The HT-81 tank, first fielded in the year 2081, was a revolutionary design that was the world's FIRST Hover Tank; Using a system of high-powered jets for primary lift with a backup hover cushion, the high speed "hotrod" of a tank handled incredibly, and could cross virtually any type of known terrain . . . Including both ice and water.

This presented NATO with a serious problem, as these tanks could dash across the Bering Strait and establish a beach head for Soviet Amphibious Assault Ships to follow, or they could, should the USN successfully interdict the oceans (Still expected, despite the large Soviet surface navy), go "Over the top of the world," operating across the Arctic Ice safely and at high speeds to strike down through Canada into the USA.

Self-sufficient for up to two weeks of operations, the HT-81 had an excellent main gun, and the main problem was that there were not vehicles capable of following up on its exploits; Though there was an APC of similar design fielded, they couldn't possibly keep up supply lines, but the possibility of Hover Tank raids across the ice fields of the Polar North was an extreme concern for NATO throughout the New Cold War.

Initially produced in limited numbers, they proved in simulations to be capable of smashing their way through Robot units in a "Shock Charge" eerily similar to the way in which a regiment of cavalry or lancers might break through enemy infantry lines that hadn't formed into defensive squares.

The problem was not with the HT-81 Fast Attack Tank, but rather the SUH-86 "Hailstorm" that followed it. With a considerably faster speed over solid land, and a higher altitude, the SUH-86 had a SLOWER speed over water, limiting the Amphibious Operations of the two when working in groups, as planned, the necessity to cross some open water at times for the Tank/APC combinations to make effective raids on North America was severely curtailed, as it gave ample time for such groups to be intercepted by ground attack aircraft and fast naval units.

Because of this, though intended to, the SUH-86 and HT-81 were never integrated into cohesive combat units with each other. However, in post-holocaust Russia, the HT-81 and the SUH-86, no longer being used as fast strike units, do operate together in the New Sovietskiy Army where this is not a liability.

Still, the relatively small number of HT-81s compared with SUH-86s means that such units are comparatively rare.

Because of this rareness, the New Sovietskiy looked into manufacturing new HT-81s, but found their technology and industrial base not up to the task. Because of this, the SUH-88 was designed, with cheaper hover-jets based on the SUH-86's as overpowered design of the HT-81's and revolutionary, though complex dual units. However, the SUH-88 is slower, has a lower maximum altitude, less armor, and a less powerful main gun, and, is, in general, totally inferior in all respects to the HT-81. However, it can actually be built by the New Sovietskiy, and for the moment, that is what counts. There are still plans, however, should they ever enter into a technology exchange agreement with Triax and the New German Republic, to halt construction of the SUH-88 and begin construction of new HT-81s, but such an exchange is unlikely at the moment.

[Author Notes: See the New Sovietskiy section of the Mystic Russia Source book for Writeups on the SUH-86 and SUH-88.]

Model Type: HT-81
Vehicle Type: Fast Attack Tank
Crew: Four (Main gunner, commander, driver, mechanic/support gunner.)

M.D.C. by Location:

	[1] Weapons Turret:	400
	Reinforced Crew Compartment:	300
	Main Plasma Cannon:	100
	Fire-suppression laser mounts (2):	75 each
	Medium Range Missile Launcher:	100
	Multi-Option Jammers (2):	25
	[2] Main Body:	800
	[3] Emergency Hover Cushion:	100
	[4] Engine intakes (4):	50 each
	[4] Engine vents (2):	50 each.

Notes:
[1] The Weapons turret is unmanned by the crew, and contains the main plasma cannon; Destroying it will knock the cannon out action.
[2] If all the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the vehicle is completely shut down and is unsalvageable; The crew can survive unharmed in the reinforced crew compartment.
[3] Made of lightweight, flexible M.D.C. materials, the hover cushion can be deployed when the jets have been knocked out to allow the tank to continue fighting, or during combat to increase the fire rate of the main gun by freeing up more power from the reactor, though altitude is limited. Once it is destroyed, the Tank will plow into the ground, though suffer no damage from doing so at the altitudes at which it operates. The tank is immobile, then, but can still function as a pillbox for the crew. When one of the rotors is knocked out, the hover cushion is automatically engaged, and is capable of cushioning the impact to the ground from any altitude at which the tank can operate without damage.
[4] The HT-81 has two small jet engines for thrust and two for lift. The intakes and vents are rather hard to hit, being of the smallest size possible; No less than -3 to strike, and requiring a called shot, when attempting to hit them. Destroying one intake or vent on one side of the vehicle reduces speed by 50% and adds +10% difficulty to piloting rolls; Destroying a second intake on the other side renders the tank unable to move, though it can still hover. Destroying one of the upper intakes (Only possible when at a higher position than the tank) will reduce maximum altitude by 50% and add +10% difficulty to piloting rolls. Destroying both will reduce the vehicle to operating with the hover cushion. The vents cannot be targeted.

