Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

STN-3P Sentinel
History:
A product of the massive Defiance Industries industrial
complex on Hesperus II, the Sentinel was originally
intended to serve exclusively in the LCAF.
Commissioned by House Steiner shortly after the Star
League Council voted to impose limits on the size of the
military forces its Member-States could maintain, known
as Council Edict 2650, the Sentinel was intended to
serve as a cost effective unit for guarding military
installations and supply depots.
The initial version, the STN-1S, was armed with a
Defiance Model F AC/5, a Coventry Quad-rack SRM-4,
and a Defiance A-1 small laser. After its introduction in
2651, it quickly garnered interest from not only the Star
League itself, but also from the Free Worlds League and
the Federated Suns.
At first it was something of a coup to have Defiance
Industries, which was at that time controlled largely by
the Terran Hegemony, manufacturing a BattleMech
exclusively for the Lyran Commonwealth. However, just
one year later, the Star League would pass a special
amendment allowing the SLDF to upgrade the design
with advanced technology for its own use.
In 2652, the STN-3L, built for use only by the SLDF,
rolled off the assembly lines of Defiance Industries.
House Steiner, Marik, and Davion would have to wait for
decades before getting access to the Third Generation
version of this ‘Mech.
The STN-3L was the first BattleMech designed to carry
the Kawabata Weapons Industries Ultra Autocannon/5.
Capable of maintaining twice the rate of fire of a
standard autocannon and with greater range, the Ultra
AC/5 was the first of entirely new generation of ballistic
weapons. That the Terran Hegemony granted Defiance
Industries a license to produce the advanced
autocannon on Hesperus II, which it outside of its
boundaries, is remarkable in of itself.
The -3L also carried another first, the Defiance Streak
SRM-2. The Streak missile launcher utilizes a highly
advanced fire control system in order to minimize
ammunition consumption. The launcher eliminates
wasted ammunition by only firing if a hard target lock is
acquired first. It was assumed the Star League would go
on to adapt the technology for use on both SRM-4s and
and SRM-6s, but the development of the larger systems
was cut short by the Amaris Civil War and the Great
Houses lacked the research and development centers to
complete it on their own after the Star League fell.
The only original weapon system retained on the -3L was
the Defiance A-1 small laser. Ironically, this was the
weapon that suffered from the most problems. Located
just below the short range missile launcher in the right
torso, the exhaust from the missiles tended to damage
the optics while the vibrations from the launch itself
would knock the mirrors out of alignment.
Ultimately, Defiance was forced to develop the
ruggedized B-1A small laser, and all of the original A-1
lasers were replaced by 2678. The B-1A is actually the
precursor to the popular Defiance B3S produced today.
However, the replacement of the small laser led to new
problems. The bulkier laser required the SRM feed
mechanism to be moved. This resulted in occasional
jams of the missile launcher, especially during high
stress maneuvers. Pilots quickly discovered the jam
could usually be cleared by banging on their chest with
the ‘Mechs right arm. But this too had it own
consequences. Over time, the repeated beating of the
chest tended to fatigue the internal structure causing
even more frequent jams as occasionally structural
damage. This problem was never resolved in either the -
1S or -3L models.
During the height of the Star League records indicate a
Royal version of the Sentinel was developed as well.
Carrying the “b” designation at the end, it carried a lethal
M-7 Gauss Rifle, possibly the lightest BattleMech to ever
carry such a massive and devastating weapon.
Unfortunately, with the fall of the Star League, Defiance
Industries found itself unable to continue production of
the Third Generation model, and by 2830 it had switched
over entirely to the -3K. The -3K carries a standard
Defiance Type J AC/5, a Holly SRM-2, and the older B-
1A small laser.
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Capabilities:
The STN-3P Sentinel exchanges the downgraded
autocannon in favor of a Donal particle projection
cannon, simultaneously doubling the damage potential
while maintaining the excellent range of the original
AC/5. To help deal with the additional heat, the -3P now
carries a total of 14 heat sinks.
The -3P also returns the original SRM-4 from the -1S,
except this time using the in-house TharHes 4-pack
rather than the Coventry Quad-Rack. The problematic
small laser has been replaced by a Defiance B3M
medium laser. These extensive changes seem to have
resolved the problems that have plagued the right torso
in the past as the missile feed system has been entirely
overhauled, and the B3M is a well known and reliable
product serving on many Defiance Industries
BattleMechs.
Of special note are the sophisticated electronics,
inherited from the Star League, which the Sentinel still
retains. The Targa-7/Vid-Com-17 is a particularly
powerful long range targeting and tracking system
making the Sentinel extremely valuable as a mobile
observation post as well as on patrol. The
StarLink/Benicia Model AS829G is a multi-frequency
communications system capable of coordinating
battalion-level operations. It also allows direct contact
with rear support units and can deliver polar artillery
coordinates to artillery units.
Variants: None.
Current Manufacturers:
Defiance Industries
Hesperus II – Lyran Commonwealth
Cost
STN-3K 3,098,830 652 19
STN-3P 2,776,947 946 ???
Alpha Strike Statistics
TP: BM SZ: 2 TMM: +2
MV: 10” Role: Skirmisher
Damage S: 2 M: 3 L: 1
OV: 0
Armor: O O O O
Sructure: O O O
Special: None