Practicing & getting used to a new way of doing things, which is why I've had zero output for a while...

A demi-suit from the Anno Astra universe...

Saab S-97 Skeggox
a.k.a. 'Piranha'

The Saab Skeggox demonstrated that, despite being considered a second-rank political entity, groups such as the Midgard Union were still capable of turning out first-class weapons of war. Developed and manufactured entirely by Saab and its subcontractors, the Skeggox proved to be quite the popular export item, with customers consisting mostly of small states and independent military contractors. Recently, the LOH has taken delivery of three battalions' worth for evaluation. Given the League designation of 'Piranha', these were reported to be in use with the 56th Expeditionary Regiment on the heavily forested world of Morwood.

Named after the Viking bearded axe, the Skeggox was designed to be a powerful, yet flexible, multi-purpose demi-suit for the assault role. It is liberally sprinkled with universal hardpoints fully compliant with League weapons standards. Armour is a multilayered affair composed of carbon nanotube & superconducting matrices sandwiched between a carefully arranged mix of advanced rigid cermets & soft polyamides with built-in 'intelligent' features. The pilot is seated entirely within the torso, which features extra-thick frontal armour. While there has been criticism regarding its rather exposed hip joints, these areas can be protected with little loss of movement by additional armour attached to its groin hardpoints. Another criticism is its large size and weight, towering over and out-bulking most other demi-suits. Saab claims, though, that its larger size permits it to carry heavier, more powerful weaponry, its thicker armour offsets its larger profile and its quick-change powerpack gives it operational endurance comparable to other late-generation demi-suits.

As is, the Skeggox lacks any internal weapons other than its turret-mounted variable laser and its countermeasures dispensers. The laser has multiple frequency settings and can be fired as a pulse or a continuous beam, with a proportionate increase in power consumption. The dispensers are usually loaded with anti-sensor screening grenades for defensive purposes. The hand weapon most commonly associated with it is the Bofors SG-45R, a 25mm hypervelocity coilgun with an underslung 75mm bomblet-launcher.

Unusually, for a demi-suit serving in the 56th, the example depicted in the illustration is lightly armed, with no anti-infantry weaponry other than its turret laser. Other than the Bofors hand weapon, it is equipped with the UF-70, a turreted, semi-automatic 70mm plasma tube designed for long-range accuracy. Even though it shows signs of wear, this particular demi-suit doesn't seem to have come under significant hostile fire.

The Bofors weapon is similar to the real-life FN P-90 in appearance only. While, in the P-90, the rotating portion is at the rear, it is reversed in the SG-45R. This really has no function other than to facilitate magazine loading. The magazine holder rotates 90 degrees to the side and, being located at the front half of the weapon, makes the magazine easier to manipulate with the demi-suit’s other hand. This is particularly significant for demi-suits with thick frontal armour, such as the Skeggox. As for the magazine itself, the ammo feed is at the rear while the front end, which plugs into the rotating holder, serves as the power conduit. The weapon’s buttplate serves as a clamp for securing the magazine firmly in position.