Hovertank/Launcher

General Information

The launcher hovertank leverages off Firestorm technology and vehicle-mounted blaster weapons to provide a small, airborne weapons platform of unsurpassed mobility.

The hovertank is superior in both armor and agility to the standard tracked chassis, while mounting a blaster launcher in the turret. In addition to its ability to hover, it can move over 50% faster than tracked tanks. The hovertank chassis's armor is stronger than the standard tank's, and more uniformly distributed. In fact, there is only one weak point on the chassis-- its underside-- and even this weak spot is more resilient than the main armor of the standard tank.

The blaster provides powerful fire support that is absolutely immune to psionic attack, and carries 8 shots-- much more than a trooper can normally carry. In addition, the automatic ammunition feed on the launcher precludes awkward reloading operations. However, the weapon has its drawbacks.

A standard blaster launcher, ammunition and a feed system are too large to fit on the diminutive HWP chassis, so specialized, smaller shells have to be used. These miniaturized blasters are significantly less powerful-- 140 vs 200 for a standard blaster-- while at the same time more expensive and labor-intensive to produce. Unlike a man-portable Blaster Launcher, the tank's blaster is incapable of penetrating the outer hull of an alien craft. Standard blaster rounds cannot be used, and the commander must ensure that he has a full load-out of ammunition on hand, otherwise the tank will not deploy.

In spite of these factors, the hovertank/launcher sees wide use, if not quite as widespread as the hovertank/plasma. To commanders without psionic research capability, the weapon can be a godsend.

Like all tanks, its larger size precludes it from moving into confined spaces. However, the blaster's guidance system allows it to direct fire to areas otherwise inaccessible to HWP's.

The research requirements of the tank mean that, by the time the hovertank becomes available, commanders will typically have access to high-tech armor and alien weapons, making the hovertank less competitive with well-equipped soldiers.

Vital Statistics

Cost:	Manufacture only. $900,000
Manufacturing Requirements:	1400 Engineer hours, 25 Elerium-115 and 8 Alien Alloys
Research Requirements:	Fusion Ball, Fusion Ball Launcher, New Fighter Craft
Time Units:	100
Health:	90
Weapon/damage type:	High Explosive
Weapon Power:	140
Ammunition Capacity:	8 HWP Fusion Bombs
Ammunition Cost:	Manufacture only. $15,000
Ammunition Manufacturing Requirement:	400 Engineer hours, 5 Elerium-115 and 8 Alien Alloys per unit
Snap Shot Time:	not available
Snap Shot Accuracy:	-
Aimed Shot Time:	66
Aimed Shot Accuracy:	-
Front Armor:	130
Left/Right Armour:	130
Rear Armor:	130
Under Armor:	100

Notes

• The hovertank/launcher is a good unit for base defense. First of all, any tank present on a base defense mission gets a free load of ammunition. Secondly, its combination of high firepower and psionic immunity are a huge boost to garrison-quality troops.