FV735 Fusilier Hover Infantry Fighting Vehicle
The Boys of the Old Brigade:
The Fusilier Hover Combat Vehicle Family
Somewhere in the depths of Kielder Forest the Coldstreams were playing Kafer for the Terriers of 50 Div to find, but The Blood Kitt floated hull down, three hundred metres out into Kielder Reservoir. Two of her crew stood on the decking and directed torches down into the engine bay, the third was head and shoulders into it.
“We’re gannin’ neewhere, Sarge. She’s buggered.” Fusilier Shaftoe announced, as his grimy face emerged back into the moonlight. “The drivetrain’s borst and the nither half of it bolloxed the lift-fan on its way oot o’ the hint-end o’ the skort. Ah can howk oot the lift-fan, but we divvent have a complete replacement an’ the drive-train is a workshop job. REME’ll tell ye nee different when they gets here.”
Colour Sergeant Kitty Fenwick, commanding Recce Platoon, Support Company, 9 RRF (in the absence of anyone gullible enough to accept a commission), delivered a sound kick to the engine hatch of The Blood Kitt. Her Carabinier couldn’t have picked a worse place to give up the ghost. Still, it could have been worse, at least she floated. On the other hand, she was stuck here with Mickey Shaftoe, the man with the most impenetrable Geordie in the battalion.
Shaftoe settled himself against the Carabinier’s turret and tore open a sachet from his DCR. “Corn beef hash,” he told Kitty, scooping the food out with his fingers, “Canny scran.”
Kitty rolled her eyes, but trying to get any sort of formal report out of Shaftoe was a hopeless task. “Why did the drive-train blow?” she asked.
“Buggered if ah knaa, canny lass. Probly ‘cause it’s aader than thee or me, ah reckon it’s aader than me ganny for that matter.”
Kitty sighed and squatted down on the deck, it was going to be a long night.
The Fusilier Family
The British Army has played a major part in the fighting on the French Arm and its cutting edge fighting vehicles have become a familiar scene to news media consumers all over Human Space. However, not all British vehicles are as cutting edge as the Montgomery, Craufurd and Templer, many units still make do with Rifleman APCs or Cavalier hovertanks, and in the nether reaches of the Territorial forces they can be older still. Significant numbers of TAVR and Alician Defence Force-Ground Wing GS Infantry battalions are still equipped with vehicles based on the Fusilier Hover Fighting Vehicle, effectively two full generations behind the state of the art, and the situation is not likely to change soon. If the Kafers had pushed all the way to Earth then a new generation of Territorial soldier would have had to go to war in vehicles built when their grandparents were serving.
FV735 Fusilier Hover Infantry Fighting Vehicle
The Fusilier HIFV superseded the Halberdier HAPC in British Army service, but that was nearly five decades ago now. The Fusilier was a major step forward over the old Halberdier in having the power-to-weight ratio to support a respectable armament and armour suite, although jump-jet capability was still a generation in the future. The armament suite of the Fusilier slipped behind the cutting edge a long time ago, but the L632 and L74 are still reliable and if the Blackjack is heavier and less accurate than the Green Hunter it does have a significantly bigger warhead. Fusiliers remain the standard Section and Platoon Commanders vehicle for significant parts of the Regional Divisions and the conversion and refurbishment programme that turns Fusiliers into Riflemen is unlikely to be completed in the foreseeable future.
