Approved Vehicle Project "Kratos" - The Gladius Class Walker Platform

[The Monster]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create an Assault Walker for military use
• Image Source: Gallery
• Canon Link: Espo Walker 101 (style of leg movement/construction)
• Permissions: None
• Primary Source: None

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Freebirds Industries
• Affiliation: Closed-Market
• Model: GDS-1A
• Modularity: Heavy Weapons can be swapped out for other heavy weapons, such as the H-2 for the H-1 cannon (increasing the ammo), or even the disruptor cannon for other vehicle sized weapons
• Production: Minor
• Material: CMAS, Phrik-A frame, Eagle Class Medium Armor, various sensors and electronics, advanced gyroscopes, Omnisiah processors, Advanced Droid Brain, Atin Class Isotope-5A reactor, H-2 Heavy Vehicle Cannon, M10 Heavy Disruptor Cannon, Deimos Rapid Fire Heavy Laser Cannons, FM-001, FM-002, Svalinn Class Shield Generator, Wind Talker Class Communications array, Duraplast-E, polymer and Synthetic Leather seats for pilots (Able to be swapped out for Microfiber), Eagle Eye Fire Control System

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Biped Walker
• Role: Assault Walker
• Size: Very Large - 10 Meters
• Weight: Extremely Heavy
• Armaments: Extreme
  • H-2 140mm Heavy Vehicle Cannon
  • Heavy Class D Vehicle Grade Disruptor Cannon (close to medium range AT weapon)
  • 2 Deimos Rapid Fire Heavy Laser Cannons
• Defenses: Extreme
  • Eagle Class Medium Armor Plating
  • FM-001
  • FM-002
  • Svalinn Class Shield Generator
• Maneuverability Rating: Average
• Speed Rating: Low
• Propulsion: Bipedal Walker
• Minimum Crew: Pilot, Droid Brain (vehicle requires a pilot)
• Optimal Crew: Pilot, Droid Brain, Tactical Commander/Co-Pilot
• Passenger Capacity: None
• Cargo Capacity: None

Spoiler: Balance Sheet

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SPECIAL FEATURES

• Assault Walker that is intended pure and simply to be a walking main battle tank. This walker is meant to search out, engage and destroy enemy walkers, tanks, and lighter vehicles. As a dedicated combat platform it doesn't compromise at all, meaning it has the armor of an AT-AT, but the firepower of something that is an AT-AT's weight class and intended purely for vehicular combat. This allows this vehicle to focus on its intended purpose and not have to multi-task as any other type of platform.
• H-2 140mm Cannon provides massive punch at range with a kinetic based, Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot round meant to murder heavy armor, alongside High Explosive Fin Stabilized Multi-purpose rounds for engaging lesser targets.
• Upgraded M10 Disruptor Cannon has been adapted and upsized to be a heavy vehicle mounted weapon system allowing for the walking tank to engage heavy and light armor at range or up close. This weapon utilizes Class-D disruptor technology allowing it to either vaporize or destroy many if not all heavy types of armor.
• Pair of Deimos laser cannons are able to engage light vehicles, infantry, or medium armor from close to medium range allowing for this walker to engage a most ranges.
• Eagle Eye Fire Control System ties all of the weapon systems together, providing two separate reticules for the different fire control groups. The first reticule being trained off the H-2 cannon being that it can only adjust in the up and down axis due to its extreme recoil requiring it to be limited to that firing arc. The remain weapons are able to adjust 15 degrees from the point of center mass allowing for minute adjustments for range and movement.
• Isotope-5A Reactor provides significant power generation able to power all of the various systems aboard this machine, from the various servos, CMAS, and other locomotion necessary systems, to the shields and main weapons aboard the walker. This Isotope-5A Reactor allows for the vehicle to run all of these systems at optimal capacity allowing for the walker to perform its intended function at peak efficiency and effectiveness.
• Brand new Eagle Class Medium Armor provides new gold standard for armor protection, alongside protective laminates both on the armor and below the armor. This armor gives it a premium survivability, with the Svalinn Shield Generator making it very capable at surviving most encounters.
• Mounted gyroscope and internal droid brain manages most of the lesser tasks of keeping the walker upright, alongside with it being able to take rounds from heavy vehicle mounted weapons and keep upright. Also allows for traversal of rough terrain without too many adjustments from the pilot.
• Wind Talker Class Communications array allows for each individual walker to be able to communicate and relay information. Information on their own personal position and status from rounds remaining, armor, and systems active to targets engaged, target's status and surrounding environmental conditions contributing to the engagement. This allows for the TC/Co-Pilot to be able to coordinate and relay to all nearby units, enabling wolf pack tactics and coordinated assaults at the lance level.
• Svalinn Shield Generator allows for this walker to focus shields to either front or rear, giving this walker flexibility of operating in heavy combat environments, brawls, or heavy frontal assaults. The flexibility offered by this shield generator is second to none.

