Gabriel

Description
Originally designed as an experiment by a team of aerospace engineers at Bowie Industries in 2712, the Gabriel surprised many with its viability as much as for being virtually a ground-based Aerospace Fighter, becoming the fastest ground vehicle to see service in the SLDF.

The Gabriel's main role is reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, carrying information back to its parent unit quickly thanks to its high speed, and the vehicle mounts advanced communications and sensor equipment for longer-ranged satellite network transmissions. While the Gabriel only carries a single ton of armor, instead of standard or even Ferro-Fibrous plate, the designers used Ferro-Aluminum armor, normally reserved for Aerospace Fighters. The front, back, and turret carry the bulk of this meager protection, at the expense of the vehicle's sides.

The Gabriel's most infamous "feature" stemmed from pilots who accidentally discovered how to angle the forward fans to such a degree so that pitch-back noise would make the craft emit the sound of a wailing trumpet. To produce the trumpet sound turns the ride extremely rough and the practice is discouraged, but it remains a favorite method of announcing a pilot's return to the garrison.

Weapons and Equipment
Though designed for reconnaissance and not combat, the Gabriel does carry a single turret-mounted Maxell TR Medium Laser. While the design team was intrigued by the possibilities of a turret, in another example of their aerospace engineering sensibilities, the weapon features an automatic target-acquisition system similar to those on Aerospace Fighters. The turret swivels toward the closest threat, leaving it to the pilot to precisely aim at weak points and fire the weapon. The pilot can override the system, but the system's logic algorithms have proven very successful.

Variants

 * ERSL : The first of two variants that date to the late 3060s, the ERSL is built on Dicallus and is popular with Taurian Concordat militia units based in cities. The simple modification replaces the Medium Laser with a pair of ER Small Lasers. BV (2.0)= 162


 * TDF : The second Taurian variant, the TDF replaces the Medium Laser with a pair of Rocket Launcher 10s. BV (2.0)= 168