Japanese SDF (piratep2r's take), Yet another faction write up... Options

[piratep2r]

Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF)

Faction overview:

Japan is a high-tech faction with an emphasis on forward defense and an army that has been largely designed to resist a full-scale Chinese invasion. Japanese forces are characterized by some use of drones (for engineering and air defense), force multiplication mechanics (for infantry and tanks), some use of ECM, and redundancy in base construction. The Japanese SDF also has unique and terribly hard-earned experience operating in contaminated environments. Finally, the Japanese have a very close relationship with Korea, and high level SDF commanders can call on their Korean allies for assistance in times of great need.

Gameplay notes:

The SDF is a raiding faction that functions in a radically different way than the GLA. Their infantry (and many of their vehicles) become more effective when deployed, allowing tough but temporary defensive positions far forward of their primary bases. Where GLA may strike heavily and fall back, the JSDF is less able to do first strike damage and more able to do damage over time with their mortars. However, if chased the JSDF may well lead their pursuer back to a ambush at a defensive strong point that wasn't in place just a few minutes before.

Where ECA has many defensive structures, the JSDF has many defensive units, and lacks the long range punch of the ECA's howitzer emplacement. Like the GLA, they have resilient bases, but unlike the GLA, it is because of base-building redundancy; the JSDF have a fairly cheap alternate constructor creating building, their barracks also functions as their radar, and their single secondary economy building allows war factories to be temporarily toggled into “dual use mode,� creating goods for civilians (and a steady stream of income) at the cost of being able to produce military units. Altogether it means that it is quite difficult to knock a late game JSDF force out of the fight.

A regular Japanese SDF force has one of the weakest "standard" air forces available, consisting only of a single multipurpose gunship drone and a single air superiority drone. This represents the fact that their standard forces are designed to function much more independently (and with less intact infrastructure) than other factions, and are therefor somewhat limited. However, expending two generals points will allow a JSDF general access to first rate air support from central command.

In the end game, massed armor allows the JSDF to push effectively against an opponent's defenses, with ECM attacks reducing the enemies effectiveness. However, this is going against the JSDF's grain and they (like the ECA) are not particularly suited for large armored confrontations.

This post has been edited by piratep2r: 20 Feb 2014, 17:40

[piratep2r]

Constructors:

Japan’s small population meant that every opportunity needed to be taken to reduce the size of the military’s “tail� - the support arm of the fighting force - in order to maximize the actual offensive power of the SDF. The performance of Japanese industrial drones has led to worldwide recognition of Japanese industry leadership in the field of hostile environment construction drones. This made the TET military construction drone a natural choice in the SDF’s drive to enhance the functionality of Battlefield engineering corps while actually reducing their manpower.

TET Drone pack

The TET-5 Tetrapod drone is a military construction drone that is based on the original TET-3 construction drone, now so famous for its role in the Fukushima II disaster. It is a four legged, twin manipulator drone, designed to be modular, with interchange joints, appendages, and body components. While this makes them somewhat expensive, the robots are cable of assembling additional drones from modular components, and can repair themselves easily if parts are available. A TET drone pack is three drones operated from either the command center or an armored trailer, ideally far away from the lines of battle. TET drones’ modular nature means that they can self repair and rebuild fallen comrades from carried replacement parts. Unfortunately, their small size means that they are not particularly resilient and can be crushed by tanks.

INFO: Three drones in a pack that operate with GLA mob logic (i.e. self repair and regenerate lost builders) Cost $1000, speed = GLA worker, armor = light vehicle, health= each individual has approximately as much health as a GLA worker. Note, the Pack is resistant (but not immune) to both radiation and toxin (corrosive effect). The pack may not garrison. The pack is crushable. Secondary abilities: mine clearing, building repair.

