Introducing heavy ground effect vehicles for The Red Star.
Anyuta-Class Ekranoplan
The Anyuta was a heavy ekranoplan (ground effect vehicle) developed by the URRS during the height of the Iron Hold. It was meant to attack and destroy hard targets like coastal gun emplacements and command bunkers and provide heavy covering fire and support during the critical initial stages of amphibious landing operations as well as transport its own share of the first wave of troops.
To this effect, the Anyuta was manufactured in two variants, known respectively as Anyuta-A and Anyuta-B, both armed with twin MK-132 self-ranging burst guns and either six heavy BHX Rykov Hook missiles or a battery of three racks of 500mm Katyusha artillery rockets.
The crew of an Anyuta consists of ten, including a commander, pilot, co-pilot, sorceress-engineer, a deck- or infokaster and five gunners.
Following the end of the URRS, Anyutas fell out of use due to neglect and defense cuts.
Heavy Transport Ekranoplan
These massive transports were able to deliver multiple krawls and self propelled guns or upwards of 1000 troops onto the beaches in a landing operations, following closely behind the first wave in a mix of Anyutas and smaller assault-configured hoverkraft.
Usually unarmed, mounting points for defensive armaments were still included in their design.
Each ekranoplan was crewed by five, a commander, pilot, co-pilot, (sorceress-)engineer and a mechanic/cargo master.
As the Anyutas, the huge and costly specialist vehicles fell into disrepair during the Red Fleet’s decline and were finally stricken from its rosters.
Vehicle Statistics
| Name | Crew | Pass | Cargo | Init | Maneuver | Top Speed | Defense | Damage Reduction |
| Anyuta-Class Ekranoplan | 10 | 40 | 2000 kg | -4 | -4 | 800 (80) | 6 | 10 |
| Heavy Transport Ekranoplan | 5 | 10 | 300 tons | -8 | -8 | 600 (60) | 2 | 5 |
| Name | Hit Points | Size | Weight | Hardpoints | Purchase DC | Restriction | Weapons | Extras |
| Anyuta-Class Ekranoplan | 75 | G | 340 tons | 8 (0) | 52 | Mil (+3) | Model MK-132 self-ranging burst gun (2); BHX Rykov hook missile (6) (Anyuta-A) or Katyushas, 500mm (3) (Anyuta-B) | Protocol shielding systems, Crypsis systems |
| Heavy Transport Ekranoplan | 70 | C | 280 tons | 2 (2) | 50 | Mil (+3) | – | Crypsis systems |
Naval Amphibious Landing Brigades of the Red Fleet
The Anyuta and supporting transport ekranoplans were an integral part of the naval amphibious landing brigades maintained by the Red Fleet during the Iron Hold. Alongside the smaller hoverkrafts, the heavy ground effect vehicles were considered a key to fulfill the brigades intended role of quick, decisive surprise amphibious assaults anywhere along the coasts of the seas adjacent to the territory of the URRS.
During the height of the URRS, a full-strength naval amphibious landing brigade could boast of ten Anyuta-class ekranoplans (usually organized in two groups of five, each consisting of 1 Anyuta-A and four Anyuta-B), ten heavy transport ekranoplans and 30 hoverkrafts. Together these would provide lift for all three of the brigade’s infantry battalions, a kolumn of 25 Hammer-class krawls, five Dragunov SPGs, five heavy mobile air defense systems as well all of the brigade’s attendant support and logistics functions and adequate supplies to maintain combat operations until protocol supply points could be set up.
Standard planning would call for the initial assault to be conducted by the Anyutas and Hoverkrafts with one infantry battalion dispersed in assault groups across the 40 vehicles with the krawls and assault guns following directly behind in five transport ekranoplans (five krawls and one SPG to each ekranoplan). The remaining two infantry battalions, air defense and support would be deployed in the second wave by the remaining ekranoplans.
Apart from maneuvres, no such assault were ever conducted by the Red Fleet and after the fall of the URRS, the amphibious formations were hit especially hard by the sudden cutbacks in defense spending and the ensuing chaos. With the decomissioning heavy ekranoplans, the brigades lost the capacity to transport their heavy weapons which were promptly mothballed or redistributed to other units. Finally, the amphibious forces were reorganized, most of the brigades deactivated and their hoverkrafts concentrated in the remaining units. On-paper, this should give access to 90 hoverkrafts each, enough to fully embark one of their two infantry battalions.
The Red Star and all related characters are ™ and © Christian Gossett. Used with kind permission.
The Red Star Campaign Setting is © Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.
The Red Star und alle verwandten Charaktere sind ™ und © Christian Gossett. Verwendet mit freundlicher Genehmigung.
The Red Star Campaign Setting ist © Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.