Gladiator (BattleMech)

This article is about the 55-ton Inner Sphere BattleMech. For other uses, see Gladiator.

Gladiator
Production Information
Manufacturer	Marian Arms Incorporated Merryweather Industries Metals of the Earth New Samarkand Armor Works Rastaban Agricultural StarCorps Industries Sword of the Prophet Enterprises
Production Year	2490
Model	GLD-4R
Class	Medium
Cost	5,002,057 C-bills
Technical specifications
'Mech type	Inner Sphere BattleMech
Mass	55 tons
Chassis	MW240
Armor	Kemplar 5000
Engine	CoreTek 275
Communications System	Fujika Multiband
Targeting Tracking System	General systems AV-12
Heat Sinks	13 single
Speed	86 km/h
Jump Jets	GE-2200
Armament	1x PPC 1x SRM-6 2x medium laser
B.V. (1.0)	N/A
B.V. (2.0)	1,291

Description

The first homegrown BattleMech produced by the Draconis Combine was the Gladiator. The 55-ton 'Mech took seven years to design, as Coordinator Kozo Von Rohrs refused to open up the process to anybody but a select group at New Samarkand Armor Works, the predecessor of Luthien Armor Works, who were under constant surveillance by DEST. 2468 finally saw the GLD-1R Gladiator hit mass-production. Following the Battle of Nox in 2475, the dishonored 'Mech was retired from official production, with NSAW closing down the production lines by 2488.

Merryweather Industries was the first private company to attempt BattleMech production without governmental support. Despite their location in the Terran Hegemony, they acquired the plans to the Gladiator and produced a new run in 2490. They were unable to raise the capital to finish their second run, the 4R, and nearly went bankrupt before changing over to IndustrialMechs. The GLD-4R production lines were closed down in 2495.

A few salvaged Gladiator -1Rs were still in service with militaries across the Inner Sphere and Periphery, though these relics were finally pushed to extinction during the Reunification War.

During the Jihad, StarCorps Industries produced a small yearly run of a new variant, the 5R, which over decades became the foundation of a line of Gladiator variants produced by the Son Hoa branch.

Weapons and Equipment

The 55-ton Gladiator is built on an MW240 chassis, carrying a Core Tek 275 fusion engine that gives it a top speed of 86 km/h, comparable to many other 'Mechs of the same weight. Nine and a half tons of standard armor provides a respectable amount of protection, while five jump jets gives it greater agility and enables the 'Mech to jump up to 150 meters at a time.

A Lord's Light P1 PPC provides long range firepower. Two Argra 1L medium lasers are just as powerful up close and a Thunderstroke SRM-6 exploits any holes in an enemy's armor.

Variants

• GLD-1R 

  The original Gladiator used primitive technology, so it only had a large laser and two medium lasers. In addition, it could only manage a top speed around 64 km/h, and was protected by 16.5 tons of primitive armor. The GLD-1R went out of production by 2488. During the Jihad, several companies began producing this primitive design of Gladiator as a part of the appearance of retrotech on the battlefield, driven by the need for war matériel; companies which produced the primitive Gladiator during this era included Rastaban Agricultural Products, Metals of the Earth and Sword of the Prophet Enterprises although many of these manufacturing lines had closed down by 3079. BV (2.0) = 1,027

• GLD-2R 

  A more modern variant that still used some primitive technologies, the 2R upgraded the top speed of the 1R to 86 km/h but the armament was unchanged. Few of these were ever fielded, as the design was apparently just a testbed for the newer technologies. Production of the GLD-2R stopped by 2488. BV (2.0) = 1,245, 1,184

• GLD-3R 

  The first test platform for Merryweather, the 3R replaced the large laser with two LRM-10s. BV (2.0) = 1,282

• GLD-5R 

  The 5R is an upgraded variant by StarCorps Industries. It was fashioned after a customized Gladiator fielded by Major Alex Keller of the Devil's Brigade that utilized cutting-edge and experimental technology, though the production model designated 5R does not exactly copy Keller's customized 'Mech (see below). It is armed with a snub-nose PPC, two ER medium lasers, and an MML-5 with Artemis IV FCS to improve accuracy. Altogether 13 double heat sinks help to alleviate heat problems. This version features a Guardian ECM Suite and a C3 Slave unit, and has 12 tons of standard armor, which gives it maximum protection for a 'Mech of its size. BV (2.0) = 1,425 (Note that an earlier, slightly different record sheet for this 'Mech from the 2009 Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged [BC-210] was superseded in canon by the cited publication.)

