Deviation Actions
Description
The AMT’s H series mechanized walkers were the company’s first real foray outside of more conventional units and vehicles and as such the design and prototyping process took surprisingly long. AMT’s design teams worked out every flaw, bug and conceivable problem as they tested the H-series in scenarios that were increasingly unlikely and yet potentially possible in a combat situation. The long development cycle also allowed the designers to examine what the Commonwealth military was using, what about it was successful and what the troops thought of it. They found that a number of troops lamented that for the most part Mechanized walkers seemed to act only as support units even in situations where it would be acceptable to take on some risk. The resulting design was the H-series which from the ground up was design as a mechanized walker that is rather tough, adaptable and had enough firepower to engage when needed and run support if requested. The downside of course what that the H-series was comparatively slow when considered against the speed of the AH-K-29 Anhur. Despite the slower speed the H-series found favorable review by the infantry it often worked with and by conventional armored forces as well.
Capabilities
In service to the Commonwealth’s Armed Forces (CAF), the H-Series of mechanized walkers are used more conventionally than any other unit of the same type currently in service. In general use these mechanized walkers are used somewhere between the front and second lines or in defense of dense terrain such as cities, and thick forests or jungles. This is more because of the unit’s low cruising speed which is roughly 60.8 miles per hour on a paved road surface. The low speed is the only compromise in the design as it also carries 9 tons of TIND+ type armor, has a reinforced internal structure and devotes half its entire weight to its cavernous weapons bays. The weapons are the key to the design and make all the difference betweent eht wo primary models. Both models are detailed below
AMT-H5
The H5 model carries a full sensor suite, which allows it to spot and fire on targets at extreme range with good accuracy. The H5’s Weapons load consists of a single GSA2-16 model auto-loading DRAIL cannon, which has five and a half tons of munitions stored in the right and left torso. A four-tube RAAM missile system is mounted in the center torso, with its two tons of ammunition. The missile system normally would be called a primary weapon but in the case of the H5 it acts for fire support when the DRAIL’s three-shot clip is reloading. In the arms the H5 mounts a 50mm AGML and a 25mm AGML which serve as the tertiary weapons for the design. In the most literal sense the H5 is very much designed with the basic tank design theory in mind that the weapons are simple, support each other’s range and leave no gaps. The design’s key weakness is the limits of its ammunition, though thankfully both if the H5’s arms and fists in particular have been reinforced so it can become a deadly brawler if pressed at short range.
AMT-H7
The H7 model has had its primary weapons bay radically upgraded so that it can fit two GSA-8 auto-loading DRAIL cannons. The missile system has been moved to the left arm while it’s munitions sit in the left torso. The ammunition for the DRAIL systems has been increased by two and a half tons to a total of eight tons which gives the dual guns a bit more longevity despite being smaller models. The size and placement of the guns however meant that there was no room for the right arm's actuators and attachment points. In contrast to the H5 the H7 has no right arm and over the area it would ahve beena s a reasonable precaution addtional applique armor has been applied. Typically the H7 is referred to as the “Spray & Pray Special” for its common use in forcing the enemy to take cover by delivering cover fire for advancing infantry, conventional vehicles or other mechanized walkers. The weakness of the design is that it has lost all of its energy weapons making it very supply line dependent. CAF officers often either keep the H7 paired with an energy weapon-heavy unit or position it in a location where resupply vehicles can get to the H7 so it can be rearmed from the front lines.
Variants
Most are reluctant to tamper with a successful design, and yet reports have already surfaced regarding a Commonwealth planetary garrison removing the double guns on the H7 and installing at the least a 20-tube missile launcher system. In theory this resulting unauthorized modification would be some sort of mobile bombardment platform or a plain support unit. Other unverified reports from garrisons suggest that the design has been outfitted with a number of AGML energy weapons and laser-based heat exchangers to give the mechanized walker a serious offensive punch without ammunition limits. Both variants are unconfirmed but could stand to further add to the flexibility of the design if their alterations prove to be worth the trouble.
The popularity of the original two models has spawned a specified pair of variant models tooled to be sold on the export market to friendly governments who are looking for an economical and flexible mechanized walker. The Export model differs from the primary two models by simply having modular weapons mounts in place of the specified weapons mounts of the original two models. All proprietary technology has been removed from the export versions and their armor altered to homogenous high test layered steel with ERA style reactive armor over critical areas. The export model is slightly slower than the Commonwealth military’s version because the reactor was switched to a standard fusion engine as opposed to the Commonwealth’s standard ultra-compact ambient temperature fusion reactor. The weapons load for the mechanized walker however has remained completely unchanged. It is likely that perspective buyers will swap out the generic reactor for something with a little more output to maximize the mechanized walker’s abilities.