STRENGTHS

• A Main Battle Tank, in a Walker Chassis: The Gladius was designed for one thing, and one thing only when it comes to combat. It is meant to engage and destroy enemy combatants in the field, pure and simple. It doesn't worry about carrying around troops, or speeders, or other combat roles. It is instead intended to be dropped or deployed into the field, and then cut loose to wipe out enemy armor and walkers, or to level whatever fortifications need to be for an allied assault. This makes the walker a highly focused tool of destruction when deployed for this particular task.
• Firepower and Armor: This walker carries the latest and greatest in weapons technologies and armor technologies to date developed by Freebirds Industries. This makes this walker a monster to face in combat, especially with either even or lesser numbers. The H-2 Cannon gives it the ability to shoot at ridiculous ranges, with the Class-D Disruptor Cannon and Deimos Laser Cannons able to give them the ability to engage at lesser ranges and do so effectively.

WEAKNESSES

• Massive target with gaps in the armor: This walker is covered head to armored foot in primarily Eagle Class Medium Plate Armor. And in order for this armor to allow for movement of the various joints and servos without inhibiting range of motion is to make gaps in this armor. This allows for ground based or even really accurate air based personnel to engage these gaps in the armor to hit the CMAS or joints to either destroy the walker or disable it. On top of that the "cockpit" has a giant massive transparisteel bubble, meaning if you can get the time and proper weapon to take advantage of this you can one shot the entire thing.
• Extremely focused and not very fast: This thing isn't able to flex around and be a jack of all trades type of Walker. If you send it on recon, it'll absolutely level the target instead of gather intel on it. If you try to get it to carry around troopers..... wish them luck that they can either hang on or don't get smashed by whatever random stuff might happen. It's not fast enough to harass, nor is it able to fire on targets indirectly. Which means if you try to get it to do these things, it'll either fail miserably, or be torn to pieces. This is meant to be the center piece or main asset to an assault. Nothing else.

DESCRIPTION
There is an old saying across the stars that many will repeat when thinking of war. And that is, "War never changes,". War in essence has always been about who can bring the most guns, the most manpower, the most materials to any fight to win the day. In essence, war is a numbers game that many play with, and while commanders and some units can shift the balance one way or the other, victory is still determined by who can bring what amount of stuff to the fight fastest. And throughout the years many have put into play their own philosophies on how to achieve this, the Republic during the Clone Wars with their AT-TE and other AT series, the CIS with the AAT and various tank droids, the Empire with the AT-ST and AT-AT with their various offshoots. But one thing has remained similar in all of these designs. Most of the heavy or assault elements of the walkers meant to go into battle are one part assault tank, and one part troop transport. And this compromise has gone on throughout the millennia, with few if any taking notice, and when the design that tries to compete against it arrives, being quickly quashed by the old guard. This staple of military tactics and history would ensure that the heaviest of vehicles would remain not only as heavy assault transports, but also as the "main assault vehicles" of their day.

Until now.

Project "Kratos" has finally identified this problem and fixed it with a simple solution to actually make combined arms more capable and lethal than ever before. And the solution was simple. Make the heavy assault walker, an actual heavy assault walker. Don't try to hold it back with troop transport duties that limit its capabilities as an attack platform. Don't saddle it with various responsibilities that make it an overall less effective vehicle by making it more "flexible". Design the vehicle for an intended purpose and let it perform that duty to the highest levels of excellence. Enter the Gladius. This heavy assault mechanized Walker is the epitome of this research and development program, taking the best and greatest innovations from Freebirds Industries, from their materials and weapons technologies, to fire control, locomotion and power generation technologies to create one of the fiercest weapons ever devised. A true assault walker meant to deploy, engage and destroy any and all foes. It's armor and weapons allow it to rival even the fierce AT-AT or AT-TE in their primes, able to out range, out shoot and out maneuver these older chassis with its superior (relatively) speed, mobility and lack of any dedication to transportation. It is instead designed purely to overwhelm and kill whatever is before this walker.

