| APAGear II Archives | Volume 3, Number 7 | August, 2001 |
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.
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
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
Primary Move Mode: Ground
Combat Speed: 8
Top Speed: 16
Maneuver: -2
Sensors: -1
Communications: +1
Fire Control: 0
Light Damage: 14
Heavy Damage: 28
Overkill: 42
Qty Name Code Arc Ammo 1 45mm SG-21 Flechette gun FGC T 30 1 60mm Rucker LAU-38 VLFG T 20
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)
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
Name Rating Game Effects None - -
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.
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.
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.
“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.
| APAGear II Archives | Volume 3, Number 7 | August, 2001 |
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