Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

DRG-2K Dragon
History:
Shortly after General Aleksandr Kerensky assumed the
mantle of Protector of the Star League, serving as regent
for a young Richard Cameron, the SLDF requested
proposals to replace its antiquated 55-ton Shadow Hawk.
At this point the Shadow Hawk had been in continuous
serve since 2467, making it one of the longest serving
designs in the Inner Sphere and had not undergone a
serious revision since the release of the -2H in 2550.
Luthien Armor Works was the first to respond, submitting
its 60-ton DRG-1C Dragon by 2752. Armed with an
Imperator Smoothie-2 Class 2 autocannon in the right
arm and equipped with a Telos DecaCluster LRM-10 for
fire support, the design carried an amazing thirteen tons
of armor making it almost as heavily protected as the
vaunted 65-ton Thunderbolt and far surpassing anything
else in its class. It also carried a pair of Victory 23R
medium lasers, one rear mounted, to round out its
armament.
However, unwilling to see their cash cow slaughtered,
Lang Industries, the sole manufacturer of the venerable
Shadow Hawk, pulled out all the stops with the
submission of their SHD-2Hb “Royal” Shadow Hawk.
Located on Caph, one of the major BattleMech research
and development centers for the Star League, Lang
Industries utilized the absolute latest technological
advancements in the -2Hb.
Armed with a Luballin Ballistics 10-X autocannon,
including both slug and cluster rounds, along with a pair
of state-of-the-art Streak SRM-2 missile launchers, the
-2Hb is built on an Endo-Steel chassis and protected by
Ferro-Fibrous armor. An additional Martell medium laser
was also added and it uses eleven dual heatsinks to
keep heat levels well in check.
When the two BattleMechs were compared, the results
were obvious. The “Royal” Shadow Hawk performed far
above and beyond the DRG-1C in every single
performance category. Coupled with the fact that many
of the components, such as the actuators, electronics,
engine, and exhaust ports among others, were
interchangeable with the SLDF’s existing inventory of
SHD-2H Shadow Hawks, the decision was an easy one
to make. Ironically, the SHD-2H is still produced today
by Earthwerks Incorporated even though Lang
Industries’ factories on Caph have long been destroyed.
After the Dragon was rejected by the Star League
Defense Force, Takiro Kurita, the Coordinator of the
Draconis Combine, quickly stepped in. Sensing trouble
on the horizon and anxious for BattleMechs to bolster the
regiments of the Mustered Soldiery, Coordinator Kurita
wasted little time in contracting with Luthien Armor
Works for as many Dragons as they could produce. Still
smarting from their loss to the upgraded Shadow Hawk,
the engineers at LAW decided to upgrade the Imperator
Smoothie-2 to the larger Imperator-A Class 5
autocannon at the expense of some of the ‘Mechs heavy
armor. The newly christened DRG-1N joined the DCMS
in 2752 and remains a mainstay of the DCMS to this day.
The Dragon is also noted for its squat design, ample rear
armor, and is one of the few ‘Mechs with rear mounted
weaponry standard. This makes the Dragon a fearsome
brawler, capable of wading into the thick of battle with
little fear of being surrounded. In fact, the low center of
gravity makes the Dragon a difficult ‘Mech to knock down
and the autocannon is protected by an armored sleeve
allowing the MechWarrior to use it for physical attacks
with little chance of damaging the weapon. On the other
side, the hip actuators are known to be problematic
requiring frequent maintenance and must be completely
overhauled on a regular basis.
Capabilities:
The Draconis Combine has far fewer BattleMech
production facilities than any other Successor State.
Consequently, they have become masters of doing more
with less. When Luthien Armor Works was asked to
develop a companion model for their DRG-1N, they only
had to look as far as their own extensive factory
complex.
Repurposing the Pitban 240 used in their downgraded
LNC-25-02 Lancelot, engineers at LAW freed up 7.5 tons
of space by lowering the Dragon’s top speed to 65 kph.
This allowed them to upgrade the autocannon once
more, this time to the Imperator-B Class 10 model. The
69
original LRM-10 is also upgraded to a PentaDecaCluster
LRM-15. It retains both medium lasers, moving the rear
mounted one to the forward arc and a new rear facing
Victory 12R small laser now discourages any opponents
who manage to get behind it. And additional heat sink
has also been added.
The result is a heavy ‘Mech with significantly more
firepower and improved fire support capability. When
partnered with the original, and faster DRG-1N, the
marginal loss of speed is neutralized and when working
together, they make a devastating team.
Variants:
The original DRG-1C carries an Imperator Smoothie-2
autocannon and three tons of additional armor.
Current Manufacturers:
Luthien Armor Works
Luthien – Draconis Combine
Model Cost BV PV
DRG-1N 4,926,400 1125 30
DRG-1C 4,894,400 1215 33
DRG-2K 4,803,600 1164 ???
Alpha Strike Statistics
TP: BM SZ: 3 TMM: +1
MV: 8” Role: Brawler
Damage S: 3 M: 3 L: 1
OV: 0
Armor: O O O O O
Sructure: O O O O O
Special: IF1, LRM 0*/1/1, AC 1/1/0, REAR 0*/0/0