M901 ITV

Peakaboo, Mudafuka!

"Fair fights are for suckers" ~ The Mighty Jingles

The M901 ITV (Improved TOW Vehicle, yes it has an acronym in its intialization) is one of the many, many combat systems derived from the M113 armored personnel carrier. Instead of carrying troops, the M901 is a dedicated anti tank platform, mounting a pair of TOW (Tube launched, Optically tracked, Wire guided) missile launchers in its distinctive "Hammer Head" turret. This turret allows the M901 to hide behind cover, only exposing the missile launcher to enemy fire. This innovative design, when coupled with the firepower of the TOW, makes the M901 a major threat to enemy armor.

In Team Yankee

The Stat Card

The M901 is a pretty sweet Tank Hunter. The Improved TOW Missile can smack foes with AT 21, Firepower 3+, up to 4 feet away. The Tows guided and HEAT, so you ignore the penalties for shooting at things beyond 16 inches. There is also the Hammerhead rule as an added bonus, which means that you can fire the missile and still be Gone to Ground. However, it can not engage targets within 8 inches. Aside from the TOW the ITV is also armed with a .30cal AA machine gun (somewhere).

As for defense, the M901 has the standard armor of the M113 chassis, so don't take on any dedicated anti armor weapons.

This thing is a Sniper, pure and simple. Park it some where with concealment and pop tanks from 2/3rds of the board away. If the opponent gets to close, pack up shop and dash the heck away, as you cant shoot the TOW if you move.

You can have any squad size you want, so long as its 2 ATVs, which will cost you 3 points. The M901 ATV can be taken by US Armies.

IRL

Originally the US military wanted nothing to do with guided missile carriers, but after the Yom Kippur War proved their viability, the US Army put out a contract for a vehicle that could deliver guided destruction to an enemy vehicles face. The M901 was the result of that contract, and a little over 3000 of them were built in the short time that it was in production. The M901 was used in Operation Desert Storm where it knocked out 14 Iraqi fighting vehicles. However, because the M901 ITV is an inherently defensive vehicle because of its light armor and inability to fire on the move it has since been phased out of US service, replaced by the M2 and M3 Bradley Armored Fighting Vehicle which also carry the same TOW missile alongside an autocannon, like a Predator with a hunter killer missile attached.

The M901 remains in service among several militaries around the world, with nations such as Greece and Morocco.