Type: Hover IFV
Nationality: British
In Service With: UK, others
Crew: 3 (Driver, Commander, Gunner) + 8 dismounts
Combat Weight: 18 tons
Armour: Rear: 10, Plenum: 5, Others: 20
Armament:
1* L632 25mm Autocannon in Remote Turret with 100 rounds and +2 Fire Control,
1* Coaxial L74A8 MG with 2000 rounds and +1 Fire Control
1* Blackjack AVM (three manual reloads carried internally, 2 turns to reload with vehicle stopped)
Signature: 3
Evasion: 7
Sensor Range:
Section Vehicle: 10km (+0),
Platoon Commander’s Vehicle: 10Km (+1)
Cargo: 1000kg + 8 Passengers
Max Speed: 160kph
Cruise Speed: 120kph
Combat Movement: 240m
Off Road Mobility: full
Power Plant: 0.75MW MHD Turbine
Fuel Capacity: 575kg of hydrogen
Fuel Consumption: 25kg per hour
Endurance: 23 hours
Price: Lv200,000 for a second hand system on the open market
(Original 2265 purchase price was approximately Lv530,000)
FV736 Musketeer Hover Fire Support Vehicle
The Fire Support Variant of the Fusilier, the Musketeer replaced the 25mm L632 of the Section Carrier with a 51mm heavy autocannon with a considerable anti-vehicle capability. Ammo stowage for the gun meant the passenger-carrying ability of the Musketeer dropped to 6 men. BEx originally hoped that the British Army would adopt the Musketeer as the Platoon Commander’s vehicle within the Fusilier family, but the Army settled on a Fusilier with minimal Command and Control upgrades instead. British Army sales were instead limited to equipping Close Recce squadrons of some UKDF Yeomanry units. Musketeers in the Close Recce role have now largely been superseded by Cavaliers and in a few cases Craufurds. The surplus vehicles have been filtered down to the Support Companies of Fusilier equipped Regional Force GS battalions where they provide a useful increase in combat potential for the AT Platoons, and the few remaining in Yeomanry units will soon follow.
On the export market the Musketeer was considerably more successful, though mostly it has seen service as a substitute hover tank for nations unable to field first line vehicles.
Type: Hover IFV
Nationality: British
In Service With: UK, others
Crew: 3 (Driver, Commander, Gunner) + 6 dismounts
Combat Weight: 20 tons
Armour: Rear: 10, Plenum: 5, Others: 20
Armament:
1* 51mm L635 Autocannon in Remote Turret with 150 rounds (2 * 75 Round Magazines) and +2 Fire Control,
1* Coaxial L74A8 MG with 2000 rounds and +1 Fire Control
1* Blackjack AVM (three manual reloads carried internally, 2 turns to reload with vehicle stopped)
Signature: 3
Evasion: 7
Sensor Range: 10km (+1)
Cargo: 1000kg + 6 Passengers
Max Speed: 160kph
Cruise Speed: 120kph
Combat Movement: 240m
Off Road Mobility: full
Power Plant: 0.8MW MHD Turbine
Fuel Capacity: 575kg of hydrogen
Fuel Consumption: 27.5kg per hour
Endurance: 21 hours
Price: Lv250,000 for a second hand system on the open market
(Original 2265 purchase price was approximately Lv600,000)
FV737 Carabinier Hover Recce Vehicle
The Carabinier was meant to be the Recce counterpart to the Fusilier, mounting a considerably enhanced sensor suite on an extensible mast and replacing the standard turret with a four-tube AVM pod. British sales in the standard configuration were limited to equipping the Medium Recce Squadrons of Yeomanry Regiments of UKDF, HBTs being preferred for medium recce in the deployment forces, while a version of Carabinier without the sensor mast was procured for the Anti-Tank platoons of Fusilier equipped battalions.
Within the British Army, Carabiniers have now been replaced in the Medium Recce role by Cavalier HBTs. AT role Carabiniers linger on in the GS Infantry battalions of the Regional Divisions and are unlikely to be replaced in the near future. They are now being joined by recce variant Carabiniers flowing down into the Infantry from the re-equipped Yeomanry.
Type: Hover Recce Vehicle
Nationality: British
In Service With: UK, others
Crew: 3 (Driver, Commander, Gunner)
Combat Weight: 18 tons
Armour: Rear: 10, Plenum: 5, Others: 20
Armament:
1* L72A3 12mm MG with 2000 rounds
4* Blackjack AVM (12 reloads carried internally in autoloader mechanism)
Signature:
AT Variant: 2
Recce variant: 2, 3 with Mast extended
Evasion: 7
Sensor Range:
AT Variant: 10km (+2)
Recce Variant: 10 Km (+2), 25Km (+3) with Mast extended
Cargo: Recce Variant: None, AT Variant: 500Kg
Max Speed: 160kph
Cruise Speed: 120kph
Combat Movement: 240m
Off Road Mobility: full
Power Plant: 0.75MW MHD Turbine
Fuel Capacity: 575kg of hydrogen
Fuel Consumption: 25kg per hour
Endurance: 23 hours
Price:
Recce Variant:
Lv275,000 for a second hand system on the open market
(Original 2265 purchase price was approximately Lv650,000).
