Type 61 Main Battle Tank |
Type 74 Hovertruck |
FanFan |
Unit type: main battle tank The Earth Federation's standard main battle tank has evolved slightly in the century and a half since the basic design of an AFV was standardized. The Type 61 is a relatively bread-and-butter tank, its only noticeable improvement over twentieth-century designs are its dual main cannons and improved fuel efficiency. Though it packs a substantial punch, a tank is still merely a tank (unless it's the monstrous Admiral A-1) when compared to mobile suits. Though Type 61s have scored some kills against Zeon mobile suits during the Earth Invasion, it's still predominantly a mobile suit war. And as the Type 61 has no real gimmick like the Zeon's Magella Attack Tank and its flying turret, it has been relegated primarily to a fire support role. Fun Vlad fact: You could consider the Type 61 to be a souped up M1A2 Abrams, albiet firing HEAT rounds instead of APFSDS. |
Unit type: forward combat, communications, and command
vehicle A much newer vehicle than the aging Type 61 MBT, the Type 74 is a sign of the times: lightly armed, it sports hover jets instead of tracks for increased mobility. Unlike most other Federation vehicles, which are designed purely for combat, the Type 74 is exclusively a support unit. The four-man Type 74 crew make use of the truck's expansive sensor arrays, as well as the revolutionary "underground sonar" system to peek in on enemy units without being seen. Its capabilities are more or less equivalent to Zeon's Luggon reconnaissance aircraft, though the Type 74 has a definate advantage that it doesn't have to stick its ass out to enemy fire at any point whilst eavesdropping on the enemy. Its sole armament is a 20mm gattling gun mounted in a turret on the truck's right-front side; it is not intended for combat. Underground Sonar works by a means of a piton fired into the ground. It can pick up the vibration of units moving across the surface at great range, and through dampening systems, can direct its search field to a very wide or very narrow area. Obviously, it's essentially worthless for picking up enemy aircraft or other units that don't actually touch the ground. (even the MS-09 Dom is relatively immune to such detection) |
Unit type: light attack hovercraft Though it looks more like a civilian touring craft, the FanFan is, indeed, a military unit. As its name may suggest, the FanFan is propelled by a pair of VTOL turbines on its wings, and is one of the few Federation aircraft capable of vertical takeoff. It is also nimble and quite maneuverable for such a piddly craft. However, that's about the sum of its good attributes. The FanFan is practically unarmored, making it extremely easy to be downed by enemy fire. Furthermore, the total extent of its armament is a pair of smallish five-tube missile launchers, which have the boon of giving it very little firepower. Obviously, the FanFan is not intended as a frontline attack aircraft. However, they do have a few decent uses. Due to their low fuel consumption, FanFans can stay in the air for extended periods of time, making them ideal to act as forward lookouts at friendly bases, as well as to provide an "eye in the sky" of sorts to protect against possible enemy incursion that sneaks by conventional detection means. |
Jet Core Booster |
FF-S3 Saberfish |
The Jet Core Booster is a significant simplification of the original
design. The dedicated Fighter and Booster sections have been sandwiched
into a single unit. The rocket engines have been replaced with traditional
jets, cutting down on weight and cost. Other features, such as the onboard
reactor and mega particle guns were also removed, making it more or less
a conventional aircraft. |
In use by the EF Space Force, the Saberfish is a relatively simple and straightforward design. A large body accomodated oversized engines, giving it a great deal of speed, as well as substantial fuel tanks for long-range missions. As the premier striker craft for the EF navy, it was intended to fly ahead under the cover of warship fire and engage the enemy at short range. Its primary armament cosists of six anti-warship missiles, and is bolstered by the standard four 25mm machinegun set. Despite its high speed, the Saberfish is lacking in maneuverability, an area that mobile suits accell in. Even with crack pilots at the helm, Zeon's Zaku II mobile suits could outmaneuver the high-speed Saberfish and attack them from behind, to which the fighters had no real defense from. Following the development of the Federation's own line of mobile suits, the Saberfish has been scaled down to more of an armed reconnaissance craft. It is also sometimes used as an escort for low-risk cargo through friendly territory, as well as for combat observation teams, where its high speed can actually be put to good use. |
RB-79 Ball |
FF-6 Tin Cod |
Fly Manta |
One of the chief machines utilized in colony construction is the SP-04W construction pod. The spherical hull is equipped with two arms and various assembly and repair gear, and is frequently seen at work along a colony's exterior. Given the Federation's penchant for finding unusual weapons platforms, it wasn't long before they took the humble worker pod up for a design of their own. The RB-79 "Ball" as it is affectionately called is exactly that: an armed ball. The two manipulator arms were kept from the original construction pod design. A thin armor plating has been added across the hull, designed to give the Ball at least some rudimentary protection from enemy fire. As a primary weapon, the Ball is equipped with a single 180mm recoiless cannon on a rotating base. Its rate of fire and accuracy leave something to be desired, but it is at least powerful enough to inflict significant damage against Zeon mobile suits. Though originally intended to be their own attack units, the Ball's terrible
speed and maneuverability had them quickly pulled back to act as point-defense
