Piledriver AVL

## Overview

More Pax-Viribus Theocracy vehicles have been reduced to scrap metal by the Piledriver AVL than any weapon in the Iron Horde's arsenal. The Piledriver is a fire-and-forget weapon system that uses a lightning fast squash-head high explosive rocket; highly lethal against tanks with conventional as well as reactive armor. It is based on and is an improvement of the Salamander AVL System, designed in Y3584 by Boerelem engineers. One missile, if scoring a direct hit in a Vicar-23 MBT's engine block, can disable the behemoth if not completely obliterate it. Each Piledriver unit comes packaged with three pre-sealed rockets, making the average trooper a serious potential threat to enemy armor. During the height of the Battle of Rubik Oasis, Iron Horde Combat Engineers were neutralizing five to six Pax-Viribus Theocracy armored vehicles a week.

### History

After the absorption of the Sons Of Marloth Commonwealth and their arsenal by the Iron Federation in Y3557, the Iron Apparat began pouring over the SOMC's data stores, analyzing their top secret project files and dossiers. They found a file title "Project Salamander": A secret development program for a fire-and-forget anti-armor launcher utilizing a molten tungstenite shaped charge, easily capable of punching through the most modern armor. The design was truly genius and far ahead of its time, which was perfect for breaking the stalemate pattern of trench warfare and liberal use of heavy armor. In Y3581 The Iron Apparat dispatched Black Tang Venators to locate the engineers mentioned in the documents. Three years later Andraeus Phinn and Daniel Bolas, both top engineers at the Boerelem company, were apprehended and taken back to the IF's stronghold of Lexington, where they finished out their work on the Salamander AVL in exchange for a grant of clemency by the Iron Gavel for their high crimes against the regime.

After a long and arduous process the Salamander AVL system was perfected in Y3597, just in time for the protracted and bitter war in the Synovian Desert against the Laroussian Sandhawks. Rough ridden flanking vehicles were the weapon of choice for the Sandhawks, which proved to be their downfall as the Salamander AVL made quick work of them. Nevertheless they were a ruthless foe, decapitating POWs and inflicting heavy casualties on the Iron Horde through their mastery of the harsh desert conditions as well as their deadly hit-and-run tactics.

After a long 15 years at war the leader of the Laroussian Sandhawks, Anmar Two-Head, was captured by a squad of elite Black Tang Venators in Y3613 deep in the myriad cave systems snaking through the Synovian Desert. As the war drew down there was less of a need for the serious anti-vehicle firepower offered by the Salamander, and the project fell into a state of disrepair.

It was not until Y3831, at the start of the subterranean Dryle Incursion, that a need for serious firepower was revived and the Salamander AVL project was opened once again. To combat the Dryle threat, the Salamander AVL was drastically updated, being fitted with a multi-tube launch system that could be rotated on-the-fly. This allowed troopers to quickly switch between different types of ammunition, depending on the circumstances.

The Dryle threat was largely organic in nature, as the creatures were not known to use armor, vehicles, or projectile weapons. They were exceedingly well trained with their large shovels however, which their entire society seemed to be based around. The Dryleshovel was made of an unknown high strength alloy, which could easily defeat small arms and fragmentation. However, with the fielding of the new Salamander MKII launcher and its companion Rear Turning Rapid Detonation (RTRD) Missiles, soldiers were able to use basic flanking tactics to push back and neutralize the Dryle threat.

After the final end of the Dryle Incursion in Y3867, the Iron Federation's focus turned back towards the growing militancy amongst the Pax-Viribus Theocracy population. While they were not heavily armed, many PVT sympathizers in high places with weapons connections could change that very quickly. Hence it was decided that the Salamander program continue, in an effort to address any potential threats on the horizon. In Y3898 the IOD went went back to Boerelem, this time Looking for improvements to the Salamander system that could defeat the future threat of uranite composite armor. Boerelem engineers unfortunately could not work with the Salamander system as it was far too old at this point, hence they designed a completely new system: the Piledriver AVL. The new launcher employed state-of-the-art target hardpoint estimation, along with a host of other new technologies and improvements designed to maximize penetrating potential. Testing for the new weapon system began in earnest in Y3912, which was perfected and ready for live combat by year Y3923.

Tensions between the IF and the PVT spiked when in Y3936, a convoy of 12 K2 Bardiche Light Tanks were stolen by the PVT paramilitary group Pretoria's Fury. Combat Engineer elements of the Iron Horde mobilized, putting the the Piledriver AVL into live combat for the first time. The launchers performed as intended however the debacle highlighted the weakness of the the IF's supply line security measures.

### Features

#### Triple Rotating Barrel

A feature that was introduced during the Salamander MkII era, the triple rotating barrel allows the trooper to load specific ammunitions into each tube, allowing them to face a wide range of threats simultaneously. The common loadout of ammunition would be one HEDP, one APAT, and one HEAI round. These are subject to change however, depending on mission parameters.

#### Hardpoint Analysis Module

With the advent of superior uranite composite armor options during the early Y3900's, engineers had to think in unconventional ways in order to defeat this challenging obstacle. The Piledriver AVL comes standard with an installed Hardpoint Analysis Module. Once this device acquires a target it immediately determines the strength, density, and ductility of the object by way of laser-modulated calipersis. The module then relays the point of weakest structural integrity, allowing the operator to make the most of their penetrating ammunition.

#### Tandem Charge Warhead

This particular feature is present on most ammunition the Piledriver accepts, however there may be exceptions if a discrete amount of force is required. The tandem-charge warhead is designed with two shaped charges, of which the first is meant to activate and neutralize any reactive armor, and the second to penetrate the vehicle.

Picture: Iron Horde Combat Engineer lying in wait for an oncoming Vicar-23 MBT with his Piledriver AVL