One of the lessons learned in the aftermath of the war with the Zentraedi was the increased need for high mobility mecha. Simply put, there would never be enough units to defend every potential target from aggression all the time. While the VF-1 Valkyrie proved adept at rapid response, its light armament often times lead to the rescuing team being cut to pieces by the more heavily armed insurgents. For a while, units composed of various Destroids were organized and sent out on search and destroy missions. Other tactics called for every town to receive one or two Destroids to supplement their civil defense, usually a Spartan and Defender. Ultimately, it was the fact that the Destroids were fairly slow-moving that lead to the shift in emphasis to smaller and faster mecha which had less reliance on heavy artillery. The first unit to fulfill the requirements of good firepower and high mobility was the Spartas.
Designed to be the transforming equivalent of the old Tomahawk-class Destroid in terms of raw power, the new hovertank exceeded everyone’s expectations. Unlike the older Destroids, which had not been designed from the start as multi-role platforms, the Spartas would serve as a battle taxi, recon/scout, rapid reaction counter-offensive vehicle, stand-off direct fire platform and close quarters combat mecha.
Armor-wise, the Spartas mounts good protection. Newly developed advanced composite laminar guards the mecha. Ablative shielding, capable of deflecting energy weapon attacks (laser, particle beam, plasma & ion), was added to the forearms. This gives the hovertank driver the option of parrying energy-based attacks while in Battloid mode. Some of this shielding was also added to the weapons housings, increasing the survivability of the mecha, mostly from preventing cook offs of the 120mm ammunition.
Despite being rather heavily armored, the Spartas is surprisingly agile. Not only does it maintain rather high speeds in all modes, it also has increased mobility due to the jump jets built into the mecha. In Gladiator mode, its least mobile form, it can swivel upon its legs as well as activate its jump jets (built into the feet) to execute a full 180 degree rotation. More than one enemy mecha learned the bitter lesson that a Spartas, even shot at from behind, is not to be easily taken in combat. Lateral and horizontal movement are both capable in all modes, due mostly to the hover jets. While not capable of firing the main gun while moving laterally (usually in Gladiator mode), secondary weapons can be employed (beam rifle, rapid-fire beam cannon).
As a battle taxi, the Transport Mode of the Spartas allows the driver to move to and from the battlefield, mounting or dismounting as needed. This allows for a greater degree of flexibility in combat situations, letting the ATAC troopers (as they are commonly known) serve as mounted infantry in some cases. This is especially useful in MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) as well as other constricted terrains such as the infiltration of an enemy starship. The second function of the Transport Mode was to serve as a reconnaissance vehicle. All ATAC troopers are capable of serving as Cavalry Scouts, moving well ahead of the usual Army formations and behind enemy lines. The final profile of is that of a rapid reaction counter-offensive unit. More than once during the 2nd Robotech War, ATAC squadrons have turned the tide in a ground engagement by being able to rapidly move from one operational area to another. This makes them ideal for Civil Defense as well.
The intermediate form of the Spartas, known as Gladiator (or Guardian) Mode is where the hovertank gets its tank designation. The main gun is utilized often in this mode, mostly for the simple reason it is the most stable. Mounting either a 120mm smooth bore cannon capable of throwing a depleted uranium anti-armor penetrator round down range (among other options) or a 220mm laser-plasma beam cannon (after the -1A1 refit), the main gun of the Spartas is without peer. Whatever target is hit by this weapon rarely if ever survives. The stabilization of the cannon means that the driver can fire while the mecha is in mid-leap. Secondarily, the Spartas does mount a tri-barreled beam cannon, copied from the model mounted on the VF-8 Logan, capable of ground/anti-mecha suppression or even anti-aircraft fire. Woe be to the aerial mecha pilot who gets within range of this weapon.
Close Quarters Combat is the style of warfare most people associate with the mecha created by Robotech science. The Battloid Mode fulfills that role, giving the Spartas the capability of engaging other mecha, or even demobilized full-size Zentraedi, in hand-to-hand combat. Unlike the earlier Valkyrie, whose Battloid profile was at best its least capable function, the Spartas excels in this arena. The heavy armor plating stands it in good, as both the chest (with modest glacis slope) and the arms/weapon housings are shown to be able to withstand a great deal of punishment. One other mission profile that the Battloid mode offered was aerial insertion. Since the jump jets on the Spartas were quite powerful, allowing the mecha to stay aloft high inside the Earth’s atmosphere, those same jump jets allowed for the mecha to be dropped from an transport plane onto a battlefield.
The Spartas has served across the galaxy wherever the United Earth Forces took their wars. It was mostly acquired by the UEF's Army of the Southern Cross, though some Space Marine units kept them for boarding action. Individual governments within the UEG acquired them for their militias as well as part of the various colonial planet militias. Following the start of the 3rd Robotech War, an armored driver's station was introduced for all Spartas models serving with Earth forces. The Spartas remained a much sought after piece of equipment for the Invid Resistance on Occupied Earth and it formed a core component of the ERF's ground forces for all three Earth Recapture Missions.
Statistics
Designation: VHT-1 (A- Officer, B - NCO, & C - Enlisted) or VHT-1A1 (Officer’s Prototype)
Crew: 1 driver
Weight: 26.4 tons (dry)
Power plant: MT 842 Fusion Reactor; 8 Protoculture cells provides the fusion reactor with enough generating power to last approximately 3 months under combat conditions for all but the -1A1. The Officer’s Prototype needs 12 Protoculture cells (due to the power requirements of the 220mm beam cannon) and will last approximately 3 months under combat conditions.
