Cestus

Cestus
Production information
Manufacturer	General Motors, Blue Shot Weapons (under license)
Model	CTS-6Y
Class	Heavy
Cost	11,327,360 C-bills
Technical specifications
Mass	65 tons
Chassis	GM Heavy CVA
Armor	Durallex Special Heavy
Engine	GM 260 XL
Speed	64.8 km/h
Armament	1xGauss Rifle 2xMedium Lasers 2xLarge Lasers
BV (1.0)	1,495

Description

The Cestus began production for the SLDF in 2766 and was lost until recently when the plant that produced the 'Mech was destroyed by the DCMS during the Second Succession War. The 'Mech was originally designed to carry a heavy energy weapons payload, but because of complications that were encountered with the heat sinks on the 'Mech, the Cestus was modified to carry a mix of ballistic and energy weapons. The Cestus uses a powerful GM 260 XL engine to propel itself to a top speed of 64.8 km/h which, while slower than most sixty five ton 'Mechs, is a respectable speed for a heavy 'Mech. For protection from enemy fire, the Cestus carries a respectable thirteen and a half tons of Durallex Special Heavy armor, allowing it to take a great deal of punishment before going down. Finally, to help dissipate the waste heat from the 'Mech, the Cestus has twelve double heat sinks.

Armament

The Cestus carries as its primary weapon a Poland Main Model A Gauss Rifle that can strip nearly a ton of armor off an enemy at up to six hundred and sixtey meters. The Gauss Rifle is supported by a pair of Defiance B3L Large Lasers that can strike a target at medium to long-ranges and combined can do as much damage as the Gauss Rifle. For close combat, the Cestus has two ChisComp 39 Medium Lasers that provide the Cestus with close range combat capabilities.

Variants

• CTS-6Z - The 6Z variant of the Cestus is a throwback to the original concept of the 'Mech. The 6Z variant is armed with two PPCs in place of the Gauss Rifle. The saved weight is used to add four more double heat sinks to the 'Mech, helping to alleviate the large amounts of excess heat from the twin PPCs. This variant of the Cestus does sacrifice the cool running aspect of the design for increased firepower but also has the added benefit of being able to operate for long periods of time without needing to resupply. BV (1.0) = 1,275

• CTS-7A - A variant created by Blue Shot Weapons, the 7A turns the Cestus into a close range brawler. The first step was the removal of all the weaponry. In their places are newer guns, the largest of which is the LB-X Autocannon/20. With three tons of ammunition, the MechWarrior has the flexibility to swap between slugs and cluster rounds. This is backed up by paired ER Medium Lasers, Medium Pulse Lasers, and Streak SRM-4s. As long as the autocannon has rounds, heat can be an issue, so it should be managed with care.

References

• Record Sheets: 3055/3058
• Record Sheets: 3058 Upgrade
• Technical Readout: 3058
• Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade