IRS Type 77 Predator Anti-Infantry Drone

Type 77 Predator Unmanned Mobile Armament Platform (UMAP)
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Nation of Origin: Interstellar Republic of Singapore

Developer: Military Department of Weapons Design, Infantry Weapons

Length of Service: 2110- current time 2125

Role Type: Anti-Infantry Support

Weight: 1.7 tons

Armor: Tryomite Armor Composite Class B T(B)-AC electrolaminated with Aegis Repellent Layers

Armament: 2 GHAZ-127A 12.7mm Miniguns, 2 'Natalia' Micro Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launchers

Engine: EMT-60C Compact Electric Drive

Top Speed: 65 KM/H

Power Plant: ETH-40CAM Compact Ethervolataic Generator

Crew: 1 (1 Controller operating it wirelessly)

Sensory Equipment: HOLMES Mark II Multi-purpose Detection Device, Multi-Spectra Visual Optical Device, U60C Communications Broadcaster and Receiver
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Background: Unmanned drones and vehicles are no strangers in usage in the Interstellar Republic of Singapore with construction and transport drones in service in civilian hands while unmanned drone bombers and small attack drones strapped with a machine gun or a small rocket pod or two are used by the military to supplement their forces. However after decades of combat especially in urban combat, the small military drones were simply too lightly armored and easily destroyed by enemy infantry to be of proper use to Singaporean troops who would need that anti-infantry support. In 2109, the Military Department of Weapons Design, Infantry Weapons was commissioned to develop a suitable unmanned infantry support platform that was mobile and nimble enough to maneuver in the tight streets and corners of urban cities but more armored against small arms, rockets and even plasma shots. Thus came about the Type 77 Predator which was much larger than the handheld drones the Regular Army used (it was a head taller than an average human) but smaller than a tank. In 2110 the Type 77 passed trials on several worlds and was approved for real time combat use in the Vegann Skirmish against Chasan and Xenan forces. Receiving positive feedback from the troops there, the Type 77 Predator helped to clear out Chasan cities and support IRS infantry movements. Improved upon further from combat data gathered on Vegann, the Type 77 saw the addition of its pair of back-mounted micro-rocket grenade launchers and began mass production a year later in 2111 and then integrated in the ranks of the Regular Infantry by 2115. Also assigned to guard duty in military bases, it has also been modified on request for police usage for riot control situations and quelling revolts and uprisings on particularly uncooperative and insurgent border worlds. In 2125, the Type 70 Predator continues service and has been deployed during the Second April Fools War and in limited numbers on Tau Volaris as well as in the current civil wars with Separatist-backed insurgents in Ancerious and the subsequent Third April Fools War with Separatist invasions of IRS worlds. Favoured for its massive anti-infantry power, mobility and ease of transport and deployment as they can be carried and deployed by dropships, drop pods and even trucks straight into the hot zones where they are needed.


Tactics and Roles: The Type 77 is meant to support IRS infantry in combat by taking on enemy infantry with its powerful miniguns for anti-infantry work and can take out masses of infantry all at once. It can also lay down an impressive amount of suppressive fire to cover friendly infantry advance and flush enemies out of cover either through the sheer power of their 12.7mm miniguns or by using the 40mm micro-propelled grenades to blow them out. The rocket propelled micro grenades have an armor piercing tip and high explosive charges which can penetrate through thick walls and buildings and detonate from inside, taking out any enemy troops using them as cover, thus making them perfect for flushing out garrisoned structures in city environments and fortified bunkers. Most IRS infantry units have at least one Predator drone supporting them in combat, especially in urban environments where they were initially developed for in mind, and rely upon it to provide cover fire and scouting unknown areas where an enemy ambush might lay in wait. The Type 77's own thick armor which can absorb small arms fire and infantry handheld rockets as well as plasma fire makes it a good source of cover for IRS troops to hide behind while they advance forward. While having the firepower to take on lightly armored vehicles such as jeeps and unarmed or lightly armed transports, no commander is sane enough to send them after enemy tanks and dedicated heavy anti-armor teams which can destroy the Predator outright. Because of its heavy anti-infantry firepower and a menacing design, the Predator is often used to police the local populace whenever the IRS occupies a former enemy city, keeping them in line through the use of force and the fear of force. The Predator's miniguns can make short work of enemy VTOLs and low flying aircraft, providing some measure of anti-aircraft support to friendly infantry. 


Armament: For its size, the Type 77 Predator is very heavily armed for all round combat. Its main weapons are the 2 GHAZ-127A 12.7mm Miniguns, with each minigun mounted at the 'arm' of the Predator unit. With an excellent firing rate of an average of 4000 rounds per minute and able to adjust that very rate to optimize ammunition usage and firing 12.7mm Armor Piercing Micro Explosive Rounds, the Type 77 can lay down an impressive, deadly and devastating barrage on large infantry formations, wiping them out at a moment's notice and suppressing the rest and forcing them to remain behind cover while IRS troops advance forward closer to the enemy positions. Light cover such as wood, thin sheets of metal and weak concrete walls can be easily penetrated and destroyed by minigun fire and vehicles such as cars and lightly armored jeeps and infantry transports can be heavily damaged under sustained fire. While not able to penetrate tank armor, it can do some serious damage to their optics and sensory equipment. Combination of motion tracking, GPS, onboard radar and the miniguns' targeting optics even allow it to fix an accurate aim on aircraft such as VTOLs and helicopters and take them down. For an anti-armor and bunker busting edge, the Type 77 has two 'Natalia' 40mm Micro RPGs firing rocket propelled grenades with an armor piercing tip and filled with High Explosive charges which can penetrate through thick reinforced walls of buildings and detonate from inside the building or structure, killing all the garrisoned infnatry in the process. Each launcher is fitted with a 7-round clip and can be preloaded with other types of ammunition beforehand such as napalm, tear gas and White Phosphorous for specialized situations. These Micro RPGs while doing little to enemy tanks, can throw enemy infantry movements into disarray or foil ambush attempts on IRS units moving through urban streets and buildings. These weapons are mounted on a modular docking platform and can be switched out easily for other weapons such as flamethrowers, automatic grenade launchers, missile pods, laser cannons or even with a light 50mm railgun. 


