A Rallying Vanguard [Marrlan Military IA]

[Artsy Astra]

<<4th of Sablien, 1931, West Shore Region, Fort Kendrick>>

With proper news of Grinvel allying itself with the titan of the West Galra and the old Verak Empire in the South. The command staff currently in their offices and not predisposed began rapidly brainstorming, the Pionare who had woken up to the news had quickly organized a meeting. If the professional military was having an organized panic, the Militia Commanders were having a cow. Militia Cooperation officers were bombarded with mail from command staff and rank and file militiamen alike. 

Shoreman stood at the end of the table as the other command staff filed in. "What the hell is happening in the world?" "Ok but what about war plan Umbra?" "That's not even feasible if they move around this set of woods. They'd obviously press here-" They all immediately began discussing as they entered the room, quieting down slightly as the Pionare entered only for her to raise a hand for them to continue. She moved around to the head of the table and finally cleared her throat. The room fell silent and they looked to her. She sighed and asked, "Suggestions?" General Loa Khaz spoke up, "An effort to bring our small arms up to date, particularly entirely phasing out the EAR's and the MPM-24. The UST war reports have already shown the pits in the MPM's design." A few heads nodded along. General Bill Moore spoke next, "We should further entrench ourselves, it's always been our doctrine. We should also further bolster the militias skill and bring us together more. The amount of veterans who fought for our freedom before will come together again." A large amount of the older command staff agreed.  Finally Commander Korbin spoke up, "We should focus on our vehicles. Cars, Trucks, even these new fangled tanks! We should be more mobile within our land by constructing more roads and railroads as well, maybe even make fortresses that move on the tracks to more easily lock areas down and supply ourselves." Many outlier and radical staff members nodded along but most of the older stock seemed puzzled or dismissive.

The Pionare would think for a moment before pointing at both General Khaz and Commander Korbin. "Both of you. We're mixing the plans. A new machine gun is definitely needed and exploratory designing of a new rifle. The armored train is a great concept, we'll move forward with it. We can also reach out to some car manufacturers and see what we can turn up for our cars and tanks." The decision was met with some grumbles but overall agreement.

The Marrlan Department of Defense begins work on prototyping small arms new machinegun but rifles are also being explored. The DOD will also begin experimenting further with Tanks Cars and Armored Trains.

[Artsy Astra]

<<12th of Sablien, 1931, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

With the DoD ready to go on a small spending binger, the local arms companies all jumped on. They would not be the only ones who received the request however. Foreign companies would also be contacted, but upfront a stipulation of secrecy as well as a civilian release withhold for a minimum of 10 years was made apparent. Despite this all the usual suspects in the Marrlan firearm world arrived and would begin work on the bids. A Semi Automatic rifle to replace the IR-25, an Anti-Tank weapon and a machine gun to replace the MPM-1924. Within days multiple prototypes were sent in either being hastily developed or backburner products that finally had a reason to be pulled out. Regardless testing would begin for them all.

Rolbeck Bids:
Rolbeck Toggle-Lock Self Loading Rifle .30-06 EX

Rolbeck Light Machine Gun .30-06 EX

Rolbeck Heavy Anti Tank Machine Gun .50 Caliber EX


Mira and Vikan Bids:
M&K Semi Auto Rifle Pattern X


Dylan Bids:
Dylan Medium Machinegun Model X

Dylan Semi-Automatic Rifle Model X


Higgins Bids:
Higgins Man Portable Machinegun Mark-II

Higgins Anti Tank Rifle Mark-I

Higgins Self Loading Rifle Mark-I


One by one the prototypes and their teams would arrive and begin the rigorous testing regiment that had been laid out ahead of them.

(OOC Any foreign company may reply with their gun bids after this post.)

[Artsy Astra]

<<19th of Sablien, 1931, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

The first bout of testing was for the Machine guns. The three contenders were the Dylan Medium Machine Gun concept, which in comparison to the older MPM was a degree heavier but much less prone to jamming, and the Rolbeck Light Machine Gun concept, which was similar in weight to the MPM but much longer and more unwieldy. The Dylan Bid was built around truly stopping the jamming issues of its predecessor the close bolt design entirely blocked foreign objects form entering the chamber and the action was made to be extra smooth and slow if abit crude to reduce the likelihood of ripping the belt cloth. It fired at about 310 rounds per minute. The Rolbeck design was able to increase its rate of fire to 500 rounds per minute and negate the belt ripping issue. Finally, the Higgins MPM Mark-II was supposed to entirely redesign and revamp the weapon. With a new magazine type and feed mechanism they hoped to not only come back from their mistakes, but revolutionize firearm magazines. It fired at a modest 400 rounds per minute, just 50 shy of its older brother.

