Code: Select all
BattleMech Technical Readout
Custom* Weapons
Type/Model: Hound HND-05
Tech: Inner Sphere / 3025
Config: Biped BattleMech
Rules: Level 3, Standard design
Mass: 75 tons
Chassis: StarFrame Heavy
Power Plant: 300 Magna XL Fusion
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: 4 Hellespont Leaper Jump Jets
Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor Type: Killosh Fero-Fibrous 1000, with CASE
Armament:
1 Imperator Automatic Ultra 107mm Heavy AutoCannon
1 Randall Hellbitch Extended Range Large Laser
2 Ramsey-65 .50 cal Machine Guns
1 Krupp Nine Tube Multi-Missile Launcher*
1 Guided Technologies Streak Six Rack Short Range Missle System
Manufacturer: Killosh Industries
Location: Bharat
Communications System: Hesperus 5GT
Targeting & Tracking System: Lynx RM
--------------------------------------------------------
Type/Model: Hound HND-05
Mass: 75 tons
Equipment: Crits Mass
Int. Struct.: 114 pts Standard 0 7.50
Engine: 300 XL Fusion 12 9.50
Walking MP: 4
Running MP: 6
Jumping MP: 4
Heat Sinks: 10 Double [20] 0 .00
Gyro: 4 3.00
Cockpit, Life Supt., Sensors: 5 3.00
Actuators: L: Sh+UA+LA R: Sh+UA 13 .00
Armor Factor: 223 pts Ferro-Fibrous 14 12.50
(Armor Crit Loc: 1 HD, 1 LA, 3 RA, 4 LT, 3 RT, 2 CT)
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head: 3 9
Center Torso: 23 37
Center Torso (Rear): 9
L/R Side Torso: 16 25/25
L/R Side Torso (Rear): 7/7
L/R Arm: 12 24/24
L/R Leg: 16 28/28
Weapons and Equipment Loc Heat Ammo Crits Mass
--------------------------------------------------------
1 Ultra AC/10 RA 4 20 9 15.00
(Ammo Locations: 2 LA)
1 ER Large Laser LA 12 2 5.00
1 Machine Gun RT 0 100 3 1.00
(Ammo Locations: 1 LA)
1 MML9* RT 5 26 7 8.00
(Ammo Locations: 2 LA)
1 Streak SRM 6 LT 4 15 3 5.50
(Ammo Locations: 1 LA)
1 Machine Gun LT 0 1 .50
CASE Equipment: LA 1 .50
4 Standard Jump Jets: 4 4.00
(Jump Jet Loc: 2 LL, 2 RL)
--------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS: 29 78 75.00
Crits & Tons Left: 0 .00
Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 15,831,812 C-Bills
Battle Value 2: 1,655 (old BV = 1,413)
Cost per BV2: 9,566.05
Weapon Value: 1,510 / 1,397 (Ratio = .91 / .84)
Damage Factors: SRDmg = 25; MRDmg = 15; LRDmg = 7
BattleForce2: MP: 4J, Armor/Structure: 6/3
Damage PB/M/L: 4/3/2, Overheat: 2
Class: MH; Point Value: 17
OVERVIEW:
The Hound HND-05 BattleMech was created by Killosh Industries in response to the CSoT's need for a homegrown, general workhorse 'Mech intended more for defensive duties to handle the increasing unrest on its newly minted border worlds. So after centuries of disuse, in 3092, the old Magi tracked vehicle manufacturing plant, was revamped, retooled, and oiled up for production. Killosh Industries stayed with what they did well on their previous endeavor with the Magi, the Power Plant, the Laser, the Machine Guns, the Communications System, and the Targeting & Tracking System, with advancements made to bring it up to the modern standards of the year 3093, of course.
Killosh called upon its design team to produce an effective heavy ‘Mech for city-fighting. The Killosh Engineers replied with the Hound. It went over budget during production however; but none-the-less potent in its assigned duties, the ‘Mech was manufactured in large numbers, many of which have survived the ULTRA conflict. Now common in city garrisons and defense units, the Hound continues as an effective battle weapon.
The original ‘Mech was assigned to the CSoT Tikonov Hussars Divisions serving on Ruchbah, Achernar, and Arboris, where its heavy armor and good performance proved satisfactory. However, it did not fare as well during The Age of Agatha to ‘liberate’ the Chaos March from the Inner Sphere. Though the Hound mounted twelve and a half tons of Killosh Fero-Fibrous 1000 armor, 4% shy of its maximum, abrupt maneuvers could cause hairline cracks between the plates, just as its predecessor’s had.
Hounds were later put into service for the CSoT Militia's combined arms regiments with updated armor to help with the Militia's urban policing on many of the CSoT’s worlds. Their 4 Hellespont Leaper Jump Jets provide them with sufficient mobility for city defense as well as their moderate speed for a 75 ton ‘Mech with a cruising speed of well over 60 kilometers per hour.
