Ceteus
| Ceteus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Infantry fighting vehicle |
| Place of origin | Republic of Syara |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Army of the Syaran Republic Galanian Territorial Forces |
| Wars | Refusal War Zemplen Resolution Campaign |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1965-1980 |
| No. built | ~5,000 produced |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 13.2 tons |
| Length | 6.375 m (20 ft 11.0 in) |
| Width | 2.94 m (9 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 2.068 m (6 ft 9.4 in) |
| Crew | 3 + 8 passengers |
| Armor | 6-33mm welded rolled steel |
Main armament | 75mm low pressure smoothbore autocannon ATGM Launcher |
Secondary armament | 7.62mm machinegun |
| Engine | 6-cylinder 4-stroke V-shaped airless-injection water-cooled multifuel 15.8 liter diesel 300 hp |
| Power/weight | 22.7 hp/t |
| Suspension | Individual torsion bar with hydraulic shock absorbers on the 1st and 6th road wheels |
Operational range | 600 km |
| Speed | 65 km/h (40 mph) |
The Ceteus is a Syaran tracked infantry fighting vehicle that was first introduced by the Republic of Syara in 1965. It was Syara's first true infantry fighting vehicle and served as a template for future designs.
Following the Siduri War, the Army of the Syaran Republic re-evaluated the role of armor and infantry cooperation and deduced the need for a mixture between an armored personnel carrier and a light tank that could transport infantry to the battlefield and then provide fire support and protection during combat. The Ceteus was the culmination of this idea after being in development for nearly 15 years and was formally incorporated into the Syaran Army in the 1960s as the basis for Syaran mechanized infantry formations. The Ceteus featured a 75mm low velocity main cannon and a machinegun and was crewed by three (a gunner, driver, and commander)and could transport 8 passengers. Later models also mounted an anti-tank guided missile launcher and 20mm and 30mm autocannons. The Ceteus was also amphibious and protected from radiological, biological, and chemical weapons.
Despite its versatility and capability as a platform, the Ceteus was widely disliked by Syaran soldiers for its cramped nature and poor mechanical reliability. While later models improved on these issues, the design remained unpopular with Syaran crews and the design was replaced with the Balius and Aethon in the 1970s. The Ceteus saw combat during the Refusal War, and a small number ended up in the arsenals of the Realm Defense Forces of Syara, a handful of which were later used by the Galanian Territorial Forces during the Zemplen Resolution Campaign.