AT-22 Hunter

The AT-22 Hunter was a GDI Offense-class tank in service during the Fourth Tiberium War, introduced in 2066.

Background
The Hunter was born out of necessity. As Nod Separatists and rogue militias attacked TCN construction sites worldwide, utilizing more and more advanced technologies, exploiting the weaknesses of the MBT-6 Predator (such as slow speed), the truth dawned to GDI commanders - they were simply unable to compete with Nod's technology married to their traditional hit-and-run tactics, as whenever they used Predators, they'd be outrun, while when they used APCs, they'd be outgunned by the newest AT-6 flame tank.

In response to such a conundrum, GDI Captain Leon Kamperov, in charge of protecting the town of Waukesha and nearby TCN nodes #30 and #24, ordered his engineers to make a radical step - strip down Predators in the Wukesha war factory and use their armour and turrets to upgrade Guardian APCs. The resulting contraption proved effective at destroying Separatist forces attacking the nodes and Waukesha, despite their numerical advantage.

Although most of the Tankensteins were lost in the battle, no civilian was harmed and the TCN nodes stood. In recognition for his ability to improvise and effectively lead his men, Captain Kamperov was promoted to Major and commissioned to design a next generation tank - the Hunter. His final design blends the speed and maneuverability of a wheeled vehicle with the power and armor of a tank - ideal for defending remote TCN nodes worldwide.

Overview
The Hunter is an evolution of the original APC chassis from the Third Tiberium War. Redesigned and outfitted with a next generation armoured hull, it is now capable of sustaining several direct hits from cannon rounds, although it is still not as durable as dedicated tanks. With its 8-wheel drive, however, it is capable of reaching speeds unavailable to conventional tanks and as such it can easily outmaneouver enemies or chase them down when they flee.

Of note is the fact that the Hunter is the first GDI vehicle to carry both a Tiberium core generator and ionized weaponry. The ionizer increases the firepower of the tank, as it envelops the railgun projectile in high energy projectiles shortly before they are launched. A side effect is the blue glow of the weapon, caused by high energy particles in the air, common to all GDI weaponry of the TCN era.

Crews of the Hunters are often first response units, as they usually patrol and perform intercept missions in hostile territories. As their tasks include both defending the TCN and pursuing any attackers, crewmen of these tanks are exposed to more combat situations per week than other troops are in months. As such, they are quick learners on the battlefield.