Scorpion Series Armored Vehicles

Scorpion Series Armored Vehicles
Type	Combat Vehicle Platform
Price	Reputation Level 10
List of owners	Black Hand

The Scorpion Series Armored Vehicles are military vehicles in Just Cause: Volosia.

Overview

The Scorpion series of armored vehicles is the main frontline combat vehicle and armored personnel carrier of the Black Hand in Just Cause: Volosia. The APC variants can appear wherever the Black Hand are found, but the battle tank variants are not as common.

Development history

The Black Hand had commissioned its research and development team to design a single vehicle with multiple variants on either an 8x8 or 6x6 chassis, to replace the assorted tanks and APCs the Black Hand had acquired through purchase or capture from other nations' armed forces. A certain standard of power was also required for the vehicle, as the Black Hand wanted to possess a military with enough strength to rival a world power and to roll over whatever army the contract requires. The Scorpion was the result of this and soon a prototype of both the B-44-T tank variant and the B-33-2 were developed, both of them proving to be excellent combat vehicles.

Soon the Scorpion was produced in large numbers at Black Hand bases worldwide and it came into service as the Black Hand's main combat vehicle for any purpose they may require. The vehicles are easily powerful enough to defeat the aging post-Soviet arsenal of the Volosian factions, and is capable of matching the UVR's imports from NATO, should the need arise.

Visual appearance

The Scorpion series of armored vehicles take on the visual form of the Turkish Otokar Arma APC, which is available in a 6x6 and 8x8 version, and as a result the in-game Scorpion can be encountered in the form of an eight-wheeled main battle tank, or a six-wheeled APC. Numerous variants exist of both the real Otokar Arma and the Scorpion, and the main battle tank is only one of them.

Variants

The Black Hand (Volosia) uses two specific designations to denote what body a variant has. A variant designated B-44 will have eight wheels, and a variant designated B-33 will have six.

Scorpion B-33-2

Based on the simple 6x6 variant of the Otokar with a mounted machine gun, the B-33-2 is very similar operationally to the canon CS Baltdjur, equipped with six wheels, heavy armor, enough seats for a squad, and a gunner-operated machine gun on the roof. This is the Black Hand's usual APC-type vehicle and is the fastest available Scorpion variant, in addition to being the lightest. It also holds the record for most smoke grenade dischargers on a single vehicle in the game, with that number being sixteen. Four on either side of the hull, and eight just below the mounted machine gun.

Scorpion B-33-3

Almost identical to the B-33-2, the main difference between the B-33-2 and the B-33-3 is that this variant has a driver-operated machine gun turret rather than an exposed emplacement on the roof. Trading a small amount of speed for added protection and offensive capability for the driver, this is a slightly heavier variant of the Scorpion and it is more well-suited to combat zones where a larger swarm of enemy resistance is expected. Six smoke grenade dischargers on the rear of the turret are also available.

Gameplay-wise, this variant is identical to the B-33-2, except that the turret is available to the driver and doesn't need to be entered like a conventional mounted gun. In addition, give or take a few kilometers per hour on the top speed, just to compensate.

Scorpion B-33-A

The B-33-A variant is a heavier cousin of the APC-style variants, with this one being equipped to directly face a small army rather than protect its passengers. While it is still able to carry and protect friendly infantry, this APC is designed to hold its own on the battlefield and eliminate enemy forces as required. It is equipped with a much larger IFV-style turret with an offset 20mm cannon designed for anti-aircraft or light anti-vehicle. This is the Black Hand's quick response vehicle against an incursion of enemy helicopters, and it is also equipped with smoke grenade dischargers and a coaxial machine gun for anti-personnel use.

Scorpion B-44-C

The Scorpion B-44-C is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier designed to sacrifice a B-33 variant's speed and mobility for increased armor protection and personnel capacity. Equipped with a mounted machine gun and eight hull-mounted smoke grenade dischargers, the B-44-C is capable of limited offensive capability against enemy infantry-based resistance, but its main purpose is to get larger numbers of Black Hand forces to the front lines than its B-33-2 cousin, and to provide greater protection and ensure that each soldier reaches the front lines safely.

Scorpion B-44-T

The B-44-T is the main battle tank of the Black Hand's armored forces and the muscle of their army, equipped with a coaxial machine gun for anti-personnel and limited anti-aircraft applications, sixteen smoke grenade dischargers on either side of the turret, oriented in such a way as to send smoke to the rear of the vehicle and the front, and a devastating 120mm cannon which is able to destroy destructables, enemy armor and vehicles, and if necessary, enemy aircraft. With such weaponry, the Black Hand's B-44-T is one of the most powerful tanks to encounter in Volosia, seconded only by Russia's Nosorog T-103. On top of all of this, its armor is also good enough to withstand plenty of punishment from enemy fire, as well as multiple shells from enemy tanks. It is truly a force to be reckoned with if a hostile one is encountered.

Scorpion B-44-A

The larger cousin of the B-33-A, the vehicle is almost identical to the B-33 save for a larger body to accommodate its eight wheels, as well as an additional pair of SAM missile launchers mounted in the turret for use against enemy jet aircraft. While the vehicle is slower, it is also more heavily armored and better equipped for enemy aircraft combat, having all the weapons available to a B-33-A, in addition to the missiles. It is able to fight enemy tanks if absolutely necessary with its missile launchers, but it is mainly a heavy anti-aircraft support vehicle for the Black Hand's armies.

Gallery

A pair of Otokar Arma variants, one with eight wheels and a cannon, and one with six wheels and a 20mm turret.

A cannon variant of the 8x8 Otokar Arma, the basis for the Scorpion B-44-T.

An 8x8 Otokar Arma APC with a mounted gun rather than a turret, the basis for the B-44-C.

An 8x8 Otokar Arma variant with a 20mm cannon, the basis for the B-44-A variant. This picture does not have the missile launchers.

Another view of the 20mm IFV variant of the 8x8 Otokar Arma.

Another vehicle with two SAM missiles mounted externally on the turret.

A turret of 8x8 an Otokar Arma APC with missiles that are significantly less exposed, and as such, the basis for the Scorpion B-44-A.

An APC version of the 6x6 Otokar Arma, the basis for the Scorpion B-33-2.

A 6x6 Otokar Arma with a machine gun turret, the basis for the B-33-3.

A 6x6 variant of the Otokar Arma APC equipped with a 20mm cannon like its 8x8 relative. This is the basis for the B-33-A.

Trivia

• The B-44-T is the most powerful tank in the game second only to the Urga Nosorog.
• The Otokar Arma exists in a game already, designated the MSE-3 Madrid APC in the 2013 game ArmA III
• While most vehicles in the game were designed by the Russian company URGA or the Western company Capstone, this vehicle was designed and developed by the Black Hand's R&D department.
• The vehicle is named after the Scorpion Tank from Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars.
  • Alternatively, it shares a name with the Halo franchise's M808 Scorpion main battle tank.