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Defender Urban Assault Vehicle
Mass: 60 tons
Movement Type:  Wheeled
Power Plant: Concordat Multifuel 160
Cruising Speed: 32.7 kph
Flank Speed: 51.1 kph
Armor:  Hoyt BasicPlate
Armament:
   1 Westen Assault Autocannon Class 20
   5 Delta Bolt-2 Short Range Missile Rack
   4 Westen Heavy Machine Guns
   2 CMC Flamers
Manufacturer: Concordat Munitions Corporation
   Primary Factories: Jamestown, Taurus
Communication System:  Kensu-Mocom TrueCom
Targeting & Tracking System: Pinard-Dicolais CloseKill

Type: Defender Urban Assault Vehicle
Technology Base: Inner Sphere
Movement Type:  Wheeled
Tonnage:                60

Equipment               Mass
Internal Structure:         6
Engine:   160            12      
   Type: ICE
   Cruising MP:  3
   Flank MP:       5
Heatsinks:                0      
Control Equipment:         3
Lift Equipment:            0
Power Amplifier:            0
Turret:               1.5
Armor Factor:       128      8      
      Armor Value:
Front:         30
Turret         30
R/L Side:         23
Rear:         22   

Weapons & Ammo      Location   Tonnage
AC/20            Turret   14
MG                Turret   0.5
Flamer (Vehicle)         Turret   0.5
2 SRM 2            Front   2
Flamer (Vehicle)         Front   0.5
SRM 2            RS      1
MG               RS      0.5
SRM 2            LS      1
MG               LS      1
SRM 2            Rear      1
MG                Rear      0.5
Ammo AC (15)          Body   3
Ammo SRM (100)      Body   2
Ammo MG (100)         Body   0.5
Ammo Flamer (20)      Body   1
Infantry Bay         Body   1

Overview:
The Taurian Concordat was one of the most heavily industrialized nations in Human space prior to the Reunification War.  The many sprawling industrial complexes were a tempting target for pirates and raiders.  In response to this threat, in the early 26th Century the TDF issued a call for an urban defense tank.  While numerous companies submitted proposals for conventional tracked tanks equipped with close range weaponry, Concordat Munitions Corporation made a radical proposal with a design that used a heavy wheeled chassis.  The CMC design team realized that the new vehicle would be fighting in urban and industrial areas that were criss-crossed with roads, and as such there was no need for a tracked vehicle.  By using wheels, they not only managed to reduce the cost and complexity of the design, they also created a vehicle that could operate in built up areas without destroying roads.  The TDF quickly looked past the unconventional design and selected it for mass production as the Defender Urban Assault Vehicle.  Within a decade of its introduction, the Defender could be found in every urban defense unit in the TDF.

Capability:
The Defender is designed to provide heavy firepower at the close ranges that are common while fighting in built up areas.  The main gun is a  Westen Assault Autocannon.  This powerful gun allows the Defender to challenge the largest tanks and mechs.  Supporting the Westen are a number of Short Range Missile launchers, machine guns and flamers. These are mounted to cover all sides of the vehicle, an important consideration when fighting in an urban area where it is not uncommon to be attacked from the flank or rear. The SRMs are fed by 2 ammo bays, allowing the defender to carry both standard armor piercing rounds and inferno rounds.  The machine guns and flamers are used to handle infantry, a serious threat in built up areas and to help clear buildings and fortifications. 

The wheeled chassis of the Defender limits its off road capabilities, but as the Defender is intended to be in built up areas with good roads this was not seen as an issue.  The Defender is relatively slow for a vehicle its size, but when operating in the tight confines of an industrial park, higher speeds would be a liability.  Instead by using a smaller engine, the design team was able to mount 8 tons of armor and leave enough room in the hull for a single infantry squad.

Deployment
The Defender was deployed to numerous urban defense units across the Concordat.  Most major industrial complexes could count on an at least a battalion of Defenders as part of their permanent defense force.  During the Reunification War, these vehicles proved to be a major thorn in the side of the SLDF.  The presence of the Defender was the reason why so many Taurian industrial complexes were destroyed during the war. In order to destroy the Defenders, the SLDF had t go street by street, the end result being that the industrial centers took heavy damage from stray shots.  One of the most notable deployments of the Defender was in the city of Harmony on New Vandenberg.  When General Forlough’s forces attempted to capture the Mech factory in Harmoy they ran up against 2 regiments of Defender UAVs.  The Defenders inflicted heavy losses on the SLDF, with several thousand SLDF soldiers being killed or wounded.  After the end of the war, the SLDF ordered all remaining Defender UAVs be destroyed.  A few managed to be hidden away and were returned to service during the Uprisings in 2765.