Design: NAF-AFW-51 "Hippo" Hexapod (it's a tank walker)
The Armored Fighting Walker Hippo is practically what we've learned from the Paradigm applied to an improved version of the Thatcher.
It utilizes 6 legs and all-encompassing light armor. It's a bit bigger than the Thatcher, allowing for a more comfortable crewing experience (because we all know that's the ultimate goal in military engineering) and more ammo storage. Two mounts designed for weapons similar to the Wickers (though empty for now) are put into place - a coaxial mount in the armor next to the main cannon, and a pintle cupola on top of the main turret. A basic hydraulic system allows for powered control of the turret.
The legs are largely the focus of the AFW, and are aimed to be very much more refined over the prototype Paradigm. They're given thin armor and in addition to just generally being improved to operate faster, are given additional mechanical complexity to the point where the AFW-52 should be able to actually properly move in directions in fashions more similar to >2-legged animals compared to the more awkward "baby crawling" thing it does now.
Hard Difficulty: 5The
NAF-AFW-51 "Hippo" Hexapod is an "official" tank walker. Whereas the Paradigm was more-or-less an attempt at getting a working pair of legs down with a cannon as an afterthought, the Hippo is an actual piece of mobile armor designed to support infantry, designed from scratch to be a walker rather than relying on the Thatcher's frame.
Most notable is the increased number of legs, going from four to six. This increases the complexity and cost, but affords the walker a few distinct advantages. First and foremost is a more stable walk-cycle, similar to the manner in which a six-legged ant walks. Three legs - the middle on one side and the first and third on the other - lift up and shift forward. The remaining legs will similarly shift backwards at the same time. The first three legs then come back down and the opposing three lift, repeating the cycle all over again. This pattern allows the tank to move forward in a straight line rather than the zig-zag crawling pattern of the Paradigm, though getting all the legs to work in conjunction was a rather complex task. Though the tank can turn in place and run in reverse, there are some aspects of walking that we simply haven't gotten down yet. The walker can't turn and walk at the same time (though it can switch between them quickly), and on uneven ground all six legs may not touch down. Regardless, the tank is notably faster than the Paradigm, and able to out-pace fully equipped soldiers on foot.
Secondly is that a single leg being taken out doesn't represent a death-sentence for the tank; the tank can survive having up to two of its legs being disabled before being rendered inert. Unfortunately, having a leg taken out will disrupt the standard walk cycle and the driver must operate each leg manually to move. This will greatly diminish the Hippo's speed and is a problem since the legs are protected by Thin armor as opposed to the rest of the tanks Light armor.
The Light armor on the Hippo fully envelops the body and turret, protecting it from anything less than a rifle shot at point-blank range. A port is integrated into the turret for a Wickers-style machinegun, though it is left empty and patched over for the moment. A second machinegun can be mounted on the commanders cupola, but is likewise left empty. The turret encloses around one of our 2" Ironcaster Field Guns and is equipped with a hydraulic control system. The internal space is comfortably sized, allowing crews to store a large ammo supply for extended operations. Walker crews note that the Hippo is more pleasant to operate than our old Thatcher tank, but request that a tea-brewing station be installed in later models. 7 Ore, 3 Oil
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Topic: Arms Race: Iron Behemoths - Nogrania - GAME OVER (Read 52910 times)