Post by Insano-Man on Sept 24, 2018 10:00:00 GMT -5
EXPERIMENTAL WARFARE
The BTTV-406 was the first hovertank to enter service in the Timosi Central Military's ground forces, but all would not be well for the pioneer in multirole armored combat. Its early design phase was plagued by mismanagement prior to the Timosi War of 2185 A.F. and many believe this to have been a result of Garrant Commonwealth External Intelligence agents attempting to sabotage or delay the project. Scant funding left prototypes far and few between and, by the time it was showcased as "completed" to senior Timosi tank commanders in its first field demonstration, there had been fewer than 400 total hours of concept work and experiments on a project that had been estimated to necessitate at least 900 hours.
Nevertheless, the spry 406 would enter service just weeks after the first hostilities of 2185 in limited numbers. Its deployment was indicative of its status; leading Timosi officers had been skeptical of the feasibility of hovertanks in the Central Military's ground forces even after the Verinen had demonstrated the power and versatility a fast-moving armored fighting vehicle could attain many years before. The BTTV-406 would leave its mark in history as the smudge left by their prodding at hovering combat vehicles, and its experimental nature was to be a constant frustration for the crews manning it.
Field maintenance of the light hovertank proved difficult even in orbital maintenance facilities that would ordinarily have even the heaviest of the Timosi urban warfare tanks repaired in hours, if not minutes. The engine arrays and power supply - practically jury-rigged compared to their far more advanced Verinen counterparts - required almost complete removal and disassembly to restore to fighting condition. The complex turret motors and dynamic front and rear plate carriers made vital field repairs impossible during the stress of combat, a far cry from the robust and practically self-repairing tracked vehicles used for most operations. Crew unfamiliarity and rushed training schedules further tarnished the BTTV-406's reputation as the war continued forward and many who were assigned to it soon grew to hate it.
Where the ill-fated hovertank shined, however, it was radiant. Its incredible speed compared to conventional tracked vehicles, quick response times in all conditions, and enormous flight ceiling made it one of the most solid reconnaissance and light raiding vehicles in the Central Military's arsenal. Skilled and experienced crews in 406 vehicles repeatedly demonstrated the value of such a maneuverable vehicle even against the imposing main battle tanks of the Timosi Republic's foes; the Shervick heavy tank of the Federal Guard and the Sportsman medium tank of the Garran MIAV.
To their opposition, however, the BTTV-406 was little more than a rumor to most. The rarity of these hovertanks led to their nickname - and only nickname - of the "Drankenettle Tourist". It was first sighted in 2185 A.F. at the outskirts of Drankenettle, a mining settlement on the planet Dohrsruhe. The name is often attributed to Corporal Stanley Endracht of the Garrant Commonwealth's Rangers, hailing from 6th Battalion of the 89th Avrick Rangers. The day following the sighting of the vehicle, Endracht joked that the tank "must have been sight-seeing". The name caught on quickly as the brief combat around Drankenettle and Dohrsruhe concluded and the rangers guarding the town dispersed among other frontline units.
"Tourist" would prove to be an apt name for the longevity of the BTTV-406. Two years into the war, a quicker turnover rate than any other armored fighting vehicle in Timosi service, it was retired from general combat and production fully halted. The odd Drankenettle hovertank would still be found once in a lifetime on some far-removed Timosi colonies, but the unfortunate vehicle was never to see live fire again. The lessons learned from the BTTV-406 would eventually go on to be used in the BTTV-501, but the failure of its predecessor - and the Timosi Republic in the war it had debuted in - had damned hovertanks in the eyes of the Central Military's generals and hovertanks would be relegated exclusively to the infrequent skirmishes around asteroid mining facilities.
The BTTV-406 was the first hovertank to enter service in the Timosi Central Military's ground forces, but all would not be well for the pioneer in multirole armored combat. Its early design phase was plagued by mismanagement prior to the Timosi War of 2185 A.F. and many believe this to have been a result of Garrant Commonwealth External Intelligence agents attempting to sabotage or delay the project. Scant funding left prototypes far and few between and, by the time it was showcased as "completed" to senior Timosi tank commanders in its first field demonstration, there had been fewer than 400 total hours of concept work and experiments on a project that had been estimated to necessitate at least 900 hours.
Nevertheless, the spry 406 would enter service just weeks after the first hostilities of 2185 in limited numbers. Its deployment was indicative of its status; leading Timosi officers had been skeptical of the feasibility of hovertanks in the Central Military's ground forces even after the Verinen had demonstrated the power and versatility a fast-moving armored fighting vehicle could attain many years before. The BTTV-406 would leave its mark in history as the smudge left by their prodding at hovering combat vehicles, and its experimental nature was to be a constant frustration for the crews manning it.
Field maintenance of the light hovertank proved difficult even in orbital maintenance facilities that would ordinarily have even the heaviest of the Timosi urban warfare tanks repaired in hours, if not minutes. The engine arrays and power supply - practically jury-rigged compared to their far more advanced Verinen counterparts - required almost complete removal and disassembly to restore to fighting condition. The complex turret motors and dynamic front and rear plate carriers made vital field repairs impossible during the stress of combat, a far cry from the robust and practically self-repairing tracked vehicles used for most operations. Crew unfamiliarity and rushed training schedules further tarnished the BTTV-406's reputation as the war continued forward and many who were assigned to it soon grew to hate it.
Where the ill-fated hovertank shined, however, it was radiant. Its incredible speed compared to conventional tracked vehicles, quick response times in all conditions, and enormous flight ceiling made it one of the most solid reconnaissance and light raiding vehicles in the Central Military's arsenal. Skilled and experienced crews in 406 vehicles repeatedly demonstrated the value of such a maneuverable vehicle even against the imposing main battle tanks of the Timosi Republic's foes; the Shervick heavy tank of the Federal Guard and the Sportsman medium tank of the Garran MIAV.
To their opposition, however, the BTTV-406 was little more than a rumor to most. The rarity of these hovertanks led to their nickname - and only nickname - of the "Drankenettle Tourist". It was first sighted in 2185 A.F. at the outskirts of Drankenettle, a mining settlement on the planet Dohrsruhe. The name is often attributed to Corporal Stanley Endracht of the Garrant Commonwealth's Rangers, hailing from 6th Battalion of the 89th Avrick Rangers. The day following the sighting of the vehicle, Endracht joked that the tank "must have been sight-seeing". The name caught on quickly as the brief combat around Drankenettle and Dohrsruhe concluded and the rangers guarding the town dispersed among other frontline units.
"Tourist" would prove to be an apt name for the longevity of the BTTV-406. Two years into the war, a quicker turnover rate than any other armored fighting vehicle in Timosi service, it was retired from general combat and production fully halted. The odd Drankenettle hovertank would still be found once in a lifetime on some far-removed Timosi colonies, but the unfortunate vehicle was never to see live fire again. The lessons learned from the BTTV-406 would eventually go on to be used in the BTTV-501, but the failure of its predecessor - and the Timosi Republic in the war it had debuted in - had damned hovertanks in the eyes of the Central Military's generals and hovertanks would be relegated exclusively to the infrequent skirmishes around asteroid mining facilities.
