Hovertank/Launcher

Hovertank/Launcher

Tank Turret

The hovertank/launcher 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 turret, 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 labor-intensive and significantly costly on Elerium to produce. 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.

Due to its diminished damage rating, the hovertank's blaster rounds cannot be used to penetrate UFO outer hulls. In fact, most UFO inner walls cannot be penetrated by a tank's blaster either — although certain wall types exhibit special vulnerabilities. See Destroying Terrain for more details.

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

Closer to home, Hovertank/Launchers make excellent base sentinels that can be used to quickly vanquish any intruders with impunity — before they've had a chance to stray beyond the Hangars. Because all tanks are fully armed during Base Defense missions even when you have run out of ammunition, you may therefore freely use the ammunition as you see fit and recover any that are left over.

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 already have access to high-tech armor and alien weapons, making the hovertank less competitive with well-equipped soldiers.

This weapons system is used in UFO: Enemy Unknown. In Terror from the Deep, the Displacer/PWT is the equivalent.

Vital Statistics

Cost:	Manufacture only. $900,000
Manufacturing Requirements:	1400 Engineer hours, 25 Elerium-115 and 8 Alien Alloys
Research Requirements:	New Fighter Craft, Fusion Ball Launcher

Hover Tank Specs
Time Units	100
Health	90
Energy	100
Bravery	110
Reactions	30
Firing Accuracy	60
Throwing Accuracy	0
Strength	60
Psionic Strength	100
Psionic Skill	0
Armour
Front	130
Left/Right	130
Rear	130
Under	100

Fusion Turret Specifications
Ammunition
Type	HWP Fusion Bomb
Damage	140 High Explosive
Rounds	8
Manufacture Price	$15,000
Manufacture Requirements	400 Engineer hours, 5 Elerium-115, 8 Alien Alloys
Sale Price	$31,500
Firing Modes	Accuracy	Cost
Aimed	100%(n/a)	66%(66)
Snap	n/a	n/a
Auto	n/a	n/a
Numbers in parenthesis are the actual values after modified by the chassis' abilities. Actual costs are in fixed Time Units

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. Third, if you have constructed you base properly, you more or less know where the aliens are going to spawn and can massacre them before you can even see them.
• Unlike a man-portable Blaster Launcher, the tank's blaster is incapable of penetrating the outer hull of an alien craft.
• We're not kidding about the HWP blaster shells being expensive to produce. The elerium and man-hour requirement for a full load of shells mean that you should only rely on them when you have no other choice, or when you have a massive surplus of resources.
• The hovertank, like all flying units, can avoid physical attacks like the Chryssalid's or Reaper's by staying above ground level.
• Due to its thick side armour and resistance to explosives, the hovertank/launcher has little to fear from its own weapon. As long as the tank is at least 2 squares away from the centre of the explosion, it will not be damaged.

See Also

Hover Tank Stats