The movement of this walker is close to resembling that of an AT-AT with the upper chassis performing like an AT-ST in function, as the various servos backed by the CMAS allow it to generate the incredible force needed to allow this machine to lumber along, albeit in a slower more trudging fashion. Where it truly shines however is the design on the upper chassis and the weapons control systems in place alongside this design. Like an AT-ST this upper chassis allows the the walker to rotate its upper chassis (75 degrees left/right) independent of the legs, allowing it to truly fight like a walking tank. This allows for the dual pilots to maneuver and fight in tandem, allowing the pilot controlling movement to keep this walker a moving target, while the other pilot can shoot the weapons at the enemy while maneuvering. The mounts for the weapons give the gunnery system aboard this machine two different shooting systems. The first is slaved to the main cannon, only allowing for adjustments in the vertical axis (+45 degrees/-17 degrees), allowing for the current gunner to engage several different types of targets at long range. The secondary fire control system accounts for the lesser recoil of the weapon systems which allows them to adjust both in the vertical and horizontal axis (+30 degrees/-25 degrees vertical, 20 degrees left/right) allowing more accurate fires at medium and close ranges. This makes it able for the gunner to simply slew the upper chassis on target, place one of the reticules on the target, and simply pull the trigger, allowing the computer to make all of the adjustments for them. As a final survivability measure, if either of the pilots is knocked out, they can transfer control of the other pilot's station to themselves, allowing them to either run, or continuing to fight in place. And while the vehicle is lighter than an AT-AT (from sheer amount of size reduction) it still moves like one, being lumbering, slow and otherwise not very fast.

With the space savings gain from not having a troop bay, this walker is able to move around on two legs, utilizing advanced gyroscopes, a droid brain and CMAS backed by servos to reach a respectable speed to allow it to lumber across the battlefield. For weapon systems this walker carries on board a 140mm H-2 Heavy Vehicle Cannon capable of firing APFSDS rounds or HEAT-MP to engage and destroy a variety of targets at long to medium ranges. For medium ranges it has an upgraded and significantly beefed up M10 Class-D Heavy Disruptor Cannon with a pair of Deimos Laser Cannons to back it up. This thing is a beast on the field, meant to savagely tear into enemy armored formations or (gods help them) fortifications with its Eagle Eye targeting systems giving it almost surgical precision when firing. These new walkers work best in teams allowing their two man crews to coordinate with their fellow walkers giving them the best tactical information sharing and BluFor tracking this side of the galaxy.

In short, if you feel the ground shake a little as your sitting there at your guard post, and see a lance of four of these coming at your position, run. And do not stop running. Because war has changed. With these machines of war on the battlefield nothing will ever be the same.

Welcome to the future of Mechanized Warfare.

 

[The Monster]

John Locke or Shuklaar Kyrdol I do believe this sub is ready for review! Thank you much!

 

[Gir Quee]

The Monster , I'll be your judge for this submission.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the image used for this submission is a mech from battletech, and this appears to be a roughly humanoid vehicle that can be operated by a single person. In your opinion, what keeps this submission from crossing our no mecha line? For ease of reference, here are the criteria we apply for this issue (it can also be found in the vehicle section of the Factory Rules).

M10 Heavy Disruptor Cannon

On a more minor note, this appears to be a limited production component, while this submission is minor produced. This means that this component will need to be removed or replaced with a different item or alternatively, this submission's production reduced to "limited".

 

[The Monster]

Gir Quee Okay! First thing's first, missed that, so I'll be renaming it to a generic Class-D Heavy Vehicle Disruptor Cannon, would it be amenable if I had this based on the technologies and build of the sub in question so as to give origins until I build a replacement (if I build a replacement)?

Secondly, I would love to address this issue and present my thoughts as to why I feel this wouldn't be considered Mecha (as per the guidelines). I would hope that you don't mind if I list these out for you.

