AAS02: CATAPHRACT

AAS02: CATAPHRACT
General information
Classification	Special craft
Affiliation	Planetary Closure Administration
Conflicts present	Coral War
Real world information
Appearances	ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON

The AAS02: CATAPHRACT is a heavy mobile craft used by the Planetary Closure Administration's Special Forces during the Coral War. It is specialized for ground combat and considered a dangerous war asset.

Overview

The CATAPHRACT appears as a massive tank made up of a central chassis supported by four massive caterpillar treads for mobility. A massive turret on top mounts a 32-tube missile launcher on the right for long-range combat, and a smaller turret on top to the left sports a spread laser cannon comprised of 9 individual laser emitters for firing scatter shots at close range, whose firepower can also be combined into a single large beam. Two small six-barrel gatling guns are mounted to the front of the turret for supporting firepower, and finally two large-caliber four-barrel gatling guns are mounted to the sides and front of the main chassis as its main offensive armament. The entire craft is controlled by a Muscle Tracer attached to the front.

Despite its size, the CATAPHRACT is fast and agile, combining it with heavy armor on its main body able to withstand enormous amounts of punishment. The only vulnerable point of the CATAPHRACT is on the front, the only place from which its central MT can be damaged. Handler Walter speculates that this is because the CATAPHRACT's designers never expected a frontal assault on account of the craft's firepower.

Gameplay

In ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON, the CATAPHRACT is a boss NPC fought in the missions "Destroy the Special Forces Craft", and "Obstruct the Mandatory Inspection" in New Game++.

In-game information

Quotes

"The CATAPHRACT is a moving fortress equipped with almost impenetrable armor. It incorporates a bipedal MT as its core, making it a highly versatile threat. That MT core is also its vulnerability—focus your fire there and it can be beaten."

— RLF intel

Gallery

Promotional image

CATAPHRACT on its boosting mode

Close-up

Destroyed (Front)

Destroyed (Side view)

Destroyed (Topside)

Destroyed (Rear)

CATAPHRACT in motion

Concept art

CATAPHRACT schematic

Trivia

• 

  The CATAPHRACT in the Reveal Trailer

  The CATAPHRACT appears in the ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON Reveal Trailer being lowered down from a large hangar, then in the Story Trailer fighting Handler Walter's hounds.
• A variant of the CATAPHRACT's chassis appears in certain maps that has two large guns instead of the missile launcher and spread laser combo that the typical unit has.
• True to the naming scheme of other PCA units, the CATAPHRACT is a reference to a historical military unit. Cataphracts were heavily armored units originating from Persia, and the English word is derived from the Greek word kataphraktos, meaning “armored” or “completely enclosed”. The CATAPHRACTS are likewise almost completely covered in heavy armor except for the front.
• The Spread Laser Cannon's firing mechanism resembles the VP-60LCD's laser diffusion cannon.