• GLD-7R 

  StarCorps' 7R, designed to be an economical unit for Son Hoa's local defense and regional sales, strengthens its defenses with 16.5 tons of hardened armor and the addition of CASE II. Improved jump jets and triple-strength myomer compensate for the armor's impact on speed, and the 'Mech carries a Defiance Novashot Model 2 plasma rifle, two Diverse Optics ER small and ER medium lasers, and a TharHes 4 Pack SRM-4. BV (2.0) = 1,890

• GLD-7R/SF 

  Designed as a partnership between StarCorps and Clan Sea Fox traders on Son Hoa, targeting the Periphery mercenary market, the 7R/SF removes half a ton of the 7R's armor, upgrades the CASE II to Clan standards, and replaces the entire weapon loadout. An LB 5-X with two ammo bins, an SRM-6 with two ammo bins, and two improved heavy medium lasers, all ClanTech, make for a generalist design, versatile but unfocused. BV (2.0) = 1,748

• GLD-9SF 

  Also known as the Betta gladiator, the 9SF is a StarCorps of Son Hoa design, produced for Clan Sea Fox only on specific request. Primarily used by Shoal Clusters, where the BattleMech can serve many traditional IndustrialMech roles, the 9SF carries an unusual range of equipment. Two lift hoists and a fluid gun are accompanied by a ClanTech weapon loadout: a capacitor-supported ER PPC, an SRM-4 with two bins of ammo, and two flamers. The flamers can be automated to keep the 9SF's triple-strength myomer active, and the 'Mech is protected by 11 tons of standard armor and CASE II. BV (2.0) = 2,119

Custom Variants

• Gladiator Keller 

  Alex Keller piloted an extensively customized ancient GLD-1R that served as the inspiration behind the 5R production model. It had a 220-rated light fusion engine connected to an experimental (as of 3075) supercharger, an XL Gyro, and six improved jump jets. A C3i computer allows the 'Mech to share targeting telemetry with like-equipped units. It is armed with a snub-nose PPC, enhanced by a PPC Capacitor (described as a prototype as of 3075), two ER medium lasers, and an MML-5 with one ton of ammunition devoted to long range missiles and another used for short range. 11 double heat sinks are barely adequate for such a 'Mechs's generated heat. The 'Mech also used 12 tons of armor for maximum protection. BV (2.0) = 1,557 (Note that an earlier, slightly different record sheet for this 'Mech from the 2009 Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged [BC-210] was superseded in canon by the cited publication.)

Design Quirks

The GLD-1R Gladiator variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:

• Bad Reputation
• Cowl
• Poor Sealing
• Poor Workmanship
• Unbalanced
• Obsolete/2488

Notes

• The GLD-3R Gladiator variant was featured in Issue 0201 of BattleTechnology. In the article by Dale A. Kemper, additional details are described regarding Merryweather Industries' ill-fated production run of the GLD-3R Gladiator.

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

• Originally intended to meet a Star League Defense Force requirement for a new long-range support 'Mech, Merryweather Industries offered the GLD-3R Gladiator, with the first prototypes undergoing testing in 2468. After achieving success in its early field tests, Merryweather Industries was awarded a contract to produce 1,200 of the 'Mechs. However, in 2470 the contract was revoked, pointing to computer simulations that showed the 'Mech was not powerful enough to fill the role it had been built for. Having already produced over 100 of the machines, and prepared to produce 2,000 more, the loss of the contract nearly bankrupted Merryweather Industries. Private investors were quickly sought, and with the approval of the Star League, 2,000 Gladiators were sold, most notably to the Lyran Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine. Following the conclusion of the first run, Merryweather Industries discontinued the Gladiator line and continued to produce IndustrialMechs. The long-range close-support role would eventually be filled by the Archer, specifically the ARC-2C variant. At the time of the article's printing (February 3028), the author estimates that about 150 of the 'Mechs remain, though most are hybrids. There are no known examples of "standard" Gladiators as they were built.

• As presented in BattleTechnology, the GLD-3R Gladiator mounts a pair of DLC-10 shoulder-mounted LRM-10 launchers, backed up by a single Duodyne Mark II medium laser in each arm. A Fujika Multiband communication system and General Systems AV-12 targeting package is used. The GLD-3R is mentioned as using GE-2200 jump jets, which are noted as allowing for altitude variation during during movement. The top speed and cruising speed is listed as 58.1 km/h and 84.2 km/h, slower than what its engine should theoretically provide. Compared to the GLD-3R presented in later sources, the one described in BattleTechnology has one fewer jump jet and mounts an extra half-ton of armor.

Apocryphal Content Ends

• No mention is made of the earlier GLD-1R, GLD-2R, or Merryweather's second Gladiator run, the GLD-4R. The artwork presented for the Gladiator is completely different from the art presented for the GLD-4R Gladiator in Technical Readout: 3075. It is unclear whether the artwork presented is meant to be of an original Gladiator, or one of the many "hybrid" Gladiators mentioned by the article author.

Gallery

• 

  Original Gladiator from TRO:3075

• 

  Experimental GLD-1R Gladiator from XTRO:Primitives II

• 

  Gladiator from Shrapnel #15

• 

  DCMS Gladiator from FM:SLDF

• 

  The ruins of a Gladiator from 25 Years of Art & Fiction

Bibliography

• BattleTechnology, Issue #0201
• Era Digest: Age of War
• Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives, Volume 2
• Master Unit List: Battle Values
• Objectives: Draconis Combine
• Objectives: Lyran Alliance
• Record Sheets: 3075
• Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged (partially superseded by later publication)
• Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War
• Shrapnel Issue 15
• Technical Readout: 3075