Desert Viper

Specifications
Use	Broken terrain Gear
Production Code	OACS-02M/SU
Manufacturer	Mandeers Heavy Industries
Height	4.7 meters
Speed	Walker: 43 kph

The Desert Viper was built as a no-nonsense machine, using a general configuration similar to that of the Razorback, a Northern heavy assault Gear that had a powerful influence on Southern designers. The Desert Viper was not an outright copy of the Razorback, however.

Somewhat smaller, the Southern Gear also featured a characteristically rounded shape and a turret-like head module allowing for an excellent field of vision as compared to the Northern vehicle. The sensor cluster was problem-prone, however, because the engineers at Mandeers Heavy Industries tried to include an advanced sensor suite in too small a package; Territorial Arms faced the same problem when designing their ill-fated Anolis. The first production run of Vipers also suffered from a dangerous weakness in their knee assemblies, which caused the Gear to suddenly seize up when it was forced into a run.

The Desert Viper was among the first machines to enter service along-side the Territorial Arms Jäger. And the Mark I Viper, despite its critical flaws, still had an excellent overall performance compared to the first Jäger. Mandeers Heavy Industries, at the time committed to out-stepping Territorial Arms, reinvested into the Desert Viper project very rapidly and the Mark 1 was soon replaced by the Mark 2. The second-generation Viper was a heavily reworked machine. The sensor cluster was simpler (but still plagued by technical difficulties) and the secondary movement system was removed to make room for new leg braces and shock-absorbers designed to solve the weakness problem.

At first, this seemed unwise, as the modification caused a slight overheating problem due to the reduced internal room in the legs. The machine was mostly used in broken terrain, however, and its reinforced legs proved to be a good trade-off. Although never as reliable as the Jäger, from the time of its release in TN 1803 through the TN 1840s, the Desert Viper Mark 2 remained one of the mainstays of the Southern military. More maneuverable and better armored than the first Jäger, the Viper also wielded powerful weapons, most notably a TA HGL-70 grenade launcher and a FSRP-36 rocket pod, both capable of facing heavily armored targets.

Usage

Released in the hey-day of the general-purpose soldier Gear, the Desert Viper brought a much-needed amount of firepower to units using Jägers, Copperheads and Rattlesnakes. The combination of offensive power, good maneuverability and excellent armor ensured that the Mandeers Viper rapidly entered the arsenals of the South. The machines drawbacks were never really resolved, however. The Gear’s defective sensor suite and tendency to overheat in prolonged combat made it a dangerous choice to operate alone, forcing the Viper into a support role.

The absence of a wheeled movement system also placed the Viper at a serious disadvantage on even terrain where it had to run and could not even reach 45 kilometers per hour. The Viper’s added shock absorbers and large feet gave it added stability and endurance on difficult terrain, however, and the Gear found itself the best suited to these terrain types. By the TN 1850s, Mandeers was marketing the Viper as a rough-terrain specialist. Units of the MILICIA patrolling the mountain ranges of the South and Badlands were targeted by aggressive marketing and the Desert Viper underwent a renaissance.

Mandeers was able to greatly prolong the lifespan of a machine that was becoming obsolete. Indeed, as the years went on more modern soldier Gears like the Basilisk, Jäger Alpha and Sidewinder arrived on the market and out-performed the Viper. Similarly, Mandeers own Python and Territorial Arms’ Spitting Cobra had appeared as dedicated fire-support Gears, far surpassing the ranged fire-power and armored protection of the Viper. Had Mandeers not capitalized on their Gear’s off-road capabilities, the Viper would have likely been retired by the dawn of the twentieth century.

Instead of fading into obscurity, the Viper remained active all the way through the war of the Alliance and into the contemporary period. During the War, the Viper was chosen as the Gear of choice for Terranovan mountain guerrilla forces working in the Badlands and many Northern pilots got to know the machine as well. This choice, made largely because the Viper was plentiful at the time that mountain Gears were most needed, launched a spurt of Northern mountain-capable Gear manufacturing in the post-war period and gave Mandeers a new way to continue selling the Gear.

Gallery

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