Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To make a close support tank
- Image Source: here modified by yours truly
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
- Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi Concord, Lucerne Labs customers
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: Charhound-class Close Support Tank
- Modularity: Weapons; munitions; MAST turret system
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Argentum-series Matrix Armor Plating, Beskar frame, ceraglass viewports, standard vehicle components
- Classification: Light Tank
- Role: Fast Attack
- Size: Average
- Weight: Average
- Armaments: Low
- 1 Fast-tracking Turret
- 2 Forward Turreted LLT-7 General Purpose Launchers (each with one of the following):
- 1 LPD-27 Flamestorm Assault Blaster Cannon
- Defenses: Average
- Argentum-series Matrix Armor Plating with Beskar frame
- 1 Modular Auxiliary Systems Turret
- Buckler-class Shield Generator
- Maneuverability Rating: Very High (High with turbo-booster engaged)
- Speed Rating: Very High (Extreme with turbo-booster engaged)
- Propulsion: Repulsorlifts / Ion Thrusters
- Minimum Crew: 1
- Optimal Crew: 5
- Passenger Capacity: 0
- Cargo Capacity: None
- Partially Automated: Charhounds contain a droid brain used to process sensor and targeting information, communicate with other Lucerne Labs military vehicles, and provide diagnostic information to the vehicle's crew.
- Turbo-booster: The Charhound comes equipped with a basic turbo-booster package installed, allowing the craft to briefly accelerate faster than normal at the cost of maneuverability and power. This speed is exceptional for a vehicle its size, with only airspeeders, podracers, and similar high performance repulsorcraft being capable of outrunning this tank. Unlike many craft, not only does it have rear-facing turbo-boosters, but front-facing turbo-boosters as well. Consequently, it can rapidly extricate itself from many traps and also better execute fighting withdrawals.
- StarSight Sensor Array with Omniprobe: A fast-moving craft, the Charhound relies on a starfighter-grade sensor array to provide the necessary data to safely navigate at high speeds and to understand its environment, but the sensor array isn't highly tailored by itself for ground use. To that end, like its parent chassis, it also uses a less powerful version of the Omniprobe sensor array that was originally found on the Heavy Tracker. This allows it to better read the environment before it reaches it, and it also better prepares the tank use indirect fire to attack targets that not within direct line of sight.
- Target Identification Network: Charhound is primarily designed as close-quarters fighting vehicle, and to that end, its primary fighting sensor is a target identification network, which allows it detect, track, and accurately attack many small and fast targets at once.
- L2/4 Praecursator Tactical Probe Droid Docking Sockets: The Charhound comes with a pair of tactical probe droids that dock on either side of the tank, but which can be deployed as reconaissance or fire control support or to help clear small enemies from around the tank that it has difficulty in eliminating.
- Environmentally Sealed: Charhounds have environmental sealing and full internal life-support for three days of continual operation, allowing the tanks to be deployed in hazardous environments such as vacuum or toxic atmospheres and to enable limited submersion in water.
- Agile: Few armored fighting vehicles have the Charhound's speed or maneuverability. It can frequently dance circles around its brethren with little difficulty or effectively pursue and attack fast craft that usually faster than most tanks.
- Saturation Fire: While the rough firepower of the Charhound is inferior to many tanks and armored vehicles, its division into many small weapons allows it quickly and accurately attack multiple targets simultaneously, making it ideal for taking on groups of infantry, battle droids, and light vehicles.
- No Cargo Capacity: Designed for high speed, the designers trimmed as much weight from the Charhound as they could, including any meaningful cargo space.
- Weak Firepower: In terms of rough firepower, the Charhound is somewhat weaker than most tanks and heavy battle vehicles.
The Charhound is an close support version of the Howlrunner II Repulsor Tank. It is intended to fight large numbers of small forces in congested urban areas - a traditional hard area for most tanks - against infantry hiding in buildings. To this end, it has dispensed with the large turret and the heavier weapon in favor of a larger number of smaller, faster-tracking arms which targeted through the classic but sophisticated TIN pioneered on the floating fortress for urban combat. This allows the Charhound to precisely find and target individuals in an urban environment with a minimum of collateral damage. While all weapons are tied to this TIN, the triple gun mount fast tracking turret is most commonly used, with laser cannons set to stutter-fire and the ripper cannon on blaster cannon mode. This allows a flurry of low-powered bolts to sent in just the right number to eliminate the target through walls and other obstacles before its fast-tracking turret quickly moves onto the next target.
But while the Charhound was designed primarily for close combat against personnel, it has been found to be fairly effective as an anti-aircraft platform as well. The fast-tracking gun turret is well-suited to tracking fast, aerial targets, while the guns themselves can be optimized to attack targets (or defend against airborne threats) at different ranges. Similarly, the warhead launchers can be configured to carry Starcore IIs or smaller Starbolts which are fairly effective against most airspeeders, starfighters, and other small craft.
The close support nature of the Charhound means that its more of a niche vehicle compared to most tanks. Unsurprisingly then, it mostly is found in a supporting role within most units - typically providing anti-air and anti-personnel protection to larger formations of Howlrunner IIs. But some more urban focused units, especially urban-based planetary defense forces, do use them as their primary tank in their mechanized formations.
