Pendragon (BattleMech)

Pendragon MUSE RED
Production information
Manufacturer	General Motors of New Valencia
Production Year	3072
Model	PDG-1X
Class	Assault
Cost	22,810,126 C-bills
Technical specifications
Mass	95 tons
Chassis	Custom TLR1-O Hybrid Chassis
Armor	Clan-grade Ferro-Fibrous
Engine	285 rated XL Engine
Speed	50 km/h
Armament	2x ELRM-20s 3x Clan ER Medium Lasers 1x ER PPC
BV (2.0)	2,296

Description

Loosely based on the successful Templar OmniMech and utilizing a mix of prototype Inner Sphere- and Clan-spec technologies, the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns advanced Operation MUSE RED, tentatively code-named Pendragon, as the prototype design for the Federated Suns' next generation of fire support BattleMechs.

Started in 3072 at GM's New Valencia facility, Operation MUSE RED was charged with developing a hyper-advanced, long range fire support 'Mech for House Davion. By 3078 a total of six MUSE RED prototypes had been constructed for testing the viability for production, though suffering from the usual prototype issues of glitches and damage in accident, construction of a second group of four more MUSE RED prototypes was authorized. Rebuilding the Templar body with an experimental Composite Chassis and an off-shelf 285 rated XL Engine, the so-called Pendragon is ten tons heavier than its progenitor. After simulations and initial trials showed the prototypes were unduly susceptible to penetrating fire on the their fragile internal structure, the MUSE RED 'Mechs were fitted with Clan-grade Ferro-Fibrous armor and experimental CASE II systems to keep the Pendragon from ammunition explosions. Space concerns also forced the design team to switch the 'Mech's thirteen Double Heat Sinks to more compact Clan-grade versions.

Weapons and Equipment

The Pendragon's primary firepower comes from a pair of prototype Holly Extended LRM-20 launchers, one mounted in each arm, and able to attack at ranges few enemies can match. These are rendered deadly accurate when used in conjunction with a C3 Network, thanks to the design's head-mounted C3 Slave. To deter those who would attempt to close within the ELRM's minimum range, the design's secondary weaponry consist of a relatively common Johnston High Speed ER PPC mated to a PPC Capacitor in its left torso and a trio of Clan-grade Extended Range Medium Lasers, custom-built by the Department of Military Communications and Research, in its right torso. A total of eight tons of ELRM-20 reloads, four tons in each CASE II protected torso, gives the Pendragon adequate endurance in the field.

Variants

• PDG-1R 

  The production Pendragon required several changes to make use of Inner Sphere equipment. The first change was the reduction of the ELRM-20s to ELRM-15 launchers. The larger number of reloads available to these weapons allowed the engineers to cut the weight of the ammunition in half and relocate the ammunition and CASE II system to the arms. The Clan ER Medium Lasers were replaced by standard Inner Sphere models. The production version also retains the ER PPC and capacitor, but swaps the Clan Ferro-Fibrous armor for its Inner Sphere equivalent. The Pendragons ground speed has improved to 64 km/h, thanks to the 380XL engine. It still uses a Composite internal structure however, so pilots should avoid close combat. BV (2.0) = 2,216

• PDG-2R 

  A theoretical version, this Pendragon variant removes an ER Medium Laser, ER PPC, PPC Capacitor, and C3 Slave unit. It replaces them with an ER Large Laser and a C3 Master Computer.

Design Quirks

The PDG-1R Pendragon variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:

• Difficult to Maintain
• Improved Targeting/Long
• No/Minimal Arms
• Rumble Seat

Bibliography

• Experimental Technical Readout: Davion
• Record Sheets: Prototypes
• Technical Readout: Prototypes