A basic acclimatization test was conducted first. 

Machine Gunners who had never seen the firearm before were given instructions on how to use it including a full range day and lecture with a diagram showing functions. The Rolbeck Design was quite similar and intuitive. Owing to their reputation of quality, the soldiers were able to pick up the new weapon with ease. With little to no assistance they were field stripping it and shooting like it was the family varmint rifle. The Dylan design proved to be very problematic. Despite instruction the crudeness of the weapon played against it, the vageuly marked controls and odd recoil mechanism was extremely confusing. The oure technobabble from the instructors didn't help either. The Higgins design didn't fair much better. The dinner plate as it was infamously named had many malfunctions during their practice. The magazine follower occasionally needing to be wound up mid way through firing.

The second test would be for the afro mentioned issue of jamming. A 1000 round stress test was conducted. 

The Rolbeck design jammed on the 790th from a failure to eject, stove piping the spent case. The Dylan design, nicknamed the 'Chunker' by the engineers, jammed on the 110th round. The smooth but jerky action ripping the case in 2. The Higgins Design jammed on the 650th round due to a complication with the helical magazines design causing a double feed.


Next came a hostile environment test. First mud then sand and finally ice and snow.

Both the Rolbeck and Dylan designs struggled in the mud but continued working with extra force being required to chamber rounds at times, though most issues were lessened when the mud hardened. The Higgins design excelled and only required some extra effort when the mud was let harden. In the sand test, the Rolbeck design excelled having very little issue performing and chugged on with little issue. The Dylan design chugged and sputtered, being choked with dust having a few malfunctions barely performing. Higgins bid slowed but sputtered. It continued working with some mild fenagling. The Rolbeck design barely chugged along in the ice and snow, almost freezing entirely. It stopped firing after the 12th round and needed to have the bolt freed from ice before it began again. A similar issue befell the Dylan design, the  crude moving parts froze solid and required them to be chipped out of the ice. The Higgins design didn't fire at all. The magazine had become an ice box with the rounds as decorative cubes. The bolt had also frozen completely shut and needed to be dethawed.


So far the Rolbeck and Dylan designs were in the lead with Higgins trailing in the dust, but another round of testing was needed to truly select one. Before that though, it was the rifles turn.

[Artsy Astra]

<<20th of Sablien, 1931, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>> 

A familiarization test, like the machine guns, came first.

The Rolbeck design was a spell complicated to adapt to. The riflemen brought in had only ever fired semi automatic handguns before then, but still a good impression was made by the Rolbeck team and the instructor attaches. The range day went well and the men were able to effectively if abit slowly adapt to the new rifle. The largest point of contention was the charging handle, or lack there of a traditional one. The Dylan Design was quite straight forward but had its own hang-ups. Despite instruction, the position of the safety and the poor ergonomics of the charging handle proved to be a set of annoying teething issues. The Higgins design was ergonomically fine, but had a nasty blast of gas waiting for those who fire it. Even after some tuning the gun was still over gassed. Regardless it otherwise preformed well. The M&K Design just flat out fell apart. The barrel went flying out after the 2nd shot because of a barrel lug tightening issue. Then cheaply made gun also had some of the worst ergonomics of all the designs with an extremely cramped trigger guard and rear sight to close to the shooters face. All rifleman testing the M&K bid made their distaste very audible, especially during the diagram showcase. Disassembly was difficult and inefficient compared to the other bids.

Next came the 1000 round stress test.

The Rolbeck design jammed on the 990th round via a failure to feed. The Dylan design jammed on the 710th due to a light primer strike and failure to extract. The Higgins rifle jammed on the 250th round due to another light primer strike. The M&K design failed on the 87th round and had a hang fire incident.

Again came a hostile environment test. The rifles were again dipped, coated, and drenched in mud sand snow and ice. 

