Mammoth

Specifications
Use	Fire support / Assault Strider
Production Code	WACS-01FS-AST
Manufacturer	Hartmore Motor Company
Height	6.8 meters
Speed	Walker: 31 kph

The Mammoth is the most common strider unit used by the forces of the CNCS. Originally a Norlight design, the Mammoth is now built under license by no less than three companies throughout the Northern Hemisphere, although Hartmore Motor Company continues to hold the primary production license. The machine is rugged and tough, and its large clawed feet and balance plates are perfectly suited to the rocky environment of the North.

The bent heavy legs of the Mammoth give it a loping walk that can be difficult for crews to adapt to and that is responsible for the development of the name “strider.” There are two crewmen (one pilot and one system operator/gunner) who sit in a tandem configuration similar to the layout of a helicopter gunship: the pilot sits at right and the gunner at left, with the former placed ahead of the latter. Some units reverse this positioning (although this is more common in the Assault Mammoth variant), but this has little effect on combat efficiency.

The Mammoth is sturdy and well armored, featuring heavy durasheet plates supplemented by additional ceramite layers designed to redirect shaped-charge ammunition and to burn off or deflect laser-fire. The armored casing of the crew compartment is broken only by very small vision slits (and even they are usually protected by reinforced shutters) forcing the crew to depend on the vehicle’s sensor array for information. The Mammoth uses an AFLIC sensor pod mounted on the nose of cockpit as its main array, supplemented by several redundant systems to prevent the strider from being blinded in combat.

The weapon systems of the Mammoth are based on a mixed heavy-assault and fire-support mission profile. The primary fire-support weaponry is a Fireball-II guided missile launcher located in the right battle arm. The launcher carries a load of eight anti-tank missiles and features a side-mounted laser targeting device. This combination allows the Mammoth to paint its own targets for the Fireball missiles or to accept such information from a friendly forward observer. The left arm houses a devastating SB-90 Assault Gun with a 20- shot drum magazine. Light anti-armor capability is assured by a turreted GU-20 autocannon, while close defense and anti-infantry needs are met by a pair of KJ-16 miniguns capable of filling the air in front of the Mammoth with a sheet of small-caliber fire.

Usage

The Mammoth was the first mass-produced “strider” to enter service with the armies of the North and remains the heart of strider units to this day. First released in TN 1848, the Mammoth has seen many battles and undergone many refitting and modernization programs. The original release of the strider was less maneuverable than the current model and featured a less secure armored compartment. Its armament was also slightly different, with a concentration on warhead based systems. An older Fireball-I launcher was still integrated in the right arm, while the left arm featured a very large Garickson 48 unguided rocket pod. The current format of the Mammoth was introduced in TN 1901 and has remained roughly unchanged except for an update of the AFLIC sensor system and the control software.

The success of the Mammoth has made striders into an integral part of the Northern and Southern arsenals and opened the way for the development of many different large walker designs. Northern developers, however, have remained faithful to the basic systems of the Mammoth and the chassis has been used for a number of variants.

The Mammoth began as a Norlight design and was used by the Norlight Armed Forces almost exclusively until the Northern Guard decided to adopt the new weapons system in TN 1855. The Guard’s decision was reached after a NAF task force, consisting primarily of Mammoths and new Hunter MK IIs was used to suppress a bandit army being raised outside Timmins. Since then the Mammoth has been a mainstay of almost all Northern Guard armored regiments and found a similar place in the UMFA and WFPA. To meet the demand resulting from the success of their model, Hartmore Motor Company agreed to subcontract some production runs to Mercantile and Western corporations. This decision ensured that the supply of Mammoths has always been high.

Like all Terranovan combat vehicles, the Mammoth was pressed into service during the War of the Alliance. The strider proved itself effective against hovertank columns when used in conjunction with fast moving scout units using target designators, or when they could take advantage of terrain. When fighting the fast-moving CEF hovertanks on open ground, however, the lumbering Mammoths fared poorly because they were consistently outmaneuvered by their enemies.

Variants

• Assault Mammoth
• Brawler Mammoth
• Command Mammoth

Media

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