Snakeye Mamba
The Snakeye variant of the Black Mamba fills the need for a high performance, stealth commando Gear built for covert operations, assassinations and lightning raids. Its rubberized radar absobent material (RAM) coating inside all the skirt armor plates and on the soles, coupled with the unorthodox battery/gas turbine powerplant and a rubber-like, lightweight, radar absorbent polymer glazing, gives the Snakeye very impressive stealth capabilities. The hybrid propulsion system gives the pilot the option of switching to “whisper” mode by shutting down the turbine and only using the energy stored in the battery.
The battery also feeds the main weapon system, a TU-16 laser rifle that can hit small targets at very long range with amazing accuracy. Because of the battery’s dual function, the TU-16 can fire only 40 shots before a long recharging time is required. The custom-built engine also includes a heavily insulated armored casing that helps to mask its heat signature and gives it the back armor other Black Mambas lack. The sensor and communications packages of the Snakeye were also converted to stealth operation, limiting the detectable emissions in exchange for reduced range.
Usage
The Snakeye was released in TN 1929 and is the highest technology variant of the Black Mamba. Incorporating a wide variety of expensive and rare components, the Snakeye is produced at a very slow rate with only a few machines released each cycle. As a result, the Snakeye is extremely rare, deployed only in elite special forces units such as the Légion Noire. Even in the Légion, the Snakeye is a rare sight.
Despite the small number of operational niches, the Snakeye is rumored to have seen a lot of action since its release. Any number of Northern or rebel installations eliminated mysteriously and many assassinations have been blamed on operations featuring the Snakeye. No proof has ever come forward, of course, and most reports can be attributed to paranoia and propaganda. The Northern Guard Intelligence Service’s file of confirmed data on the model is very thin, indeed. The Southern Republic is quite satisfied with the doubt and fear that the TASW model has spawned in their enemies.
