MG-144-TarF07 Wiesel 12TD2

Tarrainian Federation

(144th, 10 or 12mm)

The Tarrainian Federation’s nearest neighbour and rival is the Herosine Empire. The antithetical ethos of both powers has created a long history of conflict, which comes the closest to a true battle between Good versus Evil in any part of human space. Whereas the Herosines produce all of their own equipment, the much smaller Tarrainian Federation’s economic base means that it must import much of its equipment from the open market and perform local refits. (Both sides are aware that, ironically, this means that the Tarrainians sometimes do buy equipment ultimately produced by the Herosines themselves – but to the Herosines, profit at any cost means even selling the enemy the guns to fight you with sometimes.)

The Herosine Empire’s long-standing tradition of using war droids has meant the Tarrainian Federation had to develop countermeasures from a limited amount of research and development.

The Wiesel 12TD is such a vehicle. Based on the standard Wiesel 12 (specifically the 2285 version of Wiesel 12 Ocelot) bought surplus from the Eternal Reich, the 12TD is a low-cost platform designed to support infantry units against their heavily shielded and armoured war droid opponents. The 12TD thus retains the base Wiesel 12’s tracks; since it is intended to keep up with infantry at close range, the extra cost of upgrading to low grav (as with the Wiesel 11) was not considered to be of sufficient benefit.

Instead, the 12TD’s changes revolve entirely around a new turret. The turret consists of two missile pods, each holding twelve light anti-armour disposable weapons. The preferred weapon to use is the AT-4X Viper, but with the Tarrainian’s large stock of RPG-55s, the system was made to also accommodate the slightly less powerful warhead. (The firing software is able to handle, if necessary, a mix of both types of weapon in a pinch, but all of one or the other is optimal.) There is insufficient space to carry an automatic loading system, but the Wiesel 12 Ocelot’s rear weapon stowage bin can just about manage to carry another dozen warheads. However. these must be reloaded manually and while the pods are in the vertical position.

The top of each pod mount both the pod’s sight and offset next to it, a plasmatic repeater cannon, the support weapon version of the plasmatic repeater rifle carried by the Tarrainian Federation infantry. The Wiesel 12TD uses the more expensive imported Mars Armaments MPLG-45 model, which has double the effective range of most standard plasmatic repeater cannons, up to 300 metres. This gives the Wiesel 12TD an additional, if short-ranged, weapon not limited by ammunition, but that had sufficient punch to be able to destroy its targets, while also being small enough not to interfere with its mobility.

The Wiesel 12TD is small enough – little bigger than a normal large ground car – to easily be able to move the difficult terrain in forested or urban areas. When facing forwards, the pods fold flat and lie flush with the top of the hull, allowing the vehicle to easily fit into transport unit and to enter areas with a little less than two metres of overhead cover. While the missile pods cannot be used when folded flat, the plasmatic repeaters can still be fired, albeit only directly forwards.