APAGear II Archives Volume 3, Number 7 August, 2001

APAGear II

N-C6 Neil Motor Works Rhino APC/IFV

(TN 1936 - 1937)

Mika Peltola

Overview and History

In TN1933 Port Arthur military called in proposals for new light armored vehicle for the Arthurian Korps, to replace the aging hover personnel carriers. Twenty-three firms sent in proposals from which after a lengthy evaluation process one was approved, the Neil Motor Works Rhino. The Rhino was selected for two reasons. Neil Motor Works known to make reliable vehicles badlands conditions and the also the Neil Motor Works is an important NuCoal trade partner, and thus the second reason boiled down to politics.

Rhino's development began in spring TN1934 as Colonel Arthur sent a team of technicians and Korps personnel (including several GRELs of Isaacs, Kassandra, Minerva and Maxwell classes) to assist NMW in development of Rhino.

The Korps requirements for the Rhino were:

After two and half cycles of testing and seven prototypes later the Rhino was unveiled for the Korps, just season before outbreak of the interpolar war. Most of the Korps commanders were not impressed by the vehicles performance, especially when it became known that the composite tiles that were used to increase survivalbility were flammable and actually burned at high temperature. After first few skirmishes with PRDF and later Southern forces, Rhino gained a reputation of reliability among the human and GREL crews, although Minerva's complained that it was too slow. But commanders were content it was simple and easy to maintain and didn't have the logistics requirements hover vehicle. Being easily modifiable the Rhino has spawned a horde of variants, ranging from command vehicle to a medevac vehicle to anti-tank missile carrier.

The most unusual features in Rhino were the CAT or Composite Ablative Tiles, which were marketed as a cheaper alternative to ceramic and reactive add-on armor. The problem was that composite used in the tiles was flammable but has ignition point around +2300 centigrades, a fact that was not known until several Rhinos caught fire in combat. To remedy this problem the NMW created a ceramite refit kit that replaced the composite tiles with older and heavier ceramite plates, which unlike the composite tiles does not protect too well against conventional weapons.

Vehicle Specifications

                   Name: N-C6 Neil Motor Works Rhino APC/IFV
           Vehicle Type: IFV / APC
        Production Type: Early Production
                   Cost: 141 300 Lith or 706 500 Marks/Dinars
           Manufacturer: Neil Motor Works
                    Use: Light artillery / APC
                 Height: 7.3 meters
                 Length: 2.8 meters
                  Width: 2.9 meters
  Avg. Armor Thickness: 50mm without add-on armor
        Armor Material: Armor Grade Steel with Ablative Composite Tiles
    Standard Op. Weight: 13760 kg
      Primary Move Mode: Ground (96 kph)
       Deployment Range: 400 km
           Sensor Range: 3 km
    Communication Range: 15 km
            Power plant: Fuel Cell
          Engine Output: 200 kW

General Stats

           Threat Value: 628
        Offensive Value: 1 361
        Defensive Value: 105
    Miscellaneous Value: 418
                   Size: 8
  Original Default Size: 9
       Indv. Lemon Dice: 3
                   Crew: 4
          Bonus Actions: 2

Movement

      Primary Move Mode: Ground
           Combat Speed: 8
              Top Speed: 16
               Maneuver: -2

Electronics

                Sensors: -1
         Communications: +1
           Fire Control: 0

Armor

           Light Damage: 14
           Heavy Damage: 28
               Overkill: 42

Weapon Summary

Qty  Name                      Code     Arc  Ammo
1    45mm SG-21 Flechette gun  FGC      T    30
1    60mm Rucker LAU-38        VLFG     T    20

Perks

Name                  Rating Game Effects

Ablative Armor        6      F Arc; Adds to base armor, loses 1 pt per 10 damage
Ablative Armor        6      L Arc; Adds to base armor, loses 1 pt per 10 damage
Ablative Armor        6      R Arc; Adds to base armor, loses 1 pt per 10 damage
Ablative Armor        6      Rr Arc; Adds to base armor, loses 1 pt per 10 damage
Backup Communications        Absorbs first "Communications" hit
Easy to Modify               +2 to Repair and Modify rolls
Fuel Efficient               1.5 times base deployment range at combat speed.
HEP: Desert                  -
Passenger Seating     12     Seats for 12 passengers (or 10 GRELs)

Flaws

Name                  Rating Game Effects

Sensor Dependent             Must rely on sensors in combat
Highly Flammable             Flame attack damage is doubled
Large Sensor Profile  1      Subtract rating from Concealment

Defects

Name                  Rating Game Effects

None                  -      -

Variants

N-C6/MED Medevac Rhino

Vehicle Specifications

Remove:	VLFG and Ten passenger seats
Add: Sickbay for two patients
TV: 329(O:374,D:105,M:508)
Price: 57 575 Lith

Medevac Rhino is basically an armored ambulance; this variant removes field gun from turret and most of th passanger seats and installs a two-patient microsurgery system that allows minor in-transit surgery. The refit retains the flechette cannon for self-defence.

N-6C/AT Tank Hunter Rhino

Vehicle Specifications

Remove: VLFG and all ablative armor
Add: ATM/8(arc T, 8 shots) and HEAT Resistant armor 6
TV: 1518 (O:4208, D:105, M:239)
Price: 473 000 Lith

Tank Hunter Rhino variant removes field gun and ablative armor tiles and replaces them with Ceramite plates and 8 Shot anti-tank missile launcher (identical to one in HT-68). This refit was created during interpolar war.

N-6C/ART Big Horn Rhino

Vehicle Specifications

Remove: VLFG, all ablative armor, all passenger seats
Add: LAG(arc F, 12 salvos) and Stabilizer Mount
Change: Sensors to 0/3km
TV: 588 (O:1534, D:105, M:123)
Price: 107 733 Lith

Big Horn Rhino replaces field gun with 90mm Massdriver guns scavenged from artillery hovertank. Also the additional armor is removed from this variant. And sensors have gone through light upgrade.

Assorted quotes from development team and end-users

“Never tell a Minerva GREL to push your design to its limit… You'll just end up with a wrecked prototype” -Chief Designer Choi of NMW, after third frame prototype was wrecked during off-road test.

“Rhino is so simple that even a Mordred GREL could fix it on field.” - Frederik Neil

“Just pray that we do not run into enemy with incendiary weapon, 'cause that composite marshmallow will light up and burn like napalm… If we would just get those ceramite refit kits soon!” -Anonymous Korps tanker, during the interpolar war.

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APAGear II Archives Volume 3, Number 7 August, 2001