Darter

This article is about the scout car. For the individual Union-class DropShip, see Darter (Individual Union-class DropShip).
Darter.jpg
Darter Scout Car
Production information
Manufacturer General Motors[1]
Production Year 2822[2]
Mission Reconnaissance
Type Wheeled
Cost 68,568 C-bills
Technical specifications
Mass 13 tons
Armor ProtecTech Light
Engine GM 75 internal combustion engine
Speed 151 km/h
Crew 1
Communications System Overlook J9[3]
Targeting Tracking System Brightstar 17 Mk. I[3]
Heat Sinks 0
Armament

1x machine gun

BV (2.0) 125[4][5][6]


History[edit]

The Darter Scout Car owed its existence to the destructive nature of the First Succession War. Following the end of that war, the Federated Suns needed to rebuild, with a preference to their BattleMech forces; they asked for manufacturing concerns to submit designs that would allow them to produce an effective combat vehicle filling a supporting role and not tie up materials needed to rebuild the more dedicated combat units. The Darter won that contract for General Motors in 2822.[4]

Description[edit]

The Darter had respectable speed for a vehicle, topping out at 151 km/h. This speed came courtesy of an internal combustion engine, which allowed the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns to save fusion engines for its 'Mech force. A paltry two tons of armor protected the Darter, precluding it from all but the lightest combat. Rather than mounting dedicated electronics, the vehicle had three tons of cargo space that could easily be reconfigured. Despite their fragility, Darters were easily repaired.[4]

Weapons and Equipment[edit]

The only weapon on the Darter was a Johnston Minigun machine gun with a full ton of ammunition.[4]

Variants[edit]

  • BAP 
    This version of the Darter replaced half its cargo space with a single Beagle active probe. The cargo capacity was reduced to 1.5 tons, but armament and armor remained the same as the standard Darter. BV (2.0) = 136[7]
  • C3 
    This version replaced one ton of cargo space with a C3 slave unit, to send targeting data to friendly forces. It was otherwise identical to the standard Darter. BV (2.0) = 125[8]
  • ECM 
    The only difference between this variant and the Beagle variant was the fact that the Beagle probe has been replaced by a Guardian ECM suite. BV (2.0)=193[9]
  • SRM 
    Some crews had eschewed cargo in favor of an SRM-4 and a ton of ammunition. BV 2.0= 192[10][11]
  • SRM2 
    This version took a standard Darter and reduced the cargo space to one ton. It added a single SRM-2 and ton of ammunition. Otherwise, it operated and was equipped as a standard Darter. BV (2.0) = 167[12]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Handbook House Davion p.187
  2. MUL online date for the Darter
  3. 3.0 3.1 Technical Readout: 3075, p. 220, "Darter Scout Car"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Technical Readout: 3075, pp. 220-221, "Darter Vehicle Profile"
  5. Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged, p. 208
  6. Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War, p. 113
  7. Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War, p. 114
  8. Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War, p. 115
  9. Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War, p. 116
  10. Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged, p. 212
  11. Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War, p. 118
  12. Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War, p. 117

Bibliography[edit]