This post has been edited by piratep2r: 20 Feb 2014, 2:35

[piratep2r]

Infantry:

JSDF Rifleman

The basic SDF Rifleman is armed with the Howa-89 assault rifle and is comparable to an American ranger in equipment and armor, though he lacks any counterpart to a flash-bang grenade. Instead, Riflemen are issued a shockingly compactable titanium “dragons teeth” style tank barrier. Within a minute, the well trained rifleman can deploy this barrier, creating a small area that tanks cannot pass. Unfortunately their low-mass means that the rifleman must stay near them to ensure that they remain angled correctly.

INFO: Single infantry unit, Cost $225, speed = Ranger, armor = infantry, health= Ranger. Special ability: infantry may “dig in” and deploy a tank barrier that makes them uncrushable, but immobile. “deploying the barrier” takes a full 15 seconds and conveys no other benefit. Secondary ability: capturing buildings.

JSDF Arrow operator

The Arrow Operator is armed with a type 92 “Hand Arrow” over-the shoulder missile launcher capable of firing either anti-tank or anti-aircraft missiles. While it lacks the punch of other larger (and specialized) man-portable equipment, the versatility of the system, in conjunction with the operator’s linked smart helmet optics system makes it quite effective in large numbers against basic MBTs, helicopters, and slow planes.

INFO: Single infantry unit, Cost $300, speed = Ranger, armor = infantry, health = missile defender. Weapon is as about as effective (range and damage) as a basic defender’s missile, but has no “laser-lock” ability. Additionally, the Arrow Operator is a short ranged stealth detector (comparable to an upgraded conscript).

JSDF Small group commander

The group commander is a key link in the forward defense strategy of the JSDF. The group commander, while armed identically to the Rifleman, has advanced communication gear and training that help him lead and inspire a unit in effective resistance even while behind enemy lines. Finally, the group commander carries a mole drone and a remote medical drone; the mole drone can rapidly excavate a fox hole to protect him from incoming fire, and while he remains stationary, the medical drone (operated remotely by a doctor) can assist nearby troops.

INFO: Single infantry unity, cost $500, speed = ranger, armor = infantry, health = 150% ranger. Unit passive effect: basic propaganda ROF effect, radius = overlord speakers. Deploying the unit creates a sandbag wall similar to ECA pioneers, takes a full 15 seconds, and greatly protects Group Commander. In addition, while deployed the propaganda ROF effect changes to ROF + infantry healing effect.

JSDF Grenadier

The grenadier is a common sight in the ranks of the JSDF; armed with a smart grenade rifle, this unit causes significant damage to both infantry and light vehicles and has a good range. What makes this unit unique is the ability to fire a mix of explosive and stun/flash grenades. While they do not cause additional damage, the stun grenades have been shown to pin infantry far more effectively than even regular sniper fire. Theoretically this is hoped to break up potential Chinese human wave attacks, though this idea has not yet been tested in battle.

INFO: Single infantry unit, cost $600, speed = ranger, armor = infantry, health = pathfinder, range = missile defender, damage = ECA grenadier, ROF = 50% ECA grenadier. Unit passive effect: small radius “leaflet” effect (EMP for infantry) around target area, very short duration (2 - 3 seconds?).

This post has been edited by piratep2r: 20 Feb 2014, 17:40

[piratep2r]

Vehicles:

Type 10C3 “Bushi” MBT

The type 10C3 is a heavy main battle tank developed by the Japanese SDF in the early 2010s to respond to numerically superior armored threats. By itself, it is broadly comparable to its American, Russian, and ECA counterparts, and can go toe-to-toe with the best of them. However, it is the oldest of the four MBTs still in service, and after decades of upgrades and refits it lacks the capacity to further upgrade its armor or main gun like the tanks of other forces. Instead, Japanese engineers have created a direct energy weapon upgrade for it - a fixed ECM projector that sits on the left side of the main turret. With this projector, a single type 10 can disable an enemy tank for a time, enabling it to either engage it safely or engage a second tank while the first remains impotent.

INFO: Heavy armored tank, Cost $1000, speed = Kodiak, armor = Tank, health= Kodiak. Main weapon = Kodiak. No machine-gun.

