Mangonel

Mangonel
Production information
Manufacturer	Arc-Royal MechWorks
Production Year	3079
Model	MNL-3L
Class	Heavy
Cost	13,421,500 C-bills
Technical specifications
'Mech type	Inner Sphere BattleMech
Mass	70 tons
Chassis	AR-7b Endo Steel
Armor	Royal-7 Ferro-Fibrous
Engine	Magna 350 Light
Communications System	K9 Comms System
Targeting Tracking System	Type V Bloodhound T&T System
Heat Sinks	10 Double heat sinks
Speed	86 km/h
Armament	2x Light Gauss Rifle 4x ER Medium Laser
BV (2.0)	1,552

Description

Introduced in 3078, the controversial and quirky Mangonel was a Clan Wolf-in-Exile heavy cavalry BattleMech built using Inner Sphere rather than Clan technology.

Facing increasing shortages of Clan-grade matériel during the Jihad, Khan Phelan Kell sponsored several programs to develop Inner Sphere equipment to pad out his forces, the Mangonel being one of the most visible outcomes of these initiatives. While the rare upgraded MNL-3W appeared in the Wolves-in-Exile's front-line commands, the standard MNL-3L was most commonly used in their second-line forces to allow the reassignment of Clan OmniMechs. As with any 'Mech produced on Arc-Royal, the Mangonel was also utilized by the Kell Hounds and a small number were shared with the Republic of the Sphere.

Built on an AR-7b Endo Steel frame and powered by a Magna 350 rated Light Fusion Engine to allow the Mangonel to reach speeds of 86 km/h and save weight for its heavy weapons array, a mere eight tons of Royal-7 ferro-fibrous armor and lack of CASE to ward against Gauss coil detonation greatly hamper the design's endurance during close-range slugging matches.

Weapons and Equipment

The Mangonel was literally built around the massive torso bay which contained its primary weapons, a pair of Corean Light Gauss Rifles, which when combined with its high speed allowed the 'Mech to dance around its targets at range. Unfortunately the single ton of reloads carried was adequate only for Clan Trials, while the pair of Diverse Optics ER Medium Lasers mounted in each arm made it an effective close-ranged combatant only as long as its minimal armor held out.

Variants

• MNL-3W 

  Such an extensive modification to the point it was an entirely different design, the MNL-3W was a complete rebuild utilizing Clan technology and was developed in 3082. Built on a Clan-grade Endo Steel chassis, powered by a Clan 350-rated XL fusion engine and clad in ten tons of Clan-grade ferro-fibrous armor backed by an ECM suite, the 3W saved more weight while boasting superior durability to the Inner Sphere tech model. The weight saved allowed the replacement of the standard weaponry with a pair of full Clan-grade Gauss rifles and swapped the IS ER Mediums for more deadly Clan models. The MNL-3W also had far superior endurance in the field thanks to the four tons of Gauss reloads, two dedicated for each cannon, carried in automatically CASE equipped bays and two additional heat sinks. BV (2.0) = 2,657

• MNL-4S 

  This version of the Mangonel introduced in 3088 uses the standard Inner Sphere chassis, Light Engine, and armor. The weaponry is replaced with Clan-built HAG/40 in the right torso, while each arm has an ER Medium Laser and Medium Pulse Laser. All these weapons are built to Clan standards. BV (2.0) = 2,659

Dark Age Variants

• One Mangonel sighted in action during the Dark Age era was described as mounting a single Autocannon instead of Gauss Rifles.

Design Quirks

The Mangonel has the following Design Quirks:

• Difficult to Maintain
• No/Minimal Arms

Gallery

• 

  "Copperhead"-Mangonel miniature from MechWarrior: Age of Destruction set

Bibliography

• Master Unit List
• MechWarrior: Dark Age
• Record Sheets: 3085 Print Edition
• Record Sheets: 3085 Unabridged - The Cutting Edge
• Technical Readout: 3085