Hovertank/Plasma
The plasma hovertank leverages off Firestorm technology and vehicle-mounted plasma weapons to provide a small, airborne weapons platform of unsurpassed mobility.
The hovertank is superior in both armor and agility to the standard tracked chassis, while mounting a powerful plasma cannon turret. In addition to its ability to hover, it can move over 50% faster. The hovertank chassis's armor is stronger than the standard tank's, and more uniformly distributed. In fact, there is only one weak point on the chassis – its underside – and even this weak spot is more resilient than the main armor of the standard tank.
The plasma beam mounted on the Hovertank is powerful and its Elerium power source powers the cannon indefinitely. It is limited to 255 charges during the course of a single battle, but is otherwise fully recharged between battles. The weapon has its weaknesses. Primarily it lacks auto-fire, and furthermore the aimed-shot costs too much for a minor accuracy gain. Finally, the plasma bolt is 5 points weaker than the man-portable Heavy Plasma, reducing its effectiveness at breaching walls.
Like all tanks, its larger size precludes it from moving into confined spaces. However, its plasma weapon and generous ammunition supply allow it to blast open pathways when required.
The research requirements of the tank mean that, by the time the hovertank becomes available, commanders will typically have access to high-tech armor and alien weapons, making the hovertank less competitive with well-equipped soldiers. However, thanks to the nature of tanks and the merits of the Hovertank/Plasma, many commanders are compelled to have one accompany their troops on every mission.
This weapons system is used in UFO: Enemy Unknown. In Terror from the Deep, the Displacer /Sonic is the equivalent.
Vital Statistics
| Cost: | Manufacture only. $850,000 |
| Manufacturing Requirements: | 1200 Engineer hours, 30 Elerium-115 and 5 Alien Alloys |
| Research Requirements: | Plasma Cannon, New Fighter Craft |
| Hover Tank Specs | |
| Time Units | 100 |
| Health | 90 |
| Energy | 100 |
| Bravery | 110 |
| Reactions | 30 |
| Firing Accuracy | 60 |
| Throwing Accuracy | 0 |
| Strength | 60 |
| Psionic Strength | 100 |
| Psionic Skill | 0 |
| Armour | |
| Front | 130 |
| Left/Right | 130 |
| Rear | 130 |
| Under | 100 |
| Plasma Turret Specifications | ||
| Ammunition | ||
| Type | Plasma | |
| Damage | 110 | |
| Rounds | 255 | |
| Purchase Price | $Free | |
| Sale Price | $N/A | |
| Firing Modes | Accuracy | Cost |
| Aimed | 100%(60%) | 60%(60) |
| Snap | 85%(51%) | 30%(30) |
| Numbers in parenthesis are the actual values after modified by the chassis' abilities. Actual costs are in fixed Time Units | ||
Notes
- The plasma beam on the Hovertank/Plasma is not any more powerful than the laser on the Tank/Laser Cannon. The weapons mainly differ by the damage multipliers and the Hovertank/Plasma's superior accuracy.
- Compared to a Heavy Plasma gun, the turret's shots have noticeably greater difficulty destroying the internal bulkheads of alien craft due to a 0-10 point difference in strength. See Destroying Terrain for more details.
- The hovertank, like all flying units, can avoid physical attacks like the Chryssalids or Reapers by staying above ground level.
- Interestingly, the hovertank looks just like a white-colored Cyberdisk with a turret on top. Maybe it was originally intended that hovertanks were modified Cyberdisks...?
See Also
