[X] My Assistant

[CanRay]

I have a few ideas. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/vegm.gif) But I'll post them when I do them in game.

[psychophipps]

what about a lighter-than-air drone with a mortar cannon? gives you the firepower you need, travels with the squad, and with a few upgrades can be very hard to hit.

It would be a weight issue, really. Each mortar round weighs enough that it would quickly become a heavier-than-air vehicle if you had a magazine of any reasonable size. Once you add the launcher, targeting systems and mechanical functions...
This is why rockets and missiles are so popular. They're self-contained weapons that only need a light tube, in the case of rockets, and a decent aiming apparatus to work.

[Daier Mune]

Seeing as I once saw a 10 ton M-133 get driven back (well, forward, since the gun shoots out back) by the recoil of the mortar mounted in it and demolish a barn as a result of not having the brakes engaged to fire, I'd be a bit wary about mouting a mortar in a LTA.

just be sure not to position the blimp by any airborn barns and it should be okay.

seriously, though, if the Tower drone is capable of serving as an airborn launch facility for other drones, i think it could handle a recoilless rifle, or a gyro-stabilized mortar. grenade launcher, at least.

[Earlydawn]

It's really a question of where we are from an overall perspective. Tanks have the upside of being survivable, bristling with firepower, and obviously capable of demolishing a strongpoint. That said, I'll bet any kind of offensive corporate or merc force in Shadowrun is going to operate light APCs. First and foremost, demolishing buildings tends to ruin public opinion, whether necessary or not. A megacorp would rather lose half a platoon clearing a building rather then leveling the thing and giving anti-corporates and hostile megas a bigger negative spin capability. Second, tanks are big. They're certainly restricted in urban environments, not to mention a fairly big signature target for some kind of drone strike. With a wheeled IFV, you can maximize speed, and perhaps design a lower signature vehicle that accomodates an urban environment.

[kzt]

With a wheeled IFV, you can maximize speed, and perhaps design a lower signature vehicle that accomodates an urban environment.

Urban areas actually are far more lethal than open areas. You encounter targets at far shorter range, which means you encounter short-ranged lethal weapons well inside their effective range and have too little time to kill them before they can fire.

Knife fights in phone booths often don't turn out well.

[Earlydawn]

Which is precisely why I'd rather not get detected, as opposed to getting sandwiched between two apartments bristling with angry guys with RPGs, not to mention have the speed and maneuverability to get out of it.

[Sir_Psycho]

I'm fairly sure (feel free to contradict me) that you can mount an MGL-6 on a MCT Fly-Spy. (in regards to the mortar LTA post)

I wouldn't be surprised if by SR4, Urban warfare is handled almost exclusively by grunts with logistics and air support. With the advent of cheap ruthenium armour and cyber-ware, some specialised units are more versatile than armoured vehicles.

[Fuchs]

I'm fairly sure (feel free to contradict me) that you can mount an MGL-6 on a MCT Fly-Spy. (in regards to the mortar LTA post)

I can't comment on MGL-6s, never having received the training with my countries version of the M204, but the recoil from a current 120 mm mortar is nothing to sneeze at. Missiles would be far more likely to be used on LTAs, IMHO, if we are talking artillery.

[Sir_Psycho]

an RPG seems like a good choice. The grenade pops out, and then the charge activates and off it goes, minimal recoil to you, with a decent payload and range. Of course, this could not stand up to other aircraft, but could piss of ground troops.

[Ryu]

What can current rules do for your corps military?

- 20 Ares Citymasters with upgrades to the electronics suite (Response 6, sensors, software etc) provide the modular base.

- 5 get one concealed flexible turret for a missile barrage launcher.
The ammunition of choice is the Heimdall, the gunner is a combat rigger. A few more expensive Outlaw-Block IIIs are our tank-busters. If in doubt empty the magazine. (Caveat: Some might question the use of non-standard missiles in the barrage launcher. I have no problems with that.)

- 10 get to be Drone Carriers, the mix is mission-specific but favours rotor-drones.
Should carry up to six drones, two additional riggers and one matrix security specialist.

- 5 are APCs with Heavy Autocannons on top
The drones do most combat patrols, infantery is used as shock troops.

- Grunts have Mil-Spec armor with sensor suite, ruthenium-polymer covering, thermal dampening, and an arm-mounted silenced SMG as a backup-weapon. All have at least an Attention Coprocessor, this years winner of the Evil Overlords Minion Upgrade Top List.

Strategy: Drones or soldiers detect threat, everything except pure recon drones can kill soft targets, rockets kill hard targets. Every part of the network can provide target aquisition. Detachments have two drone networks, one squad of soldiers, and one source of rockets.

Add-ons:
- 4 Ares Dragons that can handle fast redeployment of a detachment on top of carrying a squad of grunts.