Viking

The A2 Viking Armored Mechanical Hybrid was a terran combat vehicle able to transform between a ground unit, its assault mode, and an air unit, its fighter mode. Developed by the Terran Dominion to address weaknesses in terran anti-air capability revealed during the Brood War, the Viking was conceived as an armored vehicle that could shift its combat role smoothly to meet the tactical needs of a developing battle. Its transformation system was based heavily on that of the siege tank, and the elite few pilots who mastered both of its combat modes became among the most feared aircrew in the Koprulu sector.

Design and hardware#

The Viking was a support ship whose transformation ability was based heavily on that of the siege tank. In its aerial mode it was classified as an air-superiority fighter, though the walker mode was considered the more important of the two and the craft was regarded as ungainly in the air. A large reactor housed in the central body powered all electrical systems and provided torque for walker-mode locomotion, a set of thrusters in the underbelly gave it hover and vertical takeoff capability and kept it stable during transformation, and four low-bypass turbines generated propulsion in flight. The pilot's seat carried more than double the straps, pads, and packing of any other fighter craft to account for the violent ups and downs of switching modes, and a soundproof carapace protected the pilot's ears from the thunderous Gatling cannons.

Versatility was designed into the Viking down to the smallest part. Most moving components could be replaced with easy-to-find spares, and even the complex servo systems in the arms and legs were interchangeable, so it was not uncommon for a pilot to ditch an arm to replace a damaged leg servo and return to battle. That versatility was also a drawback, because few pilots could handle both combat modes. The cockpit featured a heads-up display, targeting system, and terrain mapper standard to terran fightercraft, along with a detailed 3D wireframe showing the condition of every servo and actuator so that the pilot always knew what worked. As a final safeguard the Viking carried a governor circuit that cut off reactor power before the machine reached critical levels, but in dire situations pilots disabled it to supercharge the reactor into a deliberate meltdown, an unofficial self-destruct nicknamed the "Heimdall" for the brilliant flash that consumed the craft and its pursuers.

Armament and variants#

The Viking was designed as an anti-air and ground-support weapon system, armed with a large payload of MT50 lanzer torpedoes and twin Gatling cannons for its two respective tasks, with a targeting system that displayed height and location. Because the torpedoes were ineffective against aerial targets smaller than capital ships, Enlightened Dynamics developed Ripwave missiles for the hybrid, and Bellerephon further expanded its options through the Phobos-class weapon system, an improved loadout adding a longer-range anti-air missile and an upgraded Gatling cannon with greater range in ground assaults. The implementation cost was steep enough that only a few Vikings received those upgrades.

During the reign of Emperor Valerian Mengsk, Castillo Industries developed a more efficient and streamlined Viking with a different design, piloted by artificial intelligence and fitted with twin engines that increased firepower in both modes. Castillo also produced a heavily armored Viking model for the Umojan Protectorate. Among the named variants were the Deimos Viking, the Royal Guard Sky Fury, and the Archangel.

History#

The Viking was based on the Wyrm, an earlier design fielded by the Terran Confederacy, but the Wyrm was considered sluggish and unresponsive and was a rare sight. The Brood War revealed weaknesses in terran anti-air capability, as Wraith combat fighters and Valkyrie missile frigates proved an unwieldy combination against agile zerg airborne organisms, while ground-based anti-air support from goliath assault walkers was too limited in mobility, since airborne attackers could simply move out of range. In the aftermath, terran weapon technicians proposed a radical concept to resolve both problems: an armored vehicle that could change its combat role from assault walker to air-superiority fighter and switch smoothly to fit a developing battle.

Hoping to fill that gap, the Terran Dominion upgraded the Wyrm into the Viking, giving it more armor, more options, and a faster response time. A Viking was showcased at Ursa in 2502, where one single-handedly destroyed a military base after its pilot went rogue. During the reign of Emperor Valerian Mengsk, a new and more cost-efficient Viking with a sleeker design was commissioned from Castillo Industries.