Caiman

Specifications
Use	Armored Personnel Carrier
Production Code	BE-8645
Manufacturer	Brok Enterprises
Height	2.7 meters

The Caiman represents a different concept in APC design which is popular with the Southern MILICIA forces. In TN 1829, the Southern Republic issued a requirement for a new type of armored personnel carrier which could withstand a great deal of damage, go almost anywhere (including swamps), mow down enemy infantry and perform some reconnaissance if necessary, all this for under 50,000 dinars. Brok’s initial bid met all these requirements for 48,000 dinars, something none of its competitors could even approach.

It was not until the contract was awarded that someone in the Southern Republic Army finally realized that the Caïman could only carry ten infantry, not twenty as was expected (but not clearly specified in the call for bids). Also, some hidden costs emerged during the design, and the SRA, having already sunk too much money into the project, could only further invest into the development.

In the end, however, the Caïman turned out to be an excellent APC. In order to recuperate some of its initial investment, the Southern Republic arranged for several thousand Caïmans to be bought by the Southern MILICIA, thus forcing the other Southern leagues to finance most of the project, then had most of the APCs “loaned” to Republican Army units.

The Caïman is a low, sturdy, tracked vehicle equipped with a turret-mounted autocannon and good overall armor protection. A hybrid electric/internal combustion system powers the two tracks of the vehicle. The Caïman was not designed so much for speed or range as for reliability and durability. It sports thicker armor and better armament than its best-known Northern counterpart, the Badger APC, and is substantially cheaper. In addition, its weapon system can take a considerable beating due to a rugged, no-nonsense design. Often mistaken for a light tank because of its treads, shape and turreted autocannon, the Caïman’s limitations are compensated by its relative ease of maintenance and by the great number of them produced for the Southern MILICIA.

Usage

While slower than most other APCs, the Caïman has a very good track record on the field. Ever since it was first produced in TN 1829, it was used in almost every conflict the South was involved in, and its distribution to freedom-seeking northern Badlanders ensured that it was used next to the CNCS borders. It greatly confused the Northern forces during the Sandstorm Strikes, giving them the impression that numerous columns of small cavalry vehicles were approaching Northern positions. CNCS forces sent several units to intercept them, only to realize their mistake while some of their own positions were being overrun by discreet cavalry convoys that had escape their notice.

The Caïman was also solidly tested during the War of the Alliance, where infantry losses were minimized thanks to the fewer number of soldiers they carried — it required the Colonial Expeditionary Forces greater effort (and more ammo) to shoot down all the Caïmans that were sent against them. Northern forces suffered greater losses, something they could ill afford since their army was already composed of fewer soldiers than the South’s. While the CNCS witnessed the Caïman’s superior performance, it still chose not to imitate the design and still uses inferior and more expensive APCs.

Gallery

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