Unit upgrade: ECM projector $300; this weapon works with scorpion rocket logic; i.e. it is a single shot weapon with a fairly long automatic reload. Like the rocket, this weapon is fired at the first target the tank engages. All vehicle units under the very small blast radius suffer an ECM effect for 90% of the duration of the reload timer for the weapon (i.e., continuous lock down is impossible). The ECM turret’s window glows blue when the “shot” is loaded, and the shot itself is a very rapidly moving ball of energy with a direct flight path. Weapon does no damage to infantry, can be intercepted by PDL.

Notes: Many thanks to Yamato_95 for the inspiration and permission to run with the idea of the Bushi!

JSDF Armored Recon Vehicle (ARV)

The ARV is an upgradable, lightly armored multi-use vehicle and a powerful tool used by the JSDF for everything from transportation, light air defense, and mortar cover. Each upgrade adds a different weapon mount to the top of the vehicle. When upgraded with a mortar, the ARV becomes a light artillery piece, able to fire on the move or deploy to double its rate of fire. It could alternatively be upgraded with an Anti-aircraft/Anti personal auto cannon, deadly against helicopters and infantry alike. The final upgrade is a twin rocket box launcher capable of firing both anti-tank rockets and building-clearing shrapnel rockets, making the ARV a deadly anti-armor raider and valuable city fighting support vehicle.

INFO: tracked vehicle, resembles Type 98 IFV., cost $500, speed = scorpion tank, armor = light vehicle?, health = Chinese troop transport. No weapon. Unit passive effect: may choose single upgradeable (once). Passive ability: transport 4. Note1: no firing ports. Note2: amphibious.

Upgrade: AA Auto cannon (T0). Cost = 200, approximately equivalent to quad cannon

Upgrade: Mortar (T1). Cost = 300, approximately equivalent to combat pioneer; can fire on the move, but when deployed it doubles its rate of fire.

Upgrade: Double Rocket launcher (T0). Cost = 300, roughly equivalent to a pair of scorpion missiles (max junk upgrade), plus special ability: building clearing rocket.

Type 105 Mobile gun system

The Japanese type 105 mobile gun system is inspired in part by the old American mobile gun system. It is an 8-wheeled medium weight artillery system that is designed to be mobile and dual use (indirect and direct fire). Each shell is fired from the turret’s barrel like a normal artillery shell, and then rocket assisted, increasing the range and providing active guidance. The unit itself is fairly fast for an artillery, and the main gun is remote operated from within the vehicle. While the shells do less damage than other modern artillery systems, their guided nature means they are far more likely to strike a mobile target than a traditional gun. Additionally, the gun can be switched to fire in direct fire mode, where it fires “dumb” rocket boosted kinetic kill shots, capable of surprising damage.

INFO: lightly armored artillery, Cost $1000, speed = scorpion, armor = light vehicle, health= inferno cannon. Main weapon damage (artillery mode) = mortar track, ROF = 150% of inferno cannon, Main weapon damage (DF mode) = Golem, ROF = Sentinel. Note, in artillery mode the missile can be intercepted by PDL/arena or deflected by Chinese ECM.

Kiyome remediation drone

The Kiyome class drone is Japanese tank-style heavy drone designed for battlefield cleanup of intense toxins, including radioactive debris. Operated remotely, and heavily armored, the drone functions not so much by “cleaning up” toxins as it does by neutralizing them through a complex spray made up of bio-active agents and a specially engineered blend of nano-particles that both absorb corrosives and block Beta and Gamma radiation. A version of this mix has been exported to both China and the ECA, where it has been used effectively in as diverse catastrophes as Bejing and the poisoning of Germany.

The Kiyome is a battlefield drone first and foremost, designed to keep infantry alive in the most hellish environments imaginable. Neutralizing - even temporarily - a wide range of threats is its primary goal. It fulfills this function in two primary ways. Its multi-ordinance primary weapon can fire either a fire-hose like stream of cleanup liquid or small mine-destroying shaped charges (from the lower aperture).

However, what makes the Kiyome a mandatory support unit against certain opponents is its automatic airburst canister launchers. Mounted on the “shoulder” of the drone, these canisters can be set to fire immediately upon detection of a large scale contamination event, and can coat the battlefield around the Kiyome with a thick coat of foamed neutralizing agent. Indeed, recent upgrades have mounted a sophisticated sensor on the drone's primary tower that can detect incoming artillery or missiles, making the detonation of the canisters and the detonation of the warhead almost simultaneous. The results are an almost instant neutralization of small to mid level toxin events like tactical nuclear warheads and toxin-tipped missiles. While the blast itself is entirely unmitigated and can still cause horrific damage, all lingering toxic effects are contained. Most SDF infantry agree that the cost of fighting on a surreal, foam-covered moonscape is worth the price.

INFO: Heavily armored drone, Cost $800, speed = kodiak, armor = tank, health= rhino tank. No offensive weapons. Ability1 (automatic): clean up spray from main weapon (identical to USA ambulance, 50% faster). Ability2 (automatic): mine clearing, animation is grenade fired from main weapon, functionally same as bulldozer but 25% slower. Ability3 (automatic): foam dispersal canisters deploy a smoke cloud like animation. All toxin effects radiation and toxin are cleared instantly within a radius = 75% china overlord propaganda. Note1: presumably canister effects wouldn’t work instantly on super weapons, because regular cleanup doesn’t either for a while.

This post has been edited by piratep2r: 20 Feb 2014, 1:12

[piratep2r]

Aircraft:

Tigershark air superiority drone

Japan’s Tigershark is a medium sized air-superiority drone armed with three internally housed IR guided anti-air missiles. By all accounts, Japan’s combat drone technology lags well behind the US, with the Tigershark being both larger, slower, and less well protected than American air-superiority drone prototypes. However, the SDF is currently well satisfied with the Tigershark, because it can be entirely manufactured in Japan, it is fairly simple (read: inexpensive), and, while slow, it is able to operate off of extremely short and narrow runways (read: roads). This means that even an intense bombing campaign by China would not keep the SDF from putting planes in the sky. Furthermore, while each Tigershark is no match for a Mig, their missiles are top notch, allowing them to punch above their weight. Even an 3:2 trade vs Chinese Migs was judged acceptable to SDF planners; while every MIG lost meant the loss of a valuable Chinese pilot, Japanese Tigershark operators would be safe in their bunkers regardless of the status of their aircraft.

INFO: Moderately armored drone aircraft, cost $750, speed = 90% MIG, armor = MIG, Health = MIG, Weapon = missile, only target air, Damage = 133% MIG missile, payload = 3 missiles. Notes, operates as regular airplane from airfield.

Tsunami ground support drone

The tsunami ground support drone is a mid-sized twin tilt-rotor drone designed for ground support operation without the need for a vulnerable airport. Again, Japanese aircraft drone technology lags behind their American counterparts, and the tsunami is clearly a compromise with far less carrying capacity than a modern helicopter. However, the tsunami is still a significant destructive force on the battlefield, and can carry either twin mini-gun pods capable of striking both ground targets and other helicopters, or four deadly anti-tank missiles.

INFO: Lightly armored drone helicopter aircraft, cost 750, speed = Blackhawk, armor = cobra, health = 75% cobra. Weapon (default) = twin Gatling guns (Anti-infantry, anti-air, fires in short bursts rather than continuous), damage = 4x Chinese propaganda blimp. Weapon (upgrade, $250) = anti-tank missiles. Damage, range, reload = similar to Comanche missiles. Note1: 4 missiles, reloads in midair, replaces gunpods.

This post has been edited by piratep2r: 20 Feb 2014, 17:42

[piratep2r]

Buildings and Upgrades:

LNG Powerplant

The discovery of an economical means to make liquid natural gas (LNG) out of the vast methane hydrate deposits around Japan was a geo-political game changer. Japan extensive experience in hostile environment operation and drone construction allowed her to go from being one of the world’s largest importers of LNG to a net exporter in less than ten years, an event that had enormous implications in Russia, China, and the US. For Russia, yet another energy resource customer followed the ECA in disconnecting from Russian resources, a move the exacerbated their rapidly collapsing export economy, and which ultimately fueled the political change that was to follow. Economic analysts suggest that the loss of a central customer for the USA’s enormous shale gas export industry directly delayed their own economic recovery by over four years, a downturn that served to fuel their isolationism and may have contributed to the economic reasons for forming the NAU. Finally, Japan’s energy independence was one of the earliest warning of Japan’s resurgence as a serious military threat in the South East Asia Pacific region, a warning that became reality during the second Korean war.

Functionally, the LNG powerplant (forward military version) both serves as power generation structure and as a storage facility for the LNG that fuel Japan's tanks, drones, and support vehicles. While relatively cheap, the compressed nature of the fuel means that they have an unfortunate tendency to explode when destroyed. Base architects are warned to plan accordingly.

INFO: Cost: 900, footprint = coal plant, power produced = 150% basic coal plant. Note: plant explodes violently when destroyed, but leaves no toxic footprint.

Spider Tunnel Entrance

While the third Korean war was fairly one-sided, the North was able to use extensive tunnel networks in several battles to inflict significant casualties and delay allied advances. These tunnel networks were modeled off of Vietnamese Cu Chi tunnels, and painstakingly constructed by the north through POW labor.

The JSDF has taken the lessons learned from that conflict and applied them. Using modified mining drones, the JSDF can deploy a personnel tunnel linked to almost any nearby location. Unfortunately, common use of GPS and geomagnetic scrambling technology by all sides has made it very difficult to control where the drones come up; therefor a constructor must emplace a special beacon (usually built into a prefab tunnel entrance) before the tunneling drones can connect the new entrance to the network.

INFO: Cost: 250, Footprint = Bullfrog turret. Health = 50% GLA tunnel network. Can be upgraded with camouflage for 500. Note1: holds max infantry possible (10? 16? not sure of max). Note2: infantry only.

This post has been edited by piratep2r: 21 Feb 2014, 5:37

[piratep2r]

Generals Powers:

(reserved)

This post has been edited by piratep2r: 12 Feb 2014, 23:30

[piratep2r]

Fluff:

Sidebar: the hero of Fukushima II:

As costs rose with the cleanup of the original Fukushima disaster, deadlines were missed time and again and the schedule for the cleanup moved from “years” to “decades.” There was not much public outrage at this; by and large, the situation seemed stable, and all 4 damaged reactor buildings were hidden underneath concrete sarcophagi. In 2021, a whistleblower revealed that Fukushima Daiichi had lied about the state of power building 3; apparently a section of the third reactor building (RB3) remained an almost inaccessible tangle of melted radioactive rubble, hidden spent fuel rods, and the remains of reactor 3. The situation was made worse by erosion of the basement structure from the enormous amount of water still cycled through RB3 to cool the reactor’s remains. Ironically, the reveal of this complex, unstable, and challenging environment turned out to be a godsend for Toshiba Robotics, who received a large government grant to develop robots capable of working in an environment too dangerous for humans and too unstable for large machinery. On April 4 2027, five new, remotely operated TET-3 drones were operating in the facility.

At 12:45 that afternoon, a second earthquake rocked the Fukushima prefecture. This time, the primary damage was from the quake rather than a tsunami, but it was every bit as severe. Again, cooling pumps fell silent as power lines fell or were severed by the buckling earth. Without its coolant, and exacerbated by a sled of spent fuel rods that were driven into the reactor wreckage, reactor 3 again became critical, almost 15 years after the first meltdown.

In addition to cutting the primary and secondary pump power lines, the quake shut down access to all but the most basic sensor equipment that had been inserted into RB3. As smoke and heat rose from the now shattered sarcophagus, site supervisor Hideto Ogata was approached by TET-3 operator Daisuke Serizawa. Serizawa proposed restoring power to his control trailer with a small emergency generator and using the TET-3 Drones to assess the situation. The plan work, but the news was bad; a partial collapse in RB3 had destroyed four of the five TET-3 drones, and also opened small hole through which the remaining drone could see the pile of burning fuel rods in the molten remains of reactor 3 - and the teetering, partially collapsed pile of spent fuel rods precariously perched above them.

The TET-3 was a truly unique departure from much of tradition robot construction. Due to the tight and convoluted spaces within the substructure of RB3, Toshiba designed the TET-3 to be modular and capable of self-repair if spare parts were available. While this made them much more expensive, the robots could literally disassemble themselves on one side of an obstacle, pass their own components through a much smaller hole, and reassemble themselves (or each other) on the far side. In addition to their rugged waterproof and radiation-resistant construction, this made them able to do meaningful work in spaces that previously could only be accessed by small camera drones.

As the now famous Youtube video show, in less than fifteen minutes, Serizawa was able to rebuild two functioning drones from the remains of the four destroyed drones, and, under the guidance of supervisor Ogata, was able to use the team of three drones together to physically remove the molten rods from the critical reactor and spent fuel rod pile. First one drone, and then a second succumbed to the hellish heat and radiation, but the final drone was able to separate a final fuel rod and shut the reaction down less than a minute before the emergency fire crews were to begin pumping water through the reactor basement. Later analysis showed that subsurface channels opened by the earthquake would have likely resulted in all of the highly contaminated water and reactor remains sliding directly into the Pacific ocean, causing an environmental catastrophe significantly worse that Chernobyl.

This post has been edited by piratep2r: 12 Feb 2014, 23:42

[Red Hood]

FIRSTIES,just kiding,nice work man.different approach then I had in mind but somewhat the same Idea.You made the Bushi more like scorpion while I was thinkin more like Battlemaste with less strenght but more skill.Well it still works

[MARS]

This is a very nice take on the subject of a hypothetical JSDF faction. Looking forward to the other additions. It seems both believable from a story perspective and interesting in regards to gameplay as well. Personally, I'd still like to see just a few odd-ball Japanese eccentricities that crept into the military via pop-cultural osmosis like the aforementioned Gekko-style patrol walker (as an unmanned combat unit to further emphasis the 'preserving manpower' angle), a sort of cyber ninja as a high-tier infantry or hero unit and some way to simply go all banzai on the enemy with infantry in emergency situations, albeit in a way that won't get them killed in droves.

[piratep2r]

FIRSTIES,just kiding,nice work man.

Thanks! It was fun to photoshop it - a pretty minor change but probably more seamless because of it.

This is a very nice take on the subject of a hypothetical JSDF faction. Looking forward to the other additions. It seems both believable from a story perspective and interesting in regards to gameplay as well. Personally, I'd still like to see just a few odd-ball Japanese eccentricities that crept into the military via pop-cultural osmosis like the aforementioned Gekko-style patrol walker (as an unmanned combat unit to further emphasis the 'preserving manpower' angle), a sort of cyber ninja as a high-tier infantry or hero unit and some way to simply go all banzai on the enemy with infantry in emergency situations, albeit in a way that won't get them killed in droves.

I've got nothing against small combat drones; I was basically steering away from them because they are America's thing, and I thought going construction/mediation drones (there is a hazard-clearing drone planned) was a way to let Japan have robots without being just a variation of America's theme. That being said, I do like photo editing, so I may throw together a patrol drone like the Gekko and remove some functionality from the current "do everything" scout vehicle. At the very least it could be a resource for other Japan write-ups.

Re: hero. I had in mind a stealthy, large-mine-laying ninja-type hero; perhaps I'll "cyber" him (or her) up and make them a little "black lotus-y" as well. Sounds cool!

This post has been edited by piratep2r: 13 Feb 2014, 15:05

[8igDaddy8lake]

These are great ideas. I'm gonna throw a few of mine out here with some story elements.