Air supply: In situations where the driver must stay for an extended period of time in Battloid mode, the Spartas has the equivalent of a 2 week air capacity due to recycling.
Cargo capacity: A small arms/stores locker is located in the mecha, allowing the driver to cache items that could be necessary on a mission. This usually includes: 2 weeks freeze-dried rations, 5 gal. water (kept cooled by refrigeration unit), 5 signal flares, waterproof matches, small high intensity flashlight, emergency blanket, 30m of cord, combat/survival knife as well as a Wolverine Assault Rifle, Weasel auto-pistol, 3 magazines for each and 6 Cobalt and/or Frag Grenades.
Ammunition Storage: Both the VHT-1 and VHT-1A1 can store an additional 30 rounds for the 120mm smoothbore in the armored sleeve above the tri-barreled beam cannon assembly. The rounds can be accessed only in Transport or Gladiator modes. They must be moved by hand to reload the main gun.
Black Market Value: If recovered for the Anti-Unification League, a Spartas is generally worth some 2 million Merchant Republic Credits intact and 500,000 damaged. Given the nature of the world economy, the AUL rarely pays in hard currency but instead in barter (weapons, ammunition, land etc).
Transport Mode
Height: 2m
Breadth: 2.7m
Length: 6m
Maximum land speed: 161kph
Jet Assisted Jumps: 20m high and long
Max sustained hover height: 2.3m
Gladiator Mode
Height: 4m
Breadth: 2.25m
Depth: 7.75m
Maximum land speed (leaping/hopping): 13kph
Maximum land speed (hovering): 70kph
Jet Assisted Jumps: 20m high and long
Battloid Mode
Height: 6.2m
Breadth: 4.4m
Depth: 2m
Maximum land speed: 90kph
Hover: 300kph at 10,000m
Jet Assisted Jumps: 75m high and long
Armament Loadout
1 x 36mm tri-barreled beam cannon (fires in Gladiator and Battloid modes)
1 x 28mm beam cannon gun pod (fires in Transport and Battloid modes, rear protection in Gladiator)
1 x 120mm smoothbore (fires in Gladiator and Battloid modes)
Or
1 x 220mm heavy particle cannon (fires in Gladiator and Battloid modes)
Armament
1.) 120mm Liquid-Propelled Smoothbore Cannon (VHT-1 only): The main gun of the Spartas until the introduction of the 220mm particle cannon, this weapon devastated its intended target. Capable of utilizing a number of different munitions, the cannon is noteworthy for the fact that all of them are either wire or LiDAR guided. This means that the target could be struck even if it were off-center of the main gun, either above/below or to either side. More than one foe discovered too late that hiding behind battlefield terrain was no sure guarantee of safety. There is enough liquid propellant for 65 shots.
Instead of traditional casing propellant, the Spartas uses liquid stored in a reservoir inside the weapon's housing. There is enough stored for 60 shots. This means all of the shells utilized by this weapon have Improved Combustible Cases, making them artillery-sized caseless rounds. Rounds developed so far include: Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding-Sabot, Multi-Purpose Airburst Flechette, Proton Torpedo and Tactical Nuclear/Light Reflex
or
1.) 220mm Laser-Plasma Cannon (VHT-1A1 Officer‘s Prototype): When it was decided to upgrade the Spartas, the military brass called for lessening of the logistical tail of their ATAC Regiments. An all energy-weapon platform would allow their units to stay far longer in the field than normal, lengthening the amount of time between re-supply. One of the single most devastating mecha-borne weapons, the 220mm cannon literally destroyed whatever target was struck by its beam.
2.) Tri-barreled 36mm Beam Cannon: The Spartas, like all ground vehicles, has to deal with the very real threat of attack from aerial platforms. To give them a fighting chance, the mecha is outfitted with an identical copy of the Logan’s nose-mounted tri-barreled cannon. Capable of rapid-fire, it serves as ShoRAD (Short Range Air Defense) as well as ground forces/anti-mecha suppression fire. In Gladiator mode this rapid-fire cannon can be used during a lateral move, unlike the main gun, giving the Spartas the capability of counter-fire during a dodge maneuver.
3.) EPR-11 Artemis 28mm Electron Phase Rifle: For Close Quarters Combat the Spartas, like other Veritechs, carries a gun pod. It is capable of both semi-automatic and rapid burst fire. While the Spartas is in Transport mode, the cannon is stored in a scabbard mounted to the hood (it forms the rear skirt in Battloid mode), capable of elevating to 45 degrees.
Addendum: Space Warfare Variant Type
As part of the VHT-1 development phase, it was felt the Spartas should be capable of being deployed into any environment in Transport mode if needed, namely outerspace. Additional thrusters were designed to supplement the hover jets in transport mode, high intensity spotlights and a transparent driver's station cover was added to help give the driver an atmosphere as well as with visibility. This modification was rarely used until the Second Offensive during the 2nd Robotech War.
Addendum: Air/Space Warfare Variant Type
Rarely used during the 2nd Robotech War, the Air/Space Type modification centered around deploying the Battloid Mode Spartas as Jump Infantry and/or a Space Battloid. Building on the already powerful jet pack thrusters built into the mecha, this allowed use in the upper atmosphere, where the Spartas could already operate in Battloid mode, as the blades could operate like control surfaces on an aircraft. Additional thrusters were emplaced on the back and feet, as well as Ajax-style vernier blades at the tips of the back mounted add-on permitted this modification to be used in space.