Chimera

The Chimera is a Chinese mining rig with a mounted laser cannon, acting as a battle tank, that was included in the Anchorage Reclamation simulation created by VSS at the behest of General Constantine Chase. It's actual deployment in Alaska is dubious, as unimplemented voice clips of VSS technicians in the DLC suggest that their presence is an outright fabrication by general Chase.

The Chimera is basically a low chassis moving on Archimedes' screw, with a laser cannon jury rigged to the drill tower. Originally, it was used for drilling for oil in the Alaskan tundra.

This tank is one of the enemies added by the Operation: Anchorage DLC pack.

Characteristics

 * Level: 12
 * Health: 500
 * SPECIAL: 5ST, 3PE, 10EN, 5CH, 5IN, 5AG, 5LK
 * Combat skill: 50
 * Attack damage: 10

Chimera tanks are roughly on par with Sentry Bots in terms of durability and combat threat, although they are significantly larger and more imposing in appearance. They are equipped with a unique laser weapon similar to the Gatling Laser. Chimeras take slightly increased damage when shot in the treads, and noticeably increased damage when shot in the cannon or radar antenna.

Trivia

 * The name "Chimera" comes from Greek Myth. The Chimera is a monster with the appearance of a lioness with a snake for a tail and a goat's head sticking out from its back. In biology, the name has also been taken for any organism that appears to have a combination of traits of other organisms (which could very well apply to the Centaur). For the vehicle, the name is appropriate, as it is a combination of various pieces of civilian mining equipment and military hardware.
 * The design, and in particular the Archimedean screw propulsion system, may be a nod to the Shagohod tank seen in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Appearances
The Chimera appears in the Operation: Anchorage DLC pack for Fallout 3.