Cypher Decretum
Sources: Image | Custom Text
Intent: To create a vehicle designed for marching fire, to transport vehicles and large amounts of manpower. The turtle of AT-AT's
Development Thread: Here *15 Posts Allocated for this Tech
Manufacturer: OS with FFE PDS, Alloy and Shield Components.
Model: HAT-AT Heavy All Terrain Assault Transport
Affiliation: OS Standard Use and FFE Special Order Only
Modularity: Outer Armor Layer.
Production: Limited, Closed Market
Material: Duravlex | Neutronium Inserts | Anti Corr coating to prevent Corrosion
Role: Marching Fire Transport Platform
Height: 70 M
Length: 100 M
Width: 40 M
Weight: 1,000 Tons
Minimum Crew: 6
Optimal Crew: 14
Propulsion: Hexapod (Six Legs)
Top Speed: 50 KM
Armaments: 35 x OS-PDS (360 Degrees Cover) | Small Arms Fire
Squadron Count: 1
Passenger Capacity: 512 Men. 1 OS Battalion.
Cargo Capacity: 250 Tons, usually vehicles and ammunition.
Misc. Equipment: OS-FPHS | Backup Deflector Shield (Bridge | Generators | Rear) | ECM Defensive Measures Only | Sonic Dampeners
Description:
Heavy Walkers are the backbone of many Sith or Imperial Armies. Designed as a turtle, this is the latest, and one of the heaviest designs to date. 1,000 tons of metal, its armor is exceptionally thick, using high grade durasteel called duravlex and braced with neutronium inserts over critical systems and at load bearing areas. Slow, ponderous and very heavy, using six legs for stability over rough ground, four could carry it but at reduced capacity and speed. There is little inside its innards except cargo, bodies and more armor to provide protection, or structural supports, with FFE's usual Anti Corr coating to prevent corrosion. It isn't very roomy on board, with most of the passengers strapped in to safety harnesses and protective chairs.
The HAT-AT are one of the biggest armored walkers out there, and one of the toughest for its size. Often a backbone of the OS forces when its on the field, the transport provides a platform for slow marching fire advance to guarantee troops get to their destination, and a solid amount of covering fire to act as a temporary bunker. The weight is such that special joints have been fitted, to retract the legs and assist over softer or more difficult terrain. This allows the HAT-AT to pull its leg up rather than just sink and become bogged down, operating on rugged terrain more easily than the weight suggests, because it can adjust a limbs height, extending or retracting it. All this slows it down however, even further when in these more difficult conditions.
Noticeable in this design is the removal of the neck area, which removes an obvious target point for incoming fire, putting the bridge inside the unit's heavy armor, central like a turtle, the generator is the same way, thick armor surrounding it on all sides. It lacks any significant weapons aside from its PDS system for short range defense, and firing hatches for its many passengers to shoot from.
On Board Tech and Manpower:
The use of the OS-FPHS, which was specifically designed to fit the walker, gives it ion resistance in its shield, while the four ion buffers supporting the shields struts are still operational, when they are down it operates as a heavier version of the gungan shield. The drawback of the shield technology is if something moves very slow, at a walking pace it can enter unhindered. Things such as an explosive, man, or vehicle will enter at a steady, human walking pace, but bounce if moving faster. The upside is the shield works vs energy and matter, allowing it out but not in. Additional weaker deflector shields are set around the central bridge and generator facing surfaces as a fallback.
The use of a standard an ECM system, in a purely defensive capacity, referred to onboard as a ECWCS electronic warfare counter suite, and its technical operators, means the vehicle is resistant but not impervius to electronic warfare attacks. The ECWCS however offers nothing to hide the massive machine, because that would be near impossible to do so given its size.
The OS-PDS aboard (Point Defense System), run by the Charybdis AI, also specifically designed to fit this vehicle, allows many small point defense particle cannons to operate in unison, to react to incoming missile, starfighter, infantry, torpedo or shell threats. The PDS system weapons are not usually effective against medium armor or bigger unless grouped together to sheet fire, which the AI does naturally. They are supported by their own generators and as the PDS was built for the HAT-AT, a power conduit built into the hull in this case. The PDS is also able to beam fire in a continuous stream, making starfighters and especially bombers exceptionally vulnerable to counter.
The men aboard can shoot from small hatches with smaller arms, and brace themselves to make difficult targets. When cut open from the outside, these hatches also make for a small tunneled way into the otherwise very thick vehicle. Each hatch giving access or exit to one individual at a time such as a force user cutting in, the entrance tunnel set in a Z shape with two doors. Other than that, the rear of the walker acts as a landing ramp to come down, for smaller vehicles to disembark, coming with its own deflector shield! Setting itself up in this way you have a very hard target and forward bunker holes to shoot from.
AI Note
The use of the Charybdis AI on the OS-PDS system means that the heavy particle cannons mounted across the surface of the vehicle, operate with supervision rather than usually direct targeting, freeing gunners up for other tasks such as range finding or damage control. The AI has been designed to learn as it goes about its opponent, but each turret that is taken out, will lose the specific targeting data it gained, leaving only general impressions in its simulated subconscious, or nearby turrets which might have been assisting with the same target. The AI has been fed tactical information on rogue squadron already, using living Sith Aces from Gladiator Squadron to design counter tactics.
Water Submersion
Finally the unit has a water tight finish when undamaged, spreading pressure across its body, to allow for lake or shallow sea channel based submersion, depending on the pressure of the world. At average earth pressure this would be no problem, heavier than that they'd lose their ability to go into shallow sea channels, heavier than that they'd need to avoid lakes or bodies of water entirely. Few if any circumstances would allow deeper ocean crossing ever to be possible, the gravity would need to be very light. Speed is reduced to half or less underwater, and its weapons will fire from underwater but at a greatly reduced capacity to track anything, this includes its point defense weapons, making it vulnerable to regular torpedoes or weapons designed for naval application.
Typical OS HAT-AT crew inside each vehicle.
Captain
Pilot, Co Pilot
3x Technical Crew: ECM, Radar and Communication Specialists.
3x PDS Operators
5x Damage Control Specialists
Passengers
Strengths
+ Very Thick Armor, Hard to Bring Down.
+ Heavy Shielding, Ion Buffer technology in the shield.
+ Independent AI assisted Point Defense vs Small Targets.
+ Lakes and Shallow Channel Crossings Possible, but more vulnerable underwater.
+ 6 Legs, requires 4 minimum, allowing it to lose a limb or two at most.
+ ECM and electronic warfare resistant.
Weaknesses
- No large gun or weaponry.
- Slow and Heavy to move.
- Can't Target its Main Gun Below Itself.
- PDS Guns are weak by themselves and can be picked off.
- Slowed further by difficult or soft terrain
- Easy to Spot, Big Target and hard to miss
- You can walk right through its shield for boarding, but try to run, jump or drive at anything but a crawl into its legs for example and you'll bounce.
Existing Cannon Techs, Showing other heavy vehicles.
Bahamut Class
HAVW A10 Juggernaut
*Any Armor Finishes will link this sub clearly to show what its for, so factory judges know.
Notes, Dev Thread Breakdown for Transparency
15 posts for the Eros Large
15 posts for the HAT-AT Walker
10 posts for the OS-FPHS
10 posts for the OS-PDS
