In February, 2884, retreating under attack from the enemy AFS., the
Shutoral forces
developed the Nutrocker, PKH.103, before the PKA was complete. The
PKH.103, with
strengthened armour, a 100mm tungsten steal turret, two laser cannons,
sight, and computer
sensors instead of crew compartments, was reconstructed from the
Sph.69, the new type of
large armoured hover truck at the time. With all the additional weight,
a new more powerful engine was installed to make sure that performance
was not depreciated at all. Additional heat proof armour completed the
package. The Nutrocker did spawn several variants, leading to the basic model being classified as the Pkh.103/1a. The most common of which was the Pkh.103/1b. During desert fighting, the Nutrocker performed well, although the sand did tend to cause problems as it was frequently sucked into the turbines, although additional filters soon cured that. However, in wetter and tropical climates, the laser system became prone to jamming and faults as the water vapour interfered with it. As such, the 1b removed the turret laser system and replaced it with a 3.5 cm high velocity Mk281 gun, and coaxial 7.92 mm MG81 machine gun. Another variant was the troop carrier, enabling the Nutrocker to carry 6 PKA suits. Finally, in September 2884, the manned Nutrocker 44 command vehicle was introduced which would lead a company of machines into action, being able to guide and direct them should the need arise.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
