Python

Specifications
Use	Fire support Gear
Production Code	OACS-3H/FS
Manufacturer	Mandeers Heavy Industries
Height	4.8 meters
Speed	Walker: 36 kph SMS: 59 kph

The Python was the last member of an experimental line of large Gears developed by Mandeers Heavy Industries for Southern military forces. The line, dubbed the "Constrictors," consisted of three designs heavily inspired by the Razorback Northern Gear that was commonly fielded at the time. The three were developed together and reached the prototype stage in rapid succession; they were named Boa, Anaconda and Python, after legendary enormous constrictor snakes originally found on Earth. Of the three, only the Python saw active service. Slightly smaller than its two brethren and equipped with a more efficient engine, the Python was also well armored, well armed and carried a fairly good computer-control system.

The one problem was its design limitations. The Razorback was a 50-cycle old machine when the Python was designed and the Southern Gear did not solve the technical difficulties of the Northern design, most importantly a serious design flaw in the sensor suite which gave it spotty performance. Nevertheless, the Python entered service to fill the niche for a dedicated fire-support Gear, but it was decided that it would be the last machine of its line.

The general performance profile of the Python matched the Razorback almost exactly, although it did carry a slightly less effective armored shell than its Northern opponent. The mission profile of the Python was significantly different than the close-assault Razorback, however, and its weapon load reflected it. The major weapon system of the Gear was the SRWI TLX-12 82 mm back-mounted rocket rack.

Although unguided, these high-explosive rockets could reach targets over a kilometer away and be fired over intervening targets. For precision targeting, the Python was also equipped with a TA-12 60 mm guided mortar system, with a similar range. Direct-fire and shorter-range punch was provided by a MR60 autocannon and a FSRP-36 shoulder-mounted rocket pod. A HLB-16 anti-personnel grenade launcher was also added to the Python design to protect the Gear again infantry. The offensive capabilities of the Gear made it a valuable addition to Gear regiments, allowing it to provide mobile medium-range fire-support for soldier Gears.

Usage

Despite its shortcomings, the Python stayed in service for more than 87 cycles after its release in TN 1805 and was only decommissioned when the Spitting Cobra appeared. During the whole of the nineteenth century, the Python remained the standard fire-support vehicle for Southern Gear regiments and came to be looked upon affectionately by its pilots. The Gear went through a few minor updates over its career and its general performance in terms of mobility remained acceptable up until its retirement. The sensor system of the Python — a troublesome package developed in-house by Mandeers Heavy Industries — was never perfected. Mandeers was rumored to be preparing a sensor upgrade package when the Southern military announced in TN 1892 that the Python was to be phased out from active duty.

The Mandeers manufacturing plant for the Gear closed down soon thereafter. Many observers believe that the Python was pushed off the market thanks in large part to the political power of Territorial Arms, the manufacturer of the Spitting Cobra. Indeed, Mandeers’ Gear was removed from active service in record time, leading to a massive injection of powerful Gears into second-line units and almost immediately into the black market.

In the last 30 cycles, the Python has had an active second career in the Badlands and among bandits of the Southern Hemisphere. While a good number of the Gears are still in the hands of second-line units, city militias or the Mekong Peacekeepers, an alarming number are fielded by two-bit desert dictators and rover bands. Several of the large bandits armies of the Mekong jungles use Pythons and the Peacekeepers and MILICIA have both struggled to stop the flow of the machines into the black market. The MILICIA military police has recently begun a crack-down on spare parts smuggling and theft, hoping to cut off the vital supplies that keep bandit Gears in operational order. Several savannah and desert principalities which have recently signed accords with the Allied Southern Territories have bitterly complained about this crackdown, however. These communities depend on the black market to supply them with the hardware necessary to defend themselves against rovers and are afraid that they will become vulnerable to attack long before the bandits do.

Gallery

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