Small Arms & Equipment

GOVERNMENT:Union of Solar Republics
TYPE: 1st Generation BattleKnight
MODEL:
         BK-01 Zhukov MK-I
         BK-01S Space Zhukov MK-II
         BK-01E Electronic Warfare Zhukov MK-IV
DATE INTRODUCED:
         2075 AD (BK-01)
         2075 AD (BK-01S)
         2076 AD (BK-01E)
LENGTH: 8.8 feet
WIDTH: 10 feet
HEIGHT: 31.6 feet
MATERIAL: Crystal Composite
POWER PLANT: Ganymede Energy GENR-20 nuclear reactor
OUTPUT: 20 megawatts
ARMOR TYPE: Crystal Composite
ARMOR THICKNESS:
         2.4 inches (BK-01, BK-01E)
         3.2 inches (BK-01S)
DISPLACEMENT: 5 tons
CREW: 1Pilot

PROPULSION

             PRIMARY (FLIGHT) :
             (BK-01, BK-01E x1 each, BK-01S x4)
             Vesta Motors VM-TNRE-57 Thermo-Nuclear Rocket Engine
             SPEED: 100 mph each (200 mph total BK-01, BK-01E. 400 mph total MK-01S)
             FUEL:
             2.87 yd3, 717.5 minutes or 12 hours, BK-01.
             2.3 yd3, 287.5 minutes or 4.8 hours, BK-01S.
             1.13 yd3, 282.5 minutes or 4.7 hours, BK-01E.

             WALKER ENGINE:
             (ALL MODELS)
             1x USR-BKE-12
             SPEED: 30 mph

WEAPONS:

             PRIMARY (DEFENSIVE):
             (ALL MODELS)
             2x Lithgear LG-AC20 20-millimeter autocannons; Effective Range: 384 yards; Payload: 100 rounds of plasma-tipped ammo each; ROF: 5, 10, or 20 round burst per discharge with a cyclic rate of up to 600 rounds per minute.

             PRIMARY (ASSAULT):
             (BK-01, BK-01E)
             1x USR AC-GP35 35-millimeter autocannon gunpod; Effective Range:  1176 yards;Payload: 300 rounds of plasma-tipped ammo in a drum magazine; ROF: one 10 round burst per pull of the trigger (2 second burst) for a total of 300 rounds per minute.

             PRIMARY (ASSAULT):
             (BK-01S)
             1x PC-GP1.5 PHELAC 1.5-megawatt gunpod;Effective Range: 12 miles; Payload: 200 blasts stored in a 300-megawatt detachable nuclear battery energy clip; ROF: singleshot or bursts of five per pull of the trigger with a cyclic rate of up to 100 blasts per melee.

             PROXIMAL:
             (BK-01S, BK-01E)
             1x Centauri Research CR-PA-1 1000-pound plasma axe; Effective Range: melee weapon (about 12 feet from fully extended arm); Payload: 24 hours of continuous use; ROF: up to five slashes per 10 seconds average although experienced pilots could sometimes bring the total to eight per ten seconds.

ELECTRONICS:
              (ALL MODELS)
              1x Neural Link System; Effect: provides a direct link between the pilot’s synaptic brain impulses, via a telemental helmet, and the BattleKnight’s computer control systems providing enhanced control and maneuverability for the pilot of the machine.
              1x Microwave Radio Communications array with a 1000-mile range.
              1x LADAR array with a range of 1000 miles.
              1x RADAR sensor array with a range of 50-miles.
              1x Multispectral Video/Optical array with a range of 1000 miles.

              (BK-01E ONLY)
              1x Electronic Cyber-Cracker Coupling with 50-foot cable.
              1x LADAR array with a range of 10-miles.
              1x Passive EMS Sensor array with 1000-mile range.
              1x ECM Computer with a 1500-foot range.
              1x Seismic Sensor array with a 10-mile range.
              1x Acoustic Sensor array with a 20-mile range.


DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS:
             (ALL MODELS)
             4x Lithgear LG-CL10 chaff/decoy launchers; Effective Range: 100 yards; Payload: 100 bomblets;ROF: 1-10 bomblets per discharge with a cyclic rate of up to 300 bomblets per minute.

             (BK-01, BK-01E)
              1x Small Combat Shield; Armor Thickness: 5 inches; Weight: 317.51 lbs.

