Imperial class Grav APC - Fire Direction Centre (Marines)

Imperial Marine Grav Fire Direction APC
Imperial Marine Grav Fire Direction APC
Tech Level	TL–15
Mass	12 dTons
Cost	MCr20.87
Mode	Flight (Grav)
Type	Armored Personnel Carrier
Speed	1092kph max, 819kph cruise
Cargo	Personal Equipment
Crew	6
Passengers	0
Armament	RPX-15L Rapid Pulse Fusion Gun, Missile Launcher, 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 Marine Fire Direction Centre vehicle is designed to be externally similar to the standard Imperial class Grav APC (Marines) to enhance its battlefield survivability. For this reason, it retains a fully equipped Grav APC turret, although it does not carry the missile reloads of its APC cousin. This allows the vehicle a robust self-defence capability, and allows it to "service" small, nuisance targets in its own without having to waste a fire-mission. Retention of the missile fire control system also means that the FDC vehicle retains the 300km range laser-designator (although it is usually too valuable to designate its own targets).

Like the Norris class Grav Tank, this vehicle has dispensed with the airlock arrangement and instead has a 35m³ life-support module for its 6 crew. This makes it one of the few vehicles utilising the Imperial class Grav APC family hull that does not use the standard life-support system.

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)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Dave Nilsen. Regency Combat Vehicle Guide (Game Designers Workshop, 1995), 26-27.
• Fifth Frontier War (game), Counter Mix
• Author & Contributor: BackworldTraveller