There is no point in having armored forces capable of making blitzkrieg strikes into an enemy’s weak points if the soldiers and troopers aren’t able to move in and take possession of the ground. With the potential lightning speed of hovertanks about to arrive in its arsenal of weapons the New Eurasian Commonwealth needed an armored personnel carrier capable of keeping pace and going anywhere its hovertanks could. Developed concurrently with the HT-68 hovertank, the HPC-64 draws heavily upon the same technological base that made the hovertanks possible.
The most obvious difference lies in the turret armament, which comprises a gattling laser system essentially transplanted from the NEC’s trans-atmospheric aerospace fighters. Using the laser’s rapid-fire capability, the vehicle’s crew could saturate an area with sustained suppression fire before driving up and rapidly unloading the troopers(and later, soldiers) within who could quickly deploy and mop up with their own firepower. Prior to the development of the HPC-64, most armored personnel carriers carried essentially defensive armament meant to protect the vehicle. When acting in concert with hovertanks however, the HPC-64 rapidly evolved into a highly offensive weapon system capable of delivering surprise attacks right into an enemy formation with devastating speed.[1]
Usage
The standard armored personnel carrier in every Fleet, the HPC-64 has proven to be a very enduring. From the battlefields of WWIII on Earth to the remote firezones among the colonies, the HPC-64 has a sustained record that few other machines can match, particularly considering that it doesn’t demand anywhere near the amount of tender loving care required by the CEF’s hovertanks.[2]
References
↑Colonial Expeditionary Force - Modern Conquerors (2001) DP9-065 pg. 104
↑Colonial Expeditionary Force - Modern Conquerors (2001) DP9-065 pg. 104
