Ground Vehicles of the Worlds 10.24 Omen Landship
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10.24 OMen Landship ‘Ratha’ Figure 10-27 The Ratha Although it is often mistakenly claimed, the controlled by a customized ABM Thinking Rigvedic word rá-tha does not denote a war- Machine computer. Mounted weaponry chariot. However, the Omen Ratha is most consists of one 6-inch/25.5 Mk III gun in a certainly a war vehicle. top-mounted turret, three 37mm guns in The Omen Ratha Landship is an enormous sponsons (two front, one rear), and 12 Maxim craft capable of transporting and supporting guns in six dual mounts along the sides. Early an effective mechanized force. The huge 730- design studies examined using aerolyth to ton craft carries 48 infantry, two 10-pounder improve performance, but the added cost and portable artillery pieces and crew, eight Omen complexity was ruled to be too much. Tankettes, and four Omen Destroyer Tanks. The The vehicle tends to suffer from reliability landship itself mounts a 6-inch heavy gun issues with the tracks, however, the on-board in a turret and several smaller weapons for repair facilities usually allow quick fxes. close defense. In addition to accommodations for the crew, the landship also houses repair 10.24.2 History facilities, automated medical facilities, and The landship was a joint project funded by a command center connected to several Omen Industries and the Mazagon Shipyards communication devices. owned by the Wadia family. The Wadias were motivated by Jerbai Nusserwanji Wadia’s 10.24.1 Design efforts to prepare humanity against future The landship is based on an articulated Hive attack. Omen Industries goals are never frame covered in 264 tons of high-strength clear, but they were probably motivated by Wadia Steel. It is powered by a 5MW 5-stage CEO Dr. Kavevac’s desire to make money. Samplemulti-expansion steam engine attached to a The landship’s production file run got off to 3-speed geared steam transmission. Extensive a rocky start. The Russian Imperial Army automation is used to reduce the crew size. placed an order for a dozen craft in 1897, but Automatic functions and gun targeting are Ground Vehicles of the Worlds Table 42 Typical Ratha Crew fre from the aerolyth fyers above. With a Hull 3 commanding view of the Aburrá Valley, it Engines 11 successfully coordinated the early, successful Engineering 17 stages of the defense. Just as the vehicle was Weapons 15 about to move down the Rio Medellin to Pilots 3 pursue the retreating Hive forces, the Hive’s Payload 12 Macro fyers ([2] p225) appeared, quickly Carried Vehicle Crew 42 destroying the fying battleship Felipe II and Navigation & Computers 4 sending the International Forces into disarray. Infantry 48 As the tide of battle turned, the landship was Offcers 8 unable to stem the tide. The Last Stand on the Admin 2 Hills of the Cadavides was a noble, though Stewards 4 doomed, confrontation. Reconnaissance scouts Medical 5 said that the landship’s Maxim guns were still Total 172 fring hours after the hill’s perimeter was frst palace intrigues and corruption caused the broken – a testament to the tenacity of the fnal payment to disappear, and the completed vehicle and its crew. vehicles were placed in storage at the Surat During the Battle of Panama, two landships factory while legal battles ranged. Luckily, by were ambushed in what became the 1st 1898, the return of the Hive was confrmed Culebra Cut Skirmish. Though the vehicles and the craft were sold (at a discount) to were overrun, they managed to give enough several South American countries and the warning to thwart a spoiling attack by the British colonial authorities. Hive and held a critical pass long enough for After the HMIAS Mazagon was almost lost the International Coalition forces to form their at the Battle of Careiro in April of 1898 ([2] main defensive line. Two landships served in p79), the Omen/Wadia consortium boosted the La Mesa region, one served as the mobile production to help equip the Second Indian HQ and artillery, and other was attached to Expeditionary Force (IEF-B). The actions of forward elements. This second landship was landships and their crews during the Igarapé lost during the push through Pacora. Taquari Skirmish, the Battle of Rio Moju Bend, An order of eight landships has been and the Defense of Santarem are well known. acquired by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, As South America was overrun, the landships with the announced intention of forming an were gradually redeployed north as human expeditionary force to assist in the ongoing forces fell back. Several were purchased by the Second Hive War. USA, who used