Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

VL-3W Vulcan
History:
The Vulcan was conceived as an anti-infantry
BattleMech. Designed by MatherTechno Incorporated
on Northwind, it reached the front lines just as General
Kerensky was making his final assault on Terra. There it
earned its reputation as a tough urban fighter in the bitter
street by street city fighting that marked the end of the
bloody Amaris Civil War.
As General Kerensky’s forces fought their way through
the Terran Hegemony, the need for such a specialized
anti-infantry ‘Mech became painfully obvious. Heavily
armed infantry were well entrenched in the cities of the
Hegemony, and a surprising number of BattleMechs met
their fate in the face of their concentrated and concerted
firepower, especially in the narrow streets and alleys of
the cities.
Armed with a Firestorm flamer in the right arm, and a
SperryBrowning machine gun in the left, the Vulcan can
lay down a withering field of anti-infantry fire in a full 300
degree arc as it advances. Its five tons of StarGuard I
armor give it adequate protection against soft targets but
any MechWarrior who chooses to engage another
BattleMech or even a main battle tank will quickly find
themselves in danger of critical damage.
The Armstrong light autocannon, backed up by a single
Randell medium laser, were originally intended to give
the Vulcan some anti-‘Mech capability. In reality,
however, they lack the power to make the Vulcan a
serious threat, even to units lighter than itself. This is
especially true given the lack of articulated hands,
leaving the Vulcan at a severe disadvantage in physical
combat as well.
MatherTechno Industries assembly line on Northwind
was destroyed in the opening salvos of the First
Succession War. However, the blueprints eventually
found their way into the hands of both the Lyran
Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League. As the
War dragged on and more and more factories and
BattleMech designs disappeared, ground into radioactive
dust or turned into burning ruins to feed the never-ending
hunger of the Successor Lords. Desperate for ‘Mechs of
any kind to bolster their quickly diminishing armies,
House Steiner gave the blueprints to Coventry
Metal Works in hopes of restarting production. House
Marik did the same, awarding their recovered copy of the
blueprints to Nimakachi Fusion Products.
Capabilities:
The VL-3W Vulcan is designed to provide direct fire
support to other lighter, faster BattleMechs while still
retaining some of its trademark anti-infantry capability.
Replacing the original Pitban 240 with a lighter Nissan
200 fusion engine allows the -3W to carry the heavier
and more potent Oriente medium autocannon instead of
the much-maligned Armstrong light model.
A second Randell medium laser takes the place of the
SperryBrowning machine gun while the Firestorm flamer
is retained for use against soft targets.
The armor has been increased from five tons of
StarGuard I to a full eight tons of Durallex Light giving
the -3W best-in-class protection and making it suitable
for service on the front lines.
The Vulcan also benefits from an unusually thin profile,
making it a difficult target to hit, especially when jumping
and has earned it the nickname “Scarecrow.” Another
unique design feature are the jump jets mounted across
its back. Specially built to shunt heat away from the rear
of the ‘Mech, they generate noticeably less heat than
other models and also allow unarmored units to more
closely follow the Vulcan into combat than would
otherwise be possible.
Variants:
The VL-5T was introduced just one year after the Vulcan
debuted in 2777. Converting the ‘Mech into a potent
short range fighter, the -5T dispenses with the
autocannon entirely in favor of an additional three
medium lasers. Two more heat sinks are installed to
deal with the increased heat and it carries two more tons
of armor as well.
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Current Manufacturers:
Coventry Metal Works
Coventry - Lyran Commonwealth
Nimakachi Fusion Products
Tematagi – Free Worlds League
Cost
VL-2T 3,460,100 642 19
VL-5T 3,556,700 942 24
VL-3W 2,928,567 935 ???
Alpha Strike Statistics
TP: BM SZ: 2 TMM: +2
MV: 10j” Role: Sniper
Damage S: 2 M: 2 L: 1
OV: 0
Armor: O O O O
Sructure: O O O
Special: None