Military Vehicles
Ground-Based Vehicles
The EBSIS Armed Forces for the most part still make use of the same equipment the Soviets/Russians (and the Chinese in the case of the East Asian Soviet Protectorate) were using in the late 20th Century and during the Global Civil War. They do not possess reliable hover vehicle technology, so the EBSIS relies on old-fashioned petroleum-based cars and trucks for personnel and cargo transport. The primary means of ground transport within the RSP, GSP, and PSP is via train, much as it was in the previous century. Artillery and ground-based missile systems also date back to the late 20th Century, though most have been refitted with more modern computers and electronics. The Red Army still possesses a few tank battalions, but for the most part ground-based armored combat is handled by the more advanced EBSIS Mecha battalions. That is not to say there have not been some newer models of vehicles added to the EBSIS ground forces arsenal in recent years.
EBSIS Battle Bike
Vehicle Data
- Vehicle Type: Personal military combat
- Crew: 1 pilot + 1 passenger (optional sidecar)
- Weight: 272 kg
- Height: 1.09m
- Breadth: 0.5m
- Depth: 1.67m
- Cruising speed: 128 kph
- Max speed: 288 kph
- Booster-assisted speed: 400 kph
- Range: 960 km
Armament
- 1 x light laser cannon in the front
- 4 x forward-firing single-shot rocket tubes
The EBSIS Battle Bike, code-named Blitzkrieg by the UEG, is the latest addition to the EBSIS ground forces vehicle catalog. It is rapidly becoming a mainstay of the EBSIS mechanized infantry, proving rapid transport and mobility capabilities to soldiers while also being well enough armed and armored to handle itself in combat situations. In addition to its armament, the Battle Bike is equipped with tiny rocket engines that can provide an extra speed boost for short periods of time (approx. 10 minutes). A command model also exists, with slightly better armor, an upgraded laser, and command and control communication and navigation electronics.
Aircraft
Lacking the advanced Veritech technologies and power systems of the ASC, the EBSIS Air Force is made up of more conventional fighters, bombers and other combat aircraft. The bulk of the air forces are made up of the old Russian Air Force, mixed with the remnants of the German Luftwaffe. The exception is the EASP region of the EBSIS, whose air groups are made up of the former Chinese and North Korean Air Forces.
While the aircraft in use are based on decades old models, they are all modern variants whose electronics and weapons systems have been upgraded. Two examples of EBSIS fighter planes are shown below, the Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum and the Sukhoi Su-37 Terminator. Also shown is the newer Mi-42 Hellion attack helicopter. The Hellion is the Russian version of the RDF's Commanchero helicopter, which itself was based on the older Russian Hind military helicopter (back in the early 2000s when the UN Spacy and the Russian government were on friendlier terms).
In addition to the older 20th century model aircraft, the EBSIS makes use of the more recent MiM-31 Karyovin, a ground attack fighter developed during the Global Civil War that was exported to the world market, becoming a mainstay of anti-unification factions during the war.
MiM-31 Karyovin
Vehicle Data
- Designation: MiM-31
- Crew: 1 pilot
- Weight: 17.0 tons
- Length: 16.5m
- Height: 6.6m
- Wingspan: 10.2m
- Max speed at sea level: 1100 kph
- Max speed at 10,000m: 1900 kph
Armament
- 1 x 35mm gatling gun
- 2 x missile hardpoints, 2 medium or long-range missiles each
The Mikolev MiM-31 Karyovin was a delta wing fighter aircraft in use during the Global Civil War. Primarily a ground attack fighter, the EBSIS have added missle hardpoints to increase its effectiveness.
Naval Vessels
Like the ground and air forces, the EBSIS naval forces consist of the old Russian and Chinese navies. Unlike the other two, the former Chinese forces are not the primary military force in the EASP. Instead, the Chinese (and North Korean) fleets were combined with the Russian Pacific Fleet to form the EBSIS Navy Pacific Fleet (headquartered in Vladivostok). Other EBSIS Navy fleets include the Northern Fleet (responsible for the Arctic Ocean), the Baltic Fleet (patrolling the Baltic) and the newly established Red Sea Fleet (patrolling the Red Sea and the Mediterranean) and the Southern Fleet (based out of the African Soviet Protectorate and patrolling the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf).
The cruisers, destroyers, and carriers of the EBSIS Navy are all the same classes of ship that made up their predecessor fleets. Even the submarine fleet still resembles the old Soviet/Russian Navy's fleet, though the ballistic missile subs were all decommissioned during the early phases of the creation of the Unified World Government in the 2000s (but the EBSIS is rumored to have reactivated some of these types of submarines). As with the Air Force, the Navy has refit their vessels with modern technologies to make them more viable. The EBSIS Navy does have one piece of advanced naval technology, a Prometheus-class submersible aircraft carrier, the CVS Iapetus, that was a gift from the UN Spacy to the Russians in an attempt to placate complaints about American and Japanese dominance of the Spacy. Today, the Navy is probably the only one of the EBSIS' military forces that can be considered superior to the ASC's.