units for Federation warships, freeing up otherwise engaged GM mobile
suits to fight the enemy. |
Developed as a part of the 60's Rearmament Program, the FF-6 Tin Cod is a modern replacement for the F-22 Raptor that had been in service to the Earth Federation for nearly a century. The Tin Cod is a smaller, faster, lighter, and cheaper aircraft than most of the twentieth-century designs in use by the Earth Federation up until that point. As such, it was easily mass-producable by the Federation's sturdy industrial plants, and virtually every base across the Earth was usually equipped with at least a squadron of Tin Cods. The Tin Cod's primary armament is a pair of AMRAAM air-to-air missiles for hitting enemy aircraft quickly and efficiently. Of course, the standard four nose-mounted 25mm machineguns were maintained, though it was more by tradition at this point than anything else. Following the invasion of Earth by the Zeon in March, Tin Cod squadrons kept in mind the horrendous failures of the FF-S3 Saberfish during the Lourm Campaign. Rather than blantantly attack Zeon mobile suits, as had been done in space, Tin Cods would usually try to lure Zeon's ever-present Zakus into ambushes where the Type 61 Main Battle Tanks could effectively engage the much more mobile Zeon units. Following the deployment of thier own mobile suits, the Earth Federation is relying less on the Tin Cod to act as a primary attack unit and more as a platform for high-speed hit-and-run strikes against enemy targets. |
Unit type: fighter-bomber A newer strike aircraft to the Federal Forces, the Fly Manta is one of many more recent designs that is gradually losing features of the archaic twentieth century units. The Fly Manta is a multirole fighter-bomber, intended to be utilized against both air and ground targets. The Fly Manta's large engines and comparitively high thrust-to-weight ratio give it excellent speed, and substantial fuel stores give it a decent loiter time. As an attack unit, the Fly Manta isn't so bad off. The usual quadrule 25mm machineguns have been replaced with two 40mm's. A pair of triple missile launchers serve as the Fly Manta's primary weapon system, and have been recorded as being capable of damaging Zeon mobile suits at close range. Though it is fully capable of attacking ground targets, its low maximum altitude and lack of vertical-attack weaponry make it inferior for hitting well-entrenched enemy forces. Furthermore, it suffers a weak vitality, much like many other Federation aircraft. When high-altitude is necessary, or the attack will be delivered into heavily-defended enemy territory, such operations are best left to the Fly Manta's big brother, the Depp Rog. As a fighter, it isn't quite as maneuverable as the older FF-6 Tin Cod, but its higher attack power make it attractive to Federal fighter aces, especially the debonaire and self-proclaimed "ladies man" Texan Dimitri. |
Flatmouse |
Depp Rog |
Developed with the best of the spyplanes of the past, including the famous SR-71 Blackbird, the Earth Federation's Flatmouse reconnaissance aircraft became a progressively more useful unit as the land war continued. The Earth Federation started the war with a great deal of highly-sophisticated orbital spy satellites. However, as these became a higly prized "eye in the sky" for Federal tacticians, Zeon space forces took the liberty of disabling those that would provide data over areas of high importance, essentially depriving the Federation of an advantage it has held for literally over a century. The Flatmouse spyplanes, initially collecting dust in backwater Federal bases, suddenly became extremely useful. Without their spy satellites, the Federation had no means to peek in on Zeon movements (their Type 74 Hovertruck's underground sonar is only effective, and can't provide visual images). However, the Flatmouse's unappreciated capability for extremely high altitude (indeed, it can nearly reach orbit, though its ramjet engines would be worthless in a vacuum) and still being able to provide high-resolution images with perfect accuracy became instantly paramount to the Federation war effort. The Flatmouse could fly higher than any Zeon aircraft, allowing it virtually unrestricted* access to take as many quality images of groundside activity as its fuel stores would allow. The Flatmouse is completely unarmed. Instead, the standardized Federal targeting computer is utilized to operate a high-resolution camera pod mounted on the Flatmouse's stomach. It is entirely unarmored, so it is always launched from friendly territory where there is a minimal chance of it being intercepted by any enemy units. Fun Vlad fact: |
Though it is one of the oldest units still in service by the Earth Federation (humbled only by the ancient Mongoose), it is still one of the most effective. In the tradition of the NATO's B-52 "Buff" strategic bomber, the Depp Rog can deliver virtually any type of dropped ordinance in the Federal arsenal. Unlike the Fly Manta, which is mostly intended for light, fast attacks, the Depp Rog is a serious heavy-hitter. Designed for high altitude bombing raids, the Depp Rog carries an extensive arsenal of weaponr, including GBU, JDAM, and laser-guided bombs, atmospheric explosives, cluster munitions, and other such ordinances. It is also armed with half a dozen standoff missiles for long-range attack against enemy aircraft. However, it has no point-defense weapons, and must rely on escort planes to fend off any enemy aircraft that can close with it and engage at short range. Though its technology is ancient, the Depp Rog's "rolling thunder" style of attack is a tried and true method that has yet to be trumped by any conventional means. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It also serves as a psycological weapon as well. Though a Gaw's gigantic size is intimidating as it is, the telltale contrails of a Depp Rog's high altitude attack runs are a sight of their own, especially when seen from the ground. |
