Zoids: Chaotic Age Zero

Name: Salamander
Alignment: Helic Republic
Family: Pterosaur
Registration Number: RZ-045
Crew: 1-2
Height: 17.1 Meters
Length: 24.1 Meters
Weight: 100 Tons
Top Speed: Mach 2.0/2450 kph
Weapons: Dual 100mm Laser Cannons, High-Power Flamethrower, Quad 30mm Machineguns, Dual Triple 20mm AMD Machineguns, Quad 30mm Beam Cannons.
Special Abilities: Twin TVM Light Tactical Missiles, 3D Doppler Radar.
Level: 4

The Salamander was the Helic Republic’s first high-power, large-scale bomber. Having the longest range and highest service ceiling of any production aerial Zoid, the Salamander was truly infamous for striking from on high. The Salamander isn’t exactly lightly armed either, boasting a pair of powerful TWM Light Tactical Missiles on its back, giving it ridiculous striking power for an aerial Zoid. The Salamander also has Magnesser wings, but it’s performance is among the worst of any aerial Zoid. Only the Pteras is worse.

However, the Salamander doesn’t really need maneuverability. It’s got guns. It also happens to be exceptionally tough for an aerial Zoid, with armor only a notch below that of the Blade Liger. The Magnesser wings give it VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) capabilities, and it can fly halfway around Zi before having to land for maintenance. Above and beyond that, while its slow and clunky, its firepower actually allows it to put up a halfway decent dogfight. Even Zoids like the Raynos may have trouble with the Salamander simply because of the bomber’s sheer firepower and bulk.

Weapons:
Dual 100mm Laser Cannons:
The majority of the Salamander’s conventional and dependable striking power comes from these two laser cannons, mounted on either side of the main body. They’re semiautomatic, 100mms, and can pivot up to 45 degrees downwards, allowing them to hit terrestrial targets. However, because of their semiautomatic nature, they’re of only limited utility in a dogfight. Still, if you hit something with them, it will hurt the opponent.

High-Power Flamethrower:
The Salamander can breathe fire. Well, not really. It’s got a High-Power Flamethrower in its mouth, which makes it look like it breathes fire. The maximum range of this potent weapon is 150 meters, and its twice as powerful as a normal flamethrower. It can also obviously point wherever the Salamander’s head does, and acts like a cutting torch. However, it’s best used against terrestrial targets.

Quad 30mm Machineguns:
Each of the Salamander’s wings has a pair of 30mm Machineguns, which fire at a fully automatic rate and put out an impressive 15 rounds per second each. This is Salamander’s main source of dogfighting firepower, and can easily shred enemy aircraft. They’re pretty useful against ground targets too. To that end, the cannons can each pivot up to 30 degrees downwards.

Dual Triple 20mm AMD Machineguns:
Each of the Salamanders wings also has no fewer than three fully automatic 20mm Anti-Missile Defense Machineguns, for a total of 6 such weapons. They feature a naturally increased spread, and a fully automatic rate of fire, putting out 15 rounds per second each. While this makes them great for shooting down missiles, the spread makes a bit useless at long distances. Still, anything that gets too close to the front of the Salamander is in for the surprise of its life. The six 20mm AMD Machineguns are fixed.

Quad 30mm Beam Cannons:
The Salamander has four rear-facing beam cannons, two on its back and two on the tail. Each can put out two rounds every second, and each can pivot up to 20 degrees up, down, or to either side. They’re only good for fighting enemies pursuing the Salamander, but they’re quite useful in that department.

Special Abilities:
Twin TVM Light Tactical Missiles:
Occupying the Salamander’s back is a pair of powerful TVM Light Tactical Missiles, the two weapons being officially classified as a superweapon. The Salamander must spend a full six seconds locking onto a single terrestrial target (or a set of coordinates) prior to firing the missile. Note also that the Salamander can lock onto any target its 3D Doppler Radar can pinpoint or that it can see. If any one of its sensory mechanisms can detect the target, it can lock on, and the lock on time is unaffected by the number of mechanisms that can detect the target.

After one full round, the Salamander may launch its locked Tactical Missile. Unlike most missiles, the Tactical Missile does not fly straight at its target. Rather, it fires up from the Salamander’s back and uses a parabolic arc like a mortar or an artillery shell. However, because it is a missile, its range is exceptionally long -- anything the Salamander could even potentially see, the missile is long-ranged enough to hit. Anyway, the missile’s boosters and vectored thrusters allow it to continually update its flightpath to compensate for the movement of the target for a full three seconds, when the Tactical Missile runs out of fuel. (It will already be on its way down by this point.) From this point forward, the Tactical Missile is unguided, and will fall for between 1 second (excellent conditions) and 3 seconds (worst possible conditions). When it hits the ground, the warhead will detonate and create a massive 40-meter explosion (half the power of a full Tactical Missile). Though very tough Zoids, such as the Dark Horn, can survive this blast if relatively undamage, they will do so only barely. Lesser Zoids caught in the blast radius will surely CSF -- or worse. After the first Tactical Missile is launched, the Salamander has a single spare. Interestingly, unlike the Iron Kong series’ missiles, the Salamander has no missile launcher to reload. Therefore, it may begin locking the second missile immediately after launching the first (but this still takes a full round). The Salamander may not refresh its supply of Tactical Missiles while rearming in a sanctioned Zoid Battle. (In warfare, it depends entirely on whether or not the transport has them on hand.)

A few notes about the Tactical Missile before I finish. Firstly, due to absolute, ridiculous, and extreme danger to the pilot of the Salamander, the aircraft’s enemies are forbidden from shooting the Tactical Missile prior to its launch. (All’s still fair in war, but its very likely that only the fuel supply will detonate. Still, that can be lethal when the explosion is right behind the cockpit.) After launch, the Tactical Missile can be shot down, but doing is so is difficult at best. The Tactical Missile is covered by a medium-grade armor plate, and it takes several good hits to destroy it. More likely is that the shots will trigger the impact sensor and prematurely detonate the missile. Next, the Tactical Missile is TVM, meaning that it is guided by the Salamander and not internal guidance systems. (It was quite literally the Salamander locking onto the target, and not the missile.) However, the second Tactical Missile launched still requires a new lock. This systems does have distinct advantages, though. Firstly, ECM is ineffective against this superweapon. Secondly, Communications Jamming fails to destroy the link between the Salamander and the Tactical Missile, because they use several “unorthodox” communications methods. However, if the Salamander is CSFed or destroyed while the Tactical Missile is in the air, the weapon will become unguided. Lastly, it is possible to dumbfire Tactical Missiles, but attempting to do so is both foolhardy and extremely dangerous. Also, it is illegal to dumbfire Tactical Missiles in the first round of combat of a sanctioned Zoid battle. (Guided launch takes a full round to lock, and would hence be second round.)

3D Doppler Radar:
To help it on bombing runs, the Salamander has 3D Doppler Radar. This sensor system allows the Salamander to map out the terrain around it and find enemy Zoids more effectively. This system is reasonably basic, and doesn’t grant a targeting bonus. The sensors are none other than the dome on the Salamander’s ear, and if they’re destroyed, the radar will cease to function. However, destroying the ears is nearly impossible to do without area-damage weapons because they’re such a small target. Also, while the Salamander is up in the air, it can often map and see for kilometers using the 3D Doppler Radar. This system can also transmit data to teammates.