M-35 Mako

Overview.

The M-35 Mako All-Terrain Infantry Fighting Vehicle is a six-wheels armoured fighting vehicle in service with the Human Systems Alliance since 2178 and with it's perfect balance of speed and firepower, serves as the primary combat vehicle on the battlefield.

Through the use of thrusters, mass effect fields and powerful suspension, the vehicle can be deployed from a maximum altitude of 6 kilometers. However a minimum of 100 meters of open terrain is required for a height altitude airdrop.

The Vehicle has a top speed of 160km/h and can climb slopes angled upto 80

The M-35 is environmentally sealed with air tight hatches and it's own oxygen supply.

The vehicle was built by Alliance weapons supplier, Hahne-Kedar Industries to replace their older M-29 Grizzly Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

Dimensions

The M-35 Mako is 8,55 meters long, 3,2 meters high and 4,4 meters wide. With a weight of 11 metric tons.

Chassis

The chassis of the M-35 is built on it's 6 independent wheels. Equipped with powerful shock absorbers and independent suspension and drive systems. This allows the vehicle to withstand falls of extreme height. This also allows the M-35 to have each of it's six wheels on different elevations, while still keeping the vehicle in a level position for shooting.

The independent drive systems allow the driver to adjust the speed and direction of each individual wheel. This combined with the fact that the forward and rear wheels are steerable allow the M-35 to execute almost impossibly sharp turns and is even capable of performing a full 360 turn on the spot.

Beneath the Mako, infront of each front wheel and behind each back wheel is an H2/O2 micro-thrust.

The mako's body resembles the shark that it's named after. The nose of the vehicle is designed to resemble a shark's snout, with two headlights on the tip, above the main view screen. With the turret on the roof.

The armour is made of 8 mm of Ceramic-9 armour plating. This armour has been modified to withstand temperatures between -160C an 220C.

Between the front and centre wheel of each side is a hatch to enter the troop compartment. Which contains a driver and gunner seat at the front and 6 passenger seats at the Squeezed in is a small armoury containing spare ammunition, granades and other consumable equipment.

The rear also has an additional two H2/O2 thrusters for increased forward velocity.

Armament

The turret contains the Mako's main and secondary gun. As well as the targeting sensor and an auto loader. It is capable of performing a full 360 rotation in about 4 seconds. It has a barrel elevation of 60 and a depression of -20.

The main gun is an M-150 155 mm smooth bore mass accelerator cannon. The 3 meter long cannon fires 5 kg slugs of ferric titanium at 24 m/s every 5 seconds.

Coaxially mounted to the main gun is the secondary M-56 15 mm smooth bore rapid fire microscale mass accelerator cannon. unlike the M-150, which stores it's ammunition in a magazine below the turret, the 2 meter M-56's ammunition is a single block of metal directly behind the barrel. Slugs the size of grains of sand are shaved off and accelerated to 130 000 m/s, with a fire rate of 10 bullets / second.

Power

The M-35 Mako is powered by a small Hydrogen/Oxygen fuel cell, consisting of two electrodes -- a negative electrode (or anode) and a positive electrode (or cathode) -- sandwiched around an electrolyte. Hydrogen is fed to the anode, and air is fed to the cathode. A catalyst at the anode separates hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons, which take different paths to the cathode. The electrons go through an external circuit, creating a flow of electricity. The protons migrate through the electrolyte to the cathode, where they unite with oxygen and the electrons.

This is a relatively clean form of energy generation, with the only byproducts of this oxygen hydrogen mixture being water and electricity. A full tank of oxygen and hydrogen can power the Mako for upto a week.

One of the systems powered by the Fuel cell is a scaled-down version of the Nyx Element Zero drive core used aboard starships. The Drive generates dark energy by running an electric current through the Element Zero at it's heart. This dark energy flows to the mass effect field generators which convert the raw energy into fields for practical use. This powers shields and weapons. It also allows the Mako to change it's mass. Lowering it for speed and drops and increasing it to improve traction.

Kinetic Barriers

The M-35 Mako has one of the most robust kinetic barrier systems in the Alliance. Consisting of mass repulsive fields projected from tiny emitters on the shuttle's exterior. A projectile traveling above a certain velocity will trigger the barrier's reflex system and be deflected.

The Mako's powerful shielding, allows it to withstand large amounts of damage before going down. It can even survive several direct hits from anti-tank and anti-air weapons before the barriers are penetrates.

Electronic Systems

The operators of the M-35 Mako are assisted by a Hector-class Combat Virtual Intelligence, which is responsible for the aiming and reloading of weapons. The gunner selects the target and fires when they receive a target confirmation. The VI handles the rest.

The VI also monitors the laser detection array and ground penetrating radar. Alerting the crew if something is detected.

Variants

Several support vehicles using the Mako's chassis are manufactured by the System Alliance for their surface garrisons, including the M-38 Moby military ambulance, The M-42 Chameleon Drone Controler and the M-43 Spitfire Mobile air defence platform.