Hovertank/Plasma
General Information
The plasma hovertank leverages off Firestorm technology and vehicle-mounted plasma 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 powerful plasma cannon in the turret. In addition to its ability to hover, it can move over 50% faster. 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 elerium power source allows the cannon to fire indefinitely without power depletion. The weapon has its weaknesses, however. Primarily it lacks auto-fire capability, and furthermore the aimed-shot mode requires too much aiming time for too little accuracy. Finally, The weapon's unlimited firing capability comes at the cost of shot power. The plasma bolt is slightly weaker than man-portable Heavy Plasma, making it incapable of destroying the internal bulkheads of alien craft (110 damage vs. 115 for a heavy plasma shot).
Like all tanks, its larger size precludes it from moving into confined spaces. However, its plasma weapon and generous ammunition supply allow it to blast open pathways when required.
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. However, its benefits still compel most commanders to bring along at least one on each mission.
Vital Statistics
| Cost: | Manufacture only. $850,000 |
| Manufacturing Requirements: | 1200 Engineer hours, 30 Elerium-115 and 5 Alien Alloys |
| Research Requirements: | Plasma Cannon, New Fighter Craft |
| Time Units: | 100 |
| Health: | 90 |
| Weapon/damage type: | Plasma |
| Weapon Power: | 110 |
| Ammunition Capacity: | 255 |
| Ammunition Cost: | Free |
| Snap Shot Time: | 30 |
| Snap Shot Accuracy: | 51% |
| Aimed Shot Time: | 60 |
| Aimed Shot Accuracy: | 60% |
| Front Armor: | 130 |
| Left/Right Armour: | 130 |
| Rear Armor: | 130 |
| Under Armor: | 100 |
Notes
- The plasma beam on the Hovertank/Plasma is not any more powerful than the laser on the tank/laser.