NGR Puma II Infantry Fighting Vehicle:
The Puma was originally developed for the German military at the start of the Twentieth-First Century. It was a bit heavier than most infantry fighting vehicles but quite well armored. It was developed relatively slowly with an eye for being modular. It was not until around Twenty-Ten that full scale production was started and around four hundred were produced between Twenty-Ten and Twenty-Twenty.
As being a quite new design, the German military cast around for solutions when the revolution in hyper-strong materials. The vehicle could be reinforced with new materials but that would be a temporary solution at best. This was done at first but the military kept the pressure on for a true replacement. The production lines were still intact so the obvious solution was to restart production but using the new alloys and composites in the design. This allowed the design to be produced for a fraction of what an all new design would cost, especially in development costs.
This design became known as the Puma II infantry fighting vehicle. Production was slow at first with most of the military budget concentrated on replacing old tanks with the new Leopard III. Approximately six hundred Puma II infantry fighting vehicles were produced eventually with production ending around Twenty-Forty-Five. Still, the vehicle was retained in reserve forces. With the use of advanced materials, the design was virtually immune to environmental factors. Most were in reserve forces when the Rifts devastated most of the world.
Even after the coming of the Rifts, the New German Republic operates these vehicles. They don't have the speed of many of the advanced hover tank designs but are still surprisingly capable. Being relatively simple designs, they are surprisingly easy to maintain. A number were abandoned in the early times after the Rifts and some of these ended up in the hands of mercenaries. These Puma are considered extremely valuable and effective designs. Some have been extensively modified in mercenary service although a surprising number are virtually unmodified.
When the Puma II was developed, efficient fusion power plants were still a couple of decades away. As such, a fuel cell system was installed instead replacing the original diesel engine. Top speed was improved from original with a top speed of around ninety kilometers per hour on roads although a bit slower off road. Range is also increased with a maximum range of around one thousand kilometers. Some individuals consider robot vehicle designs to be more mobile than tracked designs but this is not the case. As well, virtually all tracked designs are much more stable.
The Puma II is designed with add on armor. Without additional armor, the vehicle weighs around thirty-two metric tons, a bit heavier than the original Puma infantry fighting vehicle. With addition armor, this is increased by around twelve tons. In the original Puma, there was plans to develop a mid level of armor but this was dropped during development. While not quite the equal of a tank, with additional armor the Puma II is quite tough, much tougher than the advanced Bradley design used by the United States Military during the same time frame. Later, new materials were developed which further increased the ability of armored designs to withstand damage so even when carry less armor than the Puma were actually better protected. The vehicle was not fitted with full life support but does have protection against chemical, biological, and radiological attacks.
The vehicle is operated by a crew of three with an extremely advanced set of sensors and command and control equipment. The original Puma was fitted with state of the art equipment which was also used in later designs. In addition to the crew, the infantry fighting vehicle is designed to carry six troops. This is identical to the United States M2A7 Bradley. The main rear door can be opened partially so that troops can fire out while still having partial protection. Unlike most later infantry fighting vehicle designs, there are no provisions for recharging energy clips for troop's weapons.
For weaponry, the 30 mm autocannon was retained. Payload for main weapon is four hundred rounds. The original Puma mounted a 5.56 machine gun coaxial to the 30 mm mount. This was considered far too light and was first replaced by an 8 mm liquid propellant weapon. This was later upgraded in most models to an 8 mm light rail gun although some older vehicles did retain the original secondary weapon. Payload with the liquid propellant is fifteen hundred rounds and when upgraded to a rail gun, this is increased to two thousand rounds. There is a 76 mm grenade launcher with a total of six shots. Mounted on the back of the Puma II, this is mainly as a short range self defense weapon system. It works similar to a short range mortar system except that all six can be fired at one time if needed. Finally, the infantry fighting vehicle is armed with a four shot short range box launcher on each side of turret for a total of eight short range missiles. The vehicle is fitted with a firefly chaff and flare launchers for missile defense. These replaces the smoke generators.
Model Type: Krauss-Maffei Wegmann / Rheinmetall Landsysteme Puma
II
Vehicle Type: Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Crew: Three (Driver, Gunner, and Commander).
Troop Carrying Capacity: Six soldiers in full gear
| M.D.C. By Location: | Puma II Vehicle: | Armor Package: |
| 30 mm MK30-2/ABM Autocannon (Turret): | 80 | ||
| [1] 8 mm Liquid Propellant Gatling Gun (Coaxial - Early): | 25 | ||
| [1] 8 mm Railgun (Coaxial - Upgrade): | 40 | ||
| Short Range Missile Launchers (2, Sides of Turret): | 50 each | ||
| Weapon Turret: | 180 | +80 | |
| 76 mm Grenade Launcher | 60 | ||
| Firefly Chaff Launchers (2): | 25 each | ||
| [1] Headlights (2): | 10 each | ||
| Rear Hatch: | 120 | ||
| Reinforced Crew Compartment: | 120 | +60 | |
| Reinforced Personnel Bay: | 120 | +60 | |
| [2] Main Body: | 360 | +120 | |
| [3] Tractor Treads (2): | 60 each |
Notes:
[1] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the
attacker to make a "called shot," but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.
[2] If all the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the vehicle is
completely shut down and is unsalvageable. The main body of later tanks
is constructed out of special materials.
[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of a tread will immobilize the fighting vehicle
until it is replaced. Replacing a tread will take 1D6x10 minutes by a trained
crew (two replacements are carried on board) or three times as long by
the inexperienced. Changing the tread is only advisable when the vehicle
is not under attack.
Speed:
Ground: 55.9 mph (90 kph) maximum road speed; 43.5 mph (70 kph)
off-road. The vehicle is designed to traverse virtually all terrain and
can climb at up to a 60% grade although at a much slower speed (About 10%
of maximum road speed). It can also climb barriers and ford trenches. The
vehicle can also handle side slopes of up to 30%.
Maximum Effective Range: 621.4 miles (1000 km)
Statistical Data:
Height: 10.17 feet (3.1 meters)
Width: 12.14 feet (3.7 meters) with additional armor
Length: 24.28 feet (7.4 meters)
Weight: 70,547.9 lbs (32,000 kg) loaded without additional armor
and 97,003.4 lbs (44,000 kg) loaded with additional armor.
Power Source: Fuel Cell System
Cargo Capacity: Without troops, can carry up to 1.8 tons in
troop compartment.
Black Market Cost: 2.2 million for a new or fully operational
Puma II Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Increase cost by increase by 150,000
if equipped with rail guns instead of liquid propellant weapons.
Weapon Systems:
Sensors:
[TRIAX TM is a trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books
Inc. ]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and
Palladium Books Inc.]
By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).
Copyright © 2009, Kitsune. All rights reserved.
