Roadrunner (Emerald Harrier)
Sarna News
- HEXTECH Review - Wave 3 Brings More Urban Options To Your Battlefield
- Your BattleTech News Round-Up For March, 2024
- Crashing 'Mechs With Jennifer Brozek, Author Of The Rogue Academy Trilogy
- Getting The Word Out With Rem Alternis, Catalyst Community & Marketing Director
- Bad 'Mechs - Yeoman
- Read more →
| |
| Roadrunner (Emerald Harrier) | |
|---|---|
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Auxiliary Production Site 11
|
| Model | RD-1R[1] |
| Class | Ultralight |
| Introduced | 2920[2] reintroduced 3112 |
| Technical specifications | |
| 'Mech type | Clan BattleMech |
| Mass | 15 tons |
| Chassis | Triumph Dynamic Endo Steel |
| Armor | Advantage Ferro-Fibrous |
| Engine | Lightforce (ExtraLight) 210 |
| Communications System | Angst Clear Channel 5 |
| Targeting Tracking System | O/P TA1240 |
| Heat Sinks | 10 double |
| Speed | 226 km/h |
| Armament | |
| BV (2.0) | 888[3] |
Contents
Description[edit]
Originally conceived by Clan Jade Falcon during the Clans' Golden Century, the Emerald Harrier is a 15-ton BattleMech. It was out of production by the time of the Clan Invasion of the Inner Sphere and, as such, was only sparsely deployed there. ComStar ROM operatives gave it the reporting name RD-1R Roadrunner when they first observed it in the Jade Falcon occupation zone.[4][5] It was last reported with Eyrie units on Coventry in 3058 and is thought to have been meant as a training 'Mech.[4]
The design faded into obscurity until it resurfaced in 3112 when the Republic of the Sphere inaugurated a Roadrunner factory on Capolla. Clan Sea Fox had sold the design specs to the Republic along with an agreement to provide technical support for the design. When they were still known as Clan Diamond Shark the Sea Foxes had apparently received the specs from the Jade Falcons around the time of the Clan Invasion, without ever putting the 'Mech in production themselves.
The Roadrunner was the first completely Clan-tech design produced in the Inner Sphere. It was used extensively by the Republic particularly as a recon unit, though the design had been purchased both for training MechWarriors and to delve into the secrets of producing Clan technology. Their most notable usage was during the Senate Rebellion in 3135 on Terra. During the brief conflict on Terra, Roadrunners in service of pro-Republic units were used to track down Senate aligned units.[6]
It was noted that visually the Roadrunner bears a vague resemblance to the Timber Wolf (Mad Cat), with the leg assembly of the Viper (Dragonfly).[5] At 15 tons, the Roadrunner is only a fifth of the mass of the former and less than half the mass of the latter.
Weapons and Equipment[edit]
The Roadrunner is equipped with a massive engine and a 15 ton frame. This combination allows it to reach a top speed of 210 km/h, more than enough for recon and cavalry tactics. Each arm carries a single ER medium laser, allowing it to remain away from supply bases and making it a good deep raider. The main drawback to the Roadrunner is the limited armor; carrying only one and a half tons of ferro-fibrous armor means that nearly any location can be breached by a single SRM strike.[3]
Variants[edit]
No variants are known to exist. The design put in production on Capolla by Clan Sea Fox for the Republic in 3112 is identical to the original specs from Clan Jade Falcon.
Design Quirks[edit]
The Roadrunner (Emerald Harrier) has the following Design Quirks:
Notable Pilots[edit]
Notes[edit]
- Unlike other articles on Clan BattleMechs with Inner Sphere reporting names, this article is named for the Inner Sphere name, with the Clan name in brackets. This is because the 'Mech was consistently listed as Roadrunner in the sources featuring it. Furthermore, the "reporting name" RD-1R Roadrunner has become its official designation after it was put in production by the Republic of the Sphere, while the Clans have apparently shelved the design and did not produce it in two centuries.
- The Roadrunner first appeared in a FASA's 1993 Update Flyer. In typical FASA fashion the two new 'Mechs it featured—the Roadrunner and the Devil—were thinly veiled references to another intellectual property (the Looney Tunes characters of The Road Runner and The Tasmanian Devil). In the notable units section of TRO:3150, a Roadrunner dubbed "Beep-Beep" is also a nod to Looney Tunes character also known as the Roadrunner.[6]
Gallery[edit]
Original Roadrunner from 1993 Update Flyer
Roadrunner from XTRO: Republic I
