Class: M-314 'Simonds'
Operators: American Union, Magnetic Assembly
Manufacturer: Stellar Defense, Jovian Propulsion Labs, The Magnetic Assembly
Introduced: 2313
Length: 7m
Crew: 1


Armament:
10x MAG-101 Short Range Missile Defense Mines
2x MAG-102 40mm VLS

Sensors:
x1 MAD-201 Ground Penetrating Radar
x5 MAD-202 Multi-Purpose Optics
x2 MAD-203 Small Optics

Electronics:
1x MAD-325 Short Range Radio Jammer

Powerplant:
x1 MAD-159 Medium Fusion Reactor
x8 MAD-501 Wheel Hub Electric Motor

Protection:
(All Aspects) MAD-401 Medium Composite Armor
(Front) MAD-402 Heavy Composite Armor
(Front/Side) MAD-403 Capacitor Dual-use Armor

The Simonds APC was originally built for use around New Cambridge in Hawking. This is a location where vehicles would not need to travel great distances, and wouldn't need to carry extensive weaponry with the city close by. They would need to focus on defense of its occupants against the occasional Grawla attack. The result is a somewhat heavy transport packed with defensive equipment.

Shortly after its introduction into the American Union military, primarily with the Hawking Gendarmerie, the design would be revised for additional weight savings with the intention of the vehicle being used for the Edward Deming's fifth major expedition to the Liminal Worlds. The vehicle had redesigns made to improve its ability to be delivered to and from orbit as well as to operate within harsh environments like airless moons.

The transport would largely be used with minor updates to its systems until the end of 2324 when the Magnetic Assembly entered into a technology sharing and co-operation agreement with the HFR. Their observers were integrated into HFR ground combat units equipped with the Simonds for control and Spongecake drones for offensive capability. In these combat situations, the Simonds lack of weaponry became a noticeable problem when the supportive Spongecake drones suffered losses. An arm was added just inside the vehicle under the top door to raise and fire handheld missile systems like the UG-20 that could be stockpiled inside.

The interior of the APC is a single open area with two seats up front for a pilot and co-pilot. High resolution display screens are located in the upfront area of the vehicle while low power digital color ink displays coat the remaining interior surfaces to give a general impression of what is outside of the vehicle itself. This large open area can easily be reconfigured with a series of fold out seats from the walls, and anchor points on the floor that can be used to mount heavier equipment to the vehicle itself.

There is a single double-door on the top of the vehicle, a fold down hatch on the rear, and two outward opening doors on either side.

The APC is primarily intended to be used as both a transport in dangerous areas, and as a miniature bunker in case of attack. The design is focused on protection of the crew, and is not intended for front line use. Instead it is intended to remain in relatively safe areas where its protection systems can guard the valuable crew while they work from inside of the vehicle.

During operations with the HFR, it was determined that the APC really needed some way to shoot back at things that threaten it. Adding a turret would be optimal, but because the vehicle was already in theater, finding a way to design, build, and integrate a new turret was difficult. Instead a single bad dog drone was mounted to the top of the vehicle, using its mechanical arm to fire various weapons like shoulder launched missiles and grenade launchers.

This has commonly called the Annie Turret after the 'inventor' of the method.