Super Vehicle Type 001/III "Black Hound"
The Black Hound is a Super Vehicle used by the Ptolemaic Army, and served as a secret mid-boss in Metal Slug 5.
A disc containing top secret data for the next-generation of Metal Slug vehicles was stolen by the Ptolemaic Army. Using this data, they created the experimental SV-001/III "Black Hound", which is similar to the original Metal Slug but painted black with devilish eyes and a smile. According to its description in Metal Slug Defense and Metal Slug Attack (see Trivia), it is an unmanned vehicle designed to function autonomously.
In addition to the Vulcans and main cannon, the Black Hound also features a rapid-fire mortar on the back accompanying the Vulcans, along with a laser gun mounted on a mechanical arm that deploys from and retracts into the entry hatch on the turret. Its armor and agility is also improved from the original SV-001 Metal Slug. The range of its cannon also appears to have a higher projectile velocity than the original's. It could also perform jumping shots using the cannon.
This heavily-armed vehicle was undergoing field testing at the "Corridor of Fire", where, for reasons unknown, it had become rampant, killing some Ptolemaic soldiers and Natives. This is evidenced when, at the second fork after the lower path in the first one, you hear the sounds of soldiers and Natives screaming as they are killed off by the malfunctioning Slug.
The Black Hound appears in an area at the left side of the second fork, using its cannon, mortar, Vulcan guns, and laser. The boss fight can be somewhat tricky for newer players, as its attacks are fast and dangerous. As it uses its weapons against the player, it can also plow into them at high speed, but it can easily be dodged due to its build-up time. However, if the Slug Gunner was not destroyed prior to this fight, it can make the fight somewhat easier, though the player will still need to be careful of its attacks and know that the Slug Gunner's mech form is very slow (especially when turning). Make use of the Slug Gunner's tank form (and turn when needed) during most of this boss fight as it gives more maneuverability than in mech form while still being able to attack with the Gatling Gun and cannon. If necessary, the player can eject the vehicle near instantly (when in tank form) to avoid getting hit and hop back in.
In Metal Slug Advance, the player can access the Black Hound by finding its corresponding card and activating it. It will use the mortar (essentially an Enemy Chaser-style weapon with unlimited ammo) as a replacement for its Vulcans.
In the beta version of Metal Slug 5, another Black Hound tank can be found and fought like in Mission 1, but only in an unused area of Mission 3. This also suggests that the Ptolemaic Army was planning on producing more than one of these unmanned Slugs.
Black Hound: The original version.
Black Hound Type-R: A reformed version of the original Black Hound, sharing the same attacks but with greater durability and a cyan-like plating. Appears in Metal Slug Attack.
Black Hound Ver. Expedition: A brown plated version of the Black Hound deployed by the Land Blowfish. Appears in Metal Slug Attack.
Golden Hound: A golden-plated version of the Black Hound which specializes in close-quarters combat by activating its laser and ramming the enemy at very high speed. Appears in Metal Slug Attack.
In early Metal Slug Advance gameplay footage, the Black Hound was presented in much the same way as it was in Metal Slug 5 - including the laser gun, the mortar on its back and Vulcans. Much of the features however was cut later in development, possibly due to memory constraints and/or to prevent the Black Hound from becoming overpowered. However, in Metal Slug Defense and Metal Slug Attack, it keeps all its abilities.
It could be possible that the darkly-colored SV-001 in the opening scene of the final mission in Metal Slug 1 (SV-001 Bronze) was an early concept of the Black Hound.
When defeated, the Black Hound self-destructs in a similar manner to that of the standard Metal Slug tank when its health meter reaches 0, right down to the Vulcan cannons flying off of it. The exception lies in its remains however, which do not explode.
Concept art for the Black Hound depicts the laser weapon as being mounted with the Vulcans and mortar, but it was moved to the inside of the vehicle beneath the entry hatch in the final game.
Its description from MSD/MSA as follows: "A Slug developed to move on its own. However, some people have seen it breaking down on the battlefield."
Also, in MSD/MSA its Vulcan is gray, while its in-game sprite in Metal Slug 5 is the same as the Black Hound's color. Its missile compartment in MSD/MSA is a lighter shade than the dark shade of MS5, its laser weapon is the same, however.
MS-Alice, introduced in MSA, is also an unmanned SV-001 series tank, this time controlled by an artificial intelligence created by Marco.