Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/M50 Ontos "Peacock"

"Tank Destroyer here!"

-Peacock

The M50 Ontos is a known light tank destroyer vehicle operated by the Federation of Aquila in the Cold War, now under use by the League as the Peacock exclusively used by the Last Defenders.

Tactical analysis

 * Hextuple Threat: Despite its name, the Peacock is actually a deadly tank destroyer easily capable of beating any armoured vehicle in a one-on-one fight, while still being armoured enough to withstand infantry weapons, and fast enough to get into position.


 * No Kill like Overkill: The secret to the Peacock's success is the six 105mm recoilless rifles mounted atop it; each hits with the power of a bulldog's gun, and they fire in rapid sequence. This allows the Peacock to tear apart any armoured target in seconds before it can retaliate. In addition, the Peacock can mark out a single target for even more damage.


 * I'm Loading as Fast as I Can!: Unfortunately, the awkward positioning of these guns make reloading them a serious chore; after the six shots are fired, they have no means of retaliating during the long reload cycle.


 * Even More Guns!: In order to increase the combat capabilities of the Peacock, Ranger forces have taken to simply welding on additional recoilless rifles, giving it more shots in between reloads.

Appearance
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History
"Fire the main gun! No, no! The other main gun!"

-...

The presence of jungles can have a number of effects on military operations. Within the jungle, lines of sight and firing arcs are greatly restricted; soldiers can be infected by tropical diseases in the jungle or ambushed without warning by enemies using the terrain for concealment; vehicles may find it difficult to pass through, blocked by the dense vegetation or bogged down in the terrain; large scale deployments can be difficult, forcing forces to operate in small units and groups. This is as true for the Lustrian jungle as it would be for any other.

Naturally, in this kind of terrain, special techniques and equipment are required. Not every vehicle can operate in this kind of terrain; for example, tanks such as the Patton or the T-55 would have difficulty in many locations, as their great weight would quickly cause them to get bogged down. On the other hand, some vehicles have proven popular with Aquilan forces in the Lustrian theatre, such as the Sheridan and the Walker Bulldog.

In the case of the Peacock, its success can be attributed to its characteristics; the vehicle's light weight means that it can go many places where heavier vehicles would get stuck; on the other hand, its impressive armament of six recoilless anti-tank guns is enough send most foes fleeing on sight. This combination made it an ideal choice of tank destroyer for the League, who were quick to use it to considerable effect against tougher vehicles.