The VAT Peacekeeper


Designation: Advanced Heavy Bomber
Manufacturer: FutureTech
Country of origin: Holland
Serially manufactured at: Allied Weapons Factory

Key features:

• Large 150mm retractable cannon
• Twin 7.62mm mini-Guns
• Quadruple omni-articulated claws mounted on air cushions
• Holo-scan target designator
• ‘Turnkey’ deployment mechanism



With the benefit of hindsight, the military history community now generally recognises that the Allies’ orbital defence network proved to be critically important to their eventual victory. Athena SatNet did not always enjoy such favourable reviews, of course: the SatNet programme was nearly scrapped due to public pressure over exorbitant development costs. Today, it is difficult to imagine how different the world would be were it not for the Athena Cannon and its eponymous target-designating vehicle. But despite the fact that the Athena Cannon proved essential in breaching the heaviest base defences of the Soviet Union and the Empire of the Rising Sun, the orbital defence network was in fact so costly that it failed to keep pace with the Allies’ escalating war efforts on two separate fronts. Put simply, SatNet could only be in so many places at once. As the Allies succeeded in securing their borders and seizing the initiative, SatNet’s limited reach meant that only a select few Allied commanders were authorised to invoke Athena’s wrath. Recognising an opportunity, the Amsterdam-based FutureTech Corporation set about developing an alternative long-range bombardment solution: the ‘Peacekeeper’ FTC-X3 Field Artillery Vehicle. With its all-terrain undercarriage and a state-of-the-art 150-millimetre gun, the Peacekeeper will make the Allies’ remaining adversaries think twice before entering any demilitarised zones.


A glimpse into the future: the VAT Peacekeeper combines a sleek, cost-effective design with high mobility, extreme firepower and respectable self-defence capabilities.

Unlike the Peacekeeper’s Artillery Barrages, the Athena Cannon is based on the principle that precision Orbital Strikes can be used to cleanly destroy enemy installations and heavy vehicles whilst minimising the risk of collateral damage. At the same time, the vehicles used to target the orbital cannons employed such a complex encryption system that the risk of this weapon falling into enemy hands is virtually nil. Nevertheless, dozens of Athena Cannons were destroyed in the final desperate months of the war, as the Allies’ enemies naturally targeted these dangerous assets as an extremely high priority. The design of the Peacekeeper directly addresses all these shortcomings, although the vehicle and its firing system had already entered development when the first details of Athena SatNet were revealed. Furthermore, the Peacekeeper features a number of revolutionary innovations that should help ensure that the Allies’ post-war sanctions are duly observed.

Specifically, the Peacekeeper is built on an aerodynamic all-terrain chassis that uses four independently articulated air cushions to carry the vehicle over both land and sea. Instances where Athena Cannons have become stuck on uneven ground should now be a thing of the past. These same air cushions serve as a mounting for the Peacekeeper to deploy its Grand Cannon, a 150-millimetre Artillery piece with a twin-barrelled design that fires salvos of FutureTech impactor bombs over very long distances. Whilst the Grand Cannon lacks the accuracy of the Athena Cannon, it has greater range and greater stopping power, as well as a wider area of effect. All of this makes the Peacekeeper far more effective than the Athena Cannon against clustered enemy positions or armoured columns. Furthermore, in its mobile form, the Peacekeeper is protected by twin mini-machine guns, powerful enough to deter enemy assault forces. Consequently, the Peacekeeper still possesses considerable defensive capability even if enemy combatants somehow manage to get within firing range of its main weapon.


As FutureTech Corporation’s response to the Athena SatNet orbital defence system, the Peacekeeper proves that economic competition is very much alive within the Allied ranks.

As the war is over, the Peacekeeper is unlikely to be produced in very large numbers in the near future. Should the need arise, however, FutureTech will be ready and is constantly using the latest test data to refine the Peacekeeper’s design. Allied Forces have already deployed a number of these vehicles for use near certain rather unstable border regions, including key coastal areas in southern Japan. Technically, the Peacekeeper’s performance in real combat scenarios has yet to be seen and assessed. However, Allied commanders have high hopes, based on the evidence from live-fire test results, as well as FutureTech’s proud reputation as the world’s leading supplier of high-quality military equipment.


Reconnaissance on the battlefield has at least revealed the following facts about the VAT Peacekeepers:

• The Grand Cannon– The Peacekeeper’s most important feature is its Artillery piece, which boasts the longest range and the most devastating Desolator impact ever seen. No one can withstand a single salvo from the Grand Cannon, which can obliterate enemy base defences, installations and unit formations. Due to its blast radius and 85 per cent ‘on-target’ accuracy, the Grand Cannon is best suited to areas where collateral damage is acceptable.

-All-terrain capability- The Peacekeeper can travel across all terrains, including water, and thus boasts considerable speed and minimal noise. Its mini-machine guns defend it whilst in transit, providing full 360-degree coverage without exposing the Artillery Turret to enemy fire. The Peacekeeper can only deploy its artillery on flat surfaces.

-Rapid Access- Part of FutureTech’s competitive proposition with the Peacekeeper involved greater accessibility than the Athena Cannon. Consequently, the Peacekeeper is available to Allied commanders with lower authorisation levels than those required for the Athena Cannon. However, the Peacekeepers-which are still at the experimental stage-are relatively expensive and can only be requisitioned through an Allied Defense Bureau in order to record performance data and liaise with FutureTech monitoring teams.

-Known Issues - Despite twin mini-machine guns and respectable armour, the Peacekeeper cannot engage heavy vehicles at close range, nor can it return fire against enemy aircraft. It is therefore best used well-protected in the rear ranks. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the Peacekeeper’s holoscanners can be detected by both allies and enemies. Forces under threat are strongly advised to clear the area immediately.