ARL-99 Helldiver

Helldiver
A very popular labor with the general public.

Type number: ARL-99
Manufacturer: Shinohara Heavy Industries, Hachioji Plant
Total Height: 7.95m
Total Width: 4.55m
Weight: 5.75t
Loaded Weight: 6.81t
Maximum carrying capacity: 3.10t
Minimum turn radius: 3.90m
Armor Materials: Fiber reinforced metal, Carbon fiber reinforced plastic.
Rollout: October, 1998
Equipment: 40mm rapid fire cannon, Combat Knife, Smoke Launcher x8, TOW Antitank missile launcher



Shinohara Heavy Industries’ previously mentioned AV (Advanced Vehicle) project did not only give rise to a law enforcement labor, the Ingram operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Special Vehicle Section 2, but another labor was born in the background.   Operated by the JGSDF’s airborne units, the ARL-99 Helldiver was also created from this project.  




That these two machines were closely related and developed in tandem was obvious from the time they were deployed.  Including the drive train developed by Shinohara Precision, there is a great deal of commonality and shared parts between the two labors. 

However, due to military demands which require extended operational time, the Helldiver is powered by fuel cells, despite the poor power to weight ratio that fuel cells give. 

As the name suggests, the Helldiver is designed as the main combat unit deployed by airborne units, conducting airborne assaults on enemy occupied areas.  JASDF C-17s will transport the unit to the drop zone, where it parachutes in advance of the infantry and quickly neutralizes hostile forces in the drop zone, after which the following infantry secure the area in most typical operations.  When taking into consideration the high mobility of a two-legged labor in a combat zone, the merits quickly become apparent.

To serve these purposes, the actuators are more heavily reinforced on the Helldiver as compared to the Ingram, and serve to take considerable shock out of the landing when paired with the parachute pack’s descent rockets and ankle mounted dive brakes.　Conversely, firefights against enemy forces armed with superior firepower is well outside of the mission profile of the Helldiver, as the only armor of note is blast resistant spaced armor on the chest.   However, a reactive armor jacket like that deployed on the Ingram during Yukihito Tsuge’s coup d’etat has been put into trial production, and it seems very likely that it will be deployed on the Helldiver in the near future. 

Along with the closely related Ingram, the Helldiver is one of the most human-shaped labors, which puts it in extremely high demand whenever public demonstrations are held.  For the JGSDF, which must be constantly concerned with public perception, no other piece of equipment in their arsenal has as great a presence.

The Helldiver’s typical armament is a 40mm machine cannon and a combat knife.  While the cannon possesses less firepower than the older Atlas, it possess ample firepower to combat lightly armored vehicles and infantry, which is optimal considering the weight of the unit and the mission profile.  The combat knife was intended to be more general purpose, rather than the Ingram’s specialized anti-labor stun stick.   The parachute pack attached to the torso area includes four rocket nozzles to slow the descent during drop operations, and is purged from the unit with explosive bolts upon landing before combat operations commence.

 Source: Another Century's Chronicle Vol. 3: The Labor Industry Development Complete History.  Gakken Mook 2009