This week sees the British forces of Warlord Games' alt-history tabletop game, Konflikt '47 receive reinforcements in the form of a new walker and an automated Universal Carrier!
The latest Rift-tech walker stomps onto the battlefields of 1947 – taking a leaf from arguably the best fighter of the war, the new Hornet medium walker brings devastating firepower to bear!
The Hornet Medium Walker
As the effectiveness and versatility of the U.S. medium walkers was proven repeatedly in combat, the British developed the Hornet based on the reliable American Grizzly chassis. With a reduced anti-aircraft capability due to its more restricted field of fire, the Hornet is primarily designed to support the infantry in close, urban terrain. By retaining the Grizzly's powerful utility arms it can clear obstacles, build improvised defenses and rip apart light vehicles – all of which allow it to maintain its momentum in close or urban terrain.
Armed with a fearsome array of four .50 cal HMGs and a short-barreled heavy automatic cannon, it is more than capable of suppressing dug-in infantry and vehicles at close range. Whilst the Hornet lacks genuine anti-tank capability beyond the reach of heavy duty fists, a platoon of Hornets would normally include a standard Grizzly as a gun-walker to provide some anti-tank protection.
New British Automated Carrier
With clear-cut programmed efficiency, the new British Automated Carrier sets itself apart from competitors on the battlefield.
As British research and development continue in the embryonic fields of automation and automotive intelligence, the combination of automated control units and armored vehicles is a logical progression. With no requirement for crew comfort and with a greater tolerance to shock, noise and impact, an automated vehicle offers the opportunity to place larger weapon systems on relatively small, agile and hard to hit platforms.
Initial trials proved largely successful, with the combat potential of these vehicles deemed worth the occasional processing glitches and failures. With trials completed, the deployment of large numbers of automated carriers is the first large-scale field test of this concept.
Using the ubiquitous universal carrier as a base, two automated infantry units are hardwired into the vehicle, one as a driver and the other as a gunner. With any redundant limbs or body parts removed, the AI units take little space which allows a mounting of a twin auto-cannon weapon system. This firepower would be unworkable with a human crew due to the recoil, noise levels and cramped crew space, but works with perfectly with the automated crewmen.
