Name: Cannon Tortoise RAV
Alignment: Zian (Formerly old Helic Republic)
Family: Tortoise
Registration Number: RZ-13A
Crew: 1
Height: 5.8 Meters
Length: 9.9 Meters
Weight: 33.6 Tons
Top Speed: 100 kph
Weapons: Long-Range Heavy Mortar Cannon, Quad AZ 30mm Beam Cannons
Special Abilities: None.
Cost: TBD
Level: 3 Upgrade (Wartime)
Requirements: Requires Rocketry

For some reason, throughout Zi's history, Republican designers have never been able to leave the Cannon Tortoise alone. While armed with a formidable long-range mortar in its default configuration, that level of destruction is rarely adequate in the art of warfare. Fortunately for the brilliant if destruction-minded weapons designers of the old Helic Republic, the Cannon Tortoise was also designed with some measure of flexibility in mind. As a result, the poor turtle's iconic heavy mortar could be stripped off and replaced with a different weapon -- in the case of the Rocket Artillery Variant, one of particularly frightening power.

The Helic Republic initially designed the Cannon Tortoise as a walking (and occasionally talking) artillery piece, a function which it performs admirably well. However, the powerful high explosive mortar of the Cannon Tortoise became obsolete during the Neo-Zenebas Wars as republican rocketry experts began to pioneer the science of rocket artillery. The Cannon Tortoise RAV's Heavy Mortar has been removed and replaced with a particularly fearsome battery of 14 heavy rockets, all of which can air burst into many smaller submunitions and coat a tremendously large area completely with explosions, giving the RAV a distinct advantage over its mortar-armed predecessor in destroying a large number of weak targets. The RAV is a particularly good weapon against infantry and swarms of low-level Zoids, but is vulnerable to airstrikes and a high-value target for any enemy.

Aside from the firepower on the back, the MRV is same slow, clunky, and durable piece of hardware it always was. The Cannon Tortoise boasts armor with strength per unit thickness a bit better than other Zoids of its size and level. However, almost the entirely of the Tortoise is covered with its shell, which is extremely thick. As a matter of fact, in the general shell region, the Cannon Tortoise’s armor is tougher than that found on a Blade Liger. The unarmored parts of the Zoids -- most the legs and head, are small targets -- and the shell will take the brunt of any enemy counter-artillery fire!

However, be it noted that the Cannon Tortoise MRV is at a serious disadvantage in melee combat. Though its tough, its next to useless at close range, and most Zoids can wear it down. It’s just a matter of closing the distance.

Weapons:
Twin Rocket Artillery Batteries:
Rather than the familiar singular mortar, a Cannon Tortoise has two massive rocket launchers mounted on either side of its back. These powerful launchers boast seven mighty rockets each (for a total of 14 large rockets). These rocket launchers have a maximum range of 50 kilometers and a minimum range of 2 (for safety reasons) and can pivot from 45 degrees up to almost a flat horizontal -- their mean flight time is a minute. All rockets of the Cannon Tortoise must be fired at once. Once they are, however, the effects on an enemy can be truly devestating. The rockets explode at an airburst of several hundred meters into a dispersion pattern of hundreds of submunitions -- yes, making these effectively cluster rockets. The detonation of the submunitions completely blankets and a 1 by 1 square kilometer area, making these rockets extremely difficult to "dodge", even if they are detected beforehand. The damage dealt is actually fair minor -- perhaps like being hit by a one or two standard missiles -- and only extremely low level Zoids such as the Rev Raptor are seriously threatened by the barrage. The rockets will decimate unshielded infantry, though, and many RAVs working together can seriously threaten large formations of Zoids.

Note that these Rockets cannot be reloaded via transport. A special reloading crew many take about a minute to reload them if extra rockets are available. However, under most circumstances, the RAV delivers its payload and leaves. Further note that before dispersal of submunitions, the rockets are not armed and if something were to say... hit one in flight, the impact would be seriously damaging because of the rocket's momentum, but not because of the explosion. The rockets have roughly the armor of an Iron Kong's ballistic missile and are difficult to shoot down.

Quad AZ 30mm Cannons:
The Cannon Tortoise has two double-barreled AZ 30mm Cannons, one on either side of its main body. It’s a completely standard setup: all four weapons are semiautomatic, and can pivot up to 30 degrees up.