Kainan Wolfe
Shadow of War
KV-109 in Ultranaut colors and configuration
KV-109 in Dauntless colors and configuration
- Intent: To develop a light, fast scouting and cavalry vehicle for the Eternal Army
- Image Source: Aaron de Leon @ArtStation
- Canon Link: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Karavin Concern
- Affiliation: Closed-Market | Confederacy of Independent Systems, Eternal Empire
- Model: KV-109 Jet Bike
- Modularity: No
Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Duralumin
- Classification: Swoop Bike
- Role: Reconnaissance, Rapid Response vehicle
- Size: Average
- Weight: Light
- Minimum Crew: 1
- Optimal Crew: 1
- Propulsion: Repulsorlift, Ion Engine
- Speed: Very Fast
- Maneuverability: High
- Armaments: Average
- 2x KC-249 General Purpose Repeating Blasters (Fixed Position, Nose Mounted) - Defenses: None (Unarmored, Unshielded)
- Passenger Capacity: None
- Cargo Capacity: Very Small
- Ion Engine: Giving the KV-109 Jet Bike its name is an Ion Engine which propels the vehicle forward, giving it the capability to accelerate faster and to higher speeds than most common speeder bike models
- KC-249 General Purpose Repeating Blasters: Mounted in a fixed, enclosed position within the nose are a pair of KC-249 General Purpose Repeating Blasters
- Fast and Nimble: The KV-109 is a light, fast, agile swoop bike ideal for rapid response and reconnaissance missions
- Easily Maintained: Developed for military purposes, the KV-109 is designed to be rugged and easy to maintain, built with as few parts as possible. Basic maintenance can be performed in the field by the vehicle's operator, with minimal training
- Difficult to Pilot: Because of its speed, maneuverability and the conditions of modern battlefields, pilots must have very good reflexes in order to avoid obstacles and collisions. As such, the training and selection process for pilots is necessarily lengthy and difficult
- Unarmored: Designed to be fast and light, the KV-109 is completely unarmored, therefore it can be easily destroyed even by handheld blaster fire. It is a vehicle that relies on speed and maneuverability to survive
Civilian version of the KV-109
Finding itself in need for a lightweight, fast scouting vehicle for its various reconnaissance and rapid response units, the Eternal Army issued a requisition order for a single-operator landspeeder capable of accelerating quickly and moving between positions at high speeds. The contract for the vehicle's development was awarded to Karavin Concern, a military-industrial conglomerate that is partly owned and funded by the Eternal Empire's government.
Karavin Concern's engineers opted for a swoop bike design, propelled by an Ion Engine which allows it to accelerate much faster and to higher speeds than most comparable vehicles. The KV-109 was designed exclusively for speed and maneuverability, requiring the engineers to sacrifice the protection offered by armor plating in order to decrease the vehicle's weight. As such, it is not very durable against enemy fire and can be disabled or destroyed by even light hand-held blasters.
While not very resistant to enemy fire or impacts, the KV-109 is a fairly simple vehicle, easy to maintain, enabling operators to perform basic maintenance in the field, with minimal training. This was one of the requirements put forward by the military and Karavin Concern not only rose to the challenge, but passed it with flying colors.
Designed to serve as not only a scouting vehicle, but also as a means of transportation for rapid response forces, it is armed with a pair of KC-249 General Purpose Repeating Blasters, mounted in enclosed, fixed positions within the nose, as such it can only fire forward and its weapons are intended for fire support and for chasing down enemy vehicles and infantry.
Because of its speed and lack of armor, it requires highly skilled pilots to safely operate in offroad conditions, as any collisions with obstacles can have catastrophic consequences. Despite this, a civilian, unarmed version is also being sold by the manufacturer, though Karavin Concern does make it a point to warn civilian buyers not to use this vehicle in offroad conditions. A number of them have also been purchased by the Confederate Defense Forces and various planetary militias throughout the Confederacy.
