V2.00  BPlainsman Medium Hovertank (Taurian)ò –€oé1ÀC€ˆC¨A@@GL 004 2 2 —— 9HŒ  j Pinard Reaper2j Pinard ReaperlKOriginally created as a partnership between the young Pinard Protectorates Limited and the Wolf's Dragoons in 3030, the Plainsman has been one of the most successful new hovercraft of the century. Seen throughout the Inner Sphere in militias and mercenary units alike, its rugged design and simple systems make it easy to maintain and to fight. In the Taurian Concordat it has worked well with the much older J. Edgar and is seen on nearly every world in the Concordat working as scouts or light attack craft. When the first trickle of old technologies began to come out of Taurian research labs it is no surprise that the Plainsman was early on the list to be rebuilt. Taurus Territorial Industries of Sterope and PPL of Perdition soon released versions of the venerable Hunter and Vedette that mounted the new lighter armors and improved ammunition venting systems, and PPL of Pinard joined the fray with an improved Plainsman. Unfortunately, with so much of the new armor going to the other factories and the general satisfaction with the early Plainsman, the new version suffered from very low production runs and only a trickle in sales. PPL soon abandoned the upgrade and returned full production to the original Plainsman. It was not until the early 3050s that they even considered coming out with a better version of their flagship hovercraft. New technologies flooding into the markets of the Inner Sphere had finally begun to make a dent in their sales even with mercenaries and militias, and they knew they were on the verge of a new weapons discovery that would turn back the tide. For decades PPL had been at the forefront of discovering the secrets of the old missile system on the Maultier hovercraft, and their scientists reported they were nearing the ability to produce it with local resources. With that information ticking in the backs of their minds, PPL executives decided it was time to give the Plainsman a new lease on life. The result, while moderately more expensive to purchase, has shown itself to be more combat worthy and often actually cheaper to maintain in the long run.¯The Plainsman-T replaces the old combustion engine with a Leenex fusion engine. Literally a very minor downgrade of the engine that has powered the J. Edgars for centuries, it is easily as timeworn and reliable as the original engine. The equally reliable Neil and TracTex communications and targeting systems from the J. Edgar also found themselves transferred over to the new Plainsman, making its construction fully independent of the Inner Sphere. While these systems lack many of functions of modern vehicle electronics, mechanics and crewmen alike swear by their simplicity and pure ability to work even after catastrophic damage. The only new systems added to the Plainsman-T are the light armor from Taurus and the Pinard Reaper Streak missile systems. The new armor increases the hovertank's ability to survive damage and includes a new system of armor baffles around the ammunition that channels any critical explosion in the bay out through the rear of the craft. This allows even a critically wounded Plainsman-T to return home for repairs and reloads. Decades of production have removed the problems inherent in earlier runs of the armor and it has become a mainstay of Taurian production, nearly as common as older armors were a century ago. Few mechanics have reported any difficulty working on it. The cost of the extra armor, the ammunition venting system, and the heavier missile systems was heavy though. The new Plainsman carries barely more than a third of the ammunition that the old one did, causing many crewmen to wonder if it can survive a battle. The Reapers have proven to be very ammunition conscious though, firing only when they have achieved a full lock on the desired target rather than killing every rock, deer, or blade of grass that wonders into their flight path. Any crewman in a Plainsman-T that runs out of ammunition will know without a doubt that every single one of his or her missiles found itself a target.9The Plainsman-Ts have been involved in numerous battles against pirates and House raiders since their introduction. One example was on Tyrrhenia in 3056 when the First New Colony Lancers commenced a crackdown on organized crime in the system. After finding the local mob's secret headquarters a company of fast hovercraft immediately moved to neutralize the location. Several J. Edgar-Ts and Plainsman-Ts escorted the single command Fulcrum and three full Maultiers into the region where they were met by double their number of J. Edgars and Plainsmen. The Lancers had not anticipated such a large defending force but they dove in with all weapons ready. They heavier weapons of the Fulcrum and triple laser armament of the J. Edgar-Ts proved fatal to many of the enemy hovercraft, but the Plainsman-Ts with their massive salvoes of missiles that truly turned the tide of battle in the TDF's direction. Shredding hover skirts and turrets to ribbons, they cut through the defending formation with minimal losses and helped to secure a stable debarkation zone for the infantry. Within hours, the mob headquarters was neutralized, along with the entire command structure. What remained of the mob quickly began fighting itself as individual commanders looked to take over and the TDF simply sat back and watched the carnage ensue.ÍDespite how carefully the Reapers conserve ammunition, many crewmen do not believe the loss of ammunition was a good idea. Many crews remove the forward missile rack to add a second ton of ammunition and half a ton of armor to the turret to ensure the protection of their remaining weapons. Often dubbed the "T&A" variant of the Plainsman, most crewmen say it is because it relies on the Turret and Ammo or Armor, though many wonder if it has another meaning.ìCornet Mick Andrew Recently transferred into the 27th Armored Reconnaissance from the New Colony Lancers, Andrew fought in the battle against Tyrrhenia's mob. He and his crew accounted for five enemy hovercraft on their own, though they did leave the field of battle without a single missile in their launchers. Reports are that he has since refitted his craft into the T&A configuration. Now entrusted with the command of a company of fast hovercraft, his force has found and harassed many pirate forces, making a practice of leading them into ambushes manned by the Red Chasseurs' BattleMechs. He is currently on the TDF's short list for another promotion in the near future should he continue demonstrating strong aptitude for his position.þOriginal Plainsmen, and the few remaining older upgraded Plainsmen, can be found throughout the Inner Sphere and Periphery. Cheap and effective scout and light battle tanks, they are used by mercenaries, House troops, Periphery armies, and even pirate forces. The new Plainsman-T is found primarily in the Taurian Concordat in almost every TDF armored formation and many militia and Noble Regiment forces, though the Magistracy of Canopus fields a large number of them as well thanks to the Treaty of Taurus. Pinard Protectorates LimitedPinardLeenexDurallex Light with CASE Neil 6000-xTracTex Alpha-1QC:\Program Files\HeavyMetal\Vee\vehicles\Plainsman Medium Hovertank (Taurian).hm-