Long Fang Mamba
The Long Fang variant of the Black Mamba chassis appeared during the War of the Alliance. Like the Northern Fire Jaguar, it was a makeshift solution to an urgent problem. While the Fire was developed to deal with the lack of available fire support units, the Long Fang used a similar design for self-reliant teams of Black Mambas. Southern commanders believed in concentrating the then-rare Black Mamba in fast strike cadres. To give these units some fire-support capabilities without sacrificing mobility, the Long Fang variant was created.
The factory-delivered Vogel-8 rocket pod was replaced with two more powerful Vogel-B12 pods, bringing a total of 72 rockets to the field. The leg actuators and balance computers were then recalibrated to take the new center of gravity into account. This makeshift modification resulted in a loss of accuracy, but this was judged to be an acceptable trade off considering the added firepower of the Long Fang Black Mamba.
Usage
The Long Fang became very common at the end of the War, when Terranovan Gear units were used to pierce Colonial Expeditionary Force lines. They often encountered GREL infantry for which they were poorly prepared and Brawler Black Mambas or makeshift armor modifications were used to compensate for this weakness. Since the end of the War, the proportion of Long Fangs to standard Mambas has decreased, but many more of the basic chassis have entered production.
Unlike the Fire Jaguar, the Long Fang modification package has been standardized and is provided as a factory-built kit to regimental technicians. These kits include detailed instructions for modifying the targeting software and alternate leg and knee actuators. This permits modern Long Fangs to remain as precise as standard Black Mambas, with only a slight reduction in speed due to the extra weight and the alternate actuators. While fire-support duties are now amply covered by larger Gears such as the Spitting Cobra, Long Fangs are still deployed as part of commando teams that rely on speed and maneuverability as well as fire-power.
