Condor (Combat Vehicle)

Condor
Production information
Manufacturer	Red Devil Industries Quikscell Company
Mission	Cavalry
Type	Hover
Cost	1,217,000 C-bills
Technical specifications
Mass	50 tons
Armor	StarSlab/9.5 Mk II Standard
Engine	Jones 165 I.C.E.
Speed	129 km/h
Crew	2
Armament	1 x Autocannon/5 2 x Medium Lasers 1 x Machine Gun
BV (1.0)	425
BV (2.0)	653

Description

A heavy cavalry unit designed for rapid reaction to a shifting battle, the Condor is one of the few heavy hover tanks available. Although expensive to buy and to maintain, this immense hovercraft is capable of a flank speed of 129 kph and a cruising speed of 86 kph, making it one of the fastest vehicles in its weight class and as fast as the speediest ’Mechs and vehicles. Six tons of StarSlab/9.5 Mk II armor give the Condor considerable protection for its role, though the bulk is concenrated on the front and turret, notably weakening the sides.

Introduced a few short years before the formation of the original Star League, the Condor remained one of Red Devil Industries main sellers for centuries and was widly distributed across the Inner Sphere, with the militaries of the Lyran Commonwealth, Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation fielding the majority during the Succession Wars. With the loss of Red Devil's factories with the capture of Pandora by Clan Jade Falcon in 3064, the design was secured by Quikscell Company, who developed an advanced new-tech refresh of the verenable and still highly popular design, even selling the unassembled components of the tank in kit form in effort to keep up with demand.

Armament

Unlike tracked or wheeled vehicles of the same weight, the Condor is intended to attack enemies "on the fly" at medium ranges, carrying a GM Whirlwind Class 5 autocannon and a pair of Defiance B3M Medium Lasers in its turret. While many manfacturers are forced to buy the popular Defiance B3M Medium Laser at the going market rate, Red Devil actually build their own under license. Originally Defiance Industries declined to allow the company to do so, which led the Red Devil to offer a bounty program for used or slightly damaged lasers taken in combat to recondition and install on new Condors. When Defiance noticed that some of flagship BattleMech designs, such as the Zeus, attracted undue fire from foes attempting to cash in on the bounty, they quickly relented. Not nearly as notable, the reliable SureFire MiniGun, mounted on the body, is intended as an anti-personnel weapon.

Variants

• Davion - A variant popular among AFFS units, House Davion forces generally strip both the Whirlwind and lasers from the turret for pair of Autocannon/2's. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 611

• Liao - A variant sighted in House Liao space, the CCAF strip out the Whirlwind to add more lasers instead. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 765

• Upgrade - Sharing only a minimal resemblance to the Red Devil model, the Condor rolling off Quikscell's Richvale production lines utilizes a wide range of advanced technology. Replacing the internal combustion engine with a more powerful CoreTek 215 XL Fusion Engine both greatly increases the Condor's speed while freeing up space to carry upgraded weapons array. Giving the Condor the long-range striking power required on the modern battlefield, the standard GM autocannon was replaced with an advanced Mydron Excel 5SG LB-X AC/5, boosting the ammunition carried to two tons to allow for the use of both standard and cluster munitions, while the lasers were dropped for a turret-mounted Valiant Abalest LRM 15-pack fed with two tons of reloads. Based on the experiences of the FedCom Civil War, an extra machine gun was added to the sole original. An upgrade to ten heat sinks and StarSlab/9.5 Ferro-Fibrous Mk II boost the Condor's staying power in battle. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 965

• Upgrade Laser - An attempt by Quikscell to reduce the Condor's dependence on ammunition based weaponry, this variant of the upgraded tank replaces the autocannon with a Cyclops Extended-Range Large Laser, with the remaining weight being used to add a turret-mounted Anti-Missile System, a Guardian ECM Suite and an additional ton of armor. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 1,197

• Upgrade 2 - Apparently a hybrid between the original Condor and the Condor Upgrade, this version uses a standard Fusion engine to provide power. The turret carries four ER Medium Lasers and three SRM-2 launchers with two tons of ammunition. BV (2.0) = 977

Gallery

• 

  Condor in Urban Terrain

• 

  MWDA's version of the Condor from dossier of Franz Spliter

References

• CityTech, Second Edition, p. 84
• Technical Readout: 3026, pp. 48-49
• Technical Readout: 3026 Revised, pp. 52-53
• Technical Readout: 3039, pp. 60-61
• Technical Readout: 3075, pp. 54-55

Bibliography

• CityTech
• CityTech, Second Edition
• Combat Operations
• Record Sheets: 3039
• Record Sheets: 3075
• Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged
• Technical Readout: 3026
• Technical Readout: 3026 Revised
• Technical Readout: 3039
• Technical Readout: 3075
• Master Unit List.pdf
• MWDA Swordsworn's Sgt. Gregory Lee - Condor Multi-Purpose Tank
• MWDA Stormhammers' dossier of Franz Spitzer
• Record Sheets: 3058 Unabridged (Clan & Star League)