Changes: Ballard series armored vehicles

Ballard series armored vehicles
	; The Ballard M5B1 Scout.
Vehicle in Just Cause
Type	Series of infantry fighting vehicles
Weapons	Multiple, see below
Rarity	Rare
List of owners	San Esperito Military; Guerrillas; Black Hand; Unmarked version; Rioja Cartel; Export (International Arms Fair)

Revision as of 16:36, 26 August 2015

This article has been evaluated to be at quality level 6.
Bolo finds this pleasing, but she would like more.

The Ballard series armored vehicles are military vehicles in Just Cause (1).

There are 3 vehicles in this series. The vehicles are so similar that it's simpler and better to keep them in a single article.

The 3 vehicles

Appearance

The lower parts of the vehicles are identical. They have 8 wheels. Real 8 wheeled vehicles have at least 4 wheels that turn, but the game limitations don't allow more than the 2 front wheels to turn. The engine is at the rear. The rear ends of the side walls have fuel canisters connected to them. They all have invisible machine-guns at the right side of the front wall.

The vehicles don't appear to be based on any one real armored vehicle, instead they are made up of the elements of several. The body looks like that of the LAV-25/ASLAV, but the wheels are bigger, the Ballard series doesn't have rear doors and the much more powerful weapons would classify them as armoured fighting vehicles rather than light armoured vehicles (military armoured cars).

Performance

It's a lot faster then one might expect from a vehicle that looks like that, but won't out-drive any sports cars. It drifts a little at its maximum speed.

Weapons

The machine-gun is visible as a small mounted gun below the right headlight. The mounting used for the gun does not appear to be movable in any way, so it is unknown how it can be aimed. Perhaps the San Esperito Military developed guided bullets? It can be used against all targets (even vehicles), but it will take time before it manages to do any worthwhile damage to them, although it is very powerful and accurate against infantry. The vehicle's main weapon, however, depends on the variant in use;

Ballard M5B1 Scout:

Has the turret of a tank.
Front machine-gun.

Ballard Sentry STRL - 14:

Has a multiple rocket-launch system (MRLS) turret. Rockets are automatically programmed to aim themselves downwards, allowing it to be used similarly to a howitzer. Theoretically, it can be used to kill enemies on the other side of a hill in this way.
Front machine-gun

Ballard Centronel AAWV- 21:

Has a quad anti-aircraft heavy machine-gun turret, with a little radar antenna.
Front machine-gun

Survivability / armor

They are completely bullet-proof and they can survive 3 direct hits from rockets and the Ballard M5B1 Scout's gun, before the fourth hit causes the vehicle to catch fire and explode. If another vehicle explodes too close to it, then the explosion can send it flying to a short distance. This will damage the vehicle. It's important to note that these vehicles can sometimes be encountered in missions where they may sometimes be either indestructible or much more lightly armored. Plus, unlike other vehicles, their tires never blow (you can even try it yourself) so, they never lose handling from tire burst.

Name

Unlike the DTWV-2 vehicles, these vehicles do not have a specified name for the series. However, if the M5B1's tank turret is were a modification to an original design, the "B1" designation may have been added to specify that modification, which would mean that the M5 is the default name. This corresponds with the designation system of the United States Military, which many of San Esperito's military vehicles are named after. Thus, the series can be called the "Ballard M5" series.

Ballard M5B1 Scout

This version has the turret of a tank.

Being armed with a Tank gun, it's effective against all targets. A skilled operator can even shoot down helicopters.

There's a unique unmarked brown one hidden in a forest. The area has a few small houses and there are civilians walking around, but it's not known who owns it. It may be privately owned, or the area may be a hidden/abandoned military outpost. It's located in a small valley, surrounded by steep cliffs. The jungle keeps it completely hidden from aerial observation. Unless you want to jump off a cliff, it can only be approached from the north. The valley entrance has a wire fence with barbed wire at the top edge - just like the fences around some military bases. There's a gap in the middle of the fence, so it's not really obstructing anything. Be careful when driving it out, as the red barrel next to some wooden boxes will explode when hit. That won't destroy the vehicle, but why remove ~25% of its health? Perhaps it's meant to keep out intruders who attempt to drive this vehicle away?

There is a version with San Esperito Police Department markings that appears in Guerrilla sidemissions as a vehicle that needs to be captured. When the crew exits the vehicle, they are revealed to be soldiers rather than police. It's unknown why the military is operating police-marked Ballards.

Also see the video section.

It's turret looks a bit like a shrunken Panther tank or T-34/76

Locations and users

Owner	Color	Location
Guerrilla	Green	Appears during some "liberation" sidemissions. Either military base or city liberations. Often times get blown up by missiles during city liberations.
San Esperito Military	Gray	Octava military camp (just north-west of the Guerrilla 30 "Campo Barranco" safehouse. Appears during some "liberation" sidemissions. Either military base or city liberations. Appears during some storyline missions.
Black Hand	Black	Appears during some "liberation" sidemissions. Appears in Taking Out The Garbage (Pt.1 only). On Isla Dominio.
Rioja Cartel	Yellowish	Rioja 7 "Motor city" safehouse.
Unknown - unmarked	Brown	A hidden location in a forest between some hills. In Provincia de los Guererros, see the pictures.
San Esperito Police Department	Blue	Appears in a Guerrilla sidemission.

Gallery

San Esperito Military version

Black Hand version

Guerrilla version

Rioja Cartel version

Miscellaneous

Ballard Sentry STRL - 14

This version has a multiple rocket-launcher turret.

The rocket-launcher has 12 visible rockets, but as all other vehicle weapons, it has infinite ammunition. The rocket-launcher cannot be used against flying machines and it doesn't have much range.

In the beginning cutscene of Broadcast News, Tom Sheldon is playing JC1 (this is an Easter Egg) and he is controlling one of these. However, he doesn't have one in reality.