THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE HAMMER’S SLAMMERS THE CRUCIBLE RULES SYSTEM HANDBOOK

Vehicles used by the Thunderbolt Division employ panels of Drodz 6, purchased from New Ukrainia. This is an ADS reactive armour system: ablative anti-buzzbomb defensive panels have been fitted to only the sides and front of the vehicles - the rear has no protection from buzzbombs. In consequence, the infantry squad of a Br54 still train to use their personal weapons from the top hatches at the rear of the vehicle, keeping a ready eye for potential missile armed attackers. These may not include buzzbombs or heavy support weapons, only side arms. Other AFVs include the Viking KlieneKrad made by Lyon AC, a smaller manufacturing company in the Caistor system more used to producing industrial plant. This was a lighter, high mobility half-track used for both missile defence and reconnaissance and towing an MLRS system for mass artillery support. These are fitted with the same 12mm Coil- Gun and Manta ATGW packs as the Br54s but with less armour. They can carry four troopers - or a sniper team - in the rear with a tight squeeze although, when acting as the MLRS prime mover, the rear carries just a small crew. The division also use various wheeled transport systems - specifically the BM Industries Maniple - for supply and the movement of infantry when away from the front line and as additional artillery support. Infantry Equipment Troopers carry 1cm powerguns for the most part: pistols and sub-machineguns. However, they have abandoned their long-barrelled, light machinegun variant as being ineffective with only one exception: a modified version of this weapon is used as an anti-materiel rifle for the Division's dedicated snipers. The Thunderbolts have replaced this lighter machine gun in heavy support squads a variant of the 12mm Coil-Gun mounted on the TICV as a crew-served, heavy machinegun variant, although the prodigious rate of fire makes continued use problematic, just through barrel heat and ammunition supply. The coil-gun's main advantage (like the 1cm sniper rifle) is standardisation of ammunition with the other weapons in the unit. Recce units often used a highly trained, enhanced sniper (supplement 5) with the 1cm HI sniper rifle, based on the older light machine gun but in semi-automatic only (effectively firing as a 2cm infantry powergun). They use high tech, colour changing, body suits for camouflage and carry sophisticated beam targeting and optical systems. Most standard infantry carry the PF420r launchers: an improved, long range mini-buzzbomb to add punch in almost all fire teams except the support units and mortar units. This means that they have phased out the dedicated Tank Hunter units: this work is now carried out by the Panzer Grenadiers.

The Thunderbolt Division - post 348TW