Originally posted on rec.games.mecha August 12, 1997
Yes, I realize that the odds that the FC would allow the Penetrator to be even sold, much less licensed, to a periphery state are slim. But I just love the Penetrator so much that I couldn't allow my beloved Taurian Concordat to be without it, even if it only has it in my little fantasy world.
PTR-4TC Penetrator
Background:
The Taurian Defense Force is modernizing. Their 3025-era battlemechs
and vehicles had been adequate for centuries, but times were
a-changing, and to continue to prevent Inner Sphere aggression, more
powerful forces were needed. These new, high-tech weapons would be
purchased; the question was, from whom?
The two largest Taurian arms manufacturers had chosen to upgrade their
current designs, resulting in a variety of modified versions of more
common designs. The third largest weapons dealer, Pinard
Protectorates Limited, went a different route: they procured a license
to manufacture a variant of the PTR-4D Penetrator battlemech from
Kallon Industries.
Type: PTR-4TC Penetrator
Tech base: I.S. Level 2
Tonnage: 75
Engine: 300 19
Walk: 4
Run: 6
Jump: 4
I.S.: 7.5
Cockpit: 3
Gyro: 3
Jump Jets: (2LT, 2RT) 4
Heat Sinks: 11(22) 1
Armor: 206 (ff) 11.5
Head: 9-3
CT: 34/9-23
L/RT: 25/7-16
L/RA: 20-12
L/RL: 25-16
Weapons and equipment:
PPC LA 7
PPC RA 7
2 MPL LT 4
2 MPL CT 4
2 MPL RT 4
Overview:
Seeking to best its rivals, Pinard Protectorates Ltd. converted one of
its Marauder assembly lines on Pinard to producing its new Penetrator
variant, the PTR-4TC.
Modifications:
Some modifications to the original PTR-4D Penetrator were necessary in
order to enable the design to be produced in the Taurian Concordat.
In addition, some modifications were made to enhance the Penetrator's
abilities.
First, the two extended-range large lasers were removed from the arms
in favor of two PPCs, already in production by PPL on Pinard.
Next, the anti-missile system and ammunition carried in the center
torso were removed. PPL does not currently produce the anti-missile
system, and it was deemed too expensive to warrant purchasing from an
outside manufacturer.
Next, a Medium Pulse Laser from each of the side torsos was moved into
the center torso, into the space vacated by the AM gun and ammunition.
Next, the jump jets were moved from the legs into the side torsos.
This required that the Penetrator's armored shell be redesigned.
In order to provide adequate armor protection, the entire armored
shell was replaced with new, ferro-fibrous armor system, providing
almost the same level of protection as the original, for significantly
less mass. Even so, a single double heat sink was removed to add an
additional ton of armor.
Capabilities:
The PTR-4TC Penetrator keeps many of the advantages of the
original PTR-4D while enhancing its combat ability. The two
standard PPCs do more damage with approximately the same
range as the two ER Lg. Lasers, and the placement of the jump
jets in the side torsos enables the mech to fight in waist-deep
water much more effectively. The loss of the double heat sink
does exacerbate the PTR-4D's heat problem somewhat, but compared
to the heat problems of certain 3025-era designs used by the TDF,
the Penetrator's heat problems are minimal. The six Medium Pulse
lasers give the Penetrator a close-range barrage potential that
exceeds that of any other Taurian Concordat-manufactured mech,
and the standard engine and internal structure ensure both low
cost and ease of repair in the field, as well as enhanced
survivability.