             (BK-01S)
             1x Medium Combat Shield; Armor Thickness: 5 inches; Weight: 792.75 lbs.

             (BK-01S)
             1x Electrostatic armor generator mounted on the medium shield; Range: 15 feet;Power Required: .2 megawatts; Power Source: nuclear battery with a 36-hour life; Effect: Provides a defensive shield which causes all projectile rounds to do only lose their effectiveness and non-nuclear/incendiary missiles do no damage as they detonate on the edge of the field (15 feet).  Energy, nuclear, and incendiary weapons do full damage.

Description/Overview:

             (ALL MODELS)
             The BK-01 Zhukov family of BattleKnights was named after the famous leader of the “Peoples Revolution”, former UNSC Supreme Commander Alphonse Zhukov.  Zhukov was credited with almost single-handedly liberating the proletarian peoples of the UN Solar Empire from the ironfisted rule of the Empire’s Soviet forces on Hygiea and Vesta where the BK-01 was under development during the early 2070s.
             The BattleKnights that bear Zhukov’s name were the first models produced for the new USR forces in preparation for their assault on the Martian moons of Phobos and Deimos.  Originally, these battlerobots were a secret project commissioned by then UN Solar Empire Lady-Chairman Isabeau Furrier for use in the Solar Empire’s new fleet of spacecraft.  The UN intended to construct this new fleet at Vesta covertly before Zhukov and his band of outlaws captured the planetoid base and stumbled upon the project.
             The BattleKnights were based on the Prodono style of battlesuits found at Alpha Centauri.  The BattleKnights incorporated many of the alien battlesuit features, especially the maneuver thruster configurations and the Neural Link System (NLS).  One of the BK-01s computers was dedicated to the NLS system.  The NLS and maneuver thruster combination made the BattleKnights of this era extremely agile in space, but they were not as nimble in an atmosphere.  All of these models were built exclusively by the Union of Solar Republics from 2075 onward.

             (BK-01 Zhukov MK-I)
             The first series of BattleKnight ever produced was the BK-01 Zhukov.  Exact production figures for the original model are unknown as most were either refit to BK-01Es or damaged/destroyed during the battles of Phobos and Deimos in 2076.  This first unit led to a totally unique family of five-ton machines that were nearly as powerful as an MBR-01 yet only a sixth its size.  This compact battlerobot allowed the USR to save large portions of internal volume in their spacecraft and use smaller ships with which to deploy the BK-01 to planetary surfaces. This was precisely what the UNSC had originally intended for this newly designed machine.  Before Zhukov and his band of outlaws took Vesta, the UNSC had intended to mass-produce the BK-01, but unfortunately for them, they were never able to get the NLS system to work properly.  The introduction of the cybernetic neural link system, adapted from the USMC-EA-45 exosuit in the Zhukovists’ possession, helped their engineers work out all the problems with the UN version of the NLS.
             The first model of Zhukov-type BattleKnight used the United Nations Space Command designed BKE-12 12-megawatt walker engine as the main propulsion for the legs.  This engine propelled the mecha at speeds of 30 mph, which was considered acceptable for a battlerobot of the 2070s-80s.  This engine was standard on all of the subsequent variants of the BK-01 series as well.
             The BK-01 used two Vesta Motors VM-TNRE57 thermonuclear rocket engines as its main propulsion.  This pair of rocket motors was able to propel the BK-01 at speeds of up to 200 mph in space or allow the mecha to jump in an atmosphere (200 feet maximum).  These engines were not able to propel the BattleKnight into space.  Thus, transports had to carry the BK-01s to and from a planet’s surface (usually via the TS-04).
             The BK-01 was fitted with one Gaea Energy GENB-20 20-megawatt nuclear battery that powered all the robot’s electrical systems.  This was the first time any man-made battlerobot used a nuclear battery.  The nuclear battery system was ideal for the cramped space within the chassis of the BattleKnight and provided up to fifteen days of continuous use.  The reactor cluster of any USR ship, planetary base, or spacestation could recharge the battery in the same way Prodono battlesuits were recharged from the alien spacecraft or battlefactory.
               The BK-01 Zhukov was armed with one AC-GP35 35-millimeter autocannon gunpod.  This gunpod used a drum-style magazine with a 300-round capacity of 35-millimeter plasma-tipped rounds.  This gunpod was a select-fire weapon capable of firing in bursts of ten, twenty, or thirty rounds.  This gave the BK-01 Zhukov MK-I considerable firepower for its size.  Many BK-01 pilots had their BattleKnights fitted with two additional drums (1 on each hip) to allow for even greater firepower during prolonged missions.
             The secondary weapon of the BK-01 was a pair of LG-AC20 20-millimeter autocannons mounted in the head of the robot.  These autocannons were used primarily against missiles, lightly armored vehicles, and infantry targets.  This duo of 20-millimeter autocannons were standard issue on all of the BK-01 series of BattleKnights.  Even though their payload was limited to only a mere 100 rounds per cannon (200 total), these weapons performed their intended mission well.
             The BK-01 used a simple, solid, small combat shield for defense against enemy attacks.  This shield was rather unremarkable and was not very useful during combat.  Most weaponry employed by the UNSC and EFR during the last few years of the 1st Interplanetary War could destroy it easily.
              The primary missile defense systems of the BattleKnight consisted of four Lithgear LG-CL10 chaff/decoy launchers.  These chaff/decoy launchers fired a 10-pound “free fall” chaff/decoy which actually mimicked the BattleKnight’s sensor profiles causing all but video-guided missiles to be attracted by the chaff/decoy.  This system was used on all seven models of BK-01 BattleKnights.
             The BK-01 also used the first generation of BattleKnight Neural Link System, or NLS-01, and its accompanying vernier/thruster combination.  This system enhanced the pilot’s abilities while piloting the BattleKnight both in space and in an atmosphere.
             Overall,the BK-01 Zhukov MKI was a complete success.  However, the fledgling forces of the new Union of Solar Republics would need a machine a bit more formidable if they were going to defeat the Solar Empire.  Thus, the BK-01S was born.

