Bolo (self-aware tank)

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Bolos are a fictional type of artificially intelligent super-heavy tank. They were first imagined by Keith Laumer, and have been featured in science fiction novels by him and others.

[edit] Description and History

Bolos are a series of super-heavy tanks controlled by self-aware artificial intelligences. They were originally developed in the late 20th/early 21st century by the Bolo Division of General Motors in the United States. As humanity spread beyond Earth, the Bolos followed to protect the Empire, and later the Concordiat. For millennia they provided the bulwark of humanity's defense, participating in numerous wars against various aliens, most notably against the Deng and the Melconians in the 30th century. Bolos are assigned most famously to the Dinochrome Brigade, which traces its lineage back to various units on Earth, though there are also machines attached to Planetary Siege Regiments.

The concept behind the Bolo is that of being "the perfect knight". Bolos are intended to be invincible, but also completely loyal. Their psychotronic brains undergo rigorous testing before being installed in a machine. They are programmed to avoid killing humans unless by explicit order of their human commanders. One of the greatest fears of humans is that a Bolo's programming will become corrupted and will go rogue. Indeed this happened in Rogue Bolo, and Bolos were turned against their human masters in Bolo Rising and Bolo Strike. As Bolo technology has advanced, the machines have become increasingly autonomous. The first Bolo was essentially a very powerful conventional tank equipped with various servos and mechanical devices to assist the crew. Other early Bolos could be put on automated patrol patterns. Starting with the Mark XX, Bolos became capable of fully independent operation (without a human commander), and with the advent of the Mark XXX, true independent, strategic planning was possible.

[edit] Bolo Offensive Systems

A basic Bolo is roughly the equivalent in firepower to a division of heavy infantry with artillery support. Later Bolo models are classified as Continental Siege Units, and the Mark XXX and above could usually take on an entire planet's defenders by themselves.

The main weapon of early Bolo Marks was either a regular tank gun or a railgun. As Mankind moved off-planet and the Bolo designs became bigger and more powerful, these were replaced by a Laser Cannon for a short period of time until the mighty Hellbore was developed. The Hellbore was a complex plasma weapon mounted centrally on top of the superstructure in one or more turrets. Hellbore power output is measured in megatons/second, although the diameter of the tube is also often used as a quantifying measure. Hellbores in the 90cm and larger range can destroy orbiting spaceships from the ground with one shot — indeed, these weapons are also used as main batteries on Concordiat Star Fleet's Battleships.

Hellbore ammunition consists of slivers of highly-pressurized cryo-hydrogen which are heated to a plasma state when fired. The resulting bolt is then accelerated magnetically to a considerable fraction of lightspeed to avoid dispersing before hitting the target. Later Bolo marks are capable of internally manufacturing Hellbore rounds using water as a raw material, whereby the hydrogen is extracted via electrolysis and cooled cryogenically into splinters of cryo-hydrogen. The Mark XXXIV carries a variant of the Hellbore known as the Hellrail, an anti-starship railgun weapon which fire at a rate of 90 megatons/second. Hellrails are designed for planetary defense and cannot normally be depressed to strike ground targets.

Bolos are also equipped with rapid-firing batteries known as infinite repeaters. On early models, these were gatling guns or railguns. Later Marks progressed to energy weapons such as lasers and ion-bolt guns, and finally to small Hellbores. Depending on the Bolo, additional secondary armaments include breach-loading mortars, heavy howitzers, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, anti-personnel flechette launchers, and other point-defense weapons to intercept incoming threats. Bolos are equipped with both conventional and nuclear warheads, though they will use the latter only as a last resort.

Mark XXXIIIs are known to carry Dragon hover-tanks in combat in order to scout for, and to supplement the firepower of, the Bolo itself.

[edit] Bolo Defensive Systems

The complex armor of a Bolo Unit of the Line can withstand direct hits from all weapons systems up to (and in later models, including) nuclear weapons. Hulls are built of either durachrome, or the stronger endurachrome, with a drivetrain made out of flintsteel. Later Marks were also protected by energized battlescreens, both external and internal.

Each unit is also equipped with an impressive array of sensing equipment for all light conditions, IR, magnetic spectrum, and FTL comm. Units also came equipped with stealthy flying drones and other remote sensing capabilities, with later models having the capabilities to orbit their own MILSAT spy satellites. Bolos also contain their own maintenance robots to repair battle damage.

All power for weapons, battlescreens, and mobility is provided by one or more fusion reactors. As a last resort, Bolos may detonate their reactors to destroy an enemy, or at the very least, thwart capture.

[edit] Artificial Intelligence

Each Bolo contains several computer "cores" with different functions, each of which contains multiple fully functional duplicates in case of failure. If a Bolo's logic becomes dysfunctional enough, it regresses to the original Resartus protocol, which was embedded in all following models just for such a case.

Many Bolo stories are told from the point of the view of the Bolo itself, with its internal thoughts printed in italics throughout the text.

[edit] Bolo Personality

One of the defining characteristic that resounds in all the works is the Knight in Shining Armour. In many stories, Humanity is redeemed via the Bolo service and self-sacrifice and reminds Humanity what honour is.

[edit] Bolo Marks, Years of Introduction, and Notable Bolos

[edit] Books

Bolos appear in these books by Keith Laumer and others:

• Bolo: Annals of the Dinochrome Brigade
• The Compleat Bolo
• Rogue Bolo
• The Stars Must Wait
• Bolos Book One: Honor of the Regiment
• Bolos Book Two: The Unconquerable
• Bolos Book Three: The Triumphant
• Bolos Book Four: Last Stand
• Bolos Book Five: Old Guard
• Bolos Book Six: Cold Steel
• Bolo Brigade
• Bolo Rising
• Bolo Strike
• Bolo!
• The Road to Damascus
• Old Soldiers

[edit] See also

• Yavac