Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

KTO-18x Kintaro
History:
General Mechanics is best known for the design and
manufacture of the iconic 20-ton Wasp, which remains
one of the most common BattleMechs in the Inner
Sphere today. Introduced in 2464, it was the first jump
capable BattleMech ever created, although it would take
until 2471 before the technology was truly reliable.
Another 123 years would pass before General
Mechanics designed and produced another BattleMech
at their facility on Mars and by then they had licensed the
Wasp to numerous other defense contractors throughout
the Successor Houses and even in the Periphery.
In 2587 General Mechanics not only unveiled the 55-ton
KTO-19 Kintaro but also introduced a way to dramatically
increase the accuracy of long-range and short-range
missiles. The Narc Missile Beacon consists of a threeton
launcher that fires special “pods” with magnetic
heads. These pods are actually powerful homing
beacons that work in tandem with Narc-equipped
missiles.
Once a “pod” is attached to a target, it emits a widerange
electromagnetic beacon that can be tracked by a
modified guidance package installed in standard long
and short-range missiles. While these guidance
packages roughly double the costs of the munitions, it
results in much higher percentage of missiles striking the
target. In addition, since the homing beacon is attached
to the target, there is almost no way for the target to stop
the beacon from broadcasting, making it, literally, a
magnet for missiles.
The KTO-19 Kintaro was designed around the Narc
Missile Beacon, the launcher being installed in its heavily
armored chest. It has one mission, and one mission
only, to successfully attach homing beacons to enemy
‘Mechs. While the KTO-19 carries a complement of two
HoverTec-6 SRM launchers and single Holly 5 LRM
system, it’s invariably found the company of other larger
missile carrying ‘Mechs such as the Trebuchet,
Crusader, Archer, or even the 80-ton Longbow, which
are expected to actually deal the killing blow.
To help with its mission, the designers gave it a top
speed of 86.4 kph and covered it with 11 tons of top-ofthe-line
Leopard V Ferro-Fibrous armor, giving it almost
the maximum amount of armor the Technicron-1 chassis
can carry.
In practice, however, Kintaro pilots often found it difficult
to disengage an enemy ‘Mech after “tagging” it. Lacking
jump jets and with only average speed for a 55-ton
‘Mech, many Kintaros were destroyed after delivering
their specialized payload.
The KTO-19 is also heavily dependent on logistical
support. While it carries a pair of medium lasers on its
right arm, all of it major weapon systems are ammunition
dependent, giving it limited range. To make matters
worse, the Kintaro only carries six of the advanced
homing beacons for its Narc launcher. Once these six
pods are gone, so is the Kintaro.
In 2731, General Dynamics delivered the KTO-19b to the
SLDF Royal Brigades. Using a CoreTek 275XL engine
and dual strength heat sinks, the -19b upgrades the
original Holly LRM-5 to a full 15-rack with two tons of
ammunition. It also adds CASE to both torsos and
increases the armor by a half-ton.
The fall of the Star League less than 50 years later was
not kind to the Kintaro. When the last Narc munitions
factory was destroyed during the First Succession War,
the Kintaro became just another missile boat, and its
importance, as well as its numbers, steadily declined.
Combined with the fact General Dynamics’ sole
production facility was located on Mars, the Kintaro
became virtually extinct.
Eventually, however, General Dynamics managed to
rebuild a production line on Ozawa, in the Federated
Suns, from which they produce the downgraded KTO-18
Kintaro. Lacking the sophisticated Narc Missile Beacon
and Ferro-Fibrous armor of the original, the -18 replaces
the Missile Beacon with a third HoverTec-6 SRM
launcher, allow it to launch an astounding 18 short-range
missiles at a time. The armor is also replaced with
standard resulting in a loss of protection as well.
Notable ‘Mech and MechWarriors
Lord George Subraj
Lord Subraj traces his family’s roots back to the
commanding officer of the SLDF 42nd Striker Regiment,
which along with the 10th Heavy Assault Regiment,
declined General Aleksandr Kerensky’s invitation to join
him on his famous Exodus. The two regiments
combined to form the 12 th Star Guards and took up
immediate employment with the Capellan Confederation
guarding a dozen different worlds.
Subraj’s Kintaro also traces its origin back to the SLDF,
having been built in 2653 at the now defunct General
Mechanics plant on Mars. Over the intervening
centuries, his ‘Mech has been modified time and time
again as the supply of parts dwindled, others became
almost impossible to find, and still others, such as the
Narc launcher and pods, became extinct.
The current incarnation of his Kintaro still retains the
‘Mechs original design concept, carrying an almost
exclusively missile based loadout of weapons. Four
Holly LRM-5s provide better long range fire support than
the original model, while a pair of Holly SRM-4s provide
close range firepower. The only original weapons left
are the two Magna medium lasers carried on the right
arm. The speed and number of heat sinks remain
unchanged while the armor is now the commonly
available Starshield.
The key to his ‘Mechs longevity is the Cellular
Ammunition Storage Equipment built into both torsos of
the 55-ton ‘Mech. CASE has prevented his Kintaro from
being reduced to scrap countless times over its long life,
but it remains to be seen how much longer Subraj can
maintain the lostech protection system.
Alpha Strike Statistics
TP: BM SZ: 2 TMM: +2
MV: 10” Role: Missile Boat
Damage S: 2 M: 3 L: 1
OV: 1
Armor: O O O O O
Sructure: O O O O O
Special: LRM 1/1/1, SRM 1/1/-
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