Mercenary “Hystrix” Armored Missile Vehicle (Grav):

The company Iron Forges originally manufactured a number of different armored hovercraft designs. These include tanks and armored personnel carriers. The main facilities were based on a fringe world which later got caught up in a war. The facilities were savaged during the fighting and in the end a number of engineers were forced to flee from the system.

Several of these engineers ended up starting their own companies, manufacturing designs originally built by Iron Forges. In addition, the designs were widely copied with multiple companies around the Three Galaxies building these vehicles. Interestingly, more of these armored vehicles have been manufactured after the fall of Iron Forges than originally had been produced.

Because these armored vehicles are reasonable affordable, these various armored hover designs are quite popular with large numbers still being manufactured. While not operated by any major military forces with the exception of the Free Worlds Council, these armored vehicles are operated by smaller military forces, mercenary companies, and system defense forces.

While the Tiger tank is not operated in any large numbers in Consortium space due to large numbers of surplus Kramer tanks, there is no equivalent among lighter armored hover designs. Instead the Human Alliance operated mostly wheeled vehicles. A number of self defense forces prefer hover designs and the former Iron Forges designs are generally far cheaper than Phoenix Armory designs.

Hystrix is the scientific name for the porcupine with the design being a missile vehicle based on the Jaguar hover infantry fighting vehicle. Both armored hover designs share a large number of components which vastly reduces logistics. Because the designs use comparatively old technology and even use a number of civilian components, these missile vehicles are surprisingly easy to maintain.

Most of the weapon systems carried on the Jaguar are stripped from the hover missile vehicle. In the place of these weapon system, the Hystrix carries a box launcher with a total of twelve long range missiles as well as a powerful sensor array. Missile vehicles are designed to engage targets at extremely long range, often acting as mobile ground batteries. Usually smart and brilliant missiles are carried. Unlike the Sentry and Boxer designs, the Hystrix is not available in a medium range missile version.

Retained weapon systems from the Jaguar design include a single 6 mm defensive laser and a pair of mini-missile batteries. Power for the defensive laser battery is pulled from the missile vehicle’s fusion plant, providing effectively an unlimited payload. Payload for the mini-missile launchers is reduced however from sixty mini-missiles to forty mini-missiles. Usually smart missiles are carried and are used for missile defense of the armored vehicle.

The Hystrix has slightly less armor than the Jaguar design but is not expected to enter into direct combat unlike the infantry fighting vehicle design. For additional protection, the Hystrix has a forward mounted force field generator. In many cases this force field generator has been replaced by variable force field generators adapted from those mounted on most space fighters designs.

Unloaded, the Hystrix masses around eighteen metric tons and fully loaded the missile vehicle masses thirty-tow metric tons. Can fly at two hundred and fifty kilometers per hour at high altitude but is limited to two hundred kilometer per hour when skimming the surface. As a grav style hover vehicle, the missile vehicle can operate on planets and moons without an atmosphere unlike air cushion type designs.

The fusion plant which powers the missile vehicle is a civilian design. It has been modified in minor ways including power regulation and safety systems. Even so, the reactor is far less expensive than most military reactors although is more massive than most modern military reactors. The fusion plant requires refueling approximately every twelve years.

This missile vehicle uses modified starship rules for its weaponry. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World / Three Galaxies for more details.

Model Type: MGM-12.

Vehicle Type: Armored Missile Vehicle (Grav).

Crew: Three (3), one driver, one commander, one gunner.

Troops: None.

M.D.C. By Location:

	6 mm Pulse Laser Cupola / Mini-Turret (Front):	80.
	[1] Mini-Missile Launchers (2):	100 each.
	[2] Missile Turret:	200.
	[3] Sensor Array:	80
	[4] Main Body:	450.
	[5] Non-Variable Force Field (Protects front 1/3 of the tank only):	200.
	Reinforced Driver Compartment:	125.
	Reinforced Gunner / Commander Compartment	100.

Notes:

[1] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a “called shot,” but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.

[2] The missile turret is unmanned by the crew, and contains the main weapons; Destroying it will knock the weapons out action but the crew will survive.

[3] Loss of sensor array destroys all long range tracking and targeting capabilities.

[4] If all the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the vehicle is completely shut down and is unsalvageable; The crew can survive unharmed in the reinforced crew compartment.

[5] Shields is non variable and only protects the forward aspect of the hover vehicle. Shield regenerates at the rate of 5% (10 M.D.C.) per melee round.

