AB-01 TREAD Armo-Bomber

TRans-EArth Deployment

The TREAD Armo-Bomber owes its creation to failure of the First Earth Recapture Mission. Over half the new Legioss fighters failed to survive re-entry or have enough power to escape Earth quickly when it became necessary to retreat. Apart from these small problems the Legioss was prefect, and it was decided to find ways to correct the flaws without completely re-designing the whole mecha. The TREAD started out as a simple booster rocket, which attached to the rear of the Legioss, it soon was revised with added features and modification such as allowing the Legioss to transform into Armo-Soldier mode while the booster was still attached added still further problems. Then they were asked to develop a new variable heavy combat mecha that didn't suffer from these same problems. They solved all these problems in one go by combining all these into one package, a heavy variable fighter/bomber which can achieve orbit on it's own or while linked to the Legioss.

The TREAD benefited from the advances in technology forced by the Invid invasion. The mecha features some of the most advanced mecha mounted energy weapons yet developed as well as a large amount of missiles and a bomb bay. Intended as more a bomber than a dogfighter, the TREAD has all the aerodynamics of a brick and relies on it's three powerful engines to remain in flight. The TREAD possesses transatmospheric capability when it fires its boosters, and it can easily lift itself and an Legioss into and out of orbit of a planetary gravitational field.

The TREAD and Legioss can dock in less than one minute, and they can separate almost instantly. Combined with the Legioss, this fighter demonstrates incredible firepower and speed, and makes for an exceptional piece of military hardware.

Type:

AB-01 TREAD: TRans-EArth Deployment Armo-Bomber
AB-01S Dark TREAD Experimental 'Dark' stealth system equiped version

Dimensions:

	Armo-Bomber	Armo-Diver	Armo-Soldier
Total Length :	9.7m	8.0m	7.3m
Total Height :	6.1m	8.5m	13.7m
Total Width :	-	-	8.5m
Total Wingspan :	19.5m	19.5m	-
Total Dry Weight:	29.50 tons (metric)

Propulsion:

Engines:

3 x JG102A [Main] Liquid Hydorgen cell fueled turbines. Max output, 356 kN ea.
4 x ATF 401 miniaturized Liquid Hydrogen HBT cell fueled turbines. Engines are mounted in pairs near the elbow joint of the arm for VTOL operations in Armo-Bomber mode [Reserve]. Each engine is rated to 46.9 kN standard thrust, max overboost to 91.1 kN each.
Powerplant : 4 x Hydrogen-cell turbines
Fuel Capacity: 32 Standard HBT fuel cells(8 4-paks)
HBT fuel supply : 250 hours(10 days) operational use.

Performance:

Armo-Bomber Mode:

Max level speed : 1930 kph at 18000m (Mach 1.8)
8900 kph with boosters
700 kph at sea level (Mach .7)
Stall speed : 250 kph (VTOL rectification possible)
Initial climb rate: over 40000m per minute with boosters
Service ceiling : 35 km (TREAD can be boosted into orbit)

Armo-Diver Mode:

Max loiter time : 120 seconds.
Stall speed : None (VTOL)
Service ceiling : 18000m

Armo-Soldier Mode:

Max running speed : 128 kph
Max flying speed : 482 kph
Service ceiling : 2440m

Weapon systems

EP-14 three-barreled 80mm gatling beam gun

The effectively the same weapon carried by the Legioss Armo-Fighter. The EP-14 can fire 170 rounds per minute in full automatic mode, also capable of firing semi-automatic three-barrel blasts approximately once per second. The gun is mounted internally in the center fuselage intake beneath the cockpit. The center gun is not available in Armo-Soldier mode or in the Legioss link-up configration

EP-4 Tri-barreled particle cannon

The EP-4 is a smaller less powerfull version of the EP-14. The two guns are mounted internally in the intakes of the leg-mounted main engines. They are usually fired at the same time as the EP-14 and provide the TREAD with a heavy punch. The EP-4 is only available in Armo-Bomber mode.

EU-35 triple-barreled Ion Pulse Cannon

One of the largest, most effective weapons that can be mounted on a combat mecha, with one on each forearm. Capable of firing 45 times per minute, each round able to punch through even the heaviest armor used by the Inbit. The cannons are located in the arms, with the barrels located above the mecha's hands. Available in Armo-Soldier mode only.

Internal Missiles:

MM-20 Multi-missile system

40 inboard variable warhead, short range (15m to 8.2 km) Mach 3.0 combined infra-red imager and active radar homing missiles. Launch ports are 2 10-tube launchers located in the front chest/fuselage, and can fire in all three modes, but are not available in the combined Legioss-TREAD configuration. Ten missiles are ready to fire in each launcher, with a single reload per tube. Able to use any of the Mars Base standard SRMs.

MM-16 Multi-missile system

32 inboard short range (15m to 8.2 km) Mach 3.2 combined infra-red imager and active radar homing 340mm Coralsnake missiles; 16 ready to fire with one reload

per tube. Launchers are of a pop-up design and are located behind the MM-10 launchers. Available in three modes, including the combined Legioss-TREAD Link-up configuration. Various warhead options, though the Coralsnake's warhead is over twice the size of that on the Hammerhead and the TREAD is the only Mars Base mecha to use them, making reloading hard on the Invid controlled Earth.

Underwing Ordnance:

The TREAD features 3 Hardpoints per wing, with multiple ordnance options. Available payloads include, but are not limited to, the following:

Medium range radar homing 260mm x 1.2m Diamondback missiles. Eight such missiles can be stored on a MER (Multiple Ejection Rack) on each inner hardpoint, seven on each middle hardpoint, and six on each outer hardpoint, for a total of up to forty-two MRMs.

Nuclear Stand-off missile. Reaction warheads (200 kT) mounted on a long range (15 to 293 km) Mach 4.0 combined multi-spectrum imager and active radar homing Reflex missile. This is the same missile mounted by the AF-01 Combat and is one of the few weapons capable of knocking the force fields around the Inbit Hives down. One may be carried under each hardpoint, for a total of up to six.

Short range 200mm x 590mm Buckshot multi-warhead missiles These missiles are designed to stop incoming barrages of enemy missiles. 16 such missiles can be stored on a MER on each inner hardpoint, 14 on each middle hardpoint, and 12 on each outer hardpoint, for a total of up to 84 SRMs.

Jammer pods Large ECM pods just larger than the Nuclear missiles, they transmit a localised cloud of electromagnetic interferance. It is able to block out the enhanced sensor systems mounted in the Gosu but provides no effect against the earlier generations of Inbit mecha.

The TREAD often goes into action with no weapons on the hardpoints, as the presence of ordnance casues extra drag on re-enetry and interferes with the TREAD's transformation capabilities. In most cases the missiles are fired at long ranges or on the very first pass.

Bomb Bay:

4000 kg (normal) capacity for one of the following weapon loads:

8 x high-explosive, long range active homing missiles

16 x 250 kg laser-guided HE bombs

8 x 500 kg cluster bombs

Note: The Bombs/Missiles are stored in the walls of the passanger/cargo area and this area can be also used to extend the amount of ordnance for the bomb bay.

Armor:

The armor on the TREAD is extremely formidable. With less need for the maneuverability of the Legioss, the designers equipped it with some of the heaviest armor on any Mars Base mecha. It almost rivals the Horizont and provides this craft with by far the most protection against all forms of weaponry as has ever been mounted on Inbit mecha. In one instance, a TREAD was hit by an Inbit plasma cannon and did not even get scratched.

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Last Updated: Sunday, May 26th 2002 - 10:29 AM

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