User:Impurest Cheese/A183 Hovercraft


 * The A183 Hovercraft or Alligator is one of Thorne Field and Exploration’s largest vehicles and is used for moving supplies across unstable terrain and water. Those that were sold to planets supporting the URF (Post 2553-Impurest Cheese) were modified into floating gun platforms.

Overview

 * Originally designed to move over the surface of planets that had been glassed by the Covenant, Thorne Field and Exploration Systems created the A183 Hovercraft to aid in the re-colonization of such worlds. As orders flooded in several A138s were sold to worlds such as Wilder, Ferrus II and Eridanus which had governments sympathetic to the URF. Upon arrival the A138s were taken into workshops and modified to a single design produced by the newly elected leader Cornel Jon Sanders. By Operation BALISTA the A138 was ready for combat although only a few were fielded in the Siege of Dimont.


 * The newly upgraded A138s nicknamed the Alligator by UNSC personnel were used mainly as heavy transport easily out weighing the more numerous Ongar APC that it served alongside. Despite being classified as a transport the A138 was also a successful tank destroyer and began to phase out the older Death Adder Missile Launcher. It was in later battles when the A138 was on the water when it showed its true colors outflanking UNSC troops and destroying several aging M520 Carrier Ships in a Terror attack on Paciffica.

Engine and Movement

 * The A138 is equipped with a hybrid diesel/hydrogen fuel engine that generates power to the twin impellers on the rear of the craft generating thrust to move the craft. At the same time the fans, which are also powered by the engine, force air below the craft allowing the vehicle to hover above a surface. When on water the A138 uses the diesel engine due to the URF’s fear of waste water interfering with the fans. Despite this fear, field testing by Thorne Field and Exploration Systems found no evidence for this when designing the craft. On land the Hydrogen Engine took over and could move the Alligator over sand, snow and even rock with relative ease. The only fault in the system was that a rip in the air cushion neutralized the vehicle something that the UNSC learnt when fighting these vehicles. To neutralize this threat the URF put metal skirts over the cushion to protect the vehicle from small arms fire and the environment.

Armament

 * Shortly after purchase several weapons were placed on the A138 to test the effectiveness of the combination. Variants equipped with missile launchers, flamethrowers and even rams had been created but the main line version featured a cannon, twin machine guns and mine launchers. The main weapon of the Alligator was the URF 88mm Canon that acted as a heavy deck gun and anti tank and ship weapon. This gun could also be detached and in some variants had been replaced with the 122mm gun found on the T-1200 Main Battle Tank although the carrying capacity was reduced.


 * In addition to the heavy gun the A138 was armed with a pair of 0.50 calibre machine guns that were recessed into the front of the craft. Primary for point defence from infantry and aircraft. They were used in particular against ODSTs were a problem to the Alligator as they often fearlessly boarded the hovercraft. The final weapon of the A138 was the Magnetic Armor Penetrating Ship Mine or MAP mine which was released from the rear of the craft into water. On land this system was often replaced with the Ant Lion Land Mine.

Bridge

 * The Bridge of the A138 was located at the front of the craft and contained the Captain and Eight Bridge Crew who drove and controlled the vehicle. Two of the Bridge Crew controlled the impeller’s which steered the craft. By shutting the left impeller the craft turned right and vice versa. The third and fourth bridge crew checked engine temperature and fans and adjusted them for different surfaces. The other members were in charge of the depth sensors and navigation to locate the enemy and environmental dangers. The Captain was in charge of the speed and ultimately plotted course and the action of the gunners.

Cargo Capacity

 * As planned by it’s creators the A138 is used as a heavy transport and could move both armor and soldiers into battle. Up to 90 soldiers could sit in the troop bay and were deployed out of the cargo hold but could also reach the top deck to suppress boarders or use anti tank weapons such as the RPG92 to take out an attacking vehicle without the Hovercraft having to turn around and face the enemy.


 * In the lower cargo hold the A138 could hold one of the following;


 * Two Sun Spider Tanks


 * Three Cassowary Close Combat Vehicle


 * Four Death Adder Missile Vehicles


 * Six Ongar APCs


 * Eight Cape Buffalo Trucks


 * Twelve Warthogs


 * The usual cargo hold will contain a single Sun Spider Tank, a Death Adder Launcher, two APCs, two Buffalo trucks and four warthogs as well as additional ammunition, food and other essentials.

The A145 Hovercraft

 * In 2556 several researchers and operatives of Thorne Field and Exploration Systems were kidnapped by the URF to make the larger A145 Hovercraft to carry the newly created T-1200 Main Battle Tank. Only five working examples were created under the code name Gharial and were used in the Siege of New Odessa and were all destroyed by UNSC bombing. This hovercraft was up to 60m larger then the A138 and could carry up to two Emperor Scorpion Tanks.

Compatibility

 * URF Insurrectionists
 * Grunts
 * ODSTs (through hijacking procedures)

UNSC Comments

 * “Me and my buddies boarded a gator on Ferrus II. We got inside only to find fifty soldiers waiting for us. Man that was tense”

Trivia

 * Apparently there is a reference to the number number 7 in this article


 * The A138 was originally called the Gharial before being recently renamed the Alligator