             (BK-01S Space Zhukov MK-II)
             Developed by USR Chief Engineer Suvorov specifically for the assault on the Martian moons of Phobos and Deimos, the BK-01S Space Zhukov MK-II was considerably faster and better armored than the BK-01 Zhukov MKI.  The BK-01S used the same nuclear battery and walker systems as the BK-01.
              It also used the same Vesta Motors VM-TNRE57 thermonuclear rocket engines, except that instead of a pair of these rocket motors, the Zhukov Mark II used four.  This reduced the total fuel of the mecha from 2.87 cubic yards of plutonium pellets to 2.3 cubic yards of nuclear fuel, thus reducing the flight time of the vehicle from 12 hours (which was considered to be unnecessarily long in Suvorov’s opinion) to 4.8 hours.  The trade-off for fuel was speed.  The old engines only pushed the Zhukov Mark I at speeds of 200 mph while the Space Zhukov could travel at twice that velocity.  This allowed the BK-01S to go faster, but still not anywhere near fast enough to go head-to-head with the SF-01A, SF-02, or SF-03 employed by the Solar Empire.  These nuclear engines were not intended for flight in an atmosphere and only allowed the BattleKnight to boost up to an altitude of 400 feet maximum, thus the BK-01S could not achieve orbit under its own power and required transport to and from the surface of a planet.
             The BK-01S also used the same two 20-millimeter head-mounted autocannons as the Zhukov Mark I.  Its other weapons were different however.
              The gunpod of the BK-01S was an energy weapon designed to fire at longer range than the AC-GP35 was able to.  One PC-GP1 1.5-megawatt rapid-fire PHELAC gunpod was the standard issue weapon system of the BK-01S.  This weapon used a 300-megawatt nuclear battery energy-clip that held 200 blasts for the weapon, which was replaceable with a fresh e-magazine during combat operations.  Normally two extra e-magazines were carried on the hips of the mecha.  The PC-GP1 fired in bursts of five blasts per discharge of the weapon allowing for a moderately hard “punch” against most enemy targets.
              The final weapon system of the BK-01S was the Centauri Research CR-PA-1 1000-pound plasma axe.  Although not as powerful as the EFSM version of this weapon system, the CR-PA-1 was still very devastating against the hovertanks and MATs of the Solar Empire.  Even the dreaded Type-55 was not immune to the bite of this weapon’s blade.  The CR-PA-1 became the standard proximal weapon of all BattleKnights of the BK-01 series except for the original BK-01 (which was deemed obsolete by the time the plasma axe was standard issue).
              A medium-sized shield, which would become the standard of the majority of the BattleKnight types produced, replaced the old buckler style of small combat shield of the BK-01.  This shield was nearly four times as strong as the original BK-01 shield and only a little more than twice the weight.  In the case of the BK-01S, this shield was fitted with an electrostatic armor generator unit.  This generator unit had only moderate effectiveness and was easily destroyed during combat.  However, when used on the Space Zhukov, this generator provided better protection against missile attacks than the chaff/decoy launchers mounted in the calves of the mecha.
              Like the BK-01,the Space Zhukov used four anti-missile chaff/decoy launchers for defense against missile weapons.
             The BK-01S Space Zhukov Mark II also used the same NLS-01 system as the BK-01.
             The BK-01S model was built in moderate numbers during the 2075-76 period, but was ultimately replaced by the BK-01A (armed with the PC-GP1) which was introduced in mid-2076 after the Battles of Phobos and Deimos.  The BK-01S was produced in very limited quantities after 2076 as an NCO unit for both ground and space forces.  The ground unit version of the BK-01S was renamed BK-01N (for Non-Commissioned Officer) and was identical to the BK-01S except for its shield, which was the standard medium shield used by the BK-01S only without the electrostatic armor generator unit attached.  The space unit version was dubbed the BK-01SN for (Space NCO type) and was exactly the same as the original BK-01S in nearly every respect.