The Rolbeck design held its own in the mud but ultimately faltered once it hardened, its internal workings grinding to a halt. The Sand it held up remarkably well to, but became very sluggish. The in the snow and ice it was un usable until a significant amount of ice as chipped away within the receiver. The Dylan Design fell to the mud before it even hardened, but it was much easier to clean out then the Rolbeck design. The sand it swallowed and also had trouble spitting out. The ice and snow held it solid. The same issue the Rolbeck design had be felled the Dylan rifle. The Higgins Rifle choked but sputtered surprisingly on the mud, being the only one to work when it was wet and dry. It took the sand like a champ but slowed down further and the gas issue became worse. The bolt ice block suprisingly broke the ice and began functioning again, but the recoil spring eventually snapped due to the excessive stress. The M&K rifle barely worked when mud was added and died when it hardened. The sand getting in its workings created a grating sound comparable to that of a chalk board but 10 decibels lower, and the ice actually caused the chamber to detonate sending the bolt out the side and the receiver cover flying 10 feet away. Thankfully the soldier firing it was unharmed.

With both sets of trials concluded a final verdict would be reached within the coming days.

[Artsy Astra]

<<23rd of Sablien, 1931, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

A decision was finally made, and the companies whom had their designs selected were reached out to.

The Rolbeck Toggle-Lock Self Loading Rifle .30-06 won the rifle bid, earning the SA/IR-31 designation. The Rolbeck Light Machine Gun .30-06 won the machine gun bid and earned the designation of MPM-31. The Dylan Medium Machine Gun lost, but the Marines still held an interest SIM-31 (Special Issue Machine Gun 1931).

The DoD would begin production of the new weapons hoping to create roughly 40,000 new small arms, 150 mortars, 300 field guns, and 400 howitzers. They would also being a minor recruitment drive and propaganda would begin cropping up more and more. Posters would soon be put up, billboards would be swapped.

With this half of the project done, the Anti Tank weaponry, along with the tanks themselves, would be next on the block.

[Artsy Astra]

<<25th of Sablien, 1931, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

While gearing up for the second half of the new armament plan, a peculiar incident occurred. While on rotation for some diving equipment tests, a Beast Hunter, 1st Lt. Chet Meers, requested entry to a meeting with... a weapon proposal. A custom weapon he fashioned from a field machete and some firearm parts he had at home. The design was peculiar, but he described its functions and his use of it in the field against crabs, and potential ideas for practicality and actual warfare. Though a point of contention was reached when he requested it be pressed into service for every soldier in the Republic, special operations use within the Beast Hunter Corps was agreed upon with further trials for replacing Officers blades as a secondary thought. After the discussion was finished, the man promptly left. He was rotated out back to the volunteer front in Touli.

It was fired on test range 8 and found to be surprisingly well made. It maintained decent accuracy up to about 30 meters before the round dropped, and dropped HARD. It uses 10mm RPC and the same magazine as the SH-13. It has a muzzle velocity of 1,100 feet per second.

Designated the SICCW-31 (Special Issue Close Combat Weapon 1931). 

[Artsy Astra]

<<15th of Obsilla, 1932, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

Following the first half of small arms development, the DOD split its attention and began truly focusing on its armored vehicle development programs. Production would also continue on the newly adopted weapons as they would attempt to arm all of the veteran divisions at home.

For the car section:

The X-ATTGT-1932 (All-Terrain Tracked General Transport).
Marrlan's answer to the more muddy terrain encountered by the Expeditionary forces in Ferville, feedback gave the idea of giving the HTAP-26 tracks to better spread out its ground pressure so it's harder to sink in mud or other softer surfaces.


The X-GPLAV-1932 (General Purpose Light Armored Vehicle).
A basic armored car with plates that can withstand rifle caliber rounds. With expansion and experimentation in mind, the design is attempting to be a all around platform. A master of nothing but with the ability to have equipment attached to serve a different role should it be needed.


For the tank section:
With the information that Grinvel's tank program had ramped up production, further production of 'Sardines' and 'Tin Box's' had begun. 

The XTM-18.
An older prototype that had hit a wall of funding due to the untested role of the armored vehicle, it comes back with renewed vigor. Made for a crew of 3 (Commander Gunner Driver) and half the size of the Sardine the same hull plan as the 'Tin Box'. It has a 40mm gun and a coaxial .30-06 machine gun.


Another prototype was initially slated, but has fallen to the wayside in a similar vein as the XTM as funding had essentially reached its limit for the tank portion of the program. Research and development would be picked up by the 'Egg Heads' 8th Tank Formation.

The final part of the vehicle program would be the armored train concept. Using technology developed for the navy and the army, the 'landship on tracks' had begun development.

[Artsy Astra]

<<16th of Obsilla, 1932, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

The AT weapons began their trials the day after the vehicle projects were figured out. Though, a co developed project was being run between both for a specialist ammunition type.
A hair brained idea from a DOD engineer and a Marine Diver, the AT ammunition would hopefully be of some use though it still doesn't have the funding required.