[8igDaddy8lake]

Mitsubishi F-5 Kamome



Following the exit of the US Armed Forces from Japan, the JSDF was forced to rapidly arm itself. One of the most lacking areas of the JSDF was naval air support, formerly carried out solely by helicopter carriers while the USA operated larger carriers. This need was strengthened even more by the Third Korean War, during which most Japanese aerial missions were carried out directly from Japan to the target area. For a war in a territory such a sort distance away, this was acceptable, but Japan needed to be able to stage aircraft from sea to fully protect its interests in Asia. An intense competition followed for production of a prototype aircraft that met all of the requirements: the ability to take off from existing helicopter carriers and newer carrier types, a meaningful combat radius, and stores to carry new armaments. Even American companies tried to compete, with Lockheed Martin submitting an improved version of its F35B. After a protracted series of tests that lasted nearly a year, with stiff competition from Fuji, Mitsubishi finally won out with its design, based on a much improved XFV-12 (the old aircraft was actually loaned from a museum, shipped to Japan, disassembled, analyzed, reassembled, and shipped back to America). This aircraft was to be known as the F-5 Kamome, and entered service in 2037.



The first combat operation by the Kamome took place on July 12th, 2038. While sailing near Somalia, the cargo ship Ōryoku Maru was taken hostage by a group of bandits brandishing Kalashnikov who associated themselves with the GLA (most experts deny this connection, stating the attack was an attempt to impress GLA leaders in an effort to join the organization). During their raid, they killed two hostages, and herded the rest into a large central area of the ship. They then contacted Japanese authorities through the captain, offering to release the ship and the rest of the hostages for a large sum (there are questions about how large their ransom was, with many officials agreeing it was somewhere around 2,000,000,000 Â¥). Luckily, the JDS Izumo was nearby, due to the increased amount of piracy in the area. The carrier quickly scrambled two Kamome fighters to take control of the situation. One fighter passed directly over the ship, and marked the pirates for the other fighter. When it was a quarter of a mile away, the Kamome released a burst of micro-missiles that independently tracked each target. Each missile hit its mark, and the pirates virtually disintegrated from the localized blasts. A task force of Marines soon came afterward, and secured the ship without any further loss of life.

This post has been edited by 8igDaddy8lake: 15 Feb 2014, 6:33

[8igDaddy8lake]

The Type 87 "Guntank" has seen a series of upgrades programs over the years due to its well-liked status. Its twin autocannon armament, similar to the Bradley's cannons, but modified for antiaircraft use, is powerful enough to engage most aerial (as well as infantry) targets effectively. It is also equipped with a high-powered radar system that allows it to detect most threats before they destroy the unit.

I imagine this would be a nice tank column supporter, with its anti-infantry and anti-aircraft uses, plus detection abilities.

This post has been edited by 8igDaddy8lake: 16 Feb 2014, 1:17

[piratep2r]

The Type 87 "Guntank" has seen a series of upgrades programs over the years due to its well-liked status. Its twin autocannon armament, similar to the Bradley's cannons, but modified for antiaircraft use, is powerful enough to engage most aerial (as well as infantry) targets effectively. It is also equipped with a high-powered radar system that allows it to detect most threats before they destroy the unit.

I imagine this would be a nice tank column supporter, with its anti-infantry and anti-aircraft uses, plus detection abilities.

Tee hee! I was just thinking to myself, "Guntank" is a ridiculous name... why can't 8igDaddy8lake come up with something even a little realistic?" Then I went and looked it up, and discovered that the Japanese military really has named one of their vehicles after an anime. "Guntank" is a real thing. The Japanese are so crazy.

The only reason I didn't use the type 87 myself was that it really looks pretty similar to both the tungusksa and the gepard. Functionally it is perfect for the role.

However, I don't think it would be good for gameplay if your detector unit was your T1 AA. It just seems that this would make you immune to stealth, since those units tend to be everywhere (since they are so useful) and the only thing they can't kill is tanks, and there tend to be no stealth tanks. Generally (IMO if you look at current ROTR), detectors are either specialty unarmed units (like the ECA and USA), or incredibly frail and micro intensive units (like the conscript), or repurposed (and upgraded) basic units with no guns (like china and GLA).

