XHsACV-15

The **XHsACV-15**, also known as the **Anaconda** (アナコンダ, *Anakonda*?), is a prototype armored combat vehicle developed in Academy City.

## Etymology

The anaconda 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 bendable multi-car armored vehicles, 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 Gatling gun 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.

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.

## 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

*Main article: 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 **Hs** in **XHsACV-15** stands for Hard Science. The **X** prefix indicates its status as a prototype, likely standing for e**x**perimental. The **ACV** likely stands for armored combat vehicle.
* A British cruise missile also shares the appelation 'Anaconda'.