Both weapons went through a basic learning course for the test users. The AT rifle was easy to learn, a simple bolt action with a slightly awkward bolt and side mounted magazine causing some initial issues.  The machine gun roughly the same as the HTM with a slightly more comfortable charging handle.

The .50 caliber machine gun was up first for the range.

The engineers brought the hefty gun up in 2 parts. The tripod, a modified one for an HTM, and the gun itself. The machine gun crew followed them and began the setup process after getting instructions from the engineer team. Shortly after the firing test began. With a loud crack the crew began the first prototype all metal link belt. The target, about, 100 meters away, was a 3 inch thick steel plate. A deft ping was heard when a round struck it and penetrated. As the gun kept chugging the assistant machine gunner fed the beast more and more fastening another belt onto the previous as it started to get low up until it went 'Chunk, Chunk, Chunk, Chun-CLANK' and jammed on the 623rd round with a failure to extract resulting in a stove pipe. The gunner shooting an inquisitive look and smile at his commanding officer, "May I fix it and continue shooting sir? It's quite fun!" "Later Charles, we've got more tests to run." The men then unjammed the weapon, made sure it was safe, then packed it up to be moved. 

The AT Rifle was next.

Using a similarly mixed load of both experimental and normal ammo, the rifleman hefted the weighty gun over to a firing spot and when give the signal began firing. The straight pull design made it easier to fire, but the strange handle position was uncomfortable and made prolonged use harder. Around the 312th round it jammed due to the soldier improperly extract and load the next round due to fatigue. With the gun coming to a stop, the woman took an extra second to stretch her shooting arm before picking the rifle up and leaving the range. The rifle had also successfully penetrated the target plate.

Both weapons then began the environmental stress test. (Mud Sand Snow and Ice)
The Machine gun faired well in the mud, sealed quite well though had a few issues with the barrel when it hardened almost causing a jam. Dunking it in sand had a similar effect and the wet sand caused the jam to actually happen with a failure to eject. The snow however was unable to stop the barrel as the heat it had accrued from firing even 1 round melted it right off.
The AT rifle was next, having some issue sin the mud as the shooter had to clear the action twice to actually fire. When it hardened it continued to have issues with the chamber being clogged with chunks of dirt. The sand was slightly easier on the robust rifle, but when wet it gummed up the bolt and it refused to properly return to battery. In the ice the heat form the barrel was again able to save it form most issues, though it had to be broken alittle before the bolt could move again.

So far things were going well for the metal belt links, ammo, and both rifles.

[Artsy Astra]

<<3rd of Astilla, 1932, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

Progress continued on the armor side of the rearmament project.

X-GPLAV-1932 (General Purpose Light Armored Vehicle)

The Armored car continued its development with trials to see whether or not the engine could even handle the added armor. It was given a control test on a road to see how far it could go before it popped a tire on a rock. The engineers promptly checked the wheels for signs of over filling before soon realizing they were simply to small and were taking to much weight. The engineers went back to the drawing board and got some larger wheels and reinforced the axels. The control them resumes and the vehicle was able to preform, reaching a top speed of 29 Miles Per Hour. The next test was on a dirt path, it lost some speed and could only go about 18 MPH. Next was rough general terrain which was able to be crossed at 15 MPH. Sand was the slowest at 10 MPH.

[Artsy Astra]

<<4th of Fessera, 1932, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

The GPLAV continued on its way chugging along the development time table. With further testing in environments with extra strain to the engine, transmission, and wheels.

The General Vehicle had been finished. 5 Months of labor produced a very early but workable general design that could grow into more roles as needed as an all around support vehicle. It can serve as light infantry support, reconnaissance, and basic utility. Not master of none, amateur at all. With the unspecialized general variant finished after a lengthy 6 month development period, the DOD moved on to actual specialization and optimization of the base model. Further testing of its limits, the first specialized design would be an up armored variant.