AT Variant:
Lv220,000 for a second hand system on the open market
(Original 2265 purchase price was approximately Lv550,000).
FV738 Archer Hover Air Defence Vehicle
The Archer was intended to provide British units with a hover-mounted medium air-defence system. The turret of the Fusilier was replaced with a remote weapon mount for a 12mm HMG and the troop bay is replaced by a vertical launch system holding 10 Goshawk medium range SAMs. Initial plans had called for the Archer to serve in all armour and non-light role infantry battalions, but a spending squeeze meant that it never served in any armour regiment and only first line infantry battalions in the deployment forces were ever fully equipped. A Vickers proposal to rework the Archer with the full mobility upgrade being applied to produce the Rifleman from the Fusilier was considered but not adopted and the only significant upgrade of the Archer since entry into service has been the replacement of the remote weapon station with a Vedette Defender point defence installation. British Army Archers have now mostly been transferred down to the Regional Divisions, grouped as independent Air Defence Batteries within the Divisional Artillery Groups.
Type: Hover Air Defence Vehicle
Nationality: British
In Service With: UK, others
Crew: 3 (Driver, Commander, Gunner)
Combat Weight: 18.5 tons
Armour: Rear: 10, Plenum: 5, Others: 20
Armament:
1* Vedette Defender PDS with 4000 rounds
10* Goshawk MRSAM
Signature: 3
Evasion: 7
Sensor Range: 25km (+2)
Cargo: None
Max Speed: 160kph
Cruise Speed: 120kph
Combat Movement: 240m
Off Road Mobility: full
Power Plant: 0.75MW MHD Turbine
Fuel Capacity: 575kg of hydrogen
Fuel Consumption: 25kg per hour
Endurance: 23 hours
Price: Lv 230,000 for a second hand system on the open market
(Original 2270 purchase price was approximately Lv670,000).
Weapons
L632 25mm Autocannon
The L632 is an old, unsophisticated, but ultimately reliable conventional autocannon (if 25x130mm ETC can be called conventional) that has served the British Army well for half a century and seems set to continue for another decade or more. The weapon is dual feed, being capable of firing either fully automatical from the linkless magazine or hand-loaded single rounds. The standard load-out is APSE in the magazine, with Smoke, HE and Thermobaric rounds carried in small numbers and loaded individually. A 25x130mm SPFF round is available, but the L632 mounted on the Fusilier lacks the necessary muzzle data link to use this round.
Type: 25x130mm Electro-Thermal Chemical Autocannon
Country: Britain
Action: Single Shots or Automatic
Ammunition: 25x130mm ETC
|APSE |DP = Short: 25, Medium: 18, Long: 12, Extreme: 8 |
|High Explosive (HE) |EP = 8 |
|White Phosphorous/Smoke (WP-SMK) |Burst Radius = 7.5m, Smoke 7.5*50 |
|High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) |EP = 4 Tamped |
Muzzle Velocity: 1675 mps
ROF: 4
Aimed Fire Range: 1200m
Area Fire Burst: 0.8 (= 10 Rounds)
Area Fire Range: 1000m
Price: Lv 5,750
L635 51mm Heavy Autocannon
A scaled up version of the L632 in 51x325mm ETC, the L635 has a considerably better anti-armour performance at the cost of a considerably larger shell. Somewhat more complex than the L632, the L635 has twin autoloading feeds in addition to the manual feed. The designer’s intention was that one feed should be dedicated to SPFF rounds for point-defence, but practice has shown that the use of a vehicle’s main gun for the point-defence role is inherently limiting. In actual practice British Army Musketeers will generally load one ammunition magazine with APSE, the other with a mix of Thermobaric, HE and WP-SMK. Variants of the L635 have been adopted for the naval multi-purpose medium caliber gun role and the gun has also been used by other manufacturers as the armament for medium AFVs and, using the SPFF round, for close air defence systems.
Type: 51mm Electro-thermal Chemical Autoannon
Country: Britain
Action: Single Shots or Automatic
Ammunition: 51x325mm ETC
|APSE |DP = Short: 40, Medium: 33, Long: 25, Extreme: 15 |
|High Explosive (HE) |EP = 15 |
|White Phosphorous/Smoke (WP-SMK) |Burst Radius = 12m, Smoke 12*60 |
|High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) |EP = 6 Tamped |
|Thermobaric (TB) |Burst Radius: 25/50, Concussion Value: 20/10 |
|Smart Pre-Formed Fragment (SPFF) |See Below |
Muzzle Velocity: 1675 mps
ROF: 3
Aimed Fire Range: 1550m
Area Fire Burst: 0.8 (= 10 Rounds)
Area Fire Range: 1200m
Price: Lv 12,500
L32 51x325mm Smart Pre-Formed Fragment Round
The L32 SPFF round was designed to primarily function as an anti-aircraft/point defence round with a secondary anti-personnel function. Its action is similar to a canister round, spraying a 30 degree cone of pre-formed fragments ahead of the point of detonation, which is automatically set by a muzzle mounted data-link as the shell leaves the barrel.
For anti-aircraft and anti-missile use, treat the shell as detonating 200 metres in front of the target. For ground use, the point of detonation can be determined for the firing unit, with all targets in the cone engaged. Note that engagement of low-altitude targets may result in casualties on the ground.
|Range |DPV |Hit Probablility |
|75m |0.75 |0.3*4 (Small) or 12 (Large) |
|150m |0.6 |0.3*2 (Small) or 6 (Large) |
|300m |0.4 |0.3*1 (Small) or 3 (Large) |
All targets within the cone will be engaged by the indicated number of fragments for that range. Personnel or missiles are considered small targets, aircraft and vehicles are considered large targets.
Vickers-DunArmCo L72A3 12mm Heavy Machine Gun
Vickers’ license built version of the Mini-12 machine gun, the L72 is the British Army's current Heavy Machine Gun. The L72A4 version is used in Infantry battalions for direct fire support, while the L72A3 is the actively cooled variant mounted in various armoured vehicles.
Type: 12mm Machine Gun
Country: Australia
Weight: 34kg (including active cooling system)
Action: Single shot or Bursts
Ammunition: 12x95mm fixed cartridge ball
Muzzle Velocity: 940mps
Magazine: 2000 round tank
ROF: 6
Aimed Fire Range: 1000m
Area Fire Burst: 15 rounds (AFB = 1.5)
Area Fire Range: 1400m
DP Value: 3
Price: Lv1050 (Lv3 for 100rnds)
Rockwell L74A8 7.5mm MG
The predecessor to the L95 in British Army service, the L74 served admirably for many years. In general there is little to choose between the two weapons, but the actively cooled version of the L95 is more reliable than the L74A8 in sustained fire. Standard issue for L74A8 equipped vehicles includes a stock, trigger mechanism and bipod to allow the L74 to be removed from the vehicle in the event it is disabled (which technically converts it into the L74A7 infantry version).
Type: 7.5mm Machine Gun
Country: Britain
Weight (empty): 7kg (basic, 7.5Kg with stock, trigger mechanism and bipod)
Length: 115cm
Action: Single shot or Full Automatic
Ammunition: 7.5mm x 37mm fixed cartridge ball
Muzzle Velocity: 1,200mps
Magazine: 2,000 round belted, or 100 Round Cassette
Magazine Weight: 1.7kg
ROF: 5
Aimed Fire Range: 1,200m
Area Fire Burst: 15 rounds (AFB = 1.5)
Area Fire Range: 750m
DP Value: 1.1
Price: Lv 800
Vedette Defender PDS
The Verlet Defender PDS combines a heavy 7.5mm round with a integral Thermal and Millimetre Wavelength Radar seeker unit. The system provides excellent point defence against conventional ATGW and low-V cannon rounds, but is less effective against Hyper Velocity Missiles and high-V rounds. This unit is also highly effective against infantry.
Type: 7.5mm Chain Gun with integral +3 point defence computer
Country: UK/Netherlands
Weight (empty): 192kg
Length: 119cm
Action: Bursts
Ammunition: 7.5mm x 70mm fixed cartridge ball
Muzzle Velocity: 1044mps
Magazine: 6000 round cassette
Magazine Weight: 150kg
ROF: 5
Aimed Fire Range: N/A
Area Fire Burst: 300 rounds (AFB = 30)
Area Fire Range: 750m
DP Value: 1.2
Price: Lv47,000
Goshawk MRSAM
The ground-launched variant of the Sparrowhawk SRAAM in front-line service with the RAF until the time of the CAW, the Goshawk combines a minimally altered Sparrowhawk airframe with two wrap-around boosters designed to get the missile out of its VLS cell and up to Mach 1, at which point they peel away in similar fashion to a sabot, leaving the Goshawk to engage the target in identical fashion to its Sparrowhawk cousin. In operational service the Goshawk is now semi-obsolescent and was always limited by the two-stage boosted flight, which restricts the missile to a minimum engagement range of 2.5Km. The intention was that the Goshawk should be replaced by the Sky Streak, but that missile was recast as a shorter-range anti-armour weapon and the Goshawk replacement remains open. Fortunately the Kafer air threat has not proven to be serious to date.
Type: Medium Range Surface to Air Missile
Nation: UK
In Service With: UK, Others
Launcher Weight: 75kg (VLS canister)
Missile Weight: 130kg
Speed: Mach 4.5
Range: 75Km
Guidance: Automatic following Gunner Lock On
Attack Angle: Direct
Damage: As tamped explosion, EP=12
Launcher Price: N/A (Missiles are shipped in launch canisters and may only be fired from a VLS)
Missile Price: Lv 12,500
Blackjack AVM
The Blackjack was the UK’s standard AVM before the advent of Green Hunter and Sky Streak. The missile comes in at the heavier end of the man-portable spectrum and vehicle mounting was always preferred. Light role infantry AT Platoon members were universally relieved when the Blackjack was superceded in first line units by the much lighter Green Hunter. Nevertheless, Blackjack remains in service in considerable parts of the army and its larger warhead still finds advocates amongst those who have yet to be converted to the church of the Green Hunter.
Most Blackjack equipped units primarily use vehicular mounts, whether they be tube-launchers on Fusiliers or Carabiniers, or simple pintle mounts on Hover Rovers or Reynards. However all dedicated AT vehicles are normally equipped with a separate control head for dismounted use, which can be combined with a Blackjack launch tube on the heavy L2 tripod. The control head is TISS compatible in a basic fashion and can be controlled from up to 125m away, although a cable connection to a TISS node is required.
Type: Anti-Vehicle Missile
Nation: UK
In Service with: UK, Others
Launcher weight: 14kg (2Kg Control Head, 12Kg L2 Tripod)
Missile weight: 24kg
Range: 6500m
Guidance: Automatic, automatic following gunner lock on, or guided by gunner
Homing value: 12
Attack angle: selectable
Damage: As tamped explosion (EP = 60)
Price: Not available
Missile speed: 300 mps
Missile endurance: 21 seconds
Launcher Price: Lv 1200
Missile Price: Lv 1500
Shaftoe Translated
“We’re gannin’ neewhere, Sarge. She’s buggered.”
We aren’t going anywhere, Sergeant. She has broken down.
“The drivetrain’s borst and the nither half of it bolloxed the lift-fan on its way oot o’ the hint-end o’ the skort. Ah can howk oot the lift-fan, but we divvent have a complete replacement an’ the drive-train is a workshop job. REME’ll tell ye nee different when they gets here.”
The drive train has sheared and the far end of it destroyed the lift-fan on its way out through the back of the skirt. I can pull the lift-fan, but we don’t have a replacement and the drive-train is a workshop job. REME will say exactly the same when they arrive.
“Corn beef hash,”
Corned beef hash (corned beef broken up, mixed with mashed potatoes and cooked)
“Canny scran.”
Good food
“Buggered if ah knaa, canny lass.”
I don’t know, admirable woman.
“Probly ‘cause it’s aader than thee or me, ah reckon it’s aader than me ganny for that matter.”
Probably because it is older than you or me. I think it may even be older than my grandmother.
Acknowledgements
The Fusilier concept is by Dan Hebditch, the Vedette Defender and L72 are by Dan Hebditch and Bryn Monnery
................
................
In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.
To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.
It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.
Related searches
- fighting illini volleyball
- fighting illini basketball recruiting 2019
- fighting illini basketball recruiting news
- fighting illini basketball recruiting rumors
- fighting illini basketball recruiting
- fighting illini women s soccer
- illinois fighting illini football news
- fighting illini tennis
- fighting illini football schedule
- ginger cancer fighting dosage
- how many died fighting in ww 2
- illinois fighting illini men s basketball