INDUSTRY EXCERPTS SERIES

The Nicola Electric Company was a midsized power company in the Coalition that was founded in the early 2150s, providing power to a mix of residential and industrial locations between Grand Rapids and Summerview. Some of its products managed to circulate to more distant locations like Lakeview and Hamilton, though the few plants the company had sat in Michigan's eastern half. Following the advent of Plan 200, the company was forcefully split, causing it to fall into bankruptcy as other interests bought out most of its remaining assets. 

Just as easily as it fell into bankruptcy, however, the company was able to find a rebirth as the Midwestern Union sparked a new industrial age. The name and patents of the company were picked up by a new general staff team, and through a promising contract from the New Model Army, they found life again in the Military Industrial Complex. Taking long-expired patents from long before the flash and combining them with Nicola's own proprietary electrical advancements; they created the N-M64 ADV. 

The vehicle serves as an amphibious truck, and includes a 4WD transmission, a CM-3 fusion engine, and seating for up to three passengers, with plenty of space in the back for additional passengers or cargo. While it served as an efficient amphibious vehicle and fit the parameters set by Army Command; it was too costly to be considered for mass production, leaving it shelved for another year. However; with the influx of refugees from the Second Canadian War, the MWU's workforce has been bolstered, and the vehicle could be formally commissioned by the Union. Following several rounds of field-testing, Nicola's new plant in Grand Rapids has begun to finally produce the vehicle to be issued. At present, the vehicle primarily serves as an officer transport, as the electrical onboard systems prove more costly to maintain.

When it comes to the mass modernization effort, the Midwestern Union spares no expense. Technology across the Union continues to push forward at a rapid pace, with the New Model Army serving as the test bed for most in-house advancements. This is most readily evident in the existence of the Army Air Corps, a concept that had never been entertained by the city states of the old Coalition. Under the AAC, the Union's industry presses bravely forward, reaching for new heights...

The crowning achievement of the Union's air-based development is the "Skylark" series of helicopter, a post-Flash production line that takes heavy inspiration from the pre-war "Alouette" series. The Skylarks (officially designated the TH-1, TH-2, and TH-3 models respectively) are highly-modular, hydrogen fuel-based helicopters that were first developed in the Midwestern Union in early 2164, by a former automobile manufacturer in Crestview. While the development of the TH helicopters was kept as a closely-guarded secret prior to the war in the East, the public reveal led to an immediate rush by third-parties to study the design, with similar "copycat" models cropping up in other industrialized nations. 

The TH-3 in particular makes up the bulk of the Air Corps fleet, a vast improvement over the previous, smaller models. The TH-3's larger frame allows it to be retrofitted for a wider variety of tasks; with transport, medevac, marine, and even gunship configurations already seeing deployment to the front lines of the war in the East, serving as critical support to soldiers in distress. A rarer, luxury configuration has also been developed for use by the Diplomatic Corps; featuring comfortable padded seats and climate control functions. 

While the development and fielding of the Skylarks has proven to be an incredibly expensive undertaking, Army Command is confident that they will play a critical role in the conquest of the old Coalition holdouts. TH-3s have already seen limited deployment to some fronts, with infantrymen everywhere wondering if they'll be hearing the distant, telltale chopping sounds more often in the near future.