E.B.S.I.S. - Mecha

Mecha of the Eastern Bloc Soviet Independent State

The mecha forces of the Eastern Bloc Soviet Independent State (EBSIS) come in two distinct types. The first type are the initial generation of Soviet mecha created shortly after the birth of the EBSIS in the middle of the last decade. The first generation mecha of the EBSIS are essentially rebuilt and refitted versions of RDF and Zentraedi mecha that the EBSIS was able to obtain via military and salvage operations and on the black market. As supplies of base mecha on which to base their forces dwindled the EBSIS began development on a new generation of mecha, designed from the ground up by Soviet engineers using the knowledge gained from the first generation mecha. The new generation mecha are slowly supplanting the first generation as the main armored combat systems of the Soviet Armed Forces but for the moment most Soviet mecha divisions contain a mix of older and newer mecha.

Technology

EBSIS mecha technology lags behind that of the Army of the Southern Cross. During the initial examination and reverse engineering of the alien technology by UN scientists the Russian government often found itself on the outside, excluded from sharing in the more radical new developments of Robotechnology. Even today the ASC and UEG keep a tight hold on the secrets of Robotechnology, thus maintaining their technological edge over the Soviets

What the EBSIS lacks in technology they have made up for in ingeniuty. Without the advanced Protoculture power systems the Soviets have had to rely on larger, less efficient fusion power reactors to run their mecha. The less efficient power systems have also prevented the Soviets from developing advanced energy-based weapon systems for their mechs. Most of the mecha are armed with modern, but traditional, weapon systems like autocannons and missile launchers. The Soviets also lag behind in materials technology. meaning their mecha's armor plating must be bulkier and heavier than their ASC equivalents in order to offer the same level of protection.

All EBSIS mecha are categorized as Battloid-type mecha. Soviet efforts in developing transformable Veritech-type mecha have almost consistently met with failure. Their one success, a dual-mode fighter-based Veritech was lost when the chief test pilot defected to the RDF in 2019, taking the vehicle prototype with him. Research continues, but development of a viable Soviet Veritech mecha is still several years away.

EBSIS Mecha

Though categorized as Battloid-type mecha, the Soviet mechs have more in common with the old RDF Destroid-type mecha than the newer ASC Battloids. Of course with the first generation of Soviet mechs this was due to the fact that most of them were based on the RDF Destroids in the first place. The newer generation of mecha has maintained the larger size of the earlier mecha, but this is more due to the lack of the smaller Protoculture-based power supplies and less advanced mecha systems technologies. More often than not Soviet engineers are forced to brute force their way to a solution to design problems, resulting in the larger and rougher looking mecha common in the Soviet Armed Forces.

Though EBSIS mecha are less advanced than those used by the Army of the Southern Cross, the Soviet government has put a lot of resources into mecha manufacturing facilities and production of the new generation of mecha is proceeding at a rapid pace. Though they lack the technological advantage in the current Cold War with the ASC/UEG, the EBSIS is rapidly gaining a significant numerical one.

First Generation Mecha

EBSIS Perun (RDF Excalibur refit)

Mecha Data Designation: ABR-05 Crew: 1 pilot Weight: 28 tons Height: 12.7m Breadth: 7.9m Depth: 5.1m Max walking speed: 88 kph Armament 2 x High energy plasma cannons on the arms 2 x Missile launchers in the shoulders, each capable of carrying 12 short-range anti-mech missiles 1 x Missile launcher on the outboard left shoulder, capable of carrying 6 anti-aircraft missiles 2 x 25mm auto cannon in the chest A favorite of the Red Army, the ABR-05 Perun is built around an RDF Excalibur chassis. The Soviets initially looked at replacing the energy weapons in the arms with more conventional artillery cannons, but in the end their engineers were able to generate enough power to make the plasma cannons viable by adding a second fusion reactor into the mecha chassis. The additional reactor has necessitated the addition of an elaborate series of heat synchs and other cooling systems to prevent the Perun from overheating in combat.

EBSIS Starburst (RDF Raidar X refit)

Mecha Data Designation: ABR-07 Crew: 1 pilot Weight: 21.7 tons Height: 10.8m Breadth: 8.6m Depth: 4.3m Max walking speed: 98 kph Armament 2 x 78mm anti-aircraft guns mounted in the arms Additional Equipment Advanced radar/sensor suite The Soviets made few changes to the existing RDF Raidar X when they adapted it into the ABR-07. A lack of energy weapons allowed for a simple swap in of a fusion reactor in place of the usual protoculture reactor power supply. Beyond that the only changes were the modification of the main guns to use Soviet ammunition and adapting the electronics to work with their own systems.

EBSIS Enforcer (RDF Gladiator refit)

Mecha Data Designation: ABR-09 Crew: 1 pilot. Weight: 29.4 tons Height: 11.3m Breadth: 7.9m Depth: 6.1m Max walking speed: 104 kph Armament 2 x 32mm autocannons, located in a turret on the top of the mecha 2 x missile launchers in the shoulder, each carrying 12 short-range heavy missiles 1 x twin 180mm direct-fire mortar in the head, just above the cockpit 1 x 3-barreled 55mm gatling cannon in a gun pod Based on the RDF Gladiator mecha, the ABR-09 Enforcer was the Soviet's main front-line mecha until the new Soldier battloids were developed. As with many of the other rebuilt mecha, the Gladiator's energy weapons were replace with conventional ones. The Soviets also removed the central gun cluster and replaced it with a reinforced pilot compartment. In place of the original cockpit they added a dual-mortar launcher. The Gladiator's missile launchers were left in place, though they were modified to support Soviet ordnance. The Enforcer can also optionally carry an AKG-47 gun pod.

