Type 26

The Java Heavy Metals Type 26 was a mass-produced Lorica model used extensively by OEPU "continental" units and client militaries in the South Asian Free States extensively in the early portions of the Third World War. Affectionately nicknamed the "Gunbird" by crews, its distinctive design remained a general rule of thumb for JHM-designed vehicles, in spite of JHM not following the usual convention of maintaining a product line from model to model.

The JHM Type 26 was one of the most easily, and inexpensively, produced Lorica models of its time, and saw extensive use both in the Third World War as well as the proceeding conflicts, in particular the Himilayan Border War of 2036.

Model Description

JHM's Type 26 was possibly the smallest and simplest of its contemporary generation-one Lorica designs. While it was fully compliant with the Lorica standard, in order to save money on manufacturing costs, as well as save on complexity for both pilots and ground crews, the Type 26 was designed without the humanoid Manipulator Unit design that would become customary for most Lorica units during and after the widespread adoption of the standard.

Instead, the Type 26 was a bipedal (reverse-knee) walker with two "sponson" Autocannon turrets mounted at the shoulder, and a relatively small cockpit within the core module. While this made it easy to field a large number of Type 26s, and the unit was nonetheless suited to its intended roles of infantry support and acting as light armour, it was none-the-less anemic compared to even the closest comparable OEPU model, the Durandal Arms Diego. Nominally fullfilling the Assault Type role, the Type 26 nonetheless had a brutal reputation for poor survivability by the end of the 2036 conflict and was soon replaced by the more powerful Type 35.

Though rudimentary, the type 26 did provide a few basic combat coroutines to assist the pilot:

• Core Unit: Lesser Coordinated Fire
• Manipulator Units: Minor Suppression
• Legs: Rapid Egress