Super Griffin

Super Griffin
Production information
Manufacturer	none (prototype)
Model	GRF-2N
Class	Heavy
Technical specifications
Mass	60 tons
Chassis	custom (prototype)
Armor	unknown
Engine	Core Tek 275
Speed	64.8 km/h
Jump Jets	manufacturer unknown
Armament	1 PPC 1 LRM-10 1 Medium Laser
BV (1.0)	?
BV (2.0)	?

Description

The GRF-2N Super Griffin is an evolution of the classic Griffin, a re-design that essentially produced a new BattleMech with even a different tonnage (similar to the -IIC variants that the Clans created for many classic designs). While its overall weight was increased to 60 tons, meaning more powerful jump jets are required for the 'Mech, the Super Griffin retains the CoreTek 275 fusion engine which could only provide a ground speed of 64.8 km/h for the heavier frame. To make up for this, the armor has been increased by half a ton and a Medium Laser has been added. Also, the Super Griffin mounts thirteen heat sinks (as opposed to the twelve regular heat sinks on the standard Griffin), three of which are experimental double heat sinks, for a total heat dissipation capacity of 16 per turn.

Note that the Super Griffin as described in the sourcebook is an illegal design and cannot be built under standard rules:

• The armor allocation of 22/7 to both torso sides is illegal. Even on a 60-ton frame the 'Mech may only mount altogether 28 points of armor on any side torso location. However, the Super Griffin has one less point of armor on both arms compared to the standard Griffin on which it is based, for no apparent reason. This suggests that the armor configuration given is in error, and that the illegal armor point on the side torso locations belongs to the respective arm instead.
• Although it is technically legal to have a mismatched engine, the Super Griffin suffers a reduction in speed due to its increased mass and may only have four jump jets (at one ton each), not nine as shown in the sourcebook. This was presumably a misprint, and supposed to read four instead; no record sheet exists to show the location, and thereby the number, of the jump jets.
• Double heat sinks cannot normally be mixed with standard heat sinks. However, special house rules regarding experimental double heat sinks that could be substituted for regular heat sinks were provided within the sourcebook for that particular campaign.

With 13 heat sinks and four jump jets the 'Mech comes out at 59.5 tons and is actually 0.5 tons underweight.

Together with the Super Wasp, the Super Griffin was designed at the Friden Aerospace Park research facility on Hoff by House Davion scientists in "Project Phoenix". After eighteen months of work, an operational prototype had been completed but was yet untested when the Black Widow Company attacked the facility on 13 May 3022. It was deployed as a last line of defense together with the Super Wasps, and was presumably destroyed. There have been no recorded encounters with either design afterwards.

The Super Griffin was apparently never considered for full production, as the Hatchetman was hailed as the first new 'Mech design a few years, but the exact reasons for this remain unknown. Since the design stretches the construction rules it could be speculated that the new technology turned out to be unreliable, or otherwise unsuitable for mass production for technical or economic reasons; alternatively it could be assumed that the research results and blueprints were irrevocably lost over the course of the battles for Hoff.

Armament

The Super Griffin retains the weapon configuration of the regular GRF-1N Griffin, namely a PPC in the right arm and a LRM-10 launcher with two tons of ammunition in the right torso. A Medium Laser was added to the left arm.

Variants

None known. The Super Griffin never came beyond the prototype stage.

References

• Tales of the Black Widow Company