Directorate Officer
Image: I modified a picture of Spartan Games's Longbow-class Tank Destroyer
Intent: To provide the Republic with a mobile artillery unit
Development Thread: N/A
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: LLV-2 Baldr-class Assault Gun
Affiliation: Galactic Republic
Modularity: Ammunition
Production: Mass
Material: Ferroceramic plating, Alusteel frame and underbody, various common motor vehicle parts
Role: Mobile Artillery
Height: 3 meters
Length: 9 meters
Width: 3.2 meters
Weight: 25 tons
Minimum Crew: 1 (driver)
Optimal Crew: 3 (Driver, gunner, commander)
Propulsion: Tracks
Top Speed: 70 Kph
Armaments:
-1 155mm Howitzer
[SIZE=medium]-1 [/SIZE]Antimissile Octet
Squadron Count: 4
Passenger Capacity: N/A
Cargo Capacity: 100 kilograms (typically personal gear, rations, etc)
Misc. Equipment:
-Power winch
Strengths
-low silhouette
-Antimissile Octet makes it resistant to air-strikes
Weaknesses
-Main weapon is not turreted; crew must manually line up vehicle to shoot at target
-Treads make it relatively slow compared to many repulsorlift vehicles
Description: The LLV-2 Baldr-class Assault gun is designed to provide the Republic army with a reasonably powerful mobile artillery unit. The heart of the Baldr is a conventional smoothbore 155mm howitzer that extends from the rear crew cabin to the very front of the vehicle. A hydraulic support can lift the barrel of this massive weapon up or down, but the weapon cannot adjusted to fire from side to side without the vehicle moving itself. Because it does not have a turret, the Baldr was able to keep a lower silhouette compared to many of its counterparts, which makes it easier to conceal in a variety of terrains.
Typically, a battery of four Baldrs will be deployed in the rear lines of the Republic forces. If given the proper amount of time, the vehicles's crews will camouflage their vehicles or even dig them into the ground for better concealment and cover. They are then relayed coordinates by forward observers or other republic units to which their weapons will be then be fired at. Because the cannon only has a range of 20 kilometers with common ammunition, and because the vehicle only holds 30 rounds, the Baldr has a limited amount of time to make itself effective before it is either found out or must be resupplied with ammunition. Baldr crews constantly train to maintain a five round per minute firing rate. After firing a barrage, they will often move their vehicles to a new location to avoid enemy counterfire or take time to resupply by either support vehicles or by moving to an ammunition dump. Because it is generally not expected to be on the front lines, the Baldr is not incredibly well-armored, though it shrug off most common infantry weapons fairly easily. As a counterpoint, the Baldr itself does not have any dedicated anti-infantry weapons of its own, which often leads it to be accompanied by infantry or light armor units. Because its designers believed that airstrikes would be the most common threat to the vehicle, it is equipped with a miniaturized antimissile octet more commonly found on capital ships. This provides the Baldr with some protection against ordinance such as concussion missiles, proton torpedoes, and other warheads.