Speed:

Driving on the Ground: 124.3 mph (200 kph) maximum. The vehicle can make sharp turns and float over any obstacle. Note: The maximum top speed can be actually higher than this, but that is under ideal conditions, like straight roads and flat terrain. The low level terrain avoidance systems cannot operate properly at speeds faster than this.

Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum cruise speed is 155.3 mph (250 kph), due to being a low powered Contra-Grav system, altitude is limited to 1640 feet (500 meters.) Contra-Grav system can also control descent speed so that the vehicle can be dropped from orbit.

Underwater: The Hystrix can use its thrusters to travel up to a maximum speed of 37.3 mph (60 kph).

Maximum Ocean Depth: 1 mile (1.6 km).

Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by drive system but only has supplies for crew for two weeks.

Statistical Data:

Length: 27.07 feet (8.25 meters) .

Height: 10.83 feet (3.30 meters).

Width: 11.81 feet (3.60 meters).

Mass/Weight: 19.84 tons (18.0 metric tons) empty and 35.27 (32.0 metric tons) fully loaded.

Power System: Advanced Fusion with 12 year life span.

Cargo: Minimal storage space in pilots compartment; about three feet (0.9 m) in side dimensions for extra clothing, weapons, and personal items. Three carbines and one hand-held missile launcher with four loads each are stored in a compartment in the crew compartment.

Market Cost: 45 million credits. Often costs double that on the Black Market. Various upgrade packages are also available.

Weapon Systems:

Note: Space ranges are given for when the vehicle is used on airless moons and other similar locations.

One (1) Mini-Turret 6 mm Pulse Laser: Basically weapon is a squad support weapon mounted in the turret which is remotely controlled by the vehicle’s commander. Weapon is very effective for shooting down missiles and is useful against ground targets as well. Turret can rotate 360 degrees in less than a second and can elevate up to 90 degrees vertical.

Maximum Effective Range: 4,921.2 feet (1,500 meters) in an atmosphere and 93.21 miles (150 km) in space.

Mega Damage: 4D6+2 per single shot, 1D6x10+20 for a rapid fire three shot burst, or use machine gun burst rules for higher burst setting.

Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the commander (usually 4 or 5). - Single Shot, Three Round Burst, and Extended Bursts (Use Machine Gun burst rules).

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
One (1) Long Range Box Missile Launcher: The Hystrix mounts a long range missile box launcher above the main body of the missile vehicle with a capacity for twelve logged range missiles. Box launcher can rotate 360 degrees and can angle up to forty-five degrees. Even so, the missiles can target against targets ninety degrees above the vehicle. Missile has a top speed of Mach 20 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 8% of light per turn (faster than any starship.) Whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will continue to travel in a straight line unless set to self destruct but has very low odds of hitting star ships (Great for hitting bases and planets because target does not move and missile when dead is at -25% to be detected.) Long range missiles do not have penalties to hit small targets unlike cruise missiles and are all considered smart missiles.

Maximum Effective Range: Long Range Missile range is 3,400 miles (5,470 km) in an atmosphere and 1,800,000 miles (2,897,000 km/9.7 light seconds) in space.

Mega-Damage & Properties: See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details (Fusion warheads inflict 2D4x100 M.D.C. each.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire long range missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), three (3), or four (4) long range missiles.

Payload: Twelve (12) long range missiles total.
Two (2) Mini-Missile Launchers: One of these are mounted on the left and the other on the right side of the vehicle’s body, and are fitted flush with the armor. These are standard mini missile launchers, usually used for close in defense purposes. The reloads are fed to the launchers from a magazine in the main body. Missile has a top speed of Mach 10 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 2% of light per turn (slightly faster than any starship except if it is exceeding it maximum safe acceleration). Mini-Missile in the Phase World / Three Galaxies setting are normally smart missiles.

Maximum Effective Range: Mini Missile range is 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere and 100 miles (161 km) in space.

Mega-Damage: Varies with mini-missile type (See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details .)

Rate of Fire: Can fire mini- missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), five (5), ten (10), or twenty (20) mini-missiles.

Payload: Ten (10) mini-missile per launcher, with one (1) reloads per launcher, for a total of forty (40) mini-missiles.

Sensory Equipment:

Long Range Sensor Array: Combined gravity and radar systems. With Radar: Targeting range of 400,000 miles (643,750 km) against small targets, 800,000 miles (1,287,500 km) against medium targets, and 1,200,000 miles (1,931,200 km) against large targets. With Gravity Sensors: Range of 4 million miles (6.4 million kilometers) against small targets, 8 million miles (12.9 million kilometers) against medium targets, and 12 million miles (19.3 million kilometers) against large targets.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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