AX-1 Manticore

The AX-1 Manticore is a hovering infantry fighting vehicle developed by Matanza-Armatek for the Federation Marine Corps. The Manticore is the first Federation armoured vehicle capable of hovering, and it is capable of carrying 6 fully-equipped Federation marines in their Sch.PzInf 300 Powered Combat Suits.

Description
The AX-1 Manticore is a large, 9.5 metre-long vehicle that is fully enclosed. The two crewmembers sit in separate, fully enclosed cockpits in the middle of the vehicle, with Crystal Dome technology giving them a full view of the exterior while providing full armoured protection. Both the commander and gunner can drive the vehicle, though standard operating procedure is to have the commander (centreline cockpit) drive.

Utilising cutting-edge new innovations, the Manticore is a fully hovering vehicle, equipped with vectoring thrusters that enable the vehicle to hover up to 2 metres above the ground. This enables the Manticore to cross any terrain at thruster-propelled speeds of up to 120 km/h, providing the Manticore with immense tactical and strategic mobility, lending to the Federation Marine Corps' philosophy of combat maneuverability.

In the rear of the vehicle is a passenger compartment capable of fitting up to six Federation marines in Sch.PzInf 300 Powered Combat Suits in slightly cramped conditions, or up to 10 passengers without powered armour. Passengers sit on benches along the sides of the passenger compartment, which is also outfitted with holographic display systems for squad leaders to give briefings or receive transmissions from higher command. Communication between the passengers and the vehicle commander is done through a vehicle datalink net.

The Manticore is equipped with a single weapon, an Armatek PWS 17 20mm coil-assisted automatic cannon, with a three belts of 200 rounds. It also comes equipped with the CC04 Defence System, a comprehensive soft- and hard-kill defence system capable of defeating most modern guided and unguided missiles and rockets. Eight smoke grenade launchers are also equipped. The vehicle is protected by the Gürteltier-3 composite reactive armour system, and a life support system that can last up to four hours in entirely oxygen-free conditions.

History
The Manticore was developed as part of a second wave of hover vehicles developed in the Southern Sphere, following observations of the tactical usefulness of hover vehicles in the Northern Sphere.