Minsk

Minsk
Production information
Manufacturer	Arcadia BattleMech Plant CM-T02 Bergan Industries C-Division
Production Year	2830
Model	MNK-101
Class	Heavy
Introduced	2830
Technical specifications
'Mech type	Mixed-tech BattleMech
Mass	70 tons
Chassis	StarCorp 100+ [endo steel]
Armor	Arcadia Compound Delta VII Ferro-Fibrous
Engine	Fusion 210
Communications System	Arcadian Communications Pauley-Bronson Z
Targeting Tracking System	Eden Microelectronics Wasat Aggressor Type B with Active Probe
Heat Sinks	10 double
Speed	54 km/h
Armament	2x Gauss rifles 1x LRM-10 2x SRM-6 2x Small Pulse Lasers 2x Machine Guns
BV (2.0)	2,021

Description

The Minsk is Clan Ghost Bear's first domestically produced heavy BattleMech. Produced after Operation KLONDIKE's Arcadia campaign, the Minsk served the Ghost Bears in Command and Support Stars as a bodyguard unit. Its silhouette is not unlike the ancient Hammerhands designs, with barrel-like arms with heavy ballistic weaponry.

The Minsk first gained renown in a Trial of Grievance in 2835 between Star Captain Jonas and Star Captain Halton of the Turkina Keshik. Observed by several Khans, the Minsk quickly disabled the Falcon warrior's Atlas II. Possibly its best known use was during the Ghost Bears' assault to claim the Tokasha MechWorks Alpha factory in 2921.

Despite its abilities it fell out of favor with the Clans as they represented a role that few Clan warriors wanted to play: Bodyguard. The opportunities for personal advancement and glory are limited for bodyguards, and so the Ghost Bears retired the design. The Minsk would remain out of service until 3149 when officers in Taiga Galaxy needed a support unit for their Assault Stars and created the Minsk 2.

Weapons and Equipment

The heavy 'Mech was built with a mix of newly developed Clan technologies as well as some leftover equipment from the Star League Defense Force era. The main long-range firepower comes from a Gauss rifle mounted in each arm and a single LRM-10 in the left torso. When enemies close the range they face the additional firepower in each side torso: A cluster of weapons consisting of an SRM-6, a Small Pulse Laser, and a Machine Gun. Ammunition is available in plenty, with three tons of Gauss ammo, two tons of SRM ammo, a ton of LRM ammo, and a ton of ammunition for the Machine Guns. All explosive ammunition and weaponry is protected by Clan-spec CASE.

The Minsk also is fitted with an antique Beagle Active Probe, allowing it to find hidden units and threats.

Variants

• Minsk 

  A later revision of the MNK-101 trades the Beagle Active Probe for a Clan equivalent model and reduces the machine gun ammunition to half a ton. Each leg carries an A-Pod for anti-infantry work. BV (2.0) = 2,028

• Minsk 2 

  Developed by officers in Taiga Galaxy from recycled KungsArmé Warhammers, the Minsk 2 is more of a combat engineering specialist design. Similar to the original design it supports command and assault assets. In place of the original payload the Minsk 2 carries an ER PPC with PPC Capacitor in each arm. The LRM system is replaced by a Mech Mortar/4, and the SRM racks are exchanged for Streak models. The two Small Pulse Lasers remain, but the machine guns have been removed and the A-Pods have been replaced by B-Pods. In addition the Active Probe has been augmented by an Angel ECM suite. Two tons of mortar ammunition and two tons of Streak ammunition are carried in CASE protected bays. The number of heat sinks has been increased to twelve, but as these are inadequate to dissipate all the heat generated by the weapons four Coolant Pods are carried (two in each arm). BV (2.0) = 2,357

Bibliography

• Technical Readout: Golden Century
• Turning Points: Tokasha