The Lancer

 

Weapon Title: KLS2092B “Lancer” Unmanned Sentry Unit “USU”

 

History: The Lancer was developed during the height of the “New Cold War” by the KLS Corporation when they were bidding for a contract with the Northern Eagle Military Alliance (NEMA). KLS would lose the contract to a group of engineers within NEMA, their entry would become the ancestor of the CS Skelebot the Combat Drone Solider. Always a company that was willing to try and turn a loss into a victory KLS offered the Lancer to the United States Army which happily snapped up the unit.

 

The Lancer was not designed for quick mobility, but instead as a mobile juggernaut able to soak up massive amounts of damage while dishing right back out. The Lancer was intended to work with a team of human troops, providing heavy support in a compact package. While NEMA wanted a unit that could operate on a very long leash without direct human supervision, the US Army was more interested in a unit to directly support ground troops. Eventually the unit would be tasked primarily with sentry duty at high security installations and with active combat zones. In this role the Lancer was the perfect choice. With a battery of short range weapons the Lancer became an integral part of army security forces.

 

After the cataclysm 99% of all Lancer units were lost, either through the destruction of the cataclysm itself or battling the monsters from the rifts alongside the remaining troops in North America.

 

The Lancer was produced at the KLS Miami Valley Manufacturing Center in Dayton Ohio. Although this facility was destroyed shortly after the cataclysm, the plans were stored at several KLS and US Army installations around the country. In 92 PA Northern Gun came into possession of a complete set of plans. It took 15 years of tinkering for Northern Gun to bring a test assembly line of Lancers into production. The delay was not due to any of the weapons systems, most are equipment Northern Gun reversed engineered years before, but because of the sophisticated computer system. Currently the 50 Lancers are being produced every month at the plant in Ishpeming.

 

These units are being offered to select clients of Northern Gun; the powers that be in Michigan are concerned that their new allies in the Coalition States might view the Lancer as a threat. But the Coalition States have already obtained two Lancers and are working on producing their own version of the rugged little machines.

 

Description: When it was being field tested one US Army Colonel said, “It’s what you would get if a dumpster and a tractor had a kid!”  The Lancer is just ugly, when it is in standby or passive mode it looks like a snub nosed box on six balloon tires. When it goes in active mode the top slides open and the Universal Mount Weapons Turret (UMWT) rises adding 1 meter to the Lancers height. Front plates (2) slide back revealing four mini missile launch tubes, two on each side. All of the Lancers sensitive computer, sensor, and communication systems are protected within its armored hull. Usually the Lancer was painted for the environment in which it would be serving, but the default factory finish was a subdued gray.

 

Height: 2.5 meters with the weapons mount retracted, 3.5 meters with the mount deployed.

 

Length: 6 meters

 

Weight: 1.2 Tons empty, loaded weight depends upon the payload.

 

Speed: 35 mph on level solid ground.

 

MDC by Location:

 

  • Main Body: 750

  • Tires (6): 75 each

  • UMWT: 50 (plus the MDC of the mounted weapon)*

  • Missile Tube Plates (2): 100 Each

 

 

Computer Systems: While not as advanced as the computer system used in the NEMA combat drones, the Lancer is more than capable of independent, though limited, actions. Programmed with the parameters of all known opponents and allies the Lancer is capable of identifying and engage a wide variety of opponents. Before the cataclysm the Lancer would be continually updated through the NEMA Milinet with a current database of known parameters.

 

Power Systems:

 

Weapon Systems:

 

Defensive Systems:

 

Damage:

 

Rate of Fire:

 

Effective Range:

 

Payload:

 

Bonuses:

 

Black Market Cost:

 

Rifts Earth Setting:

 

Chaos Earth Setting:

 

 

* The UMWT is a small and well shielded target that is -2 to hit; it is completely secured within the main body when not in active mode.