V4 Rocket Launcher

**Key Features** | »» *"V4 Molot"* multiwarhead firing mechanism»» Self-sealing portable rocket assembly»» Glass canopy offers high visibility»» Rugged all-terrain treads»» Graphing paper dispenser w/ compass

*"Warheads primed!"*

- V4 Operator

## Tactical Analysis

* **Ready to fire**: With each rocket launch, the V4 has the option either for a concentrated attack suitable for single targets, or a desolator attack effective against enemy groups. The reduced accuracy of the desolator firing mode is offset when multiple V4 Rocket Launchers all attack at once.

* **Extra long range**: In spite of the luxurious glass canopy that affords its operator a panoramic view of the battlefield, the V4 Rocket Launcher's firing range is substantially greater than the human eye can see... all the more reason to use V4s behind frontline forces that can target spot for it. Fortunately, the V4 Rocket Launcher's modest dimensions make it small enough to air-lift, especially by one of the Soviet Union's muscular Twinblade combat choppers.

* **For indirect combat only**: Poor armour, as well as a minimum attack range, means the V4 Rocket Launcher is ill-suited to fending off any enemies that manage to close the distance.

* **Compact design**: Newer warheads, to further improve the V4, are starting to be tested. One has a secondary vacuum explosion that pulls in units around the impacts (and residual pulling damaging the infantry/vehicle internals), while the second warhead is fitted with a one-shot tesla generator that releases an EM burst that temporarily shuts down vehicles and turns the defoliant into a lingering fog, even infantry with NBC protection are slowed as it seeps into their suit and cause them to panic.

## WWIII Operational History

The moment the Soviet Union accidentally launched a man into outer space while experimenting with ballistic missile technology, the nation became the de-facto world leader in rocket science. Even now Russia and her fellow republics hold this mantle with a firm grip, and continue to develop new ways of mass-producing various types of rockets for a variety of scientific and military purposes. While not all Soviet rocket science has proven to be successful or safe over the past three decades, one firm has repeatedly delivered rocket-propelled innovation after innovation. That firm, of course, is Vodnik Rocket Arsenal, best known for its feared **V4 Rocket Launcher**.

 File:V4Artwork.jpg  The Soviet military is brimming with specialised, efficiently-designed vehicles, and the V4 Rocket Launcher is a fine example, given its pure focus as a self-powered tactical ballistic rocket platform. Though not suitable for frontline combat, the V4 can send highly destructive volleys toward enemy encampments, demolishing just about anything caught in the blast. It takes mere moments for a skilled V4 operator to triangulate the coordinates to the intended target and loose one of the machine's powerful warheads.

Unlike previous models, the warheads reach their top velocity quickly and minimize heat signatures such that enemy tracking systems simply cannot acquire a lock on them -- not in time anyway. In effect, this means V4 rockets cannot be shot down in mid-flight, so the only sure way to avoid devastation is to prevent a launch outright. A less-optimal solution is to flee the target area. Although the Soviets are working on a tracking version of the *"Molot Multiwarhead Rocket"*, current models cannot change trajectory while in flight, nor are the rockets nimble enough to pinpoint flying targets.
While the V4 Rocket Launcher appears to be little more than a conventional truck with a mounted rocket-launching mechanism, it conceals several important features. First of all, its rockets may be specially rigged prior to launch to explode in a cluster of multiwarhead fragments at the apex of flight, widening the destructive swath of such an attack at a small expense to its concentrated firepower. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the V4 Rocket Launcher can replenish its own ammunition. The science behind this is a closely-guarded secret, though apparently, energy from a warhead launch is conserved within the tubing, and used to solder together the materials needed for the next launch and to *"cook"* the next rocket. Suffice it to say, V4 Rocket Launchers have all the firepower they need for any given battle.
It bears mentioning that the V4 Rocket Launcher lacks targeting computers (due to weight reasons), and consequently, the Union demands commensurately labourious certification training from V4 operators. This may be one of the reasons why *"V series"* operators are predominantly women, as Soviet men are always needed on the front straightaway. Recognizing this trend, the Soviet Union created various incentives for women to pass certification for piloting these vehicles, including exonerating siblings or husbands for war crimes, or providing family stipends in exchange for confirmed enemy kills. These programs are proving quite successful.

## Post-War Operational History

 File:VM-SovietV4RocketLauncher.png
The new HE warhead for the V4 explodes with far more force than the original warhead, spreading debris over a wider area. Though this means a much higher chance of death for infantry and vehicles, it lacks the penetrating force of its predecessor against hard, reinforced structures, generally meaning bunkers and turrets. In addition, the cluster warhead that was initially supposed to revolutionise anti-infantry warfare proved to be less effective than was originally hoped, and after a stay in the gulag the design team devised a new, Desolator Defoliant-based warhead to replace it. Though the opportunity has yet to arise to use this new weapon in combat, humanitarian groups have already protested the use of the deadly chemical weapon. The new Soviet Premier deflected the issue by offering to replace the weapon with Allied cryotechnology, if the Allies would be kind enough to share (they were not).

## Just the Stats

 **Armour Type** | Light Armour

 **Kill Reward** | 16000

 **DPS** | 7.5

 **DPS** | 1.25