Normandy Armored
Personnel Carrier
The Normandy hover APC is
one of the newer vehicles deployed by the Colonial Marines. The Normandy is designed for
extreme combat insertion, theoretically able to drop a platoon of infantry or a
squad of power armor directly into combat zones. While it is technically a
ground hover vehicle, it can be dropped from low orbit, go through re-entry,
land, and then proceed with troop deployment and combat. This makes it a sort
of hybrid of APC and Huey.
Once its troops
have been deployed, the Normandy’s
roll on the battlefield is far from over. Despite its size, it is fast and
heavily armed and, once its troops are no longer at risk, the Normandy doubles as a high-speed attack
hover craft. It utilizes a larger-caliber version of the infamous “Boom Gun” as an anti-armor cannon, and has a top-mounted turret with a
20mm rail gun and a short-range missile launcher.
Currently, the
Arkhon do not realize the capabilities of the Normandy. They definitely do not realize
that the vehicle is capable of orbital drops, and believe it must be delivered
via the Liberty-Class Carriers’ Carrier Landing Modules or Titan Heavy Lift
Vehicles. They also do not know that it is a fully-capable combat vehicle
designed to do more than just deliver payload and leave. One of the first
operations of the war will revolve around the Protectorate organizing a
liberation strike force to push the Arkhon’s off the
occupied worlds in the border zone. The operation will revolve around the
orbital deployment of a massive number of Normandy APCs
right on top of the occupying forces. The Protectorate has modified six Archer
escort carriers to carry the force into battle until local space is secured and
Titan HLVs can be brought in safely. Those carriers
will probably have that role throughout the war, and may see their numbers
expand.
Model: HAPC-01 Normandy
Class: Orbital Drop Armored Personnel Carrier
Crew: 3; commander, pilot, and gunner. The Normandy can carry 20 soldiers in body
armor, or 10 Duelist power armors.
M.D.C by Location
Gun turret – 100
Main engines (2)
– 250 each
Boom Gun – 200
Rear hatch – 150
Side hatch – 100
Reinforced
pilot’s compartment – 350
*Main body – 800
*Depleting
the M.D.C. of the main body leaves the APC a useless wreck, sending it crashing
to the ground.
Speed
Flying speed: The Normandy has a top speed
of 200 m.p.h.
Maximum altitude: 6,000
feet. Standard hovering clearance is four to 20 feet.
Note: Although the Normandy
APCs can be dropped from low orbit and has large
“cushioning thrusters” to arrest its descent, it cannot re-attain orbit under
its own power.
Statistical Data
Height: 14 feet
Length: 55 feet
Width: 26 feet
Weight: 10 tons
Cargo: 5,000 lbs.
Power plant: One 0.25 oz. Anti-Matter Lozenge Reaction Drive
Range: 10,000 miles
Cost: Not available for
purchase
Weapon Systems
1. Heavy Electromagnetic Rail Cannon
(a.k.a. Boom Gun II): This is essentially a scaled-up version of the
original Boom Gun. It fires a slightly larger-caliber shell filled with 300 flechettes down a much longer barrel, giving it extended
range. This is the Normandy’s
main weapon and is operated by the commander. The weapon uses sound dampening
technology, reducing the characteristic “boom” to a sound more tolerable by nearby
infantry.
Purpose:
Anti-Armor
Mega-Damage:
4D6x10 M.D. per round.
Effective Range: 4 miles
Rate
of fire: four times per melee round.
Payload:
100 rounds.
2. 20mm Electromagnetic “Minigun”: This turret-mounted rail gun fires bursts of
tungsten slugs and is used to mow down infantry and lay down suppressing fire
during troop insertion and retrieval. The turret is capable of 360 degrees of
rotation and 60 degrees of elevation.
Purpose:
Anti-personnel
Mega-Damage:
1D4x10 M.D. per 20-round burst. Only fires in bursts.
Effective
range: 6,000 feet.
Rate
of fire: Equal to hand to hand attacks of the gunner.
Payload:
10,000 rounds, or 500 bursts.
3. Short-range Missiles: The Normandy has four
short-range missiles attached to the same turret that mounts the 20mm minigun. These are used mainly as an anti-aircraft and
anti-missile defensive system. Standard loadout is plasma missiles or armor
piercing, though any short-range missiles can be used. There are usually two
crates of reloads in the APC itself. Reloading takes two minutes by two
crewmembers with weapon systems training.
Purpose:
Defense
Mega-Damage:
2D6x10 M.D.
Effective Range: 3 miles
Rate
of fire: Individually, or in volleys of 2 or 4.
Payload:
Four on launcher, plus eight more stored in the APC, for a total of 12.
4. Sensors: The Normandy has standard vehicle combat
sensors, plus ties into the Colonial Marine combat network.
5. Bonuses: The Normandy’s heat shielding not only protects
it from re-entry, but makes the entire vehicle heat resistant as well. It takes
half damage from mega-damage fire and plasma.