             (BK-01E Electronic Warfare And Countermeasures/EWAC Zhukov MKIV)
             A substantial number of BK-01 type BattleKnights were left over after the Battle of Phobos ended in June of 2076.  Many of these units were badly damaged and needed repair.  Instead of simply repairing these machines, the USR engineering corps decided to refit and rebuild them into a new variant that would fill the void of a BK-01 that the USR military forces needed, that being an electronic warfare unit.
             The BK-01E was identical to the standard BK-01 in nearly every respect except for its stores of nuclear rocket fuel and its electronics.

             The BK-01E had only 1.13 cubic yards of fuel within it for a total flight time of 4.7 hours at 200 mph.  The speed was acceptable at the time due to the fact that the BK-01E was not intended for frontline combat duty, but was instead thought to be a reconnaissance and scouting unit with jamming and electronic countermeasures capabilities intended to be conducted from a safe distance away from a battle. Unfortunately, for the pilots of the BK-01E, this was rarely ever the case.
             The sensors of the BK-01E were all dual purpose, being able to both perform as standard communications and sensors, and act as sophisticated jamming equipment using a dedicated jamming computer (the ECM Comp).  This provided the BK-01E with an excellent defense against attack.  The RADAR/LADAR array was used against guided missiles.  The Passive EMS array of the BK-01E was used to disrupt targeting systems/sensors.  The BK-01E could act as a targeting sensor for the entire combat unit, platoon, or even its brigade.  The BK-01E could target and lock-on up to 70 enemy units simultaneously at one time.  This unit was also able to track up to 210 objects at any given time. The communications array could be used to jam laser and microwave communications within the respective range of each type of communications system; the BK-01E sensor array could be used in a similar way. Each sensor array could be used to jam its own type of sensor within its respective range.  Finally, the BK-01E was equipped with an electronic-cyber-cracker coupling with fifty-foot wire.  This allowed the BK-01E to “fire” the coupling at a target up to 50 feet away.  If it hit the intended target, it magnetically adhered to it.  After it had attached successfully, the pilot could then attempt to hack into the electronic grid of the machine or computerized system (via the cabling of the device or structure).  Once inside the computer system of an opponent, the pilot could take control of his enemies’ vehicle and do whatever he/she intended, including causing an enemy vehicle to self-destruct.
             The weapons of the BK-01E consisted of the standard BK-01 weapons (the pair of 20-millimeter head cannons and the AC-GP35) and the addition of the CR-PA-1 plasma axe.
             The BK-01E had the same chaff/decoy systems as all of the other BattleKnights and the same NLS-01 and vernier/thruster configuration as the original BK-01.
             A “space” version of the BK-01E was produced in 2077.  This “new” version was dubbed the BK-01ES and was nothing more than a BK-01E armed with a PC-GP1 1.5-megawatt PHELAC gunpod rather than the 35-millimeter autocannon gunpod.
             The BK-01E was produced from 2076 until 2100 in moderate numbers.  Estimates put the total number of units somewhere around 15,000 by 2100 AD.