MEAN

The M.E.A.N. or Multi Environment Armor Number series of vehicles were first introduced in the early Second Age. Prior to the production of "meanies" as they came to be called, the Foundation operated a wide assortment of land vehicles.

Development of the MEAN

The Problem

The dozens of different air, sea, and land vehicles in operation, servicing requirements were enormous. Keeping the fleet of vehicles running in peace-time required an army of clerics alone just to supply the spare parts. As part of the "Grand Standardization" process underway within the Foundation and Crimson Blade, a series of multi-role vehicles were called for.

The Solution

Working in line with the tenants of Grand Standardization, Foundation engineers began development on a program of vehicles that would use mostly inter-changeable parts. Any time a component could be re-used or re-cycled, it was considered important to do so. In this way, a single chair, a single wheel, a single door latch, could be produced en-mass and used in the highest possible number of vehicles. This shrank the spare-parts pool significantly and reduced the complexity of the supply-chain.

MEAN Sub-types

Due to the complexity and increased requirements of air travel and combat, the MEAN program did not find its way into aircraft. Although "Grand Standardization" was followed, it was not as strict. Ground vehicles, however, saw the full benefits of the system.