For softening up the enemy before they can bring their weapons to bear, the Hound’s long range direct and indirect fire support, it mounts a Nine Tube Multi-Missile Launcher for increased missile accuracy. For long range direct fire, the Hound carries a powerful Ultra Heavy Autocannon that is capable of firing at twice the rate as a standard autocannon. The slug that it fires is a 107mm shell, which is on the high end of a medium class 5 autocannon and on the low end of the heavier class 10. The weapon’s ordnance flight profile was more akin to the heavier model so it was rated as such. Although the primary long-range weapon is an assault class MML9, for intermediate ranges, the HND-05 model carries a Randall Hellbitch Extended Range Large Laser providing it with a powerful punch. Finally, the Hound has a devastating short range defensive arsenal when in close range combat, the 'Mech can engage two machine guns and a Streak SRM-6 launcher.
The Krupp Multi-Missile Launcher is capable of firing both short-range and long-range missiles, including any special munitions designed for them, as well as being backwards compatible with an Artemis IV fire control system. The MML helps simplify logistical needs of cash-strapped nations, while simultaneously allowing them to take maximum advantage of special munitions. The MML-9 fires nine missiles at a time, be they short-range or long-range.
The advanced Multi-Missile Launcher allows the Pilot to switch between adding to the main launcher’s LRM fire or switch to SRMs if the enemy gets too close, hence; effectively increasing its short range damage curve exponentially . A modest two ton ammo bay for the main launcher allows it almost two minutes of continuous fire, with the two ton configurable bays supplying the MML launcher, most commonly divided between one ton of LRM and one ton of SRM reloads to make best use of the variable ammo launcher’s capabilities.
The HND-05 configuration is armed with an 8cm, ER Large Laser for intermediate ranges and can bring its powerful Imperator Automatic Ultra Heavy Autocannon to bear as it closes with its enemy. While this is a fair amount of firepower for a 'Mech of its size, it has a severe overheating problem. After firing no more than three full, consecutive salvos, the Hound will force an automatic shutdown, so MechWarriors must carefully manage their heat.
The Streak SRM-6 is the largest and heaviest of the Streak launchers. A barrage fired from a Guided Technologies streak six missile system is a fearsome sight, and a ton of ammunition allow the Hound to keep up that rate of fire up for over a minute, but forces the heavy ‘Mech to be tied to a functioning supply system to keep it in action for any extended period of time, which should not pose much of a problem in its present role as an Urban Defense ‘Mech.
For the PBI unfortunate enough to come face-to-face with the Hound, its Machine Gun are the quintessential anti-infantry weapons, issuing a stream of heavy caliber bullets at a high rate of fire to cut down opposing soldiers, while still being effective at damaging BattleMechs. Vehicular-scale machine guns mounted on BattleMechs can lay low entire platoons in just a few passes thanks to their high rate of fire.
The Hound mounts two tons each of both Ultra Autocannon and MML munitions as well as single ton of SRM reloads and a half a ton of Machine Gun ammo in CASE protected ammunition bays in its left arm.
This makes the Hound highly reliant on good supply lines and can hamper the 'Mech if it is forced into guerrilla combat, though with at least one ton of ammo per weapons system, it has sufficient endurance for most single fight battles.
CAPABILITIES:
At 75 tons, the Hound is at the highest end of the heavy ‘Mech classification scale, and so its moderate speed seemed a distinct liability. It was designed for city combat, however, an environment that severely limits most other ‘Mechs in its weight class. The ‘Mech’s Killosh Fero-Fibrous 1000 armor provides considerable protection, and its low, stocky profile makes it a difficult target.
On some models, Killosh Industries followed an unorthodox, upper actuator-less design. While this further streamlined the machine’s profile, it handicapped the Hound in other ways. Already missing hand and lower arm actuators, the ‘Mech was obviously unable to defend itself in hand-to-hand combat, and damage that would normally have been absorbed by battle fists was now being absorbed directly by its fragile weapons systems.
The Imperator Class 10 Ultra AutoCannon and its Randall Hellbitch Extended Range Large Laser are the Hound’s primary weapons. With their combine heat build up and their true and tried reliable design, the weapons suit the Hound’s hit-and-run fighting style. The Guided Technologies SSRM6 and the Krupp MML, when using its SRM ordnance, adds a devastating short range, knockout punch. The Ramsey-65 MGs that support the Hound’s knife fighting range arsenal are only marginally affective, but they are useful in persuading hostile infantry to keep their heads down.
BATTLE HISTORY:
The Hound was used by the CSoT to suppress urban guerrillas and hostile medium ‘Mechs in heavily populated areas. With its comparatively heavy armor, the ‘Mech could withstand combat with other ‘Mechs of similar or higher tonnage. Though not intended to engage in slugging matches with Victors or Awesomes, the Hound often found itself up against such vastly superior opponents in the thick of city fighting.
Standard tactics consisted of a Hound lance splitting up into individual units, with prior knowledge of the city’s layout, and use buildings as cover for sniping at enemy ‘Mechs with their ERLL or saturating the target with MML LRM fire. Then the units would fall back to regroup along the next line defense.
Though the Hound’s speed handicapped it, the confines of CSoT cities also reduced the mobility of heavy and assault ‘Mechs that lacked jumpjets. On the other hand, the ‘Mