Type-45 missile walker

The Sukimoto Type-45 missile walker is a bipedal, single-pilot walker. Designed for the infantry support role and urban combat, the smaller-than-average Type-45 is used by the Imperial Army and the SNLF. It is also used by the Jeobseon Self-Defence Army as well as certain civilian groups.

Overview
One of the smallest walkers in active use, the Type-45 is designed to be highly manoeuvrable and air-transportable. Standing at a mere 2.5 metres tall and weighing just 10.2 tonnes, the Type-45 can be easily carried by standard dropships and transport aircraft, providing light vehicle support for infantry activities. Some Type-45s are also further modified to deploy directly from orbit via drop pods.

A single pilot sits in a cramped cockpit surrounded by synthetic titanium plating and polymer gel cushioning for maximum survivability. Similar to other Imperial walkers, each leg is controlled by its own control lever, though standard movements can be set for computer control, simplifying movement orders to simply moving an omnidirectional joystick. Powered by Sukimoto's own multi-fuel turbine, the Type-45 has a range of 426 km and a top speed of 122 km/h.

The main weapons of the Type-45 are clearly intended for infantry support, with a fearsome anti-infantry and light vehicle option in the form of a 30mm rotary cannon with over 400 rounds. Concealed by retracted panels on either side of the squat walker's control pod are two quadruple missile launchers, which can load a total of eight wire-guided missiles to engage heavier targets, such as tanks.

Interestingly, the servos and hydraulics in the Type-45's legs are far more powerful than required to support such a light vehicle. This has led to the discovery, and standard adoption, of the Type-45's formidable jumping capabilities. The walker is thus able to leap over taller obstacles or onto ledges, capable of reaching a height of some three stories into the air, while the pilot is protected from injuries by the gel-padded cockpit. When this leaping ability is used in conjunction with the standard anti-root/wire fouling blades on the feet, the Type-45 attains a dangerous and gruesome anti-infantry capability.

The SNLF has notably deployed the Type-45 within certain orbital installations or even in some of the Navy's starships, the Type-45 being one of the few vehicles small enough to operate in such cramped environments. Such Type-45s tend not to have missile launchers.

History
The Type-45 was developed by Sukimoto in the early 2440s. Rigorous testing was carried out on Niigata and Hirasaka, in at least one case pitting the Type-45 against local wildlife. In 2445, the Type-45 was delivered to the Imperial Army, deploying in select units of the 2nd Niigata Army Group. The Type-45 almost immediately had its trial by fire in the 2445 Samani Revolution and then saw deployment in the Nemuro Insurgency, catching the eye of the SNLF. The first SNLF unit to adopt the Type-45 was the 32nd SNLF Division in 2449.

Over several decades, the Type-45 eventually spread to the entire Imperial Army, as well as the SNLF. In 2095, the Type-45 passed 50 years of existence, enabling the ban on civilian sales to be lifted and Type-45s to be sold to civilian groups and individuals. Civilian models tend to be less-armed compared to military variants, with most models omitting the missile launchers and some replacing the cannon with a lower-calibre machine gun.