Name: Eisensturm
Cost: $33,500
Weight: 37 tons
Function: Extreme Suppressive firepower
Mounts On: Dibison, Neo Gungyarados
Mount Location:
-- The Dibison mounts the Quad Autocannons on its back, replacing the 9 mortar cannons there and has the Long Range Rifles, Vulcan Cannon, and Grenade Launcher mounted to either side, replacing the Mortar Cannons.
--The Neo Gungyarados trades it's AZ250mm Heavy Cannon for the Quad Autocannons. The Vulcan Cannon is mounted under the chin and the grenade launcher replaces the Triple Impact Cannon while the long range rifles are mounted to the outside of either forearm.
In Brief: By replacing the signature weaponry of some zoids, their role on the battlefield can be altered to focus on extreme long range suppressive firepower.

Weapon Type: Smoothbore Autocannon
Ammunition: 60mm clip-fed shells
Rate of Fire: 20 rounds per clip; see below

Weapon Type: Vulcan Cannon
Ammunition: 28mm caseless shells
Rate of Fire: 25 rounds per second

Weapon Type: Long Range Rifle
Ammunition: 110mm shells
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per second

Weapon Type: Rotary Grenade Launcher
Ammunition: High Explosive Rocket Propelled Grenades
Rate of Fire: 3 rounds per second
Payload: 6 round ready magazine, 18 round reserve

Description:What happens when you take a zoid like the Dibison and strip away the mortar array? Or when you take the Heavy Cannon from the Neo Gungyarados? The obvious is that you free up a lot of space and a lot of weight....but the less obvious answer is that you completely change the role of the zoid. One inventor realized this and chipped in his two cents... though you'll have to chip in much more if you want to get your hands on his ultimate creation: the Eisensturm.

A little engineering firm and the aforementioned inventor with a positively demonic bent for turning the battling world on its ear decided to explore those two answers and stripped those respective zoids on their iconic firepower and rebuilt them according to a model of direct firepower (and fire support) and extreme suppressive firepower. After witnessing the trial runs of the new weapon systems it was quickly dubbed Eisensturm for the barrage of metal the guns flung out at the unfortunate targets.

The core of the new weapons system are Quad Smoothbore Autocannons. Each autocannon uses an innovative and patented clip feed system that gives the autocannons their impressive rate of fire. While other guns may have a continuous stream of fire, the autocannons empty their clip in roughly a half-second and then eject the empty clip, loading another in its place, a process that takes about a second which means that, over the course of six seconds, a single autocannon can burn through four clips worth of ammunition, or 80 rounds total. The prospect of all four autocannons.... In any event, because the autocannons are smoothbore, they trade stopping power for accuracy making these cannons extremely accurate (for weapons are could be classified as automatic) at long ranges though, don't expect to reliably hit specific points.

However, the downside is that they don't have much penetrating power, dealing mostly surface damage...but if you've ever wanted to flense a zoid these the guns for you.

To supplement the autocannons, a pair of long range rifles were added. These 110mm weapons have elongated, rifled barrels to increase power and accuracy at extended ranges. While the rifles are more often than not going to hit what they're aimed at -- and whatever you hit is going to feel it -- these rifles don't do alot of surface damage but inflict deep, though small, wounds.

And, apparently, that wasn't enough for these rather vindicative engineers so, just to be sure the target feels appropiately picked on, they added two supplementary weapons: a 28mm vulcan cannon and a rotary grenade launcher. The Vulcan Cannon is essentially a miniaturized version of the venerable Hybrid Vulcan Gun with a lower rate of fire and all the other inherent problems but, it's great for generalized shelling.

The rotary grenade launcher is, essentially, a gatling firing rocket propelled grenades. While they're (highly) inaccurate after about 750 meters, each grenade hits with a force equal to about half of a normal missile's payload, complete with a small blast radius around ground zero (only two to three meters) but, being that this is a grenade and not actually a missile, that small area is, for a brief moment, a maelstrom of deadly shrapnel. While it can burn through its entire ready magazine in only a couple of seconds, the launcher can reload twice from its reserves, a process that starts automatically when the launcher runs dry (and not before then) and only takes a single second. Unfortunately, it can't be reloaded in the transport because the launcher has be opened up, a lengthy process.

The only hiccup came in adapting the weapon systems to each zoid and what resulted were radically differeing configurations. For the Dibison, the Quad Autocannons are mounted on a turret which replaces the 9 mortar launchers on the zoid's bacl; this turret can pan 60 degrees left and right as well as 45 degrees up or down. On either side, replacing the 4 mortar launchers normally mounted, is one of the two Long Range Rifles which can incline up to 60 degrees vertically but only 15 degress outward. The 28mm vulcan is mounted underslung on the left side Rifle while the grenade launcher is similarly mounted on the right.

The Neo Gungyarados has the Quad Smoothbore Autocannons on a turret which replaces the AZ250mm Heavy Cannon on the zoid's back; this turret is capable of panning 60 degrees to either side and 45 degrees up or down. The dual Long Range Rifles are split up, one being mounted to the outside of each forearm, capable of firing where the arms can point them while the 28mm vulcan is slung under the Neo Gungyarados's chin, firing wherever the head is pointing. As for the Rotary Grenade Launcher, the Neo Gungyarados loses its Triple Impact Cannon in favor of the grenade launcher which can move 45 degrees in any direction to help with aiming at a target.