Imperial class Grav APC - Fire Direction Centre
| Imperial Grav Fire Direction APC | |
|---|---|
 Imperial Grav Fire Direction APC | |
| Tech Level | TL–15 |
| Mass | 12 dTons |
| Cost | MCr20.08 |
| Mode | Flight (Grav) |
| Type | Armored Personnel Carrier |
| Speed | 1166kph max, 875kph cruise |
| Cargo | Personal Equipment |
| Crew | 6 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Armament | VRF Gauss Gun, Decoy Launchers |
Description (Specifications)
These vehicles are part of the Imperial class Grav APC family.
Fire Direction Centres coordinate the fire of several indirect fire systems (Tube Artillery, Rocket Artillery and Meson Guns) at a single target, convert correction requests from Forward Observers into precise elevation, traverse, propellant, and trajectory commands - and calculate the effects of a wide variety of factors on artillery accuracy (e.g. Atmospherics, elevation of firer and target, etc.). While Fire Direction Centres are not required to conduct indirect fire, they increase the effectiveness of that fire dramatically.
TL–15 FDCs have an effective range of about 80km. Beyond this range, the effectiveness of the FDC declines dramatically. note this is not related to the range of the artillery weapons themselves but to the distance from the FDC where that fire impacts its target.
The Imperial class Grav APC - Fire Direction Centre as used by the Imperial Army is based on the [Imperial class Grav APC - Fire Support]] but with the missiles removed and the turret reduced to a laser range finder and a VRF Gauss Gun. This streamlining makes this vehicle the fastest vehicle in the whole family.
The light armament is supplied for self-defence only, as the army feels comfortable that it will ahve sufficient support forces available that teh vehicle will not require to attack targets itself in order to save scarce fire-missions. The keys to this vehicle's success is its ability to move the footprint of the unit's Artillery about the battlefield at great speed. Unlike the Imperial Marines, the Imperial Army expected the limit on indirect fire to be the availability of FDC vehicles not the availability of fire-missions.
History & Background (Dossier)
This design was developed as the Imperial Marines equivalent of the Imperial Army's Imperial class Grav APC in the Imperial class Grav APC family.
Those Imperial Marines facing the Zhodani Consulate and Sword Worlds Confederation in the Spinward Marches Sector had fully upgraded to be using these systems in time for the Fifth Frontier War.
References & Contributors (Sources)
- Dave Nilsen. Regency Combat Vehicle Guide (Game Designers Workshop, 1995), 26-27.
- Fifth Frontier War (game), Counter Mix
- Author & Contributor: BackworldTraveller