Speed:
Low to ground: 124.3 mph (200 kph) over virtually all terrain.
Minimum Altitude: 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) with hover cushion or jets.
Maximum Altitude: 6.6 feet (2 meters) with hover cushion; 65.6 feet (20 meters) with jets.
Maximum Range: Unlimited (Nuclear Fusion power supply; 25 years.)

Statistical Data:
Height: 9.8 feet (3 meters) to top of the gun turret.
Width: 14.8 feet (4.5 meters)
Length: 36.1 feet (11 meters) not including gun barrel.
Weight: 77.2 tons (70 metric tons) fully loaded
Power Source: Nuclear fusion reactor; Must be refueled every five years, otherwise effectively unlimited.
Cargo Capacity: Up to two tons; Mostly survival gear and other equipment. The tank has enough supplies onboard for the crew for two weeks. The tank also contains 48 hours worth of oxygen for the crew for environments where the air is to contaminated even for the radiation/gas/germ filters to deal with it.
Black Market Cost: 35,000,000 Credits to build; Versions available currently sell for 60,000,000 credits+. If fitted, any extra weapons systems will add to the cost of the tank; HT-81s are usually found very heavily modified, though they are relatively uncommon. Tank crews often personalize them with their pay in the armies of the assorted warlords to be considerably different from these Soviet-Era specifications. HT-81s still in the service of the New Sovietskiy, however, follow these specifications to the letter. The northernmost warlords have HT-81s, as does the New Sovietskiy, but the southern warlords have few if any.

Weapon Systems:

1. Particle Bolt / Plasma Burst Cannon: The plasma burst cannons, alternately referred to as "Particle Bolt" cannons, is a long-barreled version of a similar weapon mounted on the Tashkent class Fast Attack Craft of the Soviet Navy. The goal was commonality and lessening in the required stocks of spare parts for a wide variety of different weapons. The cannon is highly effective against ground and air attacks, and, when the tank traveling over water, is also excellent for engaging small naval vessels.
   Maximum Effective Range: 12.4 miles (20 km / 20,000 meters); Limited to 9.9 miles (16 km) at 1.6 feet (0.5 meters); Range increases based on line of sight up to 12.4 miles (20 km)
   Mega Damage: 2D6x10+25 per blast
   Rate of Fire: 5 attacks per melee round when the tank is operating on the hover cushion; 3 attacks per melee round when the tank is operating on the jets, as the increased power draw increases recharge time. Therefore, it is common in combat for the tank to operate on the hover cushion to increase fire rate.
   Payload: Effectively unlimited.
   Bonuses: +2 bonus to strike any target because of automatic, interlocked laser designator that the particle bolt travels down the path of.
2. Fire Suppression Lasers (2): These Close-In Weapon Systems fire rapid-pulse lasers against missiles or low-flying aircraft. The weapons are automated and track missiles with radar sensors (+4 to strike missiles and aircraft) They are mounted on the front and back of the vehicle.
   Maximum Effective Range: 4000 feet (1220 m).
   Mega-Damage: 1D4x10
   Rate of Fire: Each turret has 6 attacks per melee round.
   Payload: Effectively unlimited.
   Bonuses: +4 to strike flying targets with radar guidance.
3. Medium Range Missile Launcher: This missile launcher fires volleys of medium range missiles, principally anti-aircraft fragmentation. They can be used against a wide variety of targets.
   Maximum Effective Range: As per medium range missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Mega Damage: As per medium range missile type - (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Rate of Fire: The launcher can fire a volley of 1 to 4 missiles per melee round.
   Payload: 8 Medium Range missiles. No reloads carried.
4. Multi-Option "Shtora-8B" Jammers (2): These are multi-purpose jamming devices designed to stop incoming missiles and confuse an enemy targeting the HT-81
   Effect: Each firing launches two Chaff rockets, two Flare rockets, and the tank begins emitting a large cloud of smoke, both standard and Anti-Laser Prismatic aerosol; The Chaff rockets detonate and spread Chaff over the area, the flare rockets floating down by parachute; Effects last for one minute (4 Melee rounds.) The Chaff rockets have a 20% chance of interfering with the course of enemy missiles each (40%, total) that are radar guided so that they miss the tank. The flares have the same percentages, except with IR-guided missiles. The Anti-Laser prismatic aerosol causes -4d4 damage to any laser beam striking the tank (With the exception of X-ray lasers and variable frequency lasers; X-Ray lasers suffer no damage modifiers, and variable frequency lasers do not suffer the penalty after two test firings into the cloud to find the right frequency.), and adds a +4 difficulty to targeting the tank with a laser guidance system or visually.
   Rate of Fire: Usually once every four melee rounds; Effects are not cumulative.
   Range: Around tank only; Rough distance of 80 ft (24 m) around tank.
   Payload: Sufficient for twenty four (24) firings.

