Retry
03/20/18 05:29 PM
174.70.184.145
|
iATM Platform
Base Tech Level: Experimental Mixed (Base IS)
Level Era
Experimental 3145+
Advanced -
Standard -
Tech Rating: F/X-X-X-X
Weight: 100 tons
BV: 4,923
Cost: 18,834,000 C-bills
Movement: 3/5
Engine: 300
Double Heat Sinks: 12 [24]
Cockpit: Tripod Cockpit
Gyro: XL Gyro
Internal: 173 (Endo-Composite)
Armor: 349/349 (Reactive)
Internal Armor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 31 47
Center Torso (rear) 15
Right Torso 21 32
Right Torso (rear) 10
Left Torso 21 32
Left Torso (rear) 10
Right Arm 17 34
Left Arm 17 34
Right Leg 21 42
Left Leg 21 42
Center Leg 21 42
Weapons Loc Heat
Improved ATM 12 (Clan) LA 8
Improved ATM 12 (Clan) LA 8
Improved ATM 12 (Clan) RA 8
Improved ATM 12 (Clan) RA 8
Ammo Loc Shots
Extended-Range iATM/12 Ammo LT 5
Extended-Range iATM/12 Ammo LT 5
High-Explosive iATM/12 Ammo LT 5
High-Explosive iATM/12 Ammo LT 5
Improved Inferno iATM/12 Ammo LT 5
Improved Inferno iATM/12 Ammo LT 5
Extended-Range iATM/12 Ammo RT 5
Extended-Range iATM/12 Ammo RT 5
High-Explosive iATM/12 Ammo RT 5
High-Explosive iATM/12 Ammo RT 5
Improved Inferno iATM/12 Ammo RT 5
Improved Inferno iATM/12 Ammo RT 5
Equipment Loc
CASE II (Clan) LT
CASE II (Clan) RT
ECM Suite [Clan] (Clan) RT
C3 Computer [Slave] HD
Quirks
Multi-Trac Targeting
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally I was screwing around with tripod designs and came up with this thing which incidently has the most ridiculously high BV of an actual practical design (as in not just piling on 100 heat worth of lasers until it explodes) I have ever seen. It amused me greatly so I kept it around and fluffed it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mors iATM Platform is an experimental iATM carrier tripod design constructed by an alternate-history faction named the Crossroadian Republic (Crossroads), which basically splintered off from Kerensky's main Exodus Fleet before they became the Clans (and retains a society and military structure more akin to a Spheroid Democracy than Clan pseudo-barbarianism).
As the Clans were busy crushing Society cells and purging of scientist castes, Crossroads launched the highly secret, covert Operation Eclipse, whose primary purpose was to extract the more pitiable characters that were either directly involved in or unfortunately entagled with the wide-spread annihilation going around in Clan territory. While it was a humanitarian operation, another major goal of Operation Eclipse was to profit from the brain drain that genocide of a faction's intellectual elite tends to cause. As a result of Operation Eclipse, many scientists that were evacuated from Clan territory were integrated into Crossroadian society, some of whom have made great strides in the civillian sector, especially in the biomedical field. Others joined research branches of the Crossroadian military, whose knowledge was useful in replicating the iATM missile system & Nova CEWS, preventing these powerful pieces of equipment from going extinct.
However, not all of Operation Eclipse went on without a hitch, with a few botched extractions in Jade Falcon space, whose relationship with the Republic was already poor, giving their top brass strong suspicion in Crossroadian interference with their affairs. The Republic is officially neutral on all conflicts that don't directly involve them and categorically denies their claims of interventionism, of which Jade Falcon doesn't quite have enough evidence to confidently prove Crossroads was indeed involved in covert operations in their territory. Whether the Jade Falcons escalate this conflict from words to weapons remains to be seen.
With the possibility of war with the Jade Falcons on the minds of Crossroadian High Command, a decision was made to accelerate weapon programs. The scope of the successful Missile Carrier Program that produced the earlier Calliope Battlemech was expanded in search of new avenues to take the Missile Platforms, especially with regards to iATMs.
Thanks to collaboration with saved Scientist members, as well as other intrepid designers, the expanded program quickly got off the drawing board and into the field, even with the newer, exotic motive Tripod motive system that was created as an alternative to the Bipedal structure.
Two iATM missile platforms were constructed through this program. The cheaper (but certainly not cheap) Letum is an 85-ton Tripod with 2 AES-augmented iATM-12s, an 8-ton ammunition bay, jump jets, and 2 ER Large Lasers. It'll likely be pressed into service as a general purpose battlemech as opposed to a specialized weapons carrier.
The other prototype is the Mors iATM Platform, presented above. The Mors has 48 iATM tubes with 12 tons of ammunition between them, protected by CASE II and reactive armor. Due to the exotic nature of the Tripod Chassis, the Mors lacks a clan-spec endo-steel structure and instead uses a more primitive composite that's just as bulky but without quite the same weight savings. Additionally, the Mors can run very hot if all of its iATMs are lucky enough to lock on to a target, but fortunately for the Tripod crew this is rarely the case.
The missile complement of the Mors is reasonably versatile and usually carries High-Explosive, Extended-Ranged, Inferno, and (sometimes) Magnetic Pulse Missiles. The Inferno missiles are a popular choice and are particularly favored against slower, hot-running Battlemechs. Even only two salvos connecting have been known to engulf unexpecting Battlemechs in a blazing sea of red plasma, detonating ammunition, forcing shut-downs, and toasting the pilot if he insists on remaining in his iron coffin.
The Mors has been fielded in trial runs against pirates and found this ability to be extremely useful in disabling high-priority targets in a matter of seconds. In one case, a pirate Mech with an energy-only armament was hit with sustained Inferno fire from a Mors, resulting in the 'Mech shutting down. The ejection system malfunctioned and the pilot burned to death, resulting in the capture of the Battlemech after the battle in nearly pristine condition (minus the cockpit barbecue).
However, the ammunition placement has been subject to many a critique. Due to its placement, even with CASE II installed, a lucky shot to the ammunition is likely to cause a chain reaction and fry the pilot. Since the Tripod has both a pilot and a gunner, the gunner can take over after this and fall back to a safe position, but this still is hardly an ideal circumstance.
The Mors is expected to reach full production in a year and be sent to frontline units in locations where a theoretical Jade Falcon attack is expected to strike first, to give the frontline regiments an additional suprising back and potentially stop any invasion dead in its tracks.
Edited by Retry (03/20/18 05:48 PM)
|