M58-AD SPAA

A tough reliable vehicle, the M58 was the primary Anti-Aircraft platform on the surface of LV-698. The M58 was one of the first vehicles to be manufactured by Lyox Mechanics following their absorption by Armat Battlefield Systems, improving upon the design by the R&D teams with the Colonial Marines 18th MAU. The M58-AD was retired in 2194 after serious concern over it's effect on the game balance.
== The M58-AD SPAA ==
=== Deveolpment ===
In an effort to combat the growing aerial lethality of the UPP present on Baja, the Colonial Marine 1st Armor Division commissioned R&D teams on the USS Verloc to design an effective short to mid-range anti-air platform capable of dealing with a large variety of aerial threats. Due to a limited budget, R&D opted to use the already proven M58 chassis and focused all their attention on developing the turret and it's systems. The final product mounted two 30mm autocannons and had space for 12 modified Hornet surface-to-air missiles.
The design quickly proved itself a good reliable one, and the USCM High Command took notice, sending the design plans from the USS Verloc to the company Lyox Mechanics (now under Armat Battlefield Systems) so it could be further refined and produced on a larger scale. 
=== Deployment ===
The addition of new SPAAs to LV-698 was well received by the armor corps members garrisoned there, as the vehicle soon proved its worth downing numerous BRF and UPP Air vehicles in numerous engagements. The M58 even proved to be an effective counter to infantry squads as several infantry kills were credited to its operators. This caused a bit of a fuss as the UPP and its aligned militias soon manufactured anti-USCM propaganda with the M58 as a centerpiece, which made its way onto the picket signs of antiwar protesters and politicians on Earth, leading to the change in official policy that M58 operators must avoid firing on ground targets, especially infantry whenever possible, unless they directly threaten the integrity or safety of the vehicle or its driver. Although the vast distances of space between Earth and the many fronts involving the M58 led to such polices being seldom enforced.
== Gallery ==
File:BLUAGDS.png|Standard M58-AD SPAA
File:REDAGDS.png|OPFOR M58-AD SPAA
Category:Vehicles
Category:Armored Corps