Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

PNT-9Y Panther
History:
The PNT-8Z Panther was commissioned by the Star
League in 2739 to provide mobile fire support for light
BattleMech lances. It would have to wait twenty years,
however, before it would see get to see its first action
along the Periphery border in 2759. On St. John, the
Panther was involved in heavy fighting against bandits
coming from the Draconian Rift region. The battle
revealed both the greatest weakness as well as the
greatest strength of the design.
Its main weapon, a Tronel heavy laser slung underneath
its right arm, proved to generate disproportionate
amounts of heat when fired repeatedly. While the Tronel
had been used successfully on other ‘Mechs, most
notably the 75 ton Black Knight, when engineers at
Alshain Weaponry modified its housing to make it
compact enough to be carried by a light ‘Mech they
seriously compromised the cooling jacket causing
chronic overheating problems. The problem was so
severe Alshain Weaponry immediately revised the
design, replacing the Tronel III with a Lord’s Light particle
cannon and changing the designation to the PNT-9R.
The decision to switch to using a PPC was vindicated
almost immediately. Many Star League officials were
convinced that the use of such a heavy and heat
intensive weapon system on a light ‘Mech would lead to
even more problems. However, once the revised PNT-
9R returned to the frontlines, its performance was
astonishing. Always intended to serve as a light, direct
fire support unit, the PPC gave the Panther both greater
range and increased damage and all for less heat than
the faulty Tronel III heavy laser had produced.
The fighting on St. John had also revealed the Panther’s
greatest strength. The original -8Z carried 7.5 tons of
Starshield armor, the absolute maximum the Alshain 56-
Carrier chassis could support. It would prove to be the
‘Mech’s saving grace on St. John, allowing the 35-ton
machine to absorb tremendous amounts of damage
while still remaining operational. While its top speed is
considerably less than that of other light ‘Mechs, its
mobility is helped significantly by the four Lexington Lifter
jump jets carried in its legs.
For the most part, when Alshain engineers revised the
design, they kept the heavy protection. The -9R uses
6.5 tons of Maximillian 42, which still places it among the
most heavily armored light ‘Mechs in production.
After the fall of the Star League, the Draconis Combine
found itself in possession of both of Alshain Weaponry’s
‘Mech production facilities, consisting of their
headquarters on Alshain and a smaller secondary facility
on New Oslo. As the sole producer of the Panther, over
time it has come to be regarded as almost an exclusively
Combine design, and is rarely seen outside of the
DCMS.
Often paired with the swift and agile 35-ton Jenner,
another common Kurita design, the combination of
speed and firepower between the two ‘Mechs has
earned the respect of MechWarriors throughout the Inner
Sphere and have provided Lord Kurita many with
victories.
The Lyrans in particular have learned to treat the 35-ton
‘Mech with respect. Known for lurking in the streets and
alleys of cities, the Lyrans have taken to calling the
Panther the “Alley Cat” for its ability to suddenly ambush
its opponents and then quickly jump away, disappearing
back into the urban jungle.
Capabilities:
The loss of the Combine’s last Jenner factory in 2848
combined with the destruction of the massive Diplan
‘Mechyards of Ozawa just over 10 years earlier, left the
Panther as the sole light BattleMech produced within the
borders of the Draconis Combine.
While hundreds, if not thousands, of Jenners still serve in
the DMCS, due to simple attrition, their numbers are
steadily dwindling leaving them to be replaced with PNT-
9R Panthers.
Due to its speed, which tracks much more closely with
that of heavy class BattleMechs, the Panther makes a
poor choice for reconnaissance work, traditionally one of
the strengths of light BattleMechs. In fact, it is not
unusual within the DCMS to see a Jenner replaced with
an 80-ton Charger, an assault ‘Mech with a greater top
45
speed than the 35-ton Panther. The 60-ton Quickdraw,
produced by Luthien Armor Works, is not only faster, but
can also out jump the Panther by a good 30 meters.
Concerned by the loss of their fastest BattleMech model,
the DCMS tasked Alshain Weaponry with developing a
version of the Panther suitable for use as a scout or fast
raider.
Alshain Weaponry exceeded these expectations with the
introduction of the PNT-9Y. Built around a much more
powerful engine, the GM 210, the -9Y has a top speed of
close to 100 kph. Two additional Lexington Lifter jump
jet exhaust ports have also been installed, giving the -9Y
a full 180 meter jump capacity. While not quite the equal
of the agile Jenner, this brings the Panther’s mobility
inline with most other reconnaissance units.
However, the increase in speed comes at the expense of
its armament. The popular and compact Lord’s Light
PPC has been exchanged for a Harmon heavy laser, a
weapon that’s been carried with great success by the
Phoenix Hawk for hundreds of years. The original Telos
Four-Shot SRM-4 has been downgraded to the Bical
SRM Twin-Rack used on the commonplace Wasp.
After the debacle with the Tronel heavy laser on the
original -8Z, Alshain engineers were careful to use only
the most tried and tested weapon systems on their new
design.
Variants: None.
Current Manufacturers:
Alshain Weapons
Alshain – Draconis Combine
New Oslo – Draconis Combine
Cost
PNT-9R 2,449,260 769 20
PNT-9Y 3,053,160 798 ???
Alpha Strike Statistics
TP: BM SZ: 1 TMM: +2
MV: 12j” Role: Scout
Damage S: 1 M: 1 L: 0
OV: 0
Armor: O O O
Sructure: O O O
Special: