Hovertank
Tanks that were able to float in the air.
Even after checking with long-range cameras, the Argoforce couldn’t confirm any jet fumes being emitted.
Even so, the tanks still managed to slowly float down until they reached the ground.
And they were carrying Silhouettes on top of them to boot.
「They sure are handy. Hovertanks. They’ll really speed up the deployment of tanks on the battlefield.」
Robert addressed Yunlan who was just beside him.
The tanks that dropped down from the Aristides and Pericles were actually tread-less hovertanks.
Their most notable characteristics were their large ducted fans and their fixed turrets. They were also the latest model of Dragoon tank.
It was difficult to support the total weight of a combined Silhouette and tank with compressed air alone.
That’s why they also employed an aerial control mechanism based on superconductivity using Whis and quantum mechanics.
They were hovertanks that employed quantum levitation. They made use of two types of phenomena; flux pinning and the Meissner effect. The tank was suspended in the air via quantum fixation using the effect of a type-II superconductor, and thrust was provided by the ducted fan, allowing the tank to maneuver up, down, left, and right while in the air.
They technically weren’t floating in the air. Instead, they were ‘fixed’ to it. They didn’t resemble UFOs floating about, but were more like lumps of metal that were suspended in mid-air.
It was technology related to the Lorentz force, and although it still had many limitations, Yunlan had succeeded in putting it into practical use.
Because it was ‘fixed’ in the air, the tanks weren’t suited for high-speed maneuvers, unlike planes. They certainly couldn’t fight like fighter planes.
The tank’s poor ability when it comes to retreat maneuvers was also another issue. It couldn’t go backwards unless it deploys its in-built wheels and lands on the ground first.
However, the biggest advantage of quantum levitation was the great increase in payload capacity. The weight that the quantum floatation device can support was unmatched by conventional air-cushion hovercraft.
「The Hover-tan sure are cute.」
The cat-eared operator girl smiled as she gazed at the screen.
The nickname “Hover-tan” quickly caught on with the members of Metal Iris and was now widely used to refer to the new hovertanks.
The tank was especially popular with the Therianthropes and Familiars due to its unsteady movements that they found strangely cute and endearing for some reason.
That’s despite the fact that it had a rather sleek and futuristic design that somewhat resembled a motorbike.
「They’re not just cute.」
Yunlan watched the tank troops he’d created with a proud and gentle smile.
「It’s now up to you all. Zhuque unit. Jingfong unit.」
He softly uttered the names of the troops he had created.
「Floating tanks are merely useless pieces of junk! Hurry and shoot them down!」
The enemy tank unit finished landing on the ground before the Silhouette glider troops.
Since they didn’t have treads, they likely wouldn’t be able to employ guns with strong recoil.
They should only have two to four missiles at their disposal. If that’s the case, then the Armadillo heavy Silhouettes should more than suffice to take them on.
At least, that’s what the Lacedaemon commander thought at first.
The Armadillo that stood before him ended up getting partially destroyed with a single blow.
The Armadillo that sported thick high-dimensional projection armor plating was quickly brought to its knees.
The enemy machines had more firepower than he first expected. The Armadillo should be able to tank a few more shots, then it would get completely totaled.
Then, a follow-up attack was launched by the Silhouette “riding” on the floating tank.
It used a two-handed hand cannon.
「Fire back!」
However, the hovertank quickly moved in irregular trajectories, making it hard to get a proper lock on it.
It was chaotically moving in three directions without pause. Right, left, and up.
「Wha–?」
Despite outnumbering the enemy forces, the Argoforce was left unable to respond to their erratic movements.
「They’re not using railguns, but that’s still quite the firepower. It’s not your usual smoothbore cannon either. It’s a new weapon, right?」
Robert relayed his doubts to Yunlan.
「That’s right. It would have been nice to equip them with railguns, but hovertanks have a good number of limitations. That’s why I decided to equip them with electromagnetic plasma cannons instead.」
Electromagnetic plasma cannon. It was a weapon developed in Yunlan’s home country.
A magnetic field was generated inside the cannon barrel, and when a shell is fired, the heat and pressure generated by the movement of the shell turns the gas within it into plasma. This process creates a plasma layer inside the cannon barrel.
The muzzle velocity of a 155 mm cannon can reach Mach 7, and its range was close to 100 km.
「Heavy Silhouette Zhuque. Hovertank-type Dragoon tank Jingfong. These are the new weapons I’ve developed. After all, if I didn’t make a high-performance machine with at least a level of aerial capabilities, people would start thinking I’m not capable of making one.」
He said it in a joking manner, but his words should be Yunlan’s true thoughts.
And he indeed made machines that didn’t lose out to Kelly and Kinukawa’s transformable Silhouettes.
「The Jinfong hovertank is already pretty versatile on its own. However, mounting the specialized Silhouette Zhuque on it grants it even more speed and acceleration through Zhuque’s thrusters. Their top speed can exceed 300 km/h.」
「The Zhuque is a Heavy Silhouette, right?」
「That’s only because the Zhuque can’t accelerate to supersonic speeds on the ground. It can actually reach 800 km/h. It also has flight capability. I should also make flying Silhouettes from time to time after all.」
「A flying Heavy Silhouette sounds like trouble. They should be a reassuring sight for their allies.」
「My only regret is that they turned out being too expensive, so I could only manage to produce 50 of them.」
「That’s more than enough. The Quattro Silhouettes will join up with us soon as well. With this, we can definitely maintain the frontline.」
At this point in time, Palm, who was piloting his Quattro Silhouette, was looking at the sky and watching the descending hovertanks.
His expression was unexpectedly grim.
「Mmrgh. So, those are hover-tans……」
「What’s wrong, Captain Palm?」
A dog-eared Therianthrope Quattro Trooper unit member piloting an Epos asked the Epona-piloting Palm.
「I once heard something from Admiral Aimer. When she was was playing a game with Kou-sama, she said『As expected, hover-tans are much better than four-legged ones. It’s easier to shoot straight with them.』while smiling.」
「!」
The Therianthropes felt a sense of crisis rising within them.
An unexpected rival has appeared!
「But we’re piloting quadrupeds…… Eh? No, we can’t allow ourselves to lose to the hover-tans!」
「T-That’s right. At this rate, Metal Iris will be filled with Wheel of Fortunes and hover-tans!」
It was a great misunderstanding that would make Kou feel dizzy if he ever heard about it. Aimer wasn’t actually referring to their quadrupedal Centaur units at all.
「Fortunately, Kou-sama is a specs mania–…… Ahem. He tends to design high-performance machines. We have to perform well and show them all that the future lies with the Quattros!」
「Yeah!」
The hearts of the Therianthrope pilots came together as one.
The Quattro Silhouette troopers rushed toward the battlefield, burning with hostility against the dreaded hover-tans.
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