Power Plant and Engine: Power is provided by an Ethervoltaic Generator which houses photo-voltaic bacteria known as Etherium to convert light or excess biomass into usable electricity. Ethervoltaics are cost-effective, safe to operate and relatively simple to repair and maintain by engineers with very little moving parts. Its Electric Drive engine converts electricity into kinetic motion and drives the Predator's propulsion systems at relatively good speeds. Also easy to maintain for its simple operation and construction.  


Armor and Defensive Subsytems: Ferolattice crystals are natural alien crystals which converts and incorporates minerals and other elements in the environment it is planted in into its own lattice structure, forming a tough metal-like material. Ferolattice is extracted and melted down into a variety of materials formed by varying pressures, temperatures and industrial catalysts. One of them is Bryoceramic, a metallic lightweight ceramic commonly used as building material and its reinforced versions as bullet-proof armor worn by soldiers. When added with carbon and atomically tempered to reinforce intermolecular forces in Byroceramic, it forms an alloy known as Tryomite. Thickness of Tryomite is classified by classes, with Class B a median between the lightly thin armor of Class A for light vehicles such as jeeps and the thicker Class C used on tanks and medium armored vehicles of that class. While able to provide protection from small arms fire, infantry grenades and rockets, heavy anti-armor weapons such as railcannons and dedicated anti-armor missiles meant to kill tanks and above can heavily damage the Predator or even destroy it completely. Aegis Energy Repellent Layers and the high melting point of the Tryomite material itself can withstand plasma, laser and even hypermatter shots with the Aegis layers deflecting the heat energy away from the hull it is electrolaminated on while absorbing and neutralizing the charged particles. Armor Packages can be mounted on it ranging from simple additional blocks of armor composite and reactive armor to advanced and experimental armor modules such as Kinetic Wave Barrier Generators to repel kinetic weapons and Ionoactive Panels for energy shielding. Defensive subsystems include smoke dispensers mounted under the chassis to create a cloud of opaque smoke to hide the Predator from sight as well as to disrupt radar and laser guidance systems giving it precious time to escape or cover a forward advance.


Mobility and Terrain Handling: Its small size and powerful engine provides good mobility and a fast road speed enabling it to redeploy fast and cover ground quickly as well as evading away from enemy attack. Its four-track design with each track mounted on an individual computer-assisted suspension pivot allows the Predator to negotiate in difficult uneven terrain as it can move over rocks and rubble with ease and without much hindrance to its speed. Ground pressure controllers also distribute the drone's weight more equally and reduces the maximum pressure the Predator exerts on the ground so that it does not sink into the ground and get stuck especially in areas of loose soil such as sand dunes and muddy flood plains. Its light weight means the Predator can operate well in urban environments and can easily use local infrastructure without much trouble. It also means most vehicles such as infantry dropships and trucks can transport it putting less strain on logistical resources and not needing special transportation arrangements to bring them from one location to another. 


Sensors and Communication Systems: The Predator is fitted with a versatile HOLMES Mk2 Pulsar device which can perform motion tracking, GPS positioning, radar and scanning functions and is paired up with a Multi-Spectra Camera which can provide 360 degree visuals in multiple spectrums, from normal visible light to infrared, thermal and night vision. It is also connected to the Integrated Intelligence Network and continuously receives and broadcasts battlefield information in this secure military network, allowing them to coordinate military actions more effectively and keep track of everything from enemy and allied positions to terrain and landmarks. The drone operators can see everything in the battlefield in a virtual projection on his holographic interface and Heads-Up Display, allowing him to see things from a larger view to maintain situational awareness and strategize their next move accordingly. It also has a central computer that is capable of gathering combat data from both the IIN and the Predator's own sensory suite to calculate firing solutions and lock-on the miniguns and the 40mm launchers. Control of the Predator requires constant reception of an unique encrypted radio signal that is transmitted from specialized broadcasting devices in Drone Command Units or portable tablets which allow control over the Predator's functions from movement to firing of its weapons. Anytime the unique radio broadcast is interupted or stopped, the Predator initiates a self-imposed shutdown to prevent enemy capture via hacking. If a proper friend or foe algorithm can be calculated, it can inputed into the Predator for autonomous operation allowing the unit to be independent of total human manual control and attack enemies automatically so radar jamming would not affect its functionality in combat as the broadcast is no longer needed in this mode by being able to identify enemy units and engage them at its own will. In this autonomous operational mode, the Predator functions more as a unit that can be given simple orders to move and attack rather than manual control, allowing the possibility of controlling and operating a group of Predators by a single human. Voice commands can also be interpreted in the middle of combat where communications jamming can disrupt command and control and the field operator may be dead, allowing nearby soldiers which it recognizes as friendly to issue it attack and movement orders.