H3F-M Avalanche

## Overview

Throughout the ages, the Avalanche missile system has served countless Havanite regimes, for good or for evil. Developed in Y2767 by ballistics engineers at Boerelem, the H3F-M is a simple, scalable and deadly effective dumb-fire missile pod. The weapon system is commonly seen mounted to platforming vehicles such as the K6B Berrenda Armored Mobile Weapons Platform, or in cheekier scenarios, the K3B Wildcat Assault Recon Vehicle. A single pod contains 12 high velocity missiles, each one capable of accepting a plethora of different warheads depending on mission parameters. Up to 16 pods can be connected into one fire control group, creating a massive missile array. The weapon system is cheap and easy to produce, which has led to its adoption by multiple elements of the Iron Horde. When assaulting a position, it is common for the Iron Horde to complete carpet the area with Avalanche fire, colloquially known to PVT soldiers as "Iron Rain".

### History

#### Version 1: Mighty Mouse Unguided Rocket System (MMURS)

In the mid Y2700's the aging Thulian Empire was top-heavy with corruption and incompetence. The subjugation of the Pax-Viribus Theocracy left the Havanites with no obvious adversaries in the area, and thus they resorted to warring amongst themselves. The Collingians, a small kingdom situated in the shadow of Mount Collins on the outskirts of Messiah, was growing its base of power and was poised to challenge the Thulians. Queen Ana Kellic balked at the grievous taxes and tithes levied against her people, and she had amassed an army 35,000 strong to ride into combat. This number however was paltry in comparison to the Thulian military, standing at over 350,000 Thulian Regulars. Hence, in Y2762 Kellic appealed to her long-time ally, Magnate Bartran Marloth of the Sons of Marloth Commonwealth. It was well known that the SOMC were quite adept at designing explosives weapons of all kinds, living in the bosom of the resource-rich Mount Bostrom. Kellic asked the SOMC to design her a weapon that could fire volleys of explosives, in order to even the odds between her and her adversary. King Marloth obliged, and recruited their homegrown company Boerelem to design a first-of-its-kind missile pod.

By Y2764 Boerlem had complete their prototyping and testing of the Mighty Mouse Unguided Rocket System (MMURS). The weapon fired eight fin-stabilized missiles, each carrying a three Kg explosive charge. The pods could be mounted in series onto tracked or wheeled vehicles, making a mobile artillery platform of sorts. In the following five years the MMURS was mass produced and stocked in the Collingian arsenal in preparation for the war against the Thulian military, which began only a few short years later.

The MMURS performed well against the Thulian military, knocking out much of their armored vehicles as well as blasting apart their fortress with its explosive charges. While unguided, the missiles flew relatively straight, allowing the operators to aim for critical target weakpoints with a fair degree of accuracy. The superb mobility of the system also meant that crews could surprise attack an area with a volley of missile fire and exfil before the enemy had time to react. Such hit-and-run tactics allowed the Collingian military to make the most of their small force. Despite the MMURS's excellent performance the Collingian military still could not break the more reinforced hardpoints and fortresses of the Thulian Empire. Fort Monaco in Lexington and Fort Nalspret just outside of Hapsburg simply had too strong of a garrison to conquer. Both were re-supplied from harbor, and with the Collingian military's complete lack of naval assets, they could not prevent the strongholds from rebuilding after each assault.

The Collingians were not alone in their fight against the Thulians, however. King Marloth joined the war as well, providing legions of highly experienced sappers to undermine and breach critical fortifications. In an unlikely turn of events, the Larrousian warlords of the Synovian Desert also contributed their hordes of mounted riflemen and war wagons, citing their long-standing grievances with the uncouth treatment they received during business dealings with the Thulian Hall of Commerce. Within 11 years the Thulian Military, although mighty and numerous, could not keep up with the logistical crisis of maintaining a battle on countless fronts. Coupled with the rotting soul of the nation and leadership that was inept or simply did not care, much of the Thulian military simply stopped fighting. By Y2783 the Collingian forces and their allies declared victory, and in an act of clemency Queen Kellic had pardoned all Thulian soldiers that had laid down their arms.

#### Version 2: Leonidas Missile System

With the coronation of Queen Kellic in Y2784 as the ruler of the greater Primus Territory, she bolstered the Collingian military's ranks with the previously pardoned Thulian troopers. While many troops entered service willingly, a small contingent of soldiers loyal to the Thulian Empire resisted, and took refuge in the forests beyond Lake Voltaire. This group, called Orkney's Bastion, managed to steal away a number of advanced armored vehicles and weapons before the collapse of the empire, making them a serious threat that could not be ignored.