Sensors:

• Radar System: Range of 30 miles (48 km); Capable of tracking up to 56 targets simultaneously, this radar serves to guide the Lasers in engaging aircraft (+4 to targeting aircraft and missiles with the Lasers), and providing early warning of incoming aircraft and missile attacks; The radar can be programmed to shut off immediately if it detects an aircraft firing a missile, incase the missile is a radar-homing HARM type. The radar is relatively ineffective against ground targets (-40% to sensor rolls.)
• Full Infrared viewing mode: Range of 4 miles (6.4 km), with IR searchlight (+3 to detecting targets with IR when in use, however, +3 to detecting the HT-81 with IR equipment when in use, as well.).
• Two Periscopes: With up to x100 magnification for commander and driver to view out of while maneuvering the vehicle. Visual targeting sight with same magnification possible for gunner.
• Laser targeting system: For Plasma cannon, range of 12.4 miles (20 km)

• The HT-81 is fully NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protected, and all equipment is hardened against EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse).
• The HT-81 has special protection against cold weather; Heating elements are designed to keep the interior of the tank up to 150 degrees F hotter than the external temperature, allowing the crew to work in a Shirt-Sleeves environment even in the worst weather possible in the Arctic, Siberia, or Antarctica.
• There is also a cooling system that allows the internal temperature of the tank to be up to 50 degrees cooler than the external temperature, useful for desert operations, another area where the tank can be very effective. Environmental controls are operated by the commander.
• The tank is incredibly maneuverable with the dual jet engines and hover system; +3 to all dodge and operating rolls.

• Gromeko Battlefield Computer: All communications are automatically encrypted/decrypted by the sender/receiver units without their operators having to specify it. This can be turned off if desired. It also features Enemy Profiling for up to 600 different combat vehicles and cyborgs, 1000 identifying insignias and marks, as well as 2000 (Post-Rifts Only) monsters and demons - each rendered in full color with schematics of known weaknesses, armor, weapons, etc, capable of rotation and zoom to x25 magnification. The Gromeko functions as a kind of passive friend or foe identification system, flashing words or symbols on the monitor and HUD display. This vehicle model of the Gromeko is larger, has a more powerful computer and larger memory compared with the bionic version tied into the cyber-optics of many Post-Rifts 'Borgs. Visual Range: 6,000 feet (1,828 m), linked with periscopes and a video camera with telescopic abilities.
• Enviro-sensors: An external and internal sensor system that monitors the environment outside and inside the vehicle. This is done on a molecular level and used to detect and measure impurities, chemical, germ/biological and other dangerous agents (toxic gases, smoke, pollution, spores, radiation, etc.) in the immediate area surrounding the vehicle. It can identify 6000 elements, gases and agents as well as measure temperature, wind speed, humidity, barometric pressure, and similar air and environment aspects. The same is true inside the vehicle, with links to the life support system to monitor conditions and warn for breaches to the NBC integrity. When exposed to gases, oxygen masks drop from concealed compartments in the ceiling for each of the crew/passengers that can be carried should the crew not be in NBC or environmentally sealed suits already.
• Long-Range Radio Communication System: Approximately 500 mile (800 km) range in the steppes and tundra; 300 miles (482.7 km) in the forests and around cities (interference) and 100-200 (160 to 320 km) in the mountains (Note: the interference from the latter two is common to all ground vehicles, not just Russian designs.)

Special Notes:

Tank is fully NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protected, and all equipment is hardened against EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse).

[New Navy, New Sovietskiy, and TRIAX are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]

Initial Writeup by Marina O'Leary (LusankyaN@aol.com ).

Minor Reformatting and revisions by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune ).

Copyright © 2000, Marina O'Leary. All rights reserved.