Battlemaster III BLR-3D

Rules Level: Experimental Tech (Level 4)
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-F
Chassis Config: Biped
Production Year: 3073
Mass: 90 tons
Cost: 10,909,560 C-Bills
Battle Value: 2,073

Chassis: Hollis Mark X GM Modified 
Power Plant: GM 270 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 32.25 km/h
Maximum Speed: 53.75 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Armor: Durallex Special Heavy Standard
Armament:
    1 Johnston High Speed ER PPC
    1 Holly LRM-20 w/ Artemis IV FCS
    7 ChisComp 39 Medium Lasers
    2 Exostar Small Pulse Lasers
    1 Wunderland Anomaly Beagle Active Probe
    1 MainFire Point Defense Anti-Missile System
    1 Wunderland Anomaly Remote Sensor Dispenser
    1 Clan Diamond Shark HarJel
Manufacturer: General Motors
    Primary Factory: Kathil
Communications System: Philips K1850
Targeting and Tracking System: Raytheon Deadeye Mark IV

Overview:
Although the old Star League-era BattleMaster was a well-loved and versatile 
design, it had become technologically obsolescent by the end of the 3060s, as 
the Inner Sphere began to finally surpass the old Star League in Technology. In 
3069, Princess Regent Yvonne Davion commissioned a new command and control mech 
for the Federated Suns, a mech that would be larger, tougher, and more powerful 
than either the BattleMaster or the Clan BattleMaster C. The resulting mech, 
while superficially similar to the old BattleMaster, incorporates the latest 
technology, including advanced command capabilities and devastating new 
weaponry.

The BattleMaster III is a tough and powerful 90-ton assault mech designed for 
battlefield command and control. With the very latest in electronics and 
command equipment, including a fully-featured Command Console, the BattleMaster 
III allows a commander to easily and effectively coordinate entire regiments of 
mechs from the cockpit. In addition to the command capabilities, the 
BattleMaster III, much like its storied predecessor, is a formidable combat 
unit in its own right.


Capabilities:
The BattleMaster III's Command Console is probably its most important asset, 
giving the pilot the ability to coordinate units in real time and share sensor 
information with other mechs. However, its ability to fight on its own is not 
to be underestimated.

The BattleMaster III mounts a full 17.5 tons of Durallex Special Heavy standard 
armor that can withstand even the fiercest bombardment. On top of this, the 
mech mounts an Anti-Missile System to shoot down incoming missiles, a HarJel 
packet (purchased at considerable expense from Clan Diamond Shark) to repair 
minor armor damage, and a CASE II system to protect the mech if the LRM 
missiles explode. These features macke the BattleMaster III one of the most 
durable 90-ton mechs in the Inner Sphere.

The BattleMaster III's weapons are optimized for long-range firepower. Its 
primary direct-fire weapon is a Johnston High Speed ER PPC in the left arm, 
which can strip two thirds of a ton of armor off of an enemy mech with a single blast. 
More long-range capabiliy is provided by a torso-mounted LRM-20 launcher with 
an Artemis IV fire control system and a Beagle active probe for pinpoint 
accuracy and two tons of ammunition. If forced into a close encounter, the 
BattleMaster III can call upon seven Medium Lasers, three in the left torso and 
two on the right wrist, and two  mounted below the ER PPC. Two Small Pulse 
Lasers in the center torso are sufficient to slaughter infantry who attempt to 
get underneath the BattleMaster III. If all else fails, the BattleMaster III 
has fully articulated hands and the PPC module can be jettisoned, allowing the 
BattleMaster III to fight with its bare hands.

The BattleMaster III mounts 15 double heat sinks to help cool the mech down, 
although firing all weapons together results in rapid heat buildup and should 
be avoided. 

The BattleMaster III's main flaw is its small engine and corresponding slow 
speed, which makes it an easy target. These mechs tend to stay well back from 
the thick of the fighting, doing their part by commanding and coordinating the 
MechWarriors under them.


Battle History:
The BattleMaster III's first combat deployment came in 3074, during a skirmish 
between forces of the Federated Suns and the Taurian Concordiat. Against a 
force of outdated Succession Wars-era 'Mechs and indigenous Periphey-built 
machines like the Orangutan, the Federated Suns deployed the 12th Avalon 
Hussars, equipped with their latest and greatest BattleMechs, as a show of 
force against their old enemy. Included in this force were five BattleMaster 
IIIs.


On August 13, 3074, Colonel Jason Kent his lance came under attack from several 
lances of Taurian 'Mechs, holding out for over half an hour before 
reinforcements arrived and losing only one mech, whose pilot survived. Kent, in 
his BattleMaster III, scored 11 kills in that battle, including an AS7-D Atlas 
piloted by Brigadier Lars Gustafsson, who Kent killed with his mech's bare 
hands after his LRM ammunition ran dry and most of his heat sinks were shot 
away. The conflict was a resounding success for the BattleMaster III and paved 
the way for the mech's deployment on a wide scale.