Spacecraft
While the Navy is the strongest division of the EBSIS Armed Forces, the EBSIS Space Command (jointly administered by the Army and Air Force) is by far the weakest. Russian space efforts were severely curtailed after the creation of the UN Space Command gave the new Unified World Government an effective monopoly over all space travel. That lack of space travel capacity, combined with the destruction of vital technology infrastructure during the Zentraedi orbital bombardment, effectively eliminated any space technology capability for the EBSIS when it was created. An early effort at jump-starting a new military space program with captured and salvaged Zentraedi technology was abandoned after the Malcontent Uprisings. Today the EBSIS has rebuilt the old space launch facility (the Cosmodrome) at Baikonur in the K.S.P. and has managed a series of successful unmanned rocket launches using older booster technologies. Efforts to start up a manned space program have begun, with plans for a permanently manned space station, but are severely hampered by the fact that the UEG and Southern Cross currently control Earth orbit and space travel.
Military Equipment
The average EBSIS soldier today is equipped much the same as their predecessors were three decades ago during the Global Civil War.
Body Armor
EBSIS personal armor technology is nowhere near that of the Southern Cross, whose soldiers enjoy suits of advanced ceramic full-body armor with multi-environment capability and a host of hi-tech add-ons. The lack of materials technology prevents the EBSIS from developing an equivalent light-weight armor for their own troops, though research is ongoing.
Most EBSIS troopers wear more conventional armored vests and flak jackets since the soldiers are most likely to be engaged in combat with regional militias, rebel groups, and high-tech bandits all armed with conventional arms.
Recent shifts in the world situation made it apparent that Soviet troops would eventually be drawn into combat with more heavily armed opponents so the EBSIS have made an effort to produce their own Southern Cross-style armors for ground forces. Though less advanced, the newer models of the body armor include advanced reactive materials that allow for maximum flexibility but will harden on impact (like from a bullet or shrapnel). This newer armor also includes a layer of highly-reflective heat-resistant material to provide the wearer with extra protection against laser-based energy weapons (like those favored by the Army of the Southern Cross). Like the soldiers of the Southern Cross, EBSIS soldiers also have the option to carry a lightweight shield for additional protection.
Due to the weight of these newer armors EBSIS Air Force pilots cannot use them, nor can members of the new Cosmonaut corps. These personnel are issued the lighter aerospace personal armor, consisting of a reinforced padded flightsuit (environmentally sealed and pressurized) augmented by flexible armor plates and a sealed helmet with internal communications and life support. The Cosmonaut model of the armor is equipped with an EVA thruster pack and additional oxygen supply.
Specialty combat armors are available for work in specific environments like underwater and in NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) hazard zones but these are only used in special situations.
Weapons
The area of the EBSIS military that remains the most unchanged from the days of the Russian military is firearms. The average EBSIS soldier is still armed with more conventional firearms. The Red Army's primary assault rifle is the venerable Kalishnikov, with a mix of older AK-47s and AK-74s with the newer AK-100 series rifles. Standard sidearms are the older Makarov pistol and the newer Yarygin PYa.
Most of the technological advances the EBSIS has made in the area of firearms has been with ammunition. Present-day Red Army soldiers usually load their firearms with modern hi-explosive armor-piercing rounds to counteract an enemy's body armor, and the larger calibers are even effective against the advanced armor of the ASC. The other big difference with the modern Red Army is that platoons are likely to contain more heavy weaponry than in previous decades. The proliferation of mecha on the modern battlefield has necessitated an increase in anti-armor weaponry (like rocket propelled grenade [RPG] launchers and portable missile systems) as standard issue.
Energy Weaponry
Recent advances in power system miniaturization have allowed the EBSIS to begin design and manufacture of man-portable laser energy weapons, these weapons are still in the early phases of development and deployment.
NM-20 Pulse Pistol
After years of effort, EBSIS engineers were finally able to create a viable infantry-portable energy weapon. Thanks to advances in magnetic containment (a result of Soviet fusion reactor research), the NM-20 pulse laser pistol was developed as the first production Soviet energy weapon.
NM-30 Pulse Rifle
The NM-30 is the latest in Soviet infantry weaponry. The advances that led to the NM-20 were refined, and the result was the larger, more powerful NM-30 pulse laser rifle. While the NM-30 is cutting edge for the EBSIS, it is comparable to only the low- to mid-range weaponry of the Southern Cross.
