Autocannon/20
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| AC/20 | |
| Production information | |
| Type | Ballistic (Direct Fire) |
| Tech Base | Inner Sphere (IS) |
| Year Availability | 2500 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Heat | 7 |
| Damage | 20 |
| Minimum Range | N/A |
| Short Range | 1-3 |
| Medium Range | 4-6 |
| Long Range | 7-9 |
| Tons | 14 |
| Critical Slots | 10 |
| Ammo Per Ton | 5 |
| Cost (unloaded) | 300,000 |
| Ammo Cost (per ton) | 10,000 |
| BV (1.0) | 178 |
| BV (2.0) | 178 |
Contents
Description
The Autocannon is a direct-fire ballistic weapon, firing HEAP (High-Explosive Armor-Piercing) rounds at targets either singly or in bursts.
Different manufacturers and models of autocannons have different calibers (25mm-203mm) and rates of fire. Due to this, autocannons are grouped into generic "classes" of autocannons with common damage ratings, with Autocannon/20s usually having massive damage outputs and very short ranges.
An example of the rating system: the Crusher Super Heavy Cannon is a 150mm weapon firing ten shells per "shot", while the Chemjet Gun is a 185mm weapon firing much slower, but causing higher damage. Despite their differences, both are classified as Autocannon/20s due to their damage output.
Regarding the in-game function of standard 2, 5, 10, and 20 ACs: compared to the alternatives, ACs are a poor alternative to missiles and lasers, even taking heat into account. Consider the Large Laser versus the AC/10. The AC/10 gives you a better heat to damage ratio, but at what cost? 12 tons plus at least one more ton of ammunition. If you invested a total of 12 tons into a Large Laser, you spend 5 for the laser, and 7 for heat sinks. That amounts to 8 damage and 1 heat at the same range, with fewer critical slots taken up. On top of that, the Large Laser costs half the C-Bills of an AC/10. Apply this same critique to all ACs and you will quickly find that you are much better off going with the alternative weapons. PLEASE NOTE: this may or may not apply to more up-to-date ACs.
Ammunition
A standard AC/20 can fire multiple types of ammunition, most of which were developed by the Federated Commonwealth in order to make their large supply of standard autocannon more useful in the age of Ultra and LB-X autocannon. These types are:
| Type | BV (1.0) | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20 | 10,000 |
| Armor-Piercing | 80 | 40,000 |
| Flechette | 10 | 15,000 |
| Incendiary | 20 | 20,000 |
| Precision | 80 | 60,000 |
Models
The Autocannon/20 is manufactured on the following planets:
| Brand | Planet | Company |
|---|---|---|
| ChemJet Gun 185mm | Betelgeuse | Aldis Industries |
| ChemJet Gun 185mm | New Samarkand | New Samarkand Metals |
| ChemJet Gun 185mm | Terra | Aldis Industries |
| Armstrong Requiem | Ramora | United Outworlders Corporation |
| Crusher SH Cannon | Kalidasa | Quikscell Company |
| Crusher SH Cannon | Indicass | Ceres Metals Industries |
| Defiance 'Mech Hunter | Hesperus II | Defiance Industries |
| Imperator Zeta-a | Atreus | Imperator Automatic Weaponry |
| Kali Yama Big Bore | Kalidasa | Kali Yama Weapons Industries Incorporated |
| Luxor Devastator-20 | New Syrtis | Johnston Industries |
| Mydron A | Bithinia | Bithinian Ballistics |
| Mydron A | Gulkana | Yeffters Weapons Factory |
| Pontiac 100 | Sterope | Sterope Defense Industries |
| Scarborough Original 20 | Al Na'ir | Scarborough Manufacturers |
| Scarborough Original 20 | Scarborough | Scarborough Limited |