Shillelagh

Shillelagh.jpg
Shillelagh Missile Tank
Production information
Manufacturer Buda Imperial Vehicles
Production Year 3093[1]
Mission Fire Support
Type Tracked
Technical specifications
Mass 40 tons
Armor StarSlab/2
Engine Nissan 200 fuel cell
Speed 86.7 km/h
Communications System Sipher CommSys 2
Targeting Tracking System Rat's Eyes
Heat Sinks 10 single
Armament
BV (1.0) n/a
BV (2.0) 669[2][3]


Description[edit]

The Shillelagh Missile Tank is an early thirty-second century Combat Vehicle which was first produced for the Draconis Combine. Originally designed and prototyped during the Second Succession War, the vehicle suffered from instability and other technical problems that proved to be insurmountable at the time. Shortly after the Second Combine-Dominion War, the DCMS was in need of an inexpensive replacement vehicle for its militia forces. For this reason, engineers at Buda Imperial Vehicles revived the Shillelagh. Redesigned with inexpensive thirty-second century technology, the tank entered production as part of the Combine's efforts to rebuild its frontline forces by swapping more effective combat vehicle designs taken from the militias and replacing them with vehicles like the Shillelagh. Despite it being redesigned, the vehicle still is haunted by lingering design flaws.[4]

Weapons and Equipment[edit]

The heart of the Shillelagh is a 200-rated Nissan fuel cell engine, giving it an inexpensive but reasonable power source and top flank speed. The 40 ton vehicle is protected by 8 tons of StarSlab/2 standard armor, which is concentrated in its turret and front.

Its main offensive battery comprises three Shigunga 5-Tube Multi-Missile Launchers, which are mounted in the turret. These launchers draw from four ammo bins (1 ton each) found in the center of the vehicle. The Shillelagh's only other weapons are a pair of Sperry Browning Light Machine Guns, which are mounted in the tank's front.[5]

Variants[edit]

  • Shillelagh Missile Tank (Original) 
    The original (and top-heavy) version that did not get past the prototype stages of its development. This lightly armored and ICE-powered Shillelagh was armed with a single 15-tubed Long-Range Missile Launcher with 2 tons of ammunition, while its anti-infantry weaponry consisted of a single Machine Gun. BV (2.0) = 584[6][7]

Design Quirks[edit]

The Shillelagh Missile Tank is subject to the following Design Quirks:[8]

Notes[edit]

Though Stardate is no longer counted as a source of BattleTech canon, the Shillelagh did make an appearance there,[9] perhaps even its first appearance judging by the date of publication. Identical to the canon Original in almost every detail, it carries a flamer instead of the machine gun.

References[edit]

  1. MUL online date for the Shillelagh
  2. Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, p. 17: Shillelagh - BV2
  3. Record Sheets: 3145 Unabridged, p. 123
  4. Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, p. 17: Shillelagh - Background
  5. Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, pp. 16–17, 68: Shillelagh - Stats
  6. Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, pp. 16, 69: Shillelagh - Variants
  7. Record Sheets: 3145 Unabridged, p. 124
  8. Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, p. 16: Shillelagh - Design Quirks
  9. Stardate Volume 3, Number 6, pp. 433–434: BattleMech Tech

Bibliography[edit]