them to attack sub-Hives in the southeast that were too large for airborne Sweeper Patrols to defeat. During the Defense of Medellin in the 6th IRF, a landship was used as a mobile command center for ground forces. Starting the Battle on theSample Hills of the Cadavides, it was able file to oversee much of the battle, provide fre support with its heavy gun, and direct Hive, Queen, and Country Table 43 Ratha Statistics RATHA MULTIPLE/OMEN/IC £69,708.81 Crew: 124 + 48 Mass: 718484kg Dimensions: 13.4x13.2x31m Armor: 5-93.75mm Ve Track/Wheel: 157cm Suspension: L Macpherson 3-speed steam (Gear Ratios: Engine: 4985kW 73L 2.5MPa 5XC Steam Transmission: 6.2,20.88,49.37) Max Speed: 29.16/7.89 km/hr Range: 350km/350km/12hr Fording: Floats 1.2m freeboard V. Obstacle: 0.76m Trench Span: 12.1m Armor: 13/19 Dmg: 34 To-Hit: +5 Armament: Transverse: Elevation: Ammunition: 1 BL 6-Inch Gun/25.5 MkIII 300° 0 to 15° 40 3 37mm Guns M3 180° 0 to 15° 120 12 Maxim Guns 340° -10 to 40° 12000 Other: Crane, 100 kg capacity, Powered Personnel Ramp, Powered Vehicle Ramp, 15m Tall Aerial Work Platform. 150kg, 258 kg/hr Fouled Water processor, Watertight Hull, Tread Skirts, Shield (1x9.42m 2.3cm thick), Smoke Screen Dispenser, Fire Sprinkler System, Structural Repair Kit, 2 Pack Howitzer, 8 Omen Tankette, 4 Omen Destroyer, Field Shop, Refueling boom (coal), Refueling port, Medical Bay, Autodoc, Commodore’s Flag Bridge, 1 Aldis Lamp, 2 Tube Blinker, 1 Signal Flags (Chappé Telegraph), 1 5km Loudspeaker, 2 12-in Arc Light, 1 24-in Arc Light, 1 Compass, 1 Gyrocompass, 1 Telescope, 1 CRF (2m), 1 Gunnery SW IV, Engine Control, 1 101km Radio, Cargo: 20512kg 24.2m^3 Sample file Ground Vehicles of the Worlds 11. United States 11.1 US Artillery M1889 Figure 11-1 The US Artillery M1889 Built at the Rock Island Arsenal, the US The M1889 was frst deployed as part of the Artillery M1889 is a mobile artillery platform 1st IRF (March 1900) defending Porto Alegrea. for medium range bug-fghting. It has A group of them provided cover for the moderate armor and anti-air capabilities. The retreat from Novo Hamburgo, and were later vehicle has a telegraph switchboard connected stationed in redoubts along the Rio Gravatai to its ABM targeting computer, allowing it to and around the USS China. control other pieces of scientifc artillery or During the Battle of Panama, several served receive targeting data from other vehicles. The with the IRF-9 where they provided artillery main weapon is either a 5-inch siege rife or a support. This proved critical early in the 7-inch howitzer. Battle at La Mesa. During the battle, 387 were The M1889 is considered a solid piece of deployed and 48 were lost, mainly due to mobile artillery and it has done well in the fying lancer swarms, and including one major Second Hive War. Its off-road capabilities are breakout in the IRF-8 that destroyed 20. suffcient to travel over the broken terrain that the Hive leaves in its wake, and it has suffcient armor and defenses to be largely self-suffcientSample in its role. file Hive, Queen, and Country Table 44 US Artillery M1889 Statistics ARTILLERY M1889 UNITED STATES £3,343 Crew: 6 Mass: 23193kg Dimensions: 3.5x4x8.6m Armor: 10mm Co Track/Wheel: 30cm Suspension: M Macpherson Engine: 347kW 13L 2.4MPa 3XC Steam Transmission: Steam Max Speed: 9.82/21.07 km/hr Range: 106km/164km/3hr Fording: 0.5m V. Obstacle: 0.41m Trench Span: 2.72m Armor: 1/1 Dmg: 6 To-Hit: +5 Armament: Transverse: Elevation: Ammunition: 1 5-Inch BL Siege Rife 180° -4 to 35° 40 1 Maxim Gun 360° -5 to 35° 1000 Other: 100kg Crane, Toolbox, 1 Aldis Lamp, 1 500m telegraph wire spool, 1 3-way telegraph switchboard, 1 12-in Arc Light, 1 Coincidence rangefnder (1m base), Cargo: 500kg 3m^3 Sample file Ground Vehicles of the Worlds 11.2 US Train ‘M1896 Patrol Train’ Figure 11-2 The M1896 Patrol Train The M1896 Patrol Train contains a locomotive to scale the craft, the bottom two meters were engine, artillery and infantry. It was developed covered with electrical fencing. In addition to for fghting and patrolling in the vast American its powered ramps, it also had two concealed West. A powerful, self-contained fghting unit, doors along the sides so infantry could egress it was considered to be over-armored, slow to perform a surprise fanking maneuver. and too expensive. It was initially considered a failure and only the prototype was produced. However, after an invasion scare, the army restarted production as a coastal defense vehicle. During the renewed production run, the Second Hive War began and they were immediately pressed into service. Twenty were produced over the next few years by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Pennsylvania.