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The , also known as the , is a prototype armored combat vehicle developed in Academy City. Chapter 3 Part 2 Chapter 3 Part 5 Chapter 3 Part 6
==Etymology==
The is a large snake which is found in tropical South America.
==Appearance==
The Anaconda is 70m long and consists of 10 armored cars (each around 7m long, 3m wide and 2m tall), with ground-flattening metal wheels (described as might as well have been road rollers) and linked by giant metal ball joints into a long line, with the overall train resembling a snake lying down on the ground or an enlarged airport luggage carrier cart. It is painted in green jungle camouflage.
==Principles==
An experimental prototype (indicated by its X designation), the Anaconda is an all-terrain armored combat vehicle, imagined as a more extreme version of the concept of , already in service elsewhere in the world.
The Anaconda's ten armored cars have a wide and flat shape, each being around 7m long, 3m wide and 2m tall, connected together into a 70m long steel snake. They have heavy metal wheels, described as ground-flattening and compared to road rollers, and they are connected to one another via giant metal ball joints. The cars cannot be easily separated mid-deployment.
Each Anaconda car is armed with gun turrets on both sides - these appear different from typical tank or warship weapons, combining several different weapons into a single rotating set. The gun turret incorporates an anti-air gun, a 20mm and a self-destructing drone launcher. Given the orientation of its weaponry, the Anaconda is designed to fight with its side to an enemy rather than front on.On observing the weapon's design and considering the double cost of putting guns on both sides over a seemingly lighter and cheaper 360-degree rotating turret on top, Misaka Mikoto thought that the only reason to do so would be if the weapon doubled as a special armor to protect the Anaconda, imagining that if a shell or missile would hit, the turret could trigger an outward explosion to reduce the force of the enemy projectile that would otherwise go towards piercing the Anaconda's armor. In the case of her Railgun, she figured that the shot would be diverted at the cost of a single modular, replaceable and unmanned turret. However, the Anaconda did not have a chance to demonstrate whether it had this capacity or not during its deployment.
Rather than fighting while driving like a normal tank or armored truck, the Anaconda functions more as an armed mobile barricade. In the event of a riot at a school, it could rush in and act as thick wall to protect one side of a school from the rioters, with the 70m giant capable of surrounding an area the size of a schoolyard. In a wide, open space, where there would otherwise be nowhere to hide from enemy projectiles, it can place itself in between friendly and enemy units to provide allies cover from both enemy fire and the effects of major attacks from allies, as seen during its deployment on the flat runways of School District 23. It can also form itself around enemies to enclose and trap them, which also allows it to fire its own weapons inwards towards the target(s) while shielding outside allies from the effects of the bombardment. This ability and mobility to deploy as demanded is described as the Anaconda's greatest strength.
Being an experimental prototype, there are various apparent flaws present in the Anaconda's design which have yet to be worked out.While talking about the Anaconda with a less enthused Shirai Kuroko, Konori Mii noted that given it was only 2m tall, rioters could simply climb over it, and that the addition of barbed wire may bring the fear of injury. Kuroko thought that it would be more convenient to procure 10 maneuverable armored vehicles rather than bothering with giant snake that can't separate and the trouble of using computers for the complex calculations need to sync the engine RPMs.
==Background==
It isn't known when the Anaconda began development, but a functional vehicle had been constructed by January of the main story's second year, though this was still an experimental prototype. Prior to this, similar but less extreme two-car armored vehicles had been used in Finland and Singapore.
==Chronology==
===Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index===
====New Year's Arc====
On January 5th, despite being an experimental prototype, the Anaconda was among the forces brought to the defensive line set up in School District 23 to stop the advance of CRC. Shortly after the battle began, the Anaconda moved to surround CRC and unleashed its weapons against him to little effect. It was then used to contain the impact of an orbital rod drop used against the target, being twisted and flipped before being half-vaporized by the shot from Hula Hoop.
==Trivia==
*As with previous designations for Academy City's technology and weaponry, the in stands for Hard Science. The prefix indicates its status as a prototype, likely standing for eperimental. The likely stands for armored combat vehicle.
*A is a variation of continuous track vehicle that consists of two cars, each with their own track, most commonly with an actuated linkage in between. Such vehicles are used for a variety of purposes including military, resource extraction, and firefighting in some countries such as Finland and Singapore. In Finland, the utilizes to traverse the snow and bogs of northern Finland. In Singapore, the deploys modified military Bvs-206's for firefighting purpose. (Wikipedia article)
*A British cruise missile also shares the appellation 'Anaconda'. Chapter 3 Part 11
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Terminology
Category:Science
Category:Academy City Technology
Category:Vehicles and Transportation