This article is considered accurate for the current version (1.54) of the game.
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Designed for escort missions and to support infantry operations, the Niska Gun Motor Carriage Half-Track is an armoured, versatile all-terrain vehicle that can be equipped with a variety of mounted weapons.
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— In-game description
The Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage is the standard WardenHalf-Track. It is equipped with one mount, where a tripod weapon can be mounted and fired.
The Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage holds five passengers, and houses a crew of two soldiers:
Driver (Seat 1)
Controls the movement of the vehicle, and can see the remaining fuel in the vehicle
Activates horn sound with LMB
Passenger (Seat 2)
A seat used to hold/transport players
Has no tactical function
Due to being in an enclosed area, they cannot use their secondary equipment
Gunner (Seat 1)*
Controls the movement, reloading, and firing of the hull-mounted tripod weapon
Passenger(s) (Seats 2 - 5)*
A seat used to hold/transport players
Has no tactical function
Due to being seat in an open top area, they can use their secondary equipment
NOTE: The seats of this vehicle are separated into two types; interior seats and exterior seats. Depending on where the player enters, they can only access those types of seats. Seats indicated with a (*) represent the exterior seats of the vehicle.
Armament
The Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage is equipped with one main armament:
Tripod Mount
An empty mount at the rear facing forward where a Mounted Weapon can be installed (90 degree firing arc)
Inventory
It has one inventory slot and three dedicated ammo slots that can only hold ammunition for the mounted weapon. What it can hold depends on the weapon installed:
The Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage has 1500 HP and is disabled under 30% health. It has "Light Armor" resistance: it can soak small arms fire and shrapnel, and it is immune to Flamethrowers. But it won't last long when faced with 12.7mm machine guns, heavy explosives, or anti-tank weaponry. It has subsystems that have a chance to be disabled by heavy explosives and anti-tank weaponry if hit specifically: Tracks: 30% (Anti-Tank Mines always disable them). It has Tank Armor. With it, in best case scenario, penetrating projectiles only have a 65% chance of penetrating and doing damage. That chance goes up quickly if the armor is worn or if it is shot from up close, or on the side or rear from a direct angle, or with ammo that has penetration bonuses. It takes 110 Basic Materials to fully repair it from 1% to 100% health with a Hammer. Its health, subsystems, and Tank Armor can be instantly repaired at a Garage for 100 Basic Materials.
Interactions
Mounting a tripod weapon - press B then LMB on the vehicle
Must be holding the tripod weapon and the blueprint shown on top of it
Dismounting a tripod weapon - open up the vehicle's menu and click the "Detach Tripod Weapon" button (located in the bottom right corner)
The Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage, like all Half-Tracks, can only handle targets in front of them. As such, it is best to keep them facing towards the enemy at all times, and protect them from flanks. Additionally, the Gunner (and any Passengers in the back) can be killed if directly hit by weapons, so extra care must be taken to ensure this does not happen. In any case where retreating is necessary, the driver should reverse instead of turning around so the Gunner isn't exposed and can still defend the vehicle.
Despite having tougher armor compared to the HH-a "Javelin", it is still a relatively weak vehicle. It is capable of dealing with Armored Cars and Tankettes, but more late-game vehicles like Light Tanks, Medium Tanks, and Battle Tanks will quickly destroy them. Additionally, heavier anti-armor weapons will be unlocked, which have higher penetration power and will quickly shred light armor.
Half-Track Versatility
Due to its ability to swap mounted weapons, its relative good on-road and off-road speeds, and its 5 passenger seats, it can be used either as an armored infantry carrier, an armored infantry support, an anti-armor vehicle, or an anti-structure vehicle. The only issue with this is the amount of ammo that can be used at one time, so the effectiveness will vary. Additionally, depending on what faction controls it, the type of tripod weapon will limit what targets the vehicle can effectively attack.
Due to the tripod mount, a tripod weapon MUST be mounted in order to make the vehicle combat effective. If not, then the vehicle will be unable to defend itself, with any anti-armor weapon able to attack it and destroy it without any worries of the vehicle retaliating.
Standard Equipment Loadout
Like with every other armored vehicle, the crew should ALWAYS equip themselves with a Gas Mask and multiple Filters to avoid dying to Gas Grenades. Additionally, they should bring a Hammer and Basic Materials to repair the tank. These tactics can be buffed by wearing either a Tank Uniform or an Engineer Uniform.
Trivia
Prior to Update 0.47, all half-tracks had a 12.7mm machine gun mounted on top of them
This update changed that, which removed the machine gun, allowing any tripod weapon to be mounted
This change meant that half-tracks required additional logistical support in order to be combat-ready
Half-tracks could also only hold two Passengers in the rear, but that was increased to four
Gallery
The Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage from the front
The Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage from the rear
A “Typhon” ra.XII mounted on a Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage
A blueprint of a Malone Ratcatcher MK.1 about to be mounted on a Niska Mk. I Gun Motor Carriage
