Cobra (Combat Vehicle)

The original Cobra Transport VTOL was introduced by the Star League Defense Force in 2582 to assist the SLDF during the Reunification War and upgraded variants have seen constant action since that conflict. During the Succession Wars, the Cobra fell out of production, but the Word of Blake restarted the manufacturing line following their liberation of Terra in 3058.

The Cobra is a rear-echelon combat vehicle that was designed for support missions. It carries a scant three tons of armor, though it can maintain speeds up to 129 km/h. It also mounts two McArthur Anti-Missile Systems that were specifically installed to shoot down man-portable missiles. As befits its status as a transport, the Cobra's Cargo Bay has a capacity for ten tons of equipment or personnel, and is extensively equipped with tie-down and hook-up points for cooling, filtration and power systems for handling any cargo. The cargo bay can even be sealed, allowing the Cobra to transport liquids. Because of this flexibility, the VTOL still sees extensive use in peacetime; one of the tasks commonly associated with the Cobra is as a fire-fighting vehicle, the cargo bay filled with water which is then dumped onto forest fires.

The Cobra was initially deployed with the Striker-pattern regiments and proved successful enough that it became a standard transport vehicle for the entire SLDF. During the Amaris Civil War many Cobras became mobile bases for resistance fighters within the Terran Hegemony. ComStar inherited the Cobra along with many other Star League designs, although it wouldn't be put back into general production until the Word of Blake conquest of Terra, and it provided the basis for the Anhur transport vehicle developed by the Clans.

Weapons and Equipment
The Cobra VTOL mounts only one offensive weapon, an Omnicron 950 Medium Laser. The laser is not truly meant to be used, however, as the Cobra is not supposed to be that close to combat.

Variants

 * Command : This 2622 variant reduces the infantry bay to three tons and mounts seven tons of Communications Equipment. This allowed a commander to control his forces while on the move. BV (2.0) = 367


 * MASH : This 2669 version is used to evacuate injured soldiers. The infantry bay has been converted to provide room for the wounded, and it carries one ton of Paramedic Equipment. The MASH name is something of a misnomer as those surgical suites cannot be used while the VTOL is in motion, but this Cobra would deliver the injured to a MASH facility. BV (2.0) = 367


 * Original : The 2582 version of the Cobra to enter service lacked the two Anti-Missile Systems and was instead equipped with a fourteen ton cargo bay. Following losses to man-portable missile launchers in the Reunification War, Aldis chose to reduce the cargo bay capacity of the original version to allow for Anti-Missile Systems to be embodied. The tactics commonly used by pilots to allow the AMS to engage incoming missiles added unanticipated levels of stress to the airframe, prompting Aldis to further redesign the Cobra, switching to a reinforced airframe in future production runs . BV (2.0) = 265


 * Terran Hegemony version : A completely separate airframe, the 2317 Cobra of the Terran Hegemony was created shortly after James McKenna took over the Terran Alliance in the twenty-fourth century. Weighing thirty tons, it used an ICE engine to reach a top speed of 120km/h. It carried five Machine Guns and a half ton of ammunition. It was capable of carrying nine tons of cargo. The airframe was protected by one and a half tons of primitive armor. Later the Terran Hegemony would order a variant with a Fusion engine which increased the maximum speed to 150km/h but was otherwise identical to the ICE powered version. None of these Cobras survived the arrival of the Star League, but the SLDF used it as a model for the Cobra listed above. BV (2.0) (ICE) = 149 BV (2.0) (Fusion powered) = 165

Design Quirks
The Terran Hegemony version of the Cobra VTOL Transport has following Design Quirks:
 * Non-Standard Parts
 * Obsolete (2470)
 * VTOL Rotor Arrangement (Dual)