The XTM-18,
progressed as well, having found fairly decent progress using the passing seasons as the perfect time for environmental testing. With issues very clearly cropping up in the snow, its gasoline engine having trouble starting the fuel freezing, and the tracks being to thin to traverse the muddy slurry coating the formerly decent dirt paths. The engine issue could not be addressed, but the tracks were widened alleviating the ground pressure issue to an extant the ATTGT's development factored into some of the remedying of the issue. During the spring melt these track modification were put to the test, fairing much better but needing even more development. So much so that the Project lead stopped for fear of running overbudget before other issues could be fixed. It had a max speed of 18 MPH on roads, 12 MPH off road, and 9 MPH in particularly rough terrain. Next was the turret traverse. The new crank driven traverse worked and had few teething issues, namely the ergonomics of  the handle and the gear ratios which were quickly remedied. A slow, but much speedier than a man pulling it around with a handle, traverse rate of 10 degrees a second was achieved. The gun however, presented an issue. The recoil technology required was there, however its application was haphazard. During a test a commanders leg was broken by the recoiling gun as it had no guard and the recoil stroke was to long, and the footing was inadequate. Further development would be required to fix it. Further testing was required, but with this headway made it would soon be finished.



The X-ATTGT-1932.
Gained a large amount of headway in its development period. In trials compared to the old JA GLV, it prefermed even better in offroad and extreme terrain conditions. While it was not the speediest, capping out at 32 MPH on roads, it succeeded in its design idea. Trials with cargo and troops faired well as the wide tracks were able to properly spread its weight across the more fragile mud and snow. Though all was not well. Engine issues continued to plague the tracked truck, being a rarity among Ouhiri with primarily oil based fuels for ground vehicles finding help and ideas to pull from would be... difficult. They began working through the problems as they began, first the engine would overheat, second it would over stress itself going up inclines in excess of 25 degrees, third it had an awful habbit of randomly belching black smoke from the front and side vents coating whatever it touched in carbon. Even so they pressed on with tests and brianstormed way to get around the issues they faced.

[Artsy Astra]

<<10th of Stay, 1932, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

The X-ATTGT-1932, now nicknamed the 'Ardent Bus', finished testing with a less than perfect foot note.
The 'black cough' as it had been called had been rectified and the engine had been enlarged to increase the power it could output to rectify the incline issue. However as a result the engine overheating only got worse, which caused the team to over correct and end up causing the 'black cough' again but only when it overheated. To work around this, the engine is only to be driven in the first 3 gears. The 4th and 5th are only for emergencies to prevent overheating. Despite these shortcomings and issues, the Ardent Bus works and is prepared for production and service, with remaining fund sbeing allocated to the XTM-18 and GPLAV-UA. They are slated for an initial production run of 200 units.


The GPLAV-UA had quite a quick development.
In the month of development the work was quick and relatively easy. Modifications to the original armored shell were made with minimal issue as the weight piled the issue of spreading weight again reared it's head. A second pair of wheels and spare wheel were added to assist with ground pressure and over stress of the axels. The rest of the frame was roughly untouched save for the ass end which was changed into a proper one man turret and ammo stowage area in exchange for troop carrying capacity. Only able to ferry 4 men the up armored and armed GPLAV-UA leaned more into support rather than transport. Armed with a .50 caliber machine gun the commander/gunner had a full 360 degrees of rotation and 2000 rounds of ammunition. A 2 man turret and 30mm Pom Pom were initially planned as a secondary variant, but space constraints and monetary concerns canned the idea. 120 GPLAV-UA units are slated for initial production, its lighter armored cousin the GPLAV is slated for 200 units for initial production.



The XTM-18 had finished its development.
having a similar 'black cough' to the Ardent Bus, it was soon rectified by revising the air intake and exhaust systems. The gun was revised and a 'turret basket' was created to better seat the crew within the fighting compartment and the gun was reduce din caliber from the originally planned 40mm to 30mm. Though still quite small, the XTM marks a great step forward in Marrlan Tracked Machine development. Cramped but hopefully useful. They are slated for an initial production run of 55 units for testing with actual tank formations.

[Artsy Astra]

<<19th of Stay, 1932, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>
(OOC Thank you Derg for the idea cool idea!)

As the rest of the program wrapped up the remaining funds were shifted to one final project. The 'Valkyrie' fortress train concept. Thought up by an Elenrian immigrant officer, the armored train shall serve as a mobile command, supply, and fire support platform. Both the army and Navy are collaborating on the project.

