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.

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. The name Chimera is also a descriptive term in the study of biology for any organism that appears to have a combination of traits of other organisms. This name is appropriate, considering the tank's combination of mining equipment and military-grade weaponry.


 * The possibility exists that this is a subtle nod to the tabletop tactics game Warhammer 40,000, as the main battle tank employed by one faction is called the Chimera and bears more than a passing resemblance to the Chimera encountered in Alaska.

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