun (LAAG), but the UNSC has been know to mount quadruple M19B Warhammer rocket launchers or dual M76 Rapid Assault Weapons (RAW), the larger version of the M73 Squad Support Weapon. The LRV rides on tires 104.775 centimeters in diameter, rendering amazing ground clearance, but raising the height of the Warthog to a point where it becomes unstable and prone to rolling in hard cornering. All in all, the M12 LRV is one of the most competent and widely used vehicles in the entire UNSC, so much so that every M704C Pelican dropship carries one attached to the bottom of the engine array.
Several changes are slated for the next generation of LRVs, including a new tire design, after several reports that the current pattern does fails to offer enough traction for the power output of the engines, a new winch with several upgrades, including remote operation capabilities and increase pulling power. Another change is the deletion of the projection head-up display, since it has been observed that the current model obscures visibility and is difficult to read in bright environments. The HUD will be replaced by a holographic topographical map display to indicate planetary position and a more centrally located LED velocity display. Also, many of the suspension components have been redesigned in an effort to reduce the instances of rollovers and increasing the comfort level for occupants by reducing ride harshness, allowing occupants to remain effective for longer periods of time. Technical Documents
UNSC Ground Assault Forces
Series 17-844-10F, Packet 15A M808B Main Battle Tank Length: 654.725 cm
Width: 584.279 cm
Height: 502.063 cm
Weight: 67038.378 kg | Prim. Use: main battle tank
Top Speed: 85 km/h
Nickname: Scorpion
Crew: 2 (1 SPARTAN-class cyborg) |
The M808B MBT was design solely to fill the void between the M12 LRV and the MF561 Longsword Interceptor / Bomber. Through the loss of many soldiers at the beginning of the Interstellar War it was learned that the modified LRVs had a tough time gaining a foothold in combat situations involving Covenant Wraith mortar tanks. The elected officials preceding the martial government of the UNSC had deemed the tank an inefficient brute, an implement of war that was no longer required. Following this ruling, all tanks were dismantled and the factories producing them were closed. Since that time, the UNSC has seen the renewal of the necessity of tanks and had ordered the immediate design and reinstatement of the monstrous destroyers. Several designs were submitted from leading military design firms and the winning concept, produced by CynDyne, was put into production within the same month. Over 5000 units were ordered for the first round, with a contract for 25,000 more if the first batch proved to be combat effective.
The M808B features a main cannon that is 2.34 meters long and fires 90mm High-Velocity shells. The barrel is rifled for increased accuracy over long distances, utilizing a 0.635 turn per meter rifle pattern. The barrel requires a liquid nitrogen cooling jacket to eliminate the massive heat produced by the firing of the main cannon, but even this only reduces the cooling time to about 4.15 seconds. The supplementary weapon is a 7.62mm coaxial machine cannon, which fires 7.62x90mm armor-piercing tracer rounds. While this gun is hardly strong enough to be used as a mainstay weapon, it does allow suppressive fire while waiting for the main gun to cool. Due to the size of the turret and main cannon, the M808B suffers from a large dead zone (area inside which it is extremely hazardous to fire the main cannon due to muzzle flash and proximity to ground). The tread pods are large enough to allow one occupants per pod, which will virtually eliminate this dead zone. However, it should be noted that because the treads are exposed and there is no cover for outside occupants, pod-riding should not be performed unless the additional firepower is required and the benefits greatly outweigh the risks.
The armor on the Scorpion is made of the same alloy used in the M12 LRV, but the Scorpion uses four layers of the alloy. 5 millimeters of dead air space is utilized between each layer of armor plate in an effort to reduce the effectiveness of anti-tank rockets and projectiles. However, a well placed grenade or rocket is more than capable of killing the operator of the M808B. The fusion core and heavy-duty electric motors (each producing 2340 horsepower and 3180 Nm) allow the Scorpion to climb grades as step as 45 %. After this angle, the weight of the weapon storage locker and fusion core pull the tank back down the slope.
Due to its proven competence in battle, the M808B will remain relatively unchanged for the next generation.
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