Thor (Combat Vehicle)

Description
The Thor was created for the Star League Defense Force in 2680 in response to a need for mobile fire support. Specifications called for a vehicle that could travel at speeds of 80km/h on flat terrain and carry the Thumper Artillery Piece. The SLDF's Quartermaster Command chose the Thor because it was the only submitted design that met the 80km/h specification and due to its advanced CASE protection system, which allowed the crew and vehicle to survive an ammunition explosion. The vehicle was criticized initially for being limited to certain terrain types due to its wheeled configuration, but the vehicle's advantages outweighed its drawbacks.

While the Thor cannot fire on the move, it can set up to fire in less than a minute and then move again in thirty seconds. An advanced trans-optical aiming system, used by spotters working with Thor artillery vehicles, allows for accurate fire over long range. The rate of fire of the Thor allows groups of them to level entire city blocks in a matter of minutes. While carrying seven and a half tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor, the vehicle relies on its speed for protection.

Star League & Succession War Eras
In 2735, Brooks Incorporated created a cheap knock-off of the Thor, named the Thumper. These vehicles were also deployed by SLDF and Succession States armies. The vehicle proved its worth during the Amaris Coup. Ulston Armor of Terra, which was the primary builder of the Thor, was destroyed in 2777. The war reduced the vehicle's numbers, while many would leave with Kerensky's Exodus Fleet. The remaining vehicles in the Inner Sphere were thought to be completely wiped out by the end of the Second Succession War.

Clan Invasion Era
Many of the Thors that took part in Operation Exodus became part of the Clan second-line military units and were enhanced with advanced Clan technology.

ComStar also had many of the vehicles stored on Terra's vast storage facilities, until the Battle of Tukayyid in 3052 when they were brought out of storage to fight.

Weapons and Equipment
The vehicle mounts a fifteen ton Thumper Artillery Piece with forty rounds of ammunition. For self-defense purposes, the vehicle has two Medium Lasers mounted on a elevated turret just above the main body.

Variants

 * C3i : ComStar refit of their vintage stockpile of Thors. Removing the Medium Lasers, the Thor is left with only the Thumper Artillery Piece and 40 rounds of Ammunition. The vehicle is enhanced with a C3i network computer to allow better communication with its Lance, in case an enemy unit gets too close. BV (2.0) = 482


 * Clan : Equipped with Clan technology, the Thor retains its original armament. It features two Clan ER Medium Lasers mounted in the overhang turret. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 830


 * AC : This variant replaced the Thumper and medium lasers with an Autocannon/10, 4 Machine Guns, and 2 Rocket Launcher 20s. The autocannon was equipped with two tons of ammunition while the machine guns shared a single ton of ammo. BV (2.0) = 664

Vehicle Notes
Not mentioned in the initial article, the Marksman article in the Technical Readout: 2750 mentions the Thor's full Name to be Thor Armored Fighting Vehicle.