Many deride the Weirdo Zone's large artillery assests as wasted money due to the Army's policy of mobility. What the critics forget is that artillery can be priceless when used in static defense positions and can be equally priceless when used to attack static defenses. Most old Reaver fort-worlds are constructed of a large underground tunnel network with a centralized Command and Control bunker. The Army takes a large enough section, fortifies anywhere where the Reavers will be forced to bottleneck, and then places a few heavy artillery pieces on the LZ. These pieces can then reach out and bash the centralized command post as well as tunnel sections, creating breaches in Reaver command and trapping Reavers in their own tunnels.
Additionally, the Weirdo Zone Military Services' dedication to being ready for any circumstance requires a large artillery force for the times when they are truly needed. Of course, not all of the Weirdo Zone's artillery lay in big guns. The majority of it lies in light anti-tank and anti-infantry pieces only slightly bigger than a civilian ground transport. While often poorly armored, these tank and infantry destroyers carry heavy weaponry and have excellent mobility. Infantry destroyers are often sent into tunnel systems with flame, heat, and plasma weaponry to support Weirdtroopers in clearing out the tunnels. Tank destroyers zip around the field to wherever they are needed most, usually supporting infantry against heavy armor. Large field pieces are few and, while all RCTs have at least one battery, are only used when their lack of mobility and vulnerability are offset by their strategic usefulness.
The ASPLG-67/13 "Cleanser XIII" is the Army's primary infantry destroyer. It uses an anti-gravity lifter for propulsion and has a maximum speed of 220 kph. It is only lightly armored with about 30-50mm of durashell and can only be augmented a few millimeters with Quik-Switch without losing too much speed. It usually carries a medium rapid-fire Blazer cannon or a medium gatling energized projectile weapon. In enclosed spaces, such as tunnels, the Cleanser is usually armed with a heavy torcher or a heavy plasma discharger. The "lucky thirteen" model of the Cleanser was introduced in 2978 and has served well. The two-man crews of Cleansers are often lightheartedly called "Janitors," "Custodians," or "Sanitation Engineers." Cleanser crews take their jobs seriously and have (it is believed) started a minor fraternity around their duty to "cleanse the infidels with the purifying flame of redemption."
The ASPLG-67A/15 "Assassin XV" is the Army's primary tank destroyer. A slightly modified Cleanser, it moves at the same speed and has the same armor. However, it mounts a heavy Gauss cannon and therefore has ammunition blisters on the side as well as advanced targeting equipment. It has a crew of two (a driver and a gunner). The XV became operational in 2991 and is extremely popular with troops. As with Cleanser crews, Assassin crews have also created a brotherhood of sorts led by the 5th Light Artillery Platoon "A-shirra's Assassins", Batallion II, C Company, 321st RCT. Assassin crews have taken to wearing black scarves around the neck when off duty, and then carefully wrapping them around the face and neck before battle. This breach of dress code was tolerated by Army Command due to the increase of morale and has in fact accepted it as optional battle dress.
The ASPLG-56/100 "Dire Wind C" is the Army's primary light artillery piece. It's antigravitic drive is capable of speeds up to 200 kph and it is armored with 50mm of durashell. It carries a light antimatter or fusion howitzer or often a heavy missile pod. A rare variant carries an extremely large cluster rocket pod used for the very few scorched-earth missions the Weirdo Zone embarks upon. The "Big C" was introduced in 2987 and does not seem ready for refit anytime soon. Crews of light SP guns like to band together, and Dire Wind crews are no exception. Crews of the scorched-earth variant call themselves "the Many Horsemen," often wear Gothic emblems of skulls and demons on their battle armor and often recite or chant apocalyptic verses from many religions as they rain "hellfire and damnation" upon their enemies. The Army has given up trying to suppress this mini-cult; although it still does not openly support it, high command figures that breaking it up would be too detrimental to morale.
The ASPHG-34/07 "Fusilier VII" is the Army's primary heavy artillery piece. It is a slow vehicle with caterpillar treads, only capable of speeds around 70 kph. It is armored with about 30-70mm of durashell and mounts a heavy electromagnetic self-propelled ballistic railgun. The railgun launches a shell at varying speeds (anywhere from 'roll out of the barrel' to 'fraction of lightspeed'). The shell can then propel itself for longer range if needed. Shells have varied warheads including high-explosive, chemical, atomic, fusion, antimatter, and even the dreaded singluarity charge. These guns have been known to shoot shells into orbit, where the shells then fire their engines to reenter the atmosphere and hit a target half a world away. These guns have also been used in desperation attacks against orbiting ships to good effect. These large vehicles have a crew of four. The Fusilier has served faithfully since 2745 and has only been upgraded occasionally due to its limited use. The VII was introduced in 2901 and has done well. The crews of these big guns frown upon the silly fraternities of their smaller cousins and have accidentally created a brotherhood of their own resembling a yachting club of yesteryear. As such superior posturing is unpopular in the Weirdo Zone, this snobbish fraternity is often disparaged. This pleases the micro-cults of the little guns to no end.