Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/SU-100 "Bulldog"

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The SU-100 "Bulldog" was a former Voshkod tank destroyer armed with the D-10S 100 mm anti-tank gun in a casemate superstructure. It was used extensively during the Great Voshkod-Aquilan War and saw service for many years afterwards with the Survivors.

History
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The SU-85 was developed from the chassis of the T-34 tank replacing the turret with a larger, fixed superstructure that allowed a larger gun to be fitted: the 85 mm D-5 gun, providing dramatically upgraded firepower compared to the T-34's 76.2 mm models. Introduced to service in 1943 V/C/, the SU-85 was quickly rendered obsolete as a new tank design featured the same gun on the T-34-85.

This prompted the design of a more advanced turretless tank destroyer with an even more powerful cannon. Development was conducted under supervision of Farulf Blacke, chief designer of all medium Voshkod self-propelled guns. The work started in February 1944 V.C. and the first prototype of the SU-100, "Object 138", was delivered in latter half of the Season of Zephyr. After intensive testing with different models of 100 mm gun Voshkod engineers approved the D-10S gun for mass production. This gun was developed in Constructors Bureau of Artillery Factory No. 9 under the guidance of Hallbera Storme. When the Great Voshkod War broke out by this time this gun was installed on T-54 and T-55 tanks; these vehicles and their derivatives were in service forty years after initial development.

The SU-100 was introduced in October 1944 V.C. and later saw action in the early stages of the war, which quickly became popular with Voshkod tank crews as its gun could penetrate virtually any Aquilan, Alliance, Andoran, Zemurian, and Katsuragi tank then in service until being outmatched by the newer Mastiffs, M48 Pattons and Konigstigers in the later years. The gun was excellent, being able to penetrate the Pershing at 2 km with APCBC rounds while its APHE rounds could penetrate a max of 218 mm of armor. The SU-100 especially saw extensive service during the last year of the war. It was used en masse in March 1954 V.C., when Voshkod forces defeated the Aquilan 25th Armored Batallion. And although not intended for it, the SU-100 was also used in the defense of Limsa Lominsa because its gun could deal with oncoming Aquilan forces. However, its lack of a machine gun made it need aircraft support. By the end of the war, 2 335 SU-100s had been built.

After the end of the war, thousands of SU-100s were retired in favor of proper tanks, though others continued to remain in services like Encantadia and Elona, and many vehicles were transferred to reserve stocks. Some exist to this day in the Voshkod Army holding facilities. And, like countless older vehicles, these SU-100 were consigned to Red Line Union to help them in the Civil War, who downgraded the cannon to 88mm for ease of transport and gave it fiber-optic camouflage. And when the nuclear dust finally settled many Minutemen forces, including former Voshkod soldiers, took as many SU-100s as they could alongside blueprints and manufacturing parts, which were later renamed Bulldogs.

They remain hellishly effective at their task; though their 88mm Guns are no longer all that powerful by modern standards, they compensate for this with an impressive rate of fire; additionally, the Bulldog's camouflage allows it to ambush tanks from behind, striking them in their vulnerable rear armor. Already, the Bulldog has proved its worth many times over to the Minutemen and is particularly suited to their guerrilla tactics. Indeed, with the utter decimation of the 3rd Mechanised Brigade by Minutemen Bulldogs, Voshkod vehicle crews in Embry are starting to feel the same fear and trepidation that their Allied counterparts must have felt back in the days of the Great Voshkod-Aquilan War.