the Thunderclap

The Thunderclap is arguably the GI Joe team's single largest piece of artillery. It can fire an eleven inch shell at a maximum effective range of twenty miles. The explosive force of these shells is staggering, and can simply atomize most opponents.

Not to mention leave a crater a full area across! The Thunderclap is massive, however, and needs two support vehicles to even move in the first place. These vehicles are a tractor and a trailer, and each has supplementary arms to protect their occupants.

When on the move as a whole, the Thunderclap has the following vehicular characteristics:

C       S       B       P
Pr 4    Pr 4    Ex 20   Gd 10

Cannon Base

The component of the Thunderclap people most associate with that name, the cannon base is the center portion of the Thunderclap, and by itself immobile - but then, that's what the other parts of the thing are for. It has these primary weapons installed:

Annihilator Cannon: the main weapon on the Thunderclap, this mammoth cannon fires eleven inch shells at an opponent, doing so with a 20 mile range. These shells inflict Unearthly (100) Edged Attack damage to everything in the area they hit, as well as the areas surrounding it.

Mini-cannons: the rear of the cannon base is equipped with two 70mm, rotary barreled cannons. Each of these can fire a short burst of ammo to inflict Excellent (20) Shooting damage, or be fired continuously to inflict Remarkable (30) Shooting damage.

They have laser targeting beams for a +1 CS to hit, too.

Missile Launcher: the front of the cannon base has a thermally shielded box missile launcher, situated beneath the cannon barrel. It can fire three surface-to-surface missiles, which inflict a +1 CS to the listed damage if more than one of them strike a single target:

C       S       B       Damage
Ex 20   Am 50   Ex 20   Remarkable (30) Edged Attack (fragmentary)

Tractor Vehicle

The tractor of the Thunderclap is a tracked vehicle that the front of the cannon base hitches to - and does the steering on the thing. It's usually where its primary operator (Long Range) is seated, and the area from which he commands its crew. It has these capabilities:

C       S       B       P
Gd 10   Ty 6    Ex 20   Gd 10

Environmental Sensors: scattered about the tractor are environmental sensors that feed data back into the cab. This allows the commander of the Thunderclap to know when there are any hostile chemical elements in the area. These sensors function at Remarkable (30) rank.

Low Attack Missiles: there are three surface-to-surface missiles spaced about the tractor vehicle, with two on the left side and one on the right - both situated above its treads. These missiles inflict a +1 CS to the listed damage if more than one of them strike a single target:

C       S       B       Damage
Ex 20   Am 50   Ex 20   Remarkable (30) Edged Attack (fragmentary)

MG-999 Assault Weapon: this dual barreled, pulsating assault weapon is mounted atop the tractor's cab. It can be fired to inflict Remarkable (30) Shooting damage in a short, controlled burst, or Incredible (40) Shooting damage in a fully automatic spread of ammunition.

Radar Jamming Mechanism: the tractor vehicle on the Thunderclap can generate a lot of radio frequency 'noise' to prevent enemy radar systems from functioning properly; of course, this affects allies as well. This jamming functions at Excellent (20) rank.

Trailer Vehicle

The rear component of the Thunderclap, the trailer vehicle lifts the rear half of the cannon base off the ground, supporting much of its weight. It also provides forward motive force to assist the tractor in pulling the cannon about. It has these characteristics:

C       S       B       P
Ty 6    Gd 10   Ex 20   Gd 10

Blaster Cannons: these twinned assault weapons are mounted atop the trailer's cab. They can be fired to inflict Remarkable (30) Shooting damage in a short, controlled burst, or Incredible (40) Shooting damage in a fully automatic spread of ammunition.

Communications Array: the trailer vehicle houses the Thunderclap's comm system. It's a gigahertz frequency, frequency wobbler clandestine operations radio system, providing Good (10) transception (50 mile maximum range) with Remarkable (30) ranked signal encryption.

Infrared Targeting System: the trailer of the Thunderclap makes use of an infrared range finder and target acquisition system (since the tractor jams radar). It can add a +1 CS to targeting attempts made with the annihilator cannon, as well as to hit with the Thunderclap's missiles.

ZPJ-79 Cruise Missiles: there are three surface-to-surface missiles mounted on the trailer vehicle - all on a launcher above its left wheels. These missiles inflict a +1 CS to the listed damage if more than one of them strike a single target:

C       S       B       Damage
Ex 20   Am 50   Ex 20   Remarkable (30) Edged Attack (fragmentary)