Re: the Kamome. I like that we are on the same page. I had envisioned a vtol air superiority drone that would function like a cheaper version of what you propose. However, I was going to put into my fluff that the reason for VTOL (while nice for carriers), was actually to support operations off of highways and roads if Japan was invaded. This would allow the SDF to continue to fly AA or AG missions even if their airfields were bombed (or nuked). I am a little curious, however. That is an OLD plane you propose reusing... I agree it looks cool, but why reuse it?

It occurs to me that the answer might be that the only problem with the design was that the engine was too weak, and we have better engines now. I look forward to hearing back from you!

[Red Hood]

Just if someone wants to know,Guntank is the name of one of the units from the original 1979. Mobile Suit Gundam.

[8igDaddy8lake]

Tee hee! I was just thinking to myself, "Guntank" is a ridiculous name... why can't 8igDaddy8lake come up with something even a little realistic?" Then I went and looked it up, and discovered that the Japanese military really has named one of their vehicles after an anime. "Guntank" is a real thing. The Japanese are so crazy.

The only reason I didn't use the type 87 myself was that it really looks pretty similar to both the tungusksa and the gepard. Functionally it is perfect for the role.

However, I don't think it would be good for gameplay if your detector unit was your T1 AA. It just seems that this would make you immune to stealth, since those units tend to be everywhere (since they are so useful) and the only thing they can't kill is tanks, and there tend to be no stealth tanks. Generally (IMO if you look at current ROTR), detectors are either specialty unarmed units (like the ECA and USA), or incredibly frail and micro intensive units (like the conscript), or repurposed (and upgraded) basic units with no guns (like china and GLA).

Re: the Kamome. I like that we are on the same page. I had envisioned a vtol air superiority drone that would function like a cheaper version of what you propose. However, I was going to put into my fluff that the reason for VTOL (while nice for carriers), was actually to support operations off of highways and roads if Japan was invaded. This would allow the SDF to continue to fly AA or AG missions even if their airfields were bombed (or nuked). I am a little curious, however. That is an OLD plane you propose reusing... I agree it looks cool, but why reuse it?

It occurs to me that the answer might be that the only problem with the design was that the engine was too weak, and we have better engines now. I look forward to hearing back from you!

Guntank: Actually, I meant to mention it, but I wanted the Type 87's stealth detection to be a higher level upgrade, making it a bit less useful. And, it should also have fairly low damage per shot, and shorter range than other AA's until upgraded with the detector. Basically, it would follow the pattern that most Japanese units could follow - mediocre until upgraded. As for looks, it would be similar, but it would be fairly differently colored (Japanese color schemes would probably be red and white), making it visually distinctive. And yeah, Guntank is something from Gundam, this unit is actually named in reference to that.

Though, I kind of think the Guntank as a stealth detector is less OP than the Bloodhounds showcased in the demo.

Kamome: That would kind of be the underlying subtext, but Japan tends to be a proud nation, and would probably not admit to making something with the razing of their country in mind (World War II had a lot of that going on). As for using such an old plane, I wanted to use it because of its visual distinctiveness and how similar it looks to an older Japanese design (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyushu_J7W). I was hesitant to make it a drone, because that seems to be the USA's turf with the HK. Also, no-one seems to want to make a really capable drone fighter aircraft in RL. However, the Kamome is sort of a light multi-role aircraft - I've described the micro-missiles as being light attack weapons, with a low damage output but excellent tracking. This means that there could be a few more JSDF planes filling other roles, like a dedicated drone fighter and a drone bomber.

Actually, that gives me an interesting idea - the JSDF could have one main multirole plane, then drones that are built at a separate place, never land, and fly dedicated AA or AG...maybe even surveillance.

[Serialkillerwhal...]

Their infantry (and many of their vehicles) become more effective when deployed, allowing tough but temporary defensive positions far forward of their primary bases.

Hey! Cease and Desist!

Just Kidding, And it's rather ironic too, considering my take on Canada, one of it's main pros is that it's very resilient to hit-and-run tactics.