Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Hydrofoil

"..."

-...

The Hydrofoil of the Andoran Republic. This unit will set to be planned by

History
"..."

-...

Adapted from a light skiff commonly employed by forces of the South American Andoran nations' Coast Guard, the Andoran' Hydrofoil is a fast-moving vessel designed for surveillance and defensive operations. It features a fast-firing 20mm close-in weapons system well-suited for engaging low-flying enemy aircraft and point defense, although its facing limits the weapon to a pure anti-air role.

However, the Hydrofoil gains versatility thanks to its Scramblegun weapon jammer, an electromagnetic beam that draws upon the Hydrofoil's advanced computers and fuel reserves to temporarily disable most known weapons systems on an individual, nearby target. Thus, while the Hydrofoil is not equipped to fend off a full-scale naval invasion, it can adequately fend for itself and provides invaluable support as part of a naval strike group.

Today's Hydrofoil was made famous in the Battle of Port-au-Prince, in which a small fleet of them were able to shoot down an entire squadron of MiG fighters before the MiGs could eliminate a wing of Century bombers carrying reinforcements to the city. Meanwhile, several of the Hydrofoils broke off to thwart an offshore Dreadnought bombardment.

This was the first time a naval commander employed one group of Hydrofoils dedicated exclusively to jamming enemy ship capabilities and another to shred an air force. After the MiGs were destroyed, the Hydrofoils executed a high-speed tactical retreat. The only naval casualties that day were Hydrofoil detachments that were unlucky enough to be sucked from out of the water by the Voshkod' hated magnetic satellite. It has been rumored that the performance of the Hydrofoil that day was largely responsible for increased numbers of Voshkod submarines in Voshkod operations around the Gulf of Mexico.

Though the Hydrofoil is usually one of the first naval units fielded by many naval commanders, it features one of the most useful pieces of technology ever produced by the Andoran Republic in the Scramblegun weapon jammer. The Scramblegun's electromagnetic force is demanding on all onboard weapon systems and thus is mutually exclusive with the 20mm gun.

The jammer's capability is focused enough to block the weapon systems of vehicles as small as the Sickle or ships as large as a Dreadnought. This allows the Hydrofoil to at least stalemate a conflict with most other naval craft or enemy armor at the shoreline, leading a group of Guardian Tank and Apollo Fighter pilots to publicly question why the jamming technology has not been applied to ground and aerial attack craft. It appears that until Andoran military scientists work out a way to add more than a single special weapons hardpoint to any design, they will have to make due as-is.

Hydrofoil captains are more often than not former Coast Guard defenders looking to do the Andoran Republic proud, and they tend to be regarded for their poise in the face of formidable enemy fleets. While it must be daunting to hit the seas equipped with nothing that can directly attack other naval forces, most Hydrofoil captains seem to relish the opportunity to go head-to-head with more imposing ships--and effectively shut them down.