Akula III

Isolated from the rest of Humanity, the Sovereignty developed along different tech. The pod mech was an attempt to create a "universal mech" capable of fulfilling mechanized battle roles in all environments. To allow such a high degree of battlefield independence, the Akula was the first vehicle to be completely propelled by field-induction arrays. The superior maneuverability comes at the cost of an unimpressive maximum speed during atmospheric operations compared to its contemporaries. Atmospheric flight requires constant shifting between lift phase, where the 'wings' are oriented upwards, and a thrust phase, giving the Akula a unique flight pattern, similar to that of a sparrow.

Depicted is an Akula III; this iteration has a chisel-like nose suited for ramming enemy craft and breaching walls. Before any ramming attempt, the front gimbal retracts into the "mouth," which closes.

Like most Sovereignty armor and vehicles, the Akula is stealthy, but does not possess active camouflage [in contrast to URSYN which makes common use of 'cloaking' systems].

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I had wanted to make the Akula more whale-like and so gave it a more streamlined but stockier build. Overall I felt it should look more like a pack-hunting predator, like orcas.
This particular unit is dressed in urban camo and bears House Spaeta insignia.

Earlier Akula for comparison: [link]

PS CS4 scanned linework

EDIT: Fixed perspective issue dogging the design for years.