Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

VLK-QH Valkyrie
History:
Originally intended for use by the Star League Defense
Force, by the time Corean Enterprises began production
of the Valkyrie in 2787, the Star League had
disintegrated, the SLDF has disappeared beyond the
Periphery, and Minoru Kurita’s declaration of himself as
the new First Lord had plunged the Inner Sphere into
what would become the first of a series of Succession
Wars.
One of only a handful of military contractors located
outside the Terran Hegemony, Corean Enterprises
manufactures the Valkyrie at their headquarters on New
Avalon, the capital world of the Federated Suns. The
only other Corean plant to survive the horrors of the
Succession Wars is located on Stewart, in the Free
Worlds League.
The New Avalon facility is notable for being one the few
remaining fully automated BattleMech facilities left.
Capable of producing close to a dozen BattleMechs per
month, it ranks among the most productive facilities left
in the Inner Sphere today. Many such factories existed
at the height of the Star League, heavily clustered in the
Terran Hegemony, producing BattleMechs for the SLDF,
the largest single military force to have ever existed.
These factories were among the earliest causalities of
the First Succession War and only the fact Corean
Enterprises was located on the well defended capital of
the Federated Suns spared their plant the same fate as
so many of its cousins.
Ultimately, the Valkyrie was adopted as the standard
light ‘Mech of the Armed Forces Federated Suns
replacing the lighter and older Wasps and Stingers that
tend to dominate the light ‘Mech forces of other Great
Houses.
Due to its heavy armor, respectable speed and jump
capacity, the Valkyrie serves well as both a scout and
scout hunter. The key to this success is the Devastator
Series-07 LRM-10, giving the light ‘Mech the ability
attack targets well over half a kilometer away, a rare
ability for its weight class.
There have been credible reports, however, that the
Sync Tracker (39-42071) targeting and tracking system
has serious flaws and can fail completely under stress,
forcing a MechWarrior to rely only on visual line-of-sight
for targeting.
Regardless, the Valkyrie has a well-deserved reputation
as a tough fighter and an even tougher kill. Many of
them are piloted by veteran MechWarriors, a testament
to how well regarded it is and the ‘Mechs ability to
survive combat.
Corean Enterprises has a long and rich history. One of
the few major military contractors located outside of the
Terran Hegemony, it was instrumental in bringing
BattleMech technology to the Free Worlds League. In
2470 it produced the first of six 40-ton ICR-1X Icarus
prototypes on Stewart. Corean would continue refining
the design, eventually introducing the Second
Generation ICR-1S Icarus II in 2518, the first mass
produced BattleMech designed in the FWL.
Beginning in 2471, Corean Enterprises also designed
and manufactured the First Generation HOR-1B Hector.
Utilizing a heavy primitive fusion engine, basic controls,
and rudimentary armor, the Hector was not a particularly
effective machine, the two Irian Weapons Works large
lasers making it prone to easily overheat. Regardless of
its problems, including the infamous “exploding leg” flaw
which was fixed 5 years later by replacing the leg
mounted machine guns and ammunition with small
lasers and an additional heat sink, it became a
workhorse for the FWLM until the Icarus II became
available.
Capabilities:
The VLK-QH variant gives the versatile Valkyrie the
ability to fulfill yet another role on the battlefield, that of
sniper. One of the few drawbacks of the Devastator
Series-07, in fact of all LRM systems, is the minimum
range restriction, making it all but impossible to use in
close combat. Couple that with the fact the -QA only
carries 12 reloads for the system, and it’s easy to see
how the Valkyrie could find itself in trouble during an
extended engagement.
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The –QH version replaces the original Sutel IX medium
laser with a much more powerful ChisComp 43 Special
heavy laser, commonly found on the 50-ton Enforcer.
While lacking the extreme range of the LRM, the
ChisComp delivers on average 33% more damage but
more importantly, focuses all that damage on one
location. A single hit from the ChisComp would entirely
destroy the arm of a Wasp, or even the more heavily
armored Locust, and penetrate the armor of just about
anything else.
Taking the place of the Devastator Series-07 is a
Harpoon-6 missile launcher. Capable of firing a full
spread of six short range missiles, it seeks out and
exploits the holes created by the ChisComp large laser
making the VLK-QH a deadly and ruthless opponent.
All the while the –QH retains the mobility and jump
capacity of the –QA. It utilizes slightly lighter StarGuard I
armor and had one less heat sink than the original
model.
Variants:
There is only one major variant of the Valkyrie found
among the armies of the Successor States, the VLK-QF.
Much as with done with the Spider, the –QF replaces the
medium laser in the right arm with a Flamer. This variant
serves as an incendiary and anti-infantry ‘Mech. As
BattleMechs have become increasing scarce, this variant
is rarely seen, in fact it is often returned to the original
configuration to better serve on the front lines.
Current Manufacturers:
Corean Enterprises
New Avalon – Federated Suns
Model Cost BV PV
VLK-QA 2,166,320 723 21
VLK-QF 2,124,070 653 19
VLK-QH 2,202,720 732 ???
Alpha Strike Statistics
TP: BM SZ: 1 TMM: +2
MV: 10j” Role: Striker
Damage S: 2 M: 2 L: 0
OV: 0
Armor: O O O
Sructure: O O O
Special: SRM 1/1