Rakshasa

Rakshasa
Rakshasa
Production information
Manufacturer General Motors[1]
Production Year 3055[2]
Model MDG-1A
Class Heavy
Cost 18,943,749 C-bills
Technical specifications
'Mech type Inner Sphere BattleMech
Mass 75 tons
Chassis GM Marauder Special MD Endo Steel
Armor StarGuard Ferro-Fibrous
Engine GM 375 XL
Communications System Dalban Micronics
Targeting Tracking System Sync Tracker (39-42071) with Artemis IV System
Heat Sinks 15 double
Speed 86.4 km/h
Armament
BV (1.0) 1,412[3]
BV (2.0) 1,795[4]


Description

The Rakshasa was designed by engineers at the New Avalon Institute of Science in an attempt to copy the Mad Cat . The finished product, while not as powerful as the OmniMech it emulates, is a powerful 'Mech with an undeserved bad reputation. The Rakshasa is powered by a GM 375 XL engine, giving it comparable ground speed to the 'Mech it attempts to emulate, and built on a GM Marauder Special MD Endo Steel chassis to save weight and allow the 'Mech to carry as similar a weapons payload as possible to the Mad Cat. The Rakshasa also carries eleven and a half tons of StarGuard ferro-fibrous armor giving it slightly less than maximum armor protection.

Weapons and Equipment

The Rakshasa carries as its primary long range weapons a pair of Federated 10-shot LRM-10 launchers. These are mated to an Artemis IV fire control system which gives them greater missile accuracy. The LRM launchers are backed up by a pair of ExoStar ER Large Lasers which provide the 'Mech with respectable firepower at long range. For close combat, the Rakshasa carries two Martell medium lasers and a Martell Medium Pulse Laser. While not identical to the Mad Cat, the Rakshasa is a formidable 'Mech on the modern battlefield.

Variants

  • MDG-1Ar 
    This variant drops all the weapons except the medium lasers. In their place are a pair of Snub-Nose PPCs in the arms and a pair of MML-7s in the left and right torsos. To protect the missile ammunition, engineers installed CASE.[5] BV (2.0) = 1,675[6]
  • MDG-1B 
    The 1B variant of the 'Mech is a modification made to make the 'Mechs heat levels more manageable. The two ER Large Lasers have been replaced with standard Large Lasers sacrificing range for heat efficiency. BV (1.0) = 1,439[3][7], BV (2.0) = 1,748[8]
  • MDG-2A 
    A departure from the attempt to emulate the Mad Cat, the 2A model removes the 'Mechs arsenal and upgrades it with a new weapons mix geared toward close combat. The primary weapon is a rotary autocannon/5. This is backed up at shorter ranges by a Large Pulse Laser and for point-blank combat, the 'Mech carries four Medium Pulse Lasers. BV (1.0) = 1,480[3][9], BV (2.0) = 1,766[10]

Design Quirks

The Rakshasa has the following Design Quirks:[11]

Related BattleMechs

  • Timber Wolf - The Rakshasa was created by the Federated Commonwealth's NAIS in an attempt to replicate the Timber Wolf.
  • Marauder - Though the basis of the Rakshasa was made to counter the Timber Wolf, the mech used parts of the Marauder for its creation.

Gallery

References

  1. Handbook House Davion, p. 187
  2. MUL online date for the Rakshasa
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Combat Operations, p. 127
  4. Record Sheets: 3055 Upgrades Unabridged, p. 102
  5. Technical Readout: 3085, p. 191
  6. Record Sheets: 3085 Unabridged — Old is the New New, p. 104
  7. Record Sheets: 3060, p. 196
  8. Record Sheets: 3055 Upgrades Unabridged, p. 103
  9. Record Sheets: Upgrades, p. 131
  10. Record Sheets: 3055 Upgrades Unabridged, p. 104
  11. BattleMech Manual, p. 94 Design Quirk Table - Rakshasa Entry.

Bibliography