M14-X Caracal Light Reconnaissance Vehicle

The M12 Warthog has, for the most part, resisted all attempts at being replaced, its flexibile and robust nature consistently outperforming all of its closest competitors. Nevertheless, in 2549 the UNSC Army asked Project EXCALIBUR to include a supplement to their own light reconnaissance vehicle fleet - the Warthog was still popular among the Marine Corps, but the Army felt it was time to upgrade to an improvement. The result was the M14-X Caracal, a light truck with troop capacity and a rear-mounted M247 GPMG, designed for light reconnaissance and patrol, as well as urban combat and fire support. Though a successful design, the destruction of Reach put an end to its adoption.
==Development==
Under normal conditions, the Army would have requested submissions from the prominent defence contract companies, selecting the most appropriate design for adoption, and funded it themselves. The sudden and dramatic collapse of Sierra Space Systems, and the subsequent absorption of its staff and infrastructure into Misriah Armouries, left the largest player in the field distracted, and the Army generals turned away from the private sector to other military projects. The Air Force's own projects were focussed more towards air superiority, or at least the reacquisition of it, but the Navy's Project EXCALIBUR was looking into a number of ground-based options for the Marine Corps. A request was made by the Army's Department of Intelligence for the project to include a design for a light reconnaissance vehicle to replace the Army's own fleet of M12 Warthog LRV's. Initially reluctant to work alongside operatives from a separate military branch, the Office of Naval Intelligence eventually agreed, and DoI researchers were incorporated into the EXCALIBUR project.
EXCALIBUR too had turned to the private sector for many of its own designs, allowing access to classified materials and technologies and gaining a sped up development time. The M14-X Caracal, however, was entirely the product of designers from the DoI and ONI. Interviews were conducted amongst field personnel, to see what weaknesses to iron out and what strengths to improve upon. It was noted that while Marines preferred armed variants, especially the M68 Gauss Cannon, Army personnel were more practical in their approach. The largest complaint was the open cabin, exposing occupants to sniper fire and other combat dangers. Problems were also noted with the turret, which required excessive strapping in for movement; ideal use of it was possible only with the stability provided by staying motionless, or at slow speeds, making the vehicle an exposed target. Both branches praised its flexibility, especially its use as a troop transport or truck, though noting that its tray was smaller than ideal. The investigators found little complaint about the hydrogen fuel cells of the engine, or the robust suspension system.
When finally submitted to the Department of Intelligence for appraisal, the design garnered strong interest from the Army leadership. While the Caracal lacked the speed or ruggedness of the Warthog, a feature that made it ideal for the offensve actions undertaken by the Marine Corps, the Army required a more stable vehicle for use in the urban combat areas the UNSC found itself more and more frequently engaging in. The Caracal was deemed ideal for the task, and an initial order for 600 was placed in April, 2552. Had the Covenant not invaded the Epsilon Eridani System and glassed Reach in late August, these vehicles would likely have entered service in mid-2553 among the Army and some Colonial Militia units on Reach and Earth. As it stands, the entire production line was destroyed when the Covenant began their orbital bombardment of the planet before a single unit could see combat. The design was considered in the Post-War Reconstruction period, but the expense of the project saw it rejected in favour of improvement of the existing fleet of M12 Warthogs.
==Design==
Using the acquired information, EXCALIBUR set to work crafting a successor to the Warthog. Lessons learned from the development of the M13-X Lynx were incorporated - the Caracal, from the beginning, was designed to support a number of different weapon systems, ranging from missile launchers, machineguns, or gauss cannons. Unarmed versions could be easily retrofitted with ad hoc armaments, and compartments were provided in the troop section and cabin for personal defence weapons and ammunition. The drive train changed little - independent suspension of each wheel, with carbon nanofibre tubing making them virtually invulnerable to battlefield conditions, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell with an inbuilt converter to allow instant recharging/refueling in the field. The vehicle itself also possessed significantly thicker armour, bolstered by the prototype Ancile metamaterial, intended to effectively nullify the effects of plasma weaponry - trials were initially disappointing, showing that the vehicle's centre of gravity was far too forward making it fishtail around corners to an unsafe degree, but these problems were rectified by moving the fuel cell further back, underneath the vehicle - the Covenant's seeming inability to deploy mines of any kind allowed the Caracal to forego the usual anti-mine buffers that would have added to the expense of production.
The doors were designed to pop off upon impact by a significant force - the Lynx's development had shown that a heavily armoured LRV needed an effective means of exfiltration in an emergency, or else its occupants would be trapped within a soon-to-be metal coffin. Small explosive charges would blow the doors off their hinges, allowing the driver and navigator to escape the vehicle. The rear tray supported a number of variants - an enclosed troop section, an extendable medivac station, or a simply cargo tray for hauling equipment or supplies. A section of roof allowed a gunner to fire a weapon mounted to the roof - in interviews, most often the targets with the most chance of successful hits were those in front of the vehicle. Some variants sported a rotating cuppole, like that of the M808B Scorpion MBT, with variable fittings, but for the most part the Caracal was designed to support either the M247 GMPG or the M41 LAAG. The troop section also possessed firing slots, allowing its occupants to fire their weapons from within the vehicle, reducing exposure to enemy fire further.
The cabin itself incorporated a number of features learning from the mistakes of the Warthog. For one thing, it was totally enclosed, with a narrow windshield of darkened glass, lessening sniping opportunities. It also featured the standard Global Positioning System, computer autopilot, and motion tracker of its predecessor, though using improved electronics to improve efficiency. The most significant change was the addition of a Heads-Up-Display for the navigator, projected upon the windshield itself, displaying a variety of data - navigational markers, communications channels and video feeds, troop status, and so on.
==Quotes==
* "God, I wish we could have had some of these on Earth. My buddy got picked off by a Jackal sniper - maybe if our vehicle had a friggen' roof, he'd still be here today!"
* "I prefered the Warthog, to be honest. Its lighter, faster, more agile. Better suited for off-road pursuit. And though the tech specs say the Caracal could have supported a Gauss Cannon, I just don't see where they'd put it. It doesn't really look like it would fit, does it?"
* "The Caracal needed explosive charges for the crew to get out in a hurry. For a Warthog, you just dive out of the door - since it doesn't have a door. Crude, but effective."
* "It was quite a bit bigger than the Warthog, and could fit more troops. Normally, I'd say that's what an APC is for, but with the Covenant anything slower than a Warthog and lighter than a tank is fair game."
Category:Morhek
Category:UNSC Vehicles