Chimera

The Chimera is a modified mining rig with a mounted laser cannon, acting as a Chinese battle tank in the Fallout 3 add-on Operation: Anchorage.

Background
It was included in the Anchorage Reclamation simulation created by VSS at the behest of General Constantine Chase. Its actual deployment in Alaska is dubious, as unimplemented voice clips of VSS technicians in the add-on suggest that their presence is an outright fabrication by General Chase.

Specifications
The tank itself is basically a low chassis propelled by screws, with a laser cannon jury-rigged to the drill tower. Originally, it was used for oil drilling in the Alaskan tundra.

Gameplay attributes
Chimera tanks are roughly on par with sentry bots and deathclaws in terms of the durability and combat threat, although they are significantly larger and more imposing in appearance. They are equipped with a unique laser weapon similar to Liberty Prime's eye laser. Chimeras take slightly increased damage when shot in the screws, and noticeably increased damage when shot in the cannon or radar antenna.

Appearances
The Chimera tank appears only in the Fallout 3 add-on Operation: Anchorage.

Behind the scenes

 * The Russian and German military, respectively, did toy with the idea of using screws for treads. The Russian vehicle, named ZIL-29061, was designed to rescue cosmonauts in extreme off-road conditions.
 * In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a monster with the body of a lion, the heads of a goat and lion, and the tail of a snake. In biology, the name has been used for any organism that appears to have a combination of traits of others. Its name is an obvious reference to how the Chimera tank is a piece of mining equipment equipped with weapons that were not made for it.

Bugs

 * The tanks may not be hostile towards the player when first encountered.
 * If one tosses a frag grenade at a tank, there is a chance the machine will be launched into the air and remain airborne until defeated by the player. At this point, the tank may rotate, but not actually move.