The project had progressed to a point of designing the armored cars and finding a suitable locomotive while focus was on other things, now that the team was getting full attention and funding they began working on more. A suitable locomotive had yet to be found a murmurs among the team began of asking for help, potentially the UKUG or Koi for experts beyond their borders for design advice as they soon came to realize none of the Marrlan rail fleet could haul the projected weight. They did not stop however and continued their work on the other parts of the whole. They had finished designing 2 armed cannon cars on 75mm and one dual 30mm Pom Pom, an armed command car with a roof mounted dual 30mm Pom Pom and 80mm mortar, 3 supply cars, a 2 personnel cars, 2 medical cars, and an armed 107mm Howitzer with a rotating mount IDF support car and accompanying ammo car. All had been designed and soon after a prototype was sitting on rails awaiting its locomotive heart.

[Artsy Astra]

<<21st of Stay, 1932, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

With armored train project reaching a stopping point as help is requested from the UKUG for a locomotive, further ideas for arming the Republic are brought forth. Going over field reports from Ferville, command staff recognized a large amount of AAR's that noted Beast Hunters making impromptu grenade delivery systems with their "Higby's" by strapping grenades to the harpoons. While inaccurate because of the lopsided weight and loss of aerodynamic shape, they worked well enough to warrant further investigation into the concept. Further taking feedback on the NHG from field reports, a new variant was commissioned as the grenade launcher project, now codenamed "Pitcher Joe" began. 

Initial tests would begin with basic replacement of the pointed end with a concussion grenade. The grenade would be primed then fired, which worked up to 50 meters away but proved a dangerous liability command wouldn't stand for. Research began on a new custom grenade 'harpoon' design along with an adapter base for existing grenades to be attached to new harpoon bodies with threaded ends for limited modularity. Though in its infancy, the project is ambitions and the reformist officers spurring on these new developments optimistic. A potentially hazardous but profitable mix as the need for new ideas grows as the old ways see their way out.

[Artsy Astra]

<<5th of Achsen, 1932, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

"Pitcher Joe" continued chugging along, with the first working prototype of the new harpoon gun being tested on the range. A host of improvements were made including: An improved spring, improved and higher quality iron sights, a priming handle, and an improved harpoon stowage and release system. Their were a handful of teething issues initially implementing the priming handle, but they are otherwise fixed aside from the usual Marrlan tradition of strange charging handle design.

With the new improvements, the original 'muzzle' velocity of 190 FPS has been increased to 210 FPS with the same 8.5mm 18 inch long harpoon. It's maximum range is 215 meters with an effective range of 105 meters. Further testing on the range concluded and limited combat fielding with Beast Hunters against coastal crab threats revealed a tension issue with the pistol grip that was soon rectified with a screw and plug. For all intense and purposes, it is another great iteration upon the earlier works of Higgins in the naval infantry weapons field.

Soon after prototypes of the 'twist on' adapters and standalone grenades had arrived. Testing began about midday, and distant thuds and booms filled the air of the demo range. A Ballistics Engineer wearing Beast Hunter armor was doing the test firing while the rest of the team observed from behind thick resistant glass and concrete. The first few concussion grenades worked like a charm. Detonating in a decently sized fireball about 80 meters away. A chuckle escaped the mans lips as he prepared another grenade. He shouted to his coworkers behind the glass, "Starting the fragmentation testing now!" He got a smile and thumbs up from a few of them as the unusually stocky Rel man loaded the rifle and twisted the grenades safety off. He aimed for a target about 100 meters away and pulled. A deft clank and thunk could be heard as the grenade soared through the air.  It met the ground in front of its target half a meter short and detonated in a small plume of dust, then an instant later the area was blanketed in smaller puffs. Shrapnel peppering the area, more fell but with slightly less vigor. The paper targets however were peppered. He pulled out a pair of binoculars to inspect his handiwork and was quite thrilled to see it had worked.

More work had to be done, but so far development was going well.

[Artsy Astra]

<<20th of Achsen, 1932, Plainery Region, Aberdeen Testing Fields>>

With the recent commission of UKUG armored locomotives, the "Valkyrie" Project could continue. The BAL-2s were put on rails and testing on loads began. The projected weight was able to be hauled, but speed became an issue. The development team considered reducing the car number but it was deemed enough as the direct fire support role it was capable of was a secondary priority. Development continued but still had a ways to go as testing continued.

With a second surge of development and mutual development with the UKUG, a second tank program has been created riding the coat tails of the TM-32. This heavier tank hoping to fulfill a better support role than the TM-14, is slated for a 50mm cannon and a coaxial 30mm cannon. The cannon would have been the larger 75mm gun mounted in the TM-14, but recoil technology needs to progress further before it can properly fit in the turret. The program has bee nicknamed "Cougar". The wooden mock up prototype is the first to take shape beyond the blueprinting stage.