• First and foremost, I would want to point out its movement compared to what most people consider Mecha. Mecha (as per the ruling) state this vehicle would move in a smooth, fluid fashion similar to organic beings. This however doesn't maintain that movement style, instead moving in a slow, almost lumbering motion similar to the AT-AT where as the only reason it would move a little fast than the AT-AT is that it is only moving two legs (which does make it a less stable platform) and it is carrying less overall weight as this is a purely fighting platform rather than an assault/transport hybrid.
• Another key point is the "arms" of this walker, or well "arm". The H-2 140mm HVC has such recoil on it that it can actually only adjust in the vertical for ranging shots correctly (being mounted on a single axis turret ring), while the Disruptor Cannon and Laser Cannons are able to more or less adjust themselves to engage the target. This only, and I would like to emphasize, only allows for this vehicle to engage targets the front of the walker are facing. This would be quite similar to the Canon AT-ST for example, the only difference being that instead of the main weapon being center mounted, the two primary weapons are side mounted, with the lesser recoil weapon being able to adjust in the vertical or horizontal planes to allow for increased accuracy from either the pilot or more effectively the Co-Pilot. So there is no chance of this vehicle just facing forward and then having its weapons turn 90+ degrees away from the front to do a "drive by shooting". In order to do that, you would have to twist the entire upper chassis in that direction, which makes things much much more difficult for the pilot, especially if he's trying to do this alone.
• Finally for the pilot issue. So the reasoning I stated that technically a single pilot could operate this is because that this thing has an absolute massive amount of stuff to manage, outside of driving it. That includes the shields, weapons, round types for the cannon, communications and coordination with other vehicles in the Area of Operations. This is an absolute mountain of information and the Droid brain is already dedicated to streamlining and automating it as much as possible for the crew to make operation of this machine with only two pilots. Combine that with the upper chassis' ability to twist 75 degrees left or right of centerline with the legs, and this vehicles fights more akin to a tank on legs than a proper mech. And while it is possible to operate all of the controls at once, because of all of the stuff you must manage, this makes this a huge detriment for the pilot in question, and is why I wouldn't recommend doing so (and if I see someone abusing will report myself). This is only intended to allow for pilots who have lost their counterpart in the cockpit to be able to either a) continue fighting in place while waiting for reinforcements or b) pilot the vehicle away from the combat zone for refit and rearmament to make this vehicle once again combat viable. I would say the only feasible way for a pilot to be able to keep this walker able to effectively shoot and move is by only moving the walker and shooting whatever is directly in front of them, without trying to twist the upper chassis to engage either left or right of them.

If you would help me to add this wording in, or have suggestions as to what I could add specifically, I would love to make that happen to allow for there to be no and I mean absolutely no other way to interpret this vehicle as something less than a heavy assault walker intended for heavy front line combat.

Thank you for the review and at least giving me a chance to make this submission possible!

 

[Gir Quee]

The Monster , it's perfectly acceptable to use generic weapons if they exist in Star Wars. I'm not sure if I'm aware of any vehicle-grade disruptors though. The closest canon equivalent that I can of would be a heavy particle cannon. Of course, you can always make your weapon and submit it to the Factory, either now if you'd prefer or later on (and then do a submission modification to include the new weapon).

The way you've described the submission to me sounds like a borderline mecha to me, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here. In the future though, I'd steer anyway from anything that is both roughly human shaped and piloted by a single person. What I would ask though is to put something explicit in the submission about the movement patterns as you've described to me (that it's more like an AT-ST or the restrictions on certain range of motions). If it's explicitly described as more axial movements, with a limited range of motion, and not terribly fast at these movements (like a tank), this will be ready for approval.

 

[The Monster]

Gir Quee Okay so for the first one, I simply put in a generic weapon type with the specifics that I need for it to fit the sub. I'll sub one later and either tie it in as a swappable weapon modification or something.

Aaaaaaand for the second part.

The movement of this walker is close to resembling that of an AT-AT with the upper chassis performing like an AT-ST in function, as the various servos backed by the CMAS allow it to generate the incredible force needed to allow this machine to lumber along, albeit in a slower more trudging fashion. Where it truly shines however is the design on the upper chassis and the weapons control systems in place alongside this design. Like an AT-ST this upper chassis allows the the walker to rotate its upper chassis (75 degrees left/right) independent of the legs, allowing it to truly fight like a walking tank. This allows for the dual pilots to maneuver and fight in tandem, allowing the pilot controlling movement to keep this walker a moving target, while the other pilot can shoot the weapons at the enemy while maneuvering. The mounts for the weapons give the gunnery system aboard this machine two different shooting systems. The first is slaved to the main cannon, only allowing for adjustments in the vertical axis (+45 degrees/-17 degrees), allowing for the current gunner to engage several different types of targets at long range. The secondary fire control system accounts for the lesser recoil of the weapon systems which allows them to adjust both in the vertical and horizontal axis (+30 degrees/-25 degrees vertical, 20 degrees left/right) allowing more accurate fires at medium and close ranges. This makes it able for the gunner to simply slew the upper chassis on target, place one of the reticules on the target, and simply pull the trigger, allowing the computer to make all of the adjustments for them. As a final survivability measure, if either of the pilots is knocked out, they can transfer control of the other pilot's station to themselves, allowing them to either run, or continuing to fight in place. And while the vehicle is lighter than an AT-AT (from sheer amount of size reduction) it still moves like one, being lumbering, slow and otherwise not very fast.

I added this section to hopefully clear up any potential issues that you raised. If this verbage is not acceptable I look forward to hearing what you would think would make it better so we can all be happy.

Once again thank you for the review!

 

[Gir Quee]

The Monster , that is a perfect addition to this submission, and I will likely reference it to future posters who have similar situations with their vehicles.

Thanks for being so pleasant to work with.

Approved!