Pack Hunter

Pack Hunter
Production information
Manufacturer	WC Site 3
Production Year	3059
Model	Standard
Class	Light
Introduced	3059
Cost	3,206,840 C-bills
Technical specifications
'Mech type	Clan BattleMech
Mass	30 tons
Chassis	Type AR1 endo steel
Armor	Royal-7 Standard
Engine	Light Force 210
Communications System	K9 Communications System
Targeting Tracking System	Hunter (3) Dedicated TTS
Heat Sinks	10 double heat sinks
Speed	119 km/h
Jump Jets	Unknown
Armament	1x ER PPC
BV (1.0)	1,384
BV (2.0)	1,369

Description

Fast and with a sharp bite, the Pack Hunter was the first new design produced by Clan Wolf-in-Exile on Arc-Royal.

Following their arrival on Arc-Royal in the wake of the Refusal War, Khan Phelan Kell's newly Exiled Wolves quickly set about constructing production facilities to support their touman. Though many Exiled Wolf Warriors pushed for a heavy flagship OmniMech that would command attention from the other Clans as their first BattleMech, Khan Kell pragmatically realized that a second-line machine was of more immediate usefulness as well as serving as a proof-of-concept for the new production lines, allowing problems to be identified and fixed without the risk of producing a flawed OmniMech. Showing his bias for lighter, faster designs, Khan Phelan Kell directed his scientists to create a 'Mech offering "impressive speed but with a bite. A real pack hunter."

Production of the Pack Hunter also showed the strength of the Exiled Wolves' ties to the Kell Hounds, the 'Mech carrying standard armor and communication equipment manufactured by the Hounds and purchased as part of a trade agreement for access to endo steel from an Exiled Wolf orbital factory. While the lion's share of Pack Hunters were deployed in Clan Wolf-in-Exile's second-line and garrison Clusters as fast as they can be produced, the Kell Hounds deployed a few in their own regiments.

Intended for obsolescence from the very start, repeated delays and false starts would ensure the Pack Hunter saw continued production until the introduction not of a new OmniMech, but the updated and upgraded Pack Hunter II in 3077 instead. Amazingly, the original design would reappear over 70 years later during the Dark Ages thanks to the Wolf Empire's capture of the Technicron Manufacturing/Irian BattleMechs Unlimited plant on Tongatapu. Rather than upgrade the Tongatapu Hermes 4K line to Clan standards, the Empire instead used it as the basis to reintroduce the Pack Hunter. Though how the Empire acquired the plans is unknown, the decision was intended not as a snub to the Exiled Wolves but an attempt at enticing its survivors to join the Empire following the fall of Arc-Royal.

Weapons and Equipment

Built around an endo steel skeleton, standard 210-rated fusion engine and seven jump jets, a max speed of more than 100 km/h and an impressive jumping range make the Pack Hunter an excellent flanking or vanguard BattleMech. Though lacking the high-powered sensor equipment that would make it an excellent scout, its ability to handle itself in nearly any situation makes up for that perceived deficiency. The use of a standard engine and its internal double heat sinks make the 'Mech cheaper to manufacture.

The Pack Hunter's Ripper Series A1 ER PPC, capable of decapitating a foe in a single blast, gives any 'Mech that faces it a good reason to worry. The 'Mech excels when staying at extreme range and using its speed to keep that distance between it and larger 'Mechs, especially with multiple Pack Hunters acting in unison as its name implies. However, the Pack Hunter is hard pressed to defend itself if attacked by multiple opponents due to its lack of secondary weapons and its meager four tons of standard armor.

Variants

• Pack Hunter 2 

  This variant was introduced during 3065. It adds an XL engine to mount eight General Systems ER micro lasers and an additional double heat sink, and also carries the maximum amount of ferro-fibrous armor possible. Even with the additional heat sink, the Pack Hunter 2 is at risk to high heat levels. BV (1.0) = 1,464; BV (2.0) = 1,598

• Pack Hunter 3 

  Introduced during the Jihad in 3068, this variant of the 2 removes half of the lasers to mount MASC, enabling the Pack Hunter to move up to 151 km/h in bursts. This has the added bonus of alleviating some of the heat problems of the first variant. BV (1.0) = 1,550; BV (2.0) = 1,747

• Pack Hunter 4 

  Another Jihad variant introduced 3070, this one takes advantage of new advances in Clan technology. The 'Mech has been fitted with lower rate XL engine, reducing the 'Mech speed to 90 km/h. To make up for the drop in speed, the Pack Hunter is equipped with nine improved jump jets. The design has been given endo steel and a slight increase in ferro-fibrous armor. For weaponry, the 'Mech has a Clan ER large laser, guided by a targeting computer. In addition, the 'Mech has been given a Guardian ECM suite. BV (2.0) = 1,257

• Pack Hunter 5 

  This Wolf Empire variant is a much more thorough melding of Inner Sphere and Clan technologies. Built around a few central Inner Sphere-grade components - a 270-rated XL engine, seven standard jump jets, and an endo steel frame - while clad in five and a half tons of Clan-grade ferro-fibrous armor. Now better armored than the original and capable of a remarkable 151 km/h top speed, the Pack Hunter 5's sole weapon is the Clan-tech ER PPC that gave the original model its bite. Though this means the 5 is still plagued by the original's inability to engage multiple opponents, the sheer speed gained in this upgrade makes it ever easier to avoid most return fire. BV (2.0) = 1,644

Design Quirks

The Pack Hunter has the following Design Quirk:

• Reinforced Legs

Notable Pilots

See: Category:Notable Pack Hunter Pilots

Related BattleMechs

• Pack Hunter II - Originally intending to develop an upgraded OmniMech version of the original Pack Hunter, the desperation of the Jihad resulted in the Wolves-in-Exile refocusing their efforts into merely developing an improved Pack Hunter II

Notes

• In German products, the unit's proper Clan name was translated to Rudeljäger.

Gallery

• 

  Original Pack Hunter from TRO:3060

• 

  Pack Hunter from RG:ilClan v1

• 

  Pack Hunter miniature from BattleTech: Clan Ad Hoc Star

Bibliography

• Combat Operations
• Master Unit List
• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 1
• Record Sheets: 3060
• Record Sheets: 3060 Unabridged
• Record Sheets: MechWarrior Dark Age I
• Technical Readout: 3060
• Technical Readout: 3085