Actually, I do think transformational mechs have some uses, not in the tactical level, but at the strategic level. Something like the Macross VFs can self deploy at high speed, then transit to "ground pounder" mode for local area fighting. It would allow less units to cover more area without the need to spend more on high speed transports or to recover the units to be dropped from orbit again as a QRF. Or inversely, to quickly gather more forces to react to a situation. So basically, a "high speed" mode gives you flexibility to spread out or to concentrate fast. Of course, PA can do that too if you designed them for high speed transit, but from the looks of things, it seems that most PA don't really go that fast, hence the need for shuttles and APCs.
Of course, the "half-plane/half-humanoid" form is technically useless if you think of it this way.
The point of Gerwalk is to get the fidelity and off-bore firing capabilities of your ground-pounder mode while acting as a VTOL.
It means instead of making a full transformation, you can either throw your entire engine pod in reverse to come to a stop, lower them and hit the ground *REALLY* hard and keep skimming at high speed at low altitutde or you can strike a target next to or even behind you with a primary weapons-pod.
Given that different nations follow different tactical doctrine concepts, there's room for this somewhere, even if not within the SAOY.
Why am I obsessed with disruptive super-weapon WMDs recently? Anyway, onwards...
In terms of specifications, I see the following of our Mechanized Gunship, or M.G. as I'm calling it (
ha!)
In terms of scale, the platform is somewhere between 50 to 70 meters long and is a category 4 starship.
0. The platform makes use of highly calculated in-system FTL and includes an ablative outer-form of simple drones or missiles which can detatch and pursue to distract domestic defenses just long enough for this thing to get planetside. It has to throw smoke to turn heads to slip through the door. This functionality is of the upmost importance. Lacking chambers inside means it can have MUCH thicker armor than a gunship of comparable size.
1. A platform smaller than a gunship which has an equal or larger powerplant due to the lack of displacement caused by internal decks
2. A platform which can move at high speed, then repurpose the same system that gave mobility into a defensive barrier of considerable strength. The reason for the change in its shape, with the landing gear and off-bore weapons is primarily to create this functional shift by relocating the topology of projectors.
3. This platform would be capable of surviving a high powered orbit to surface strike, in spite of surrounding collatoral and the failure this same barrier.
4. The platform would have a weapon capable of returning fire from surface to orbit. Given two main guns, one would be to knock down the defenses of the enemy target and the second to skewer them.
5. The platform wouldn't strictly be "transformable" so much as it would be mechanized, able to fold up features into a sleaker shape, rather than "becoming an aircraft", so to speak. In practice, this could tie in to the system which allows it the high mobility.
6. It would probably make use of an orbitally deployed satalite network of its own, used to monitor for incoming starships and deployments over a given sphere of operations
7. It would have a sufficiently advanced computation, telemetrics and communications system to pass what it sights with these systems as viable targetting information to other deployed frendly units.
8. Its large size and unwieldy motion leave it vulnerable to power-armor: Weapons-pods acting as power-armor which are radically simpler, cheaper and used in large numbers are a must.
9. A secondary weapon would be a high velocity electromagnetically propelled gun either with nuclear or aetheric payload which can be fired parabolically: Either to strike targets elsewhere on the planetoid as fire-support or using ballistic computation and proximity fuses to detonate and destroy incoming bombardment ordanance such as torpedos and aetheric missiles launched from orbit to defend a given position.
On paper, the attack would go something like this:
1. Starships enter system.
2. Starships enter intercept, others remain defensively.
3. The mechanized gunship (MG) enters the combat theatre.
4. It enters its FTL sequence
5. Within range, dumps drones
6. Getting close to the planetoid, the gravitational interference or mass-locking causes it to slow the hell down (I like to think this is why we don't just FTL rod from god things).
7. Enters atmosphere
8. Touches down in a highly populated area
9. Switches to defensive mode, deploys weapons-pods.
10. Starts picking at ships that come too close to the planet, giving an opening for drop-ships or other units
Its purpose at first isn't bombardment but for an attacking force to get their foot in the door. Its a combination of ranged bombardment, communications and terror-weapon designed to make the enemy hesitate just long enough to get a force planetside and have the ordanance to keep it safe enough to do its job. It digs down. It turtles. It holds a position to support other units. It won't last long enough to occupy territory but long enough to get in units which
*can*.
The serious flaw of this machine is its service life-span and the development of weapons and defensive systems would mean the frame itself would have to be refitted anually to keep it functionally relevant.
Worse still, lacking internal compartments, easy access to key systems and a very low crew, it is dependant on either extensive maintanance or resources to conduct repairs independently.
If a weapon on this thing breaks, it isn't going to be operational for hours or even days, rather than minutes or hours as it might be on a gunship.
I can also see it making an excellent defensive vessel within starships in interception roles.
I wonder if this is what
Hal Emmerich felt like?