EBSIS Red Eagle (RDF Veritech refit)

Mecha Data Designation: T-99 Crew: 1 pilot Weight: 22.5 tons Height: 13mm Breadth: 8m Depth: 4.3m Max walking speed: 88 kph Max flight speed: 132 kph Armament 1 x tri-barrel 30mm rotary cannon mounted in the head 8 x missile launchers in the legs (2), forearms (2), shoulders (2) and chest (2), each carrying 2 short-range heavy missiles 1 x combo 50mm gatling cannon and rapid-fire laser blaster in a gun pod The T-99 was one of the Soviet's most concerted efforts to duplicate the RDF's VF-series Veritech fighters. EBSIS engineers were never able to get the transformation systems to work so the mecha was altered to be a non-transformable battloid. The head laser common to the VF-series was replaced with a rotary cannon and the mecha's arsenal was supplemented with the addition of several missile launchers. The T-99 was also equipped with the powerful Tokarov 97 gun pod, which added a Zentraedi-style beam weapon to the RDF-style rotary cannon gun pod.

EBSIS Raptor (Zentraedi Battle Pod refit)

Mecha Data Designation: SZ-91 Crew: 1 pilot + 2 crew Weight: 37.2 tons Height: 18.2m Breadth: 12.6m Depth: 7.2m Max walking speed: 282 kph Thruster-assited leap: 24.4m Armament 1 x 50mm rotary cannon mounted on the bottom 2 x single barrel light pulse beam cannons mounted on the front Additional Equipment Directional radar Advanced communications and ECM suite The SZ-91 Raptor was the only successful Soviet modification of Zentraedi mecha. The SZ-91 is built around a conventional Zentraedi Battle Pod chassis, but since it is designed for human-sized pilots the mecha is much more heavily armored. Inspired by the Zentraedi Recon Scout Pod, the EBSIS engineers added an advanced radar and sensor suite, making the SZ-91 a powerful reconnassaince and command and control platform. The larger size allows for a more powerful fusion reactor, which helps power the mecha's two beam weapons as well as its electronics. The electronic equipment is manned by two support crew, leaving the pilot free to drive the mecha and handle combat. Though the largest of the EBSIS mecha, the SZ-91 is also the fastest. It is actually the fastest of all the current ground-based mecha, easily capable of outrunning the swift ASC Veritech Hovertank.

New Generation Mecha

EBSIS Dragon (Soldier Battloid)

Mecha Data Designation: SBR-15 Crew: 1 pilot Weight: 18 tons Height: 10.7m Breadth: 4.6m Depth: 2.7m Max walking speed: 80 kph Jet-boosted leap: 6.1m Armament 1 x high-energy plasma projector in the chest 1 x 3-barreled 55mm gatling cannon in a gun pod The SBR-15 Dragon is the Soviet Red Army's frontline infantry unit. It was the first of the new generation of mecha to be mass produced and is now the most numerous mech in the EBSIS Armed Forces. The Dragon is powered by the latest Soviet-designed fusion reactors, which are almost twice as efficient as their predecessors. This has allowed for the addition of more energy weapons than the previous generation of Soviet mecha. The Dragon's primary weapon is a plasma projector mounted on the chest just below the mech's head. When the projector is used the mecha looks like it is breathing fire, hence the name Dragon. The SBR-15 also carries the AKG-47, the EBSIS version of the old RDF GU-11 gun pod.

EBSIS Juggernaut (Heavy Soldier Battloid)

Mecha Data Designation: SBR-31 Crew: 1 pilot Weight: 22.6 tons Height: 11.6m Breadth: 6m Depth: 3.3m Max walking speed: 48 kph Armament 1 x high-power turret-mounted laser located behind the head 1 x high-energy plasma cannon mounted on the right shoulder 1 x missile launcher on the outboard left shoulder, capable of carrying 6 anti-aircraft missiles 2 x 32mm autocannons in the forearms 1 x combo 50mm gatling cannon and rapid-fire laser blaster in a gun pod The SBR-31 Juggernaut is the latest design to come out of the Soviet mecha factories. It is also a frontline unit, but packs far more firepower than the regular Soldier battloids. The Juggernaut is also more heavily armored than the other Soviet mecha. Designed as a one-man weapon of mass destruction, the Juggernaut is one of the most powerful mecha in service on the planet. In addition to its formidable internal weapons systems, the Juggernaut is also outfitted with the same advanced Tokarov 97 gun pod as the T-99 Red Eagle.

EBSIS Destroyer (Heavy Recon Battloid)

Mecha Data Designation: SBR-27 Crew: 1 pilot Weight: 20 tons Height: 11m Breadth: 6.1m Depth: 3m Max walking speed: 56 kph Thruster-assisted leap: 6.1m Armament 1 x missile launcher in the right shoulder carrying 10 short-range heavy missiles 1 x 3-barreled 55mm gatling cannon in a gun pod Additional Equipment Advanced radar and sensor unit Long-range laser communications system The SBR-27 Destroyer is a seek and destroy unit designed for special ops-style missions. The advanced sensor suite allows the Destroyer to home in on a target and eliminate it with precision. The mecha's electronics also make it an excellent reconnaissance unit. The SBR-27 is not a frontline mech as its lack of major armament can attest to. The Destroyer's missile launcher is usually reserved for use against whatever target has been specified for a given mission, leaving the unit's AKG-47 gun pod as its only means of attack and defense.

Warp Zone | Robotech | Southern Cross | Mecha and Equipment | EBSIS Mecha