Model number: BC-06CFS
Code name: Customs Guardian Space Type
Nickname: Guardian
Classification: mass production space use combat frame
Manufacturer: Browning Engineering Corporation
Operator: Systems Overterrestrial Coalition Customs Bureau
First deployment: CY 29
Crew: 1 pilot in cockpit in chest
Height: 16.5 meters
Weight: dry weight 60.2 metric tons, full weight 70.8 metric tons
Armor type: ceramic/titanium alloy composite
Powerplant: cold fusion reactor, max output 1349 KW
Propulsion: rocket thrusters: 4x 20,000 kg, 2x 34,000 kg, 2x 19,300 kg, top speed 1574 kph; 180° turn time 1.05 seconds
Sensors: radar, thermal, optical array; main binocular cameras mounted behind visor in head
Fixed armaments: x2 30mm Vulcan cannon, fire-linked, mounted on shoulders
When the Coalition Customs Bureau ordered a new line of patrol and interdiction combat frames from the recently incorporated Browning Engineering Corporation, BEC determined that dividing production into two types–one for ground use and one for space use–would result in greater efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and performance than producing one general-purpose design.
The BC-06CFG Guardian Ground Type was soon followed by its BC-06CFS space-use variant. Always one for efficiency, Browning reused as many components as possible from the original template. The Space Guardian was essentially the same unit as the ground type down to the thighs. The knees and lower legs were replaced with a pair of variable geometry nacelles equipped with extra thrusters. The nacelles could be straightened for maximum speed or angled to increase maneuverability. During landing, the endcaps folded over the unit’s “feet”, and the nacelles bent back, allowing the Guardian to stick to the deck with magnetic knee pads.
As per standard postwar policy, Space Guardians were lightly armed with only a pair of shoulder-mounted 30mm autocannons for defense. More than a match for the civilian shuttles favored by smugglers, these weapons proved ideal for the Guardian’s mission role–until the outbreak of the HALO Conflict in CY 40. To its dismay, the SOC found that even its military-grade Guardians were hopelessly outclassed by HALO’s One-series XSeeds.