Deployment:
The BattleMaster III is most commonly sighted in elite regiments such as Avalon 
Hussars and Davion Brigade of Guards, as they are expensive to produce and 
utilize very advanced technologies. The BattleMaster III is strictly a Davion 
mech; the Federated Suns has not announced any export version of this design.


Variants:
BLR-3F: The F variant of the BattleMaster III puts an even greater focus on 
standoff fire capability by replacing most of the lasers with an Arrow IV 
artillery missile system and two tons of missiles to strike beyond visual 
range. On top of this the BLR-3F wields the same Johnston High Speed ER PPC as 
the 3D model, and a Holly LRM-20 with Artemis IV mounted on the opposite side 
of the torso from the Arrow IV. A Bloodhound Active Probe further increases the 
missiles' accuracy, making the 3F the ultimate standoff missile platform. BV = 
2078

BLR-3H: The H variant of the BattleMaster III is an experimental model using 
technology purchased from Clans Wolf in Exile and Diamond Shark. The chassis 
has been replaced with a Clan Endo Steel model, and a new 360 XL engine propels 
the BLR-3H to 65 km/h, and instead of the BLR-3D's one ER PPC, the 3H mounts 
two Clan ER PPCs, on on each arm. The Holly LRM-20 has been replaced by a 
Clan model with the new Artemis V Fire Control System, its ammo protected by a 
Clan CASE system. 5 ER Medium Lasers provide more punch than the 7 
Medium Lasers on the original model, and one Clan ER Small Laser and 2 Clan 
Small Pulse Lasers provide supplemtary firepower. The bulky AMS system has
 been replaced by a Clan LAMS. This new machine is an exceptionally deadly 
mech by any standards, but it suffers from heat problems despite its 20 
double heat sinks and requires a skilled pilot to extract its full potential. It is 
unlikely to be built in significant numbers, both because Clan Wolf in Exile is 
too busy rebuilding its own touman to sell many parts to House Davion, and 
because the mech costs a shocking 28 million C-bills to produce. BV = 3033


Notable 'Mechs & MechWarriors: 
Colonel Jason "Geezer" Kent: Commander of the 12th Avalon Hussars, Colonel Kent 
has 74 confirmed kills, of which he has chalked up 31 in his blue-painted 
BattleMaster III, christened "Jessica". His most famous sortie as pilot of 
"Jessica" was on August 13, 3074, when his command lance was ambushed by a much 
larger force of Taurian BattleMechs. Colonel Kent single-handedly killed 11 
enemy Mechs, including a Taurian regimental commander's AS7-D Atlas, whom he 
defeated in hand-to-hand combat after running out of missiles and losing so 
many heat sinks that his energy weapons were effectively non-functional.


================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                              138 points                9.00
Engine:             Fusion Engine                270                      14.50
    Walking MP: 3
    Running MP: 5
    Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks:         Double                       15(30)                    5.00
    Heat Sink Locations: 9 LT, 6 RA
Gyro:               Standard Gyro                                          3.00
Cockpit:            Standard Cockpit                                       3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Standard                     AV - 279                 17.50
    CASE II Locations: 1 RT                                                1.00

                                                      Internal       Armor      
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            9         
                                        Center Torso     29           44        
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  14        
                                           L/R Torso     19           29        
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  9         
                                             L/R Arm     15           30        
                                             L/R Leg     19           38        

Equipment                                        Location     Critical    Mass  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Command Console                                    HD            1         3.00
Small Pulse Laser                                  CT            1         1.00
Small Pulse Laser                                  CT            1         1.00
Remote Sensor Dispenser                            RT            1         0.50
LRM-20                                             RT            5        10.00
    Artemis IV FCS                                 RT            1         1.00
HarJel                                             RT            1         1.00
Medium Laser                                       LT            1         1.00
Medium Laser                                       LT            1         1.00
Medium Laser                                       LT            1         1.00
Medium Laser                                       RA            1         1.00
Medium Laser                                       RA            1         1.00
Beagle Active Probe                                LA            2         1.50
ER PPC                                             LA            3         7.00
Anti-Missile System                                LA            1         0.50
Medium Laser                                       LA            1         1.00
Medium Laser                                       LA            1         1.00
@Anti-Missile System (12)                          RT            1         1.00
@LRM-20 (Artemis) (6)                              RT            1         1.00
@LRM-20 (Artemis) (6)                              RT            1         1.00
@Remote Sensors (1/2) (30)                         LL            1         0.50