Half-track

This is the half-track design we came up with. We actually wanted to use 8 wheels to give it good off-road capabilities but we are kinda lacking in rubber." Chief Gale pats the steel hull of the half-track. "For the engines, we pulled several large electric motors off the blast doors. The 200 kW motors provide as much as 260 horsepower, allowing it to transport over 2 tons of load while keeping its top speed at 78km/h."

The half-track looks like a flatbed trailer truck with 2 front wheels while the rear is a caterpillar track, instead of having wheels. "For it's maxed range, the batteries are also good for roughly 480 km on a full charge."

"Why a half-track?" Blake asks, curious. "Shouldn't a 4 or 6 wheels at the rear be better?"

"A few points, Sir. One is due to the placement of the tracks, it spreads the vehicle's weight over a larger area, which gives it greater mobility over soft terrains like mud and snow." Chief Gale ticks off his fingers as he continues. "Relying instead on their front wheels to direct the vehicle, they do not require the complex steering mechanisms of fully tracked vehicles. Next, it is easier to learn to operate than fully tracked vehicles."

"Last of all, rubber. We do not have enough of it to produce enough tires for all the vehicles, thus we opt for tracks, using modular steel plates as we have plenty of steel."

Blake nods before asking, "How long do you need to finish it before starting trial runs?" Blake stands next to the half-track. "And how many can you build and how fast?"

"The jeep is almost done, just needs some finishing touches." Chief Gale rubs his chin as he mentally makes some calculations. "Probably can squeeze out 2 jeeps per week."

"As for the half-track. 1 per week or up to 10 days to produce it. Also same as the jeep, rubber is lacking, unless we change all to tracks, like a tank." Chief Gale looks at Blake. "Including the needs of rubber for the jeeps, I say 12 jeeps and 20 half-tracks is all we can produce."