In Y2791 The Collingian Ministry of Arms proffered Boerelem to improve upon the MMURS design, asking for a weapon system that could defeat any vehicles that were potentially stolen by the Orkney's Bastion militants. This entailed designing higher velocity rockets as well as a reinforced pod to handle the increased pressure. To create a higher velocity Boerelem utilized a granule propellant mixture made of the newly found Gellar Sulfite compound, achieving speeds that allowing superior penetrative power in order to punch through high level enemy armor. The rocket pod infrastructure was beefed up as well, increasing in size and using of high strength Taaisteel. Prototyping and testing was completed in Y2799, being called the Leonidas Missile System V1. The system also allowed for the chaining of pods to a single fire control system, giving much greater control over the firing sequence than the MMURS. The newly upgraded missile systems were deployed in Y2806, in a similar manner as previous, where units were affixed to small motorized vehicles so as to quickly regroup or transition between targets.

The war against Orkney's Bastion lasted for some time, with the remnants only surrendering in Y2834. The group's tenacity could be attributed to the help of local gangs and syndicates such as the Barnacle Boys offering their services, as well as the kidnapping of homeless and indigent young men on the fringes of society, pressing them into service. Despite the long and drawn out conflict the Leonidas Missile System performed admirably, quickly neutralizing enemy armor restricting the arsenal of the militant group to small arms and hastily made improvised explosives.

#### Version 3: Avalanche Rocket Pod

With the winding down of the Orkney's Bastion conflict, the necessity for a high velocity missile system dried up, and the program languished. While there was an increasing presence of civil unrest amongst the sub-population of Pax-Viribus Theocracy subjugates, the threat was not yet military. Missiles and rockets were siloed, and the launcher pods were repurposed into riot control devices, firing low-velocity tear gas munitions in order to disperse protests and riots. Some were even turned into fireworks launchers, used for anniversary public and local events such as the yearly celebration of the victory over the Thulians and the coronation of Queen Kellic.

It was not until Y3936 under the rule of the Iron Federation when a convoy of 12 K2 Bardiche Light Tanks were stolen by the PVT paramilitary group Pretoria's Fury. While the commandeered vehicles were ultimately neutralized, a first attempt using Leonidas Missile System was an embarrassing failure, with the underpowered rockets simply bouncing off the side of the vehicles. Military technology had clearly developed beyond the capabilities of the aged and poorly maintained Leonidas Missile System, and new improvements needed to be made in order to make the platform relevant again. In Y4003 the Iron Ordinance Department went back to the drawing board, with the goal of increasing rocket payload, warhead variety, and making improvements to penetration power. Mckinney Ordinance Factory was recruited to make the improvements to the system, originally designed by Boerelem. An entirely new rocket was designed, the Metas Rocket, which could easily change and upgrade warhead packages while boasting superior penetrating power. The rocket pod was improved as well, reducing in size and weight while retaining structural rigidity and pressure tolerance specs, thanks to the use of a carbon-uranite composite alloy. The new system was dubbed the H1-M Avalanche, which completed its testing in early Y4009, scheduling for mass production later that year.

Despite the lack of a major conflict at the time, small tremors of discontent amongst hardline and heavily armed Wian devotees posed a potential threat to the regime. These disciples were increasingly displeased with the direction that leader of the Federation, Scillian Corsair, was taking the nation, taking in many peoples that were prior militants against the regime. Many Wian devotees were prior servicemen, in some cases fighting against the very people that were immigrating into their homeland. Such was the impetus in Y4045 for their creation of the paramilitary group Wian's Wrath. It would be during the civil war between Wian's Wrath guerrillas and the newly branded Iron Coalition's military where the Avalanche Rocket Pod would be truly battle tested.

After the defeat of Wian's Wrath and the exile of the PVT from the region, there was a relative peace across the Iron Coalition. It would be in Y4140 with the very public assassination of then leader Trevor Corsair that true war again erupted. Such was the impetus for further upgrades to the Avalanche, wit the modern iteration being the H3F-M.

### Features

#### Reinforced Carbon-Uranite Frame

Modern rocket propulsion produces extremely high pressures and temperature, which necessitates a rocket pod structure strong enough to handle them. Introduced in H2C version, the carbon-uranite composite frame of the Avalanche future-proofs the weapon system against all kinds of up and coming next-generation rockets and projectiles. The honeycombed matrix reduces the pod's weight by 57%, while handling a dynamic pressure range up to 100kPa.

#### Intelligent Fire Control System

The Avalanche has the ability to be assembled in a large missile array, which is typically used for artillery purposes. Coupled with this capability is its intelligent fire control system, which gives the operator supreme control over when and how the array will fire off. Different firing patterns can be created, which is generally used when there are multiple different kinds of warheads loaded into a single array. In this way group of warheads can be fired off individually, or in a particular sequence in order to maximize combat effectiveness.

#### Auxilliary Nitrous Oxide Injection

If the operator happens upon a particularly armored target and needs an extra "boost" of penetrative power, he can opt to use the Avalanche's Auxiliary Nitrous Oxide Injection System (ANOIS). This system injects NOS into the breach of the weapon upon firing, giving the rockets an extra burst of fuel to burn. This extra fuel burn vastly increase the pressure inside the firing chamber, shooting out rockets at nearly twice the speed and thus significantly increasing their penetrating power.

Pictured: A K6B Berrenda Armored Mobile Weapons Platform with a mounted H3F-M Avalanche missile array and auxilliary NOS Injection system