In this episode of Corp takes a dumb cold war prototype and tries to use it in a challenge: Walking Trucks. The 1980s hyper cold war future we were promised back in the 1960s that turned into the past we were denied.
First Deployed in 1976, the All Terrain Utility Vehicle (ATUV) remains a technological marvel until the present day. Even now in the 2020s, the ATUV remains the only family of quadrupedal vehicles ever to enter widespread military service. Capable of traversing virtually any highland terrain that a man with a pack could march, they provided a mountain transport capability rivaled only by far more expensive helicopters. Steep slopes and rugged mountain passes were easily conquered by the strong legs of the ATUV. At least in theory, in practice the ATUV proved to be less than reliable, especially during it's early years. Operator strain was an additional issue, piloting an ATUV was strenuous work, few operators could drive for more than a few hours before becoming fatigued. These issues led to a reduction in procurement. Initially planned to equip all 5 of the Shintari Army's Mountain Battalions, issues with the program resulted in a reduced procurement and only the 4th Mountain Battalion was fully "motorized". Even with it's issues the ATUV quickly became a favorite of the 4th Mountain Battalion and due to the many early issues, received the affectionate nickname of "Jackass" or "Jack" in polite company.
The ATUV was envisioned as a "Mountain Jeep", capable of carrying a modest payload to the high peaks and passes of the Khaed-var mountains in the eastern border district. The vehicle was operated by a sole crew member, refereed to as the"Jockey" they controlled the vehicle with their entire body. The control system for the ATUV was shockingly simple when considering the complexity of the quadrupedal mechanism. Each of the Jockey's limbs corresponded with one of the legs of the ATUV, with their movements being relayed to a system of hydraulic valves and pumps that operated the limbs. Beyond a simple "lock in place" mode used for parking, there was essentially no automation in the system and all the subtle movements needed to ensure stability was entirely reliant on operator skill. As a result of this, the job of a “Jack Jockey” was one of the most physically demanding jobs of the army. It took considerable skill and strength to take the vehicle through the rugged mountain terrain it was designed for. The skill required of the operators when combined with the unique legged propulsion correspondingly lent itself to some notable "Party Tricks." During demonstrations Operators would show off by flipping cars over using the vehicles legs to show off the ATUV's raw strength before proceeding to roll eggs without breaking them in order to demonstrate it's precision. One of the most popular demonstrations, and one occasionally still performed by the few remaining operational civilian owned models is "Big Ball", a simplified version of football played between teams of 2-3 ATUVs using a large beach ball.
A number of ATUV variants were fielded. The base model ATUV-GP (General Purpose) could carry a cargo of just over 2 tons or up to 4 fully kitted combat troops. The other variants were dedicated weapons carriers, although most could carry an additional passenger or two in a pinch. Three armed versions of the ATUV were fielded: The ATUV-MG (Machine gun Carrier), The ATUV-AT (Anti-tank) and the ATUV-AD (Air Defense, pictured here). Of these three, the ATUV-AD had the most difficult development. Around the same time the ATUV was entering service a new, dedicated Air Defense version of the humble GPUV (General Purpose Utility Vehicle) was being developed. The GPUV-AD carried a manned turret with 8 short range SAMs. It was initially proposed that this same turret be fitted to the ATUV. On paper it was a simple matter of bolting it to the bed of the ATUV and hooking up the power. Development progressed quickly, one of the test turrets was provided to the ATUV program office and was quickly fitted to one of the test ATUVs. Reality quickly reared it's ugly head. The Turret was at the very limit of the lift capacity of the ATUV's legs, although the strength was increased in production units compared to the test models, the extra weight would strain both the complex hydraulic system and the human operator. Beyond the presence of the extra mass, the position also caused problems. The turret stuck up high and made the vehicle significantly less stable, the usual strength needed by an operator to keep the vehicle stable while in motion was insufficient to compensate for the higher center of gravity and the test drivers frequently stumbled on anything but the flat ground of the garages. The team was forced to conclude that simple drop in of the GPUV-AD turret was not a feasible solution. While it initially looked as if the AD variant would be canceled in favor of just having a MANPADS team, an alternate solution was found with the Mk.84 SAM Launcher, a twin mount intended for use on small patrol boats. While firing the same missile carried by a normal MANPADs team, it provided a modest step up in capability for a modest increase in weight. A Mk 84 launcher was procured and retrofitted in place of the GPUV turret. The result was much better, albiet less capable. The light weight of the launcher reduced operator strain and it's smaller foot print allowed for the ability to carry either small amounts of cargo or an additional passenger. With these results, the finalized ATUV-AD was introduced into service in 1981. 4 short year later, in the rugged highlands of the Khaed-var mountains it received it's trial by fire as the Hyperwar of '85 swung into full gear.
During the hyperwar ATUV-AD proved surprisingly capable. They allowed the Mountain Battalion's Air defense teams the ability to quickly maneuver through both the low valleys and high passes of the Khaed-var highlands. The ATUV-AD racked up a number of kills due to the Collective Union's habbit of flying helicopters at tree top level through mountain passes. The ATUV-AD was able to quickly and reliably establish ambush positions hidden near the tops ofthe peaks and ridges above and rain down death to the helicopters as they flew below. Things proceeded well until the war went "Hot" and the Hyperwar swung into a full nuclear scale exchange. The Khaed-var highlands were quickly transformed from a mountain paradise to a nuclear wasteland, equally quickly peace broke out. Due to the nuclear exchange the ATUV fleet was hit by two obstacles to its continued use, operational losses were high both in field units and more importantly the factories and engineers needed to replace those losses were now radioactive rubble. With both the production lines and field units devastated beyond repair, the armed ATUV variants quickly phased out of service post-war, with only a few unarmed models remaining A number of ATUVS, (the now de-millitarized Air Defense versions included) were later sold off and used in the logging and mining industry, the rest were scrapped. Eventually the civilian operated ones reached the end of their useful lives and met similar fates. A lucky few were donated to museums or ended up in the hands of private collectors, preserving this novel footnote in the history of military transportation. Of the Air Defense variant, no complete models remain with the only remnants of the program being a single surplus turret.
TL;DR: I can't draw wheels or tracks to save my life so I decided to toe the line and draw legs.
I'm pretty glad to hear that though, never was a big fan of writing much
