Swift Wind

The Swift Wind, built on Indicass by Ceres Metals, is a one-person scout car designed for the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces. Thanks to its fast speed and advanced communication gear, the Swift Wind can get the scout to where he or she needs to be and get out of there just as quickly, all while relaying information to their comrades wherever they may be. Where other competitors had submitted inexpensive designs, Ceres Metals won the bid by going all out and incorporating as much advanced technology as they could fit in the car. Since its first introduction, Ceres has made sure to update the Swift Wind's components as advances in technology are made, but the the basic design has remained the same ever since. Very few Swift Winds are found outside the Capellan Confederation or the short-lived St. Ives Compact; in 3039 there were believed to be only a few dozen such "foreign" Swift Winds, most belonging to mercenary units who had served the Confederation well.

Weapons and Equipment
The Swift Wind has no weapons to speak of. It is, however, equipped with two tons of powerful Communications Equipment that can prove to be more deadly than any weapon. The large receiving/transmitting dish, which can collapse and fold into the car's roof in a matter of seconds, allows the Swift Wind to send data transmissions in voice or code at incredible range, bouncing signals off of orbiting satellites to contact any unit on a planet or even talk directly to JumpShips sitting at standard jump points. This allows the Swift Wind to scout a planet without alerting the enemy to the main force's presence and serve as an effective forward observer for artillery and aerospace units. This same equipment also allows the Swift Wind to eavesdrop on enemy communication signals, relaying their messages to friendly forces or using their transmissions to track their location. Enemy intercepts and satellite imagery can be combined to create a three-dimensional holomap which projects from the dashboard of the scout car. The scout doesn't even have to be in the car to use it's communication equipment, as a handheld control device with earphone and microphone allows them to leave the vehicle while still utilizing the communication system; the remote system does have a 1.2km range limit and must maintain line-of-sight to work however.

True to its name, the Swift Wind is quick, with a top speed of 162 km/h and cruising speed of 108 km/h thanks to it's GM 60 fusion engine. Each of its six wheels feature radial tires, are independently powered by the engine, have independent suspensions and provide high ground clearance, allowing the scout car to race over a variety of terrains. In order to get the most from its speed, the Swift Wind features a scaled-down neurohelmet that allows the driver to use their sense of balance to make minor corrections. The helmet also allows the driver to view the surrounding area with a wide angle of vision and a variety of vision modes such as infrared.

In the event the Swift Wind does run into trouble, one and a half tons of armoring provide enough protection to shrug off moderate damage until the car can escape the danger. It also features a cargo bay with storage for 500kg of gear.

Variants

 * I.C.E. : From 2841 Ceres also produced a cheaper version of their vehicle for customers with limited budgets. The change to an internal combustion engine eliminated the cargo bay because of the increase in engine weight. BV (2.0)= 83


 * I.C.E. (Cargo): This 2845 version of the Swift Wind reduces the top speed of the car to 120km/h, which allows for a smaller engine. Three tons of cargo space is available to the unit, but this takes up all the room liberated by the engine swap and requires the removal of the communications equipment. BV (2.0) = 81


 * I.C.E. (Speed) : This Swift Wind modification of 2891 reduces the armor protection to a half-ton, removes the communications equipment, and increases the top speed of the unit to 171km/h. The higher top speed requires a much larger engine, but the protection offered by the high speed is worth it. BV (2.0) = 39