Pistrix Military

The Pistran Armed Forces, also known as the PAF, is the root department that all of Pistrix's military resources lead to. The PAF has wide diversity in its ranks. A wide assortment of units, vehicles, ships, planes, weapons, and other enhanced killing apparatuses are available to the Republic. While overall command leads directly to the Office of the Supreme Chancellor, day-to-day operations are handed to the commander-in-chief of each region. As a result, the PAF is not one large military, per se, rather a collection of smaller, indepentantly operating armies. This diversity of training, command structure, and mission focus, while terrifyingly ambiguous, has maintained the internal balance of power 'lo these many months of peace.

The Pistran Army is, quite simply, the most veteran fighting unit on the planet. What they might lack in advanced technology, or rudementary training, they more than make up for in exhausting combat experience. The army, estimated at a size of well over one million soldiers, has been blessed with over a decade of constant warring, and has become tempered by the burning oven of civil war. What's more, they have fought each other all these years, and consequentally have an intimate knowlege of their own strengths and weaknesses. The thirst for battle does not fade easily from the memories of these scarred warriors of honor. Should a conflict once again call them to the glorious fields of battle, they will be ready to respond with their own blinded rage upon the enemies of Pistrix!

Technology continues to advance far beyond the imagination of Pistran Generals of yesteryear. One of the army's newest life-extraction modules, is the IG-88 "Warpick" infantry support vehicle. The Warpick can cruise at a speed of 58 kph, and can unleash a barrage of various ordanance (incendiary, fragmentation, plague-ridden, or a mixture of warhead shells) at a rate of 12 shells per second, and a range of over a kilometer. Dethwurks Dynamics, in Yaga, has already begun production of this impressive termination-enhancement device and has an order of a clasified (10,000) number of the vehicles to be built.

"Rain Terror from the Heavens, and thus Ye Shall Find Peace". That is the motto of the Chancellor's Air Corps (CAC). The Air Corps is a relatively new division of the Pistran Armed Forces, but has earned a high level of respect. The tradition of the CAC is one of chivalry and honor. During the civil war, air combatants respected each other in combat. As a salute to a defeated foe, a victorious fighter pilot was known to shoot a "smiley face" with his guns through a defeated opponent's parachute as a mark of respect. Pilots showed no such admiration for ground troops, however. Often after straffing a helpless squadron, a pilot would land to plunder their valuables while physically and verbally abusing his dying victims. While this has led to some anamosity between the army and the air corps, united, they are sure to join together in perfect harmony.

Naval power is crucial for command of the seas. This is a fact that the xenophobic Pistrans cared little to discover in their centuries of internal conflict. As almost all of their battles took place on land, military sea vessels were given a low priority in funding and personnel. All that is changing, however, with Supreme Chancellor Campbell's new Naval Legitamacy Act. The navy is soon to be expanded from its rather meager size of 9 ocean-going warships to a much larger fleet to defend its waters. Ships ahoy, maties! Avast ye to the grimey deep!

In conclusion, the Pistran Armed Forces has the past, present and future of heroism, honor and bloody rampaging. While we all pray for peace, our wisdom in the intricacies of human nature tell us that at some point, we will be fighting somebody. But with a little understanding, patience, tolerance and luck, perhaps we can insure that we won't be fighting ourselves, at least. Still, we can take solace in our deadly troops and equipment to carry out any expiration acceleration program that our great and wise leaders deem necessary to the cause of Pistrix.

The Sawtooth Mk.5 & Mk.6

The Sawtooth has tirelessly served one side or another of the Pistrix military for the last forty years. From generation to generation, the Sawtooth has been refitted and redesigned to face the ever changing landscape of killing. And while the classic Sawtooth Mk.5 is mighty force to be reckoned with, the new Mk.6 incorporates the latest technology available.

The main gun is a 120 mm smoothbore gun developed by Swivey Industries. The tank carries an ammunition store of 50 rounds of 120 mm ammunition. The tank is also equipped with three 7.62 mm machine guns, two roof mounted and one co-axial with the main gun. The tank carries a store of 10,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.

Just recently, the forward section of the turret is fitted with additional blocks of armor which provide extra protection against the latest generation of top attack anti-tank missiles.

The electro-hydraulic turret control system can be operated by either the gunner or the commander, but not both at the same time, which designers are looking forward to incorporating in the newer versions of the Mk.6.

The gunner's station is equipped with a thermal sight and "day-vision" scopes, which are stabilised in two axes. A laser rangefinder and target tracker are integrated into the gunner's sight. The Fodark Automatic Target Tracker is able to automatically aim at the target using the image data presented on the day or night sights.

The Sawtooth Mk.6 is equipped with an AGNW-114 diesel supplied by Dethcom Dynamics. The air-cooled diesel provides 1,200 horsepower, compared to the 900 horsepower engine installed in the Mk 4 and Mk 5. The tank's transmission system was developed by the Wangrot Industries Unlimited (subsidiary of Pistrix Combined Industries Circular).

The Warpick

The IG-88 Warpick is the Pistrix military's proudest achievement. Billed as the premiere anti-personnel vehicle, the Warpick leads the way to greater peace. While it's primary fuction is to shower down ordinance on unsuspecting infantry at long-range, it can engage targets while stationary and on the move, using guns for close-in defence, and missiles for anit-helicopter offense.

The IG-88 Warpicks carries six surface-to-air missiles. The missile (Swivey Industries designation EZ-6 Dart) has semi-automatic radar command to line-of-sight guidance, weighs 40 kg with a 9 kg warhead. The missile's maximum speed is 900 meters/sec and can engage targets travelling at speeds up to 500 meters/sec. Range is from 15 to 4,000 m for ground targets and 15 to 7,000 m for air targets.

Two twin-barrel Multi-Ordiance guns, designed by Dethcom Dynamics, are mounted on the vehicle. These guns have a maximum firing rate of 720 rounds per minute (12 per second) and a range of 1200 m against targets. Ordinace include High Impact, Fragmentation, Incendiary, Bio-X, or the infamous "Potpourri."

The vehicle is also fitted with a large target acquisition radar and target tracking radar, optical sight, digital computing system, tilt angle measuring system and navigation equipment, ideal for anti-aircraft and personnel ambush tactics. Radar detection range is 15 km and tracking range is 12 km.

On each side of the tank are four smoke grenade dischargers, or the crew can also inject of diesel fuel into the engine exhausts, to create a temporary smoke screen.

The armored turret has both laying and stabilisation drives and power supply. Remarkably effective air-conditioning, heating and filtration systems are soon to be added. The Warpick is protected by the latest generation of Swivey Industries Xero Tolerance armor.

The Warpick may not be THE solution to war in our lifetime, but atleast it's A solution.

Pistrix Army Medals
Like many militaries in the world, Pistrix has a long tradition of giving awards to personnel for bravery, courage and heroism. Such awards have varying levels of distinction, and are awarded for differing reasons. However, the Pistrix Army also holds a long tradition of giving negative citations of varying degrees and for varying reasons. A Pistran soldier is known to wear his or her medals with pride and/or shame even during the harshest combat situations. The Pistran Army realizes, and emparts to its soldiers, that acheivement is what defines our existence. "We are only what is in our trophy case", said one general. Damned if he wasn't right. We salute you Heroes of Pistrix, and spit on your comrades who perform poorly.