Claymore (DropShip class)

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Claymore.jpg
Claymore
Production information
Manufacturer Shipil Company of Skye
Production Year 3054[1]
Use Assault Ship
Type Military Aerodyne
Tech Base Star League
Technical specifications
Mass 1,400 tons
Structural Integrity 12
Length 87 meters
Width 74 meters
Height 25 meters
Drive System Unknown
Safe Thrust 3 g
Max Thrust 4.5 g
Fuel (tons) 80 tons
Fuel (days) 43.5 days
Armament 1 x ER Large Laser
2 x ER PPCs
4x Large Lasers
4 x Medium Lasers
2 x Large Pulse Lasers
2 x Medium Pulse Lasers
2 x Small Pulse Lasers
4 x LB 10-X ACs
2 x LRM-10s
2 x LRM-20s
3 x Streak SRM-2s
Armor Unknown
Fore: 25
Sides: 20
Aft: 15
Crew 15
Escape Pods/Life Boats 0/2
Heat Sinks 47 (94)
BV (1.0) 3,989[2]
BV (2.0) 5,034


Description

One of the first new AFFC DropShip designs to be produced after the recovery of the Helm Memory Core, the Claymore is a small but formidably armed and armored assault ship.

The design phase began amid great secrecy in 3047, but the Clan Invasion refocused AFFC funds toward new BattleMech design and production, with the prototype only taking its maiden flight at the end of 3053, production approved after successful operations on combat raids with the 6th Lyran Guards in 3054. Shipil produce one Claymore every nine months, the majority posted along the edge of the Clan occupation zones ensured they became a primarily Lyran design after the formation of Lyran Alliance, with the majority of new production making their way to Skye loyalist units.

Armament

While some observers has criticized the craft for lacking adquate firepower for an assault ship, the weapon array is enough to give pause to most other DropShips. The Claymore's six nose bays contain most of the vessel's weaponry, a mixture ER PPCs, a ER and Medium and Large Pulse Lasers, Streak SRM-2 and LRM-20 launchers and a LB 10-X AC autocannon. The rear of the vessels repeats the same basic layout, save for omitting the ER large laser and Streak launcher for two Small Pulse Lasers The Claymores wing-mounted mixture of a forward facing Large Laser, LRM-10 and LB 10-X AC autocannon, paired with rear facing Large laser and Streak 2 launchers on each side also cover both fore and aft arcs.

Cargo

Designed as an assault craft, the Claymore features a single two door cargo bay, with a 329 ton capacity.

Variants

  • Claymore Interceptor 
    This version uses several experimental weapons systems to increase the range of the weaponry. Armor, fuel, and performance remain identical to the baseline Claymore. The standard weapons have been removed and replaced by Extended LRM-15s, Silver Bullet Gauss Rifles, Bombast Lasers, and Laser AMS. The rest of the weapons are built to Clan specifications. A quartet of ER Large Lasers are located in the wings, while twin Clan Large Pulse Lasers cover the rear. Seven Clan-spec ER Medium Lasers are carried by the Interceptor, three mounted in the nose and four covering the rear arc. Sixty-three extra heat sinks dissipate all the heat generated by the weapons. To make room for the new weapons and heat sinks, the cargo capacity is reduced to 263.5 tons. BV (2.0) = 6,975[3]
  • Claymore V3 
    This variant of the Claymore is based on the Claymore Interceptor. Unfortunately all the Clan spec weaponry has been replaced by less-efficient Inner Sphere versions. This leads to a design that hasn't performed as well as the Interceptor, resulting in some embarrassing losses to the Capellan Confederation's Lung Wang Pocket WarShip. BV (2.0) = 5,889[4][5]

Design Quirks

The Claymore V3 variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:[4]

Known vessels

(See Category:Individual Claymore-class DropShips)

Gallery

References

  1. MUL online date for the Claymore (DropShip class)
  2. AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 201
  3. Experimental Technical Readout: Steiner, p. 14
  4. 4.0 4.1 Technical Readout: Prototypes, p. 184
  5. Record Sheets: Prototypes, p. 96
  • Technical Readout: 3057, pp 12-13
  • Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, pp 10-11

Bibliography