Power Armor

The Powered Infantry Armor is the peak of armored infantry technology, initially developed in the West Tek Research Facility laboratories. Now, only the most technologically advanced factions with ties to pre-War military or government, such as the Brotherhood of Steel or the Enclave, have access to those, and only the latter possesses the technology required to manufacture new Power Armor models, such as the Advanced Power Armor and Advanced Power Armor Mk II.

The most common pre-war model, T-51b Power Armor is fitted with a back-mounted TX-28 MicroFusion Pack which generates 60,000 Watts to power the HiFlo hydraulic systems built into the frame of the suit. Made of the poly-laminate composite, the T-51b shell is lightweight and capable of absorbing over 2500 Joules of kinetic impact. The 10 micron silver ablative coating can reflect laser and radiation emissions without damage to the composite subsurface.

History

 * 2065, August: The need for increased mobility in US Army Mechanized Cavalry units, leads the military research companies to focus their research to create a man based tank - the Power Armor.
 * 2065 - 2067: Power Armor research grows and several prototypes are developed, many of which prove to be unworkable in the field. These prototypes pave the way for future advances in military, construction, and fusion technology.
 * 2066, Summer: The first crude fusion cell is unveiled, one of the results of the Power Armor project.
 * 2067: The first suit of Power Armor is deployed in Alaska. While lacking the full mobility of future versions, this Power Armor is incredibly effective against Chinese tanks and infantry. Its ability to carry heavy ordinance becomes key in various localized conflicts, and it has the power to destroy entire towns without endangering the wearer. China rushes to create its own versions, but they are many years behind the United States.
 * 2074: Contrary to their claims of seeking only to retake Alaska from the Reds, American Power Armor units, infantry, and mechanized divisions are deployed to China, but they become bogged down on the mainland, putting a further drain on American resources and supply lines.
 * 2076, June: T51b Power Armor prototype completed, resulting in the Power Armor players find in Fallout 1. This is the pinnacle of Power Armor technology before the Great War. Many of these units are sent to China, and they begin to carve a swath through the Chinese forces. The Chinese resources are strained to the breaking point, and the supply lines from the nations China has annexed begin to break down.
 * 2077, January 22: The first domestic use of Power Armor within the United States for crowd and quarantine control. Units originally serving in China and the Anchorage Front Line find themselves fighting Americans at home. Food riots increase, and many civilians are killed. Several soldiers defect from the military both in Canada and the United States. They are captured, and are sent to military prisons.
 * 2198: Enclave works on various new technologies, including Power Armor variations. None of these are much of an improvement over the conventional old school Power Armor, and some are actually worse.
 * 2215: Under Presidential Order, Enclave scientists begin to work on an upgraded version of Power Armor. Many prototypes are developed and tested.
 * 2220, October: Enclave scientists develop a reliable version of the Advanced Power Armor. The prototype results (and accidents... and explosions... and deaths) are classified by order of the President Richardson for the sake of morale.

Variations

 * T-51b Power Armor
 * Hardened Power Armor
 * Advanced Power Armor
 * Advanced Power Armor Mk II
 * Eastern Brotherhood Power Armor
 * Eastern Brotherhood Advanced Power Armor
 * Fallout:Brotherhood of Steel Power Armor

Appearances in games
Power Armors appear in every Fallout game. T-51b Power Armor and its hardened version appear in both Fallout and Fallout 2 (and was to appear in Van Buren), while the latter also introduces Enclave's advanced variants. Quite inconsistantly with previous games, Fallout Tactics shows T-51b only once in the intro, and the Eastern Brotherhood Power Armor is used instead in the game, including an advanced version, years before Enclave's new model. In Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel and even crappier version is used, with a modern appearance unlike any of the known models, despite supposedly being used by the same Brotherhood of Steel as in previous games.