Thunderhammer

Specifications
Use	Fire support Strider
Production Code	WACS-03-FS
Manufacturer	Various
Height	6.4 meters (8.5 m w. LFG)
Speed	Walker: 30 kph

The basic layout of the Thunderhammer is a rectangular chassis carried by four massive legs placed at each corner. Each leg ends in a stubby claw capable of finding purchase on the roughest ground. The entire vehicle is covered with thick armor plating that is evenly spread on all locations, front and back. The two crewmen, the commander/pilot and the system operator/gunner, ride in a fully enclosed armored cockpit located on top of the main hull. The sensor array is divided into several pods located at various points across the body, which makes the sensor equipment very hard to take out with just one shot. The Thunderhammer features an elaborate system of automatic loading and secondary systems that allow two crewmen to operate the massive strider with very little difficulty and allow the Thunderhammer to launch several shells in short order.

The main armament of the Thunderhammer is the large Northco Weapons Division 120 mm smoothbore gun carried on its back on a 360° mount. The 12 rounds of ammunition are carried within an armored box that moves with the gun, reducing damage to the main body should the ammunition be hit. The ammunition clip can be replaced very rapidly by a crane-equipped support vehicle, and the clip can accept a large variety of ammunition types. A 40 mm autocannon mounted in a small turret at the front and a 71 mm rocket launcher placed beside the cockpit act as backups and close-defense weapons. A small belly turret contains a 27 mm light grenade launcher for use against infantry and other soft targets that come too close.

The armament of the Thunderhammer is designed for close fire-support duties rather than pure artillery duty, a function covered by the Damocles strider and tracked vehicles such as the Verder. The Thunderhammer is thus deployed near the cutting edge of a Northern advance and is usually accompanied by a shielding squadron of Gears to prevent tank-hunting units from taking advantage of the strider’s low mobility. The Thunderhammer’s close-defense weaponry is impressive enough, however, that the shielding squadron can be spared if strictly necessary. Whenever possible, Thunderhammer crews will also use rough terrain as a shield for their vehicle, taking advantage of its ability to move across broken ground with surprising ease.

Usage

The Thunderhammer was introduced in the TN 1870s and has served with distinction ever since. A joint venture of many different manufacturers, the Thunderhammer quickly found its way into the arsenals of all the Northern armies. Its finest hours undoubtedly came during the War of the Alliance. Thunderhammer crewmen were known to take their machines into the densest mountain terrain to rain shells upon Colonial Expeditionary Force positions on the plains below, using the cover of the rocks to escape scouts and counterbattery fire.

The greatest of these campaigns occurred at the end of the war, when a combined Terranovan force comprised of Thunderhammers paired with Desert Viper and Alpine Hunter mountain Gears made their way through the Westridge Range clearing out the areas occupied by the CEF. This attack was part of the initial stage of the final drive into the Barrington Basin and was a resounding success, cutting the CEF off from the valuable occupied communities in the regions that could supply food and supplies for the beleaguered invasion force. According to joint Terranovan press releases, more vehicles were lost to piloting accidents in the treacherous gorges than to enemy fire during the Westridge campaign.

In the years since the War of the Alliance, the Thunderhammer has continued to be one of the keystones of the strider forces of the North. The massive weapons platform has seen action in the Badlands in recent cycles and is currently returning the sight of its greatest accomplishment. The Westridge Range is an important North-South rail axis and has become the birthplace of an Arthurian-sponsored coalition of independent communities. Both polar leagues have moved significant military resources into the region to help convince locals that they must choose sides if they are to survive and to guard their strategic interests.

Thunderhammers can currently be found deployed in strategic locations from Wounded Knee to Prince Gable. The striders have been paired with the more recent Mountain Jaguars which provide excellent escort and scout services, forming dangerous mountain teams capable of calling down massive firepower. Locals have made several complaints to Northern diplomats about the presence of Northern military might, especially after teams of Thunderhammers were placed in clear sight overlooking the Fort Neil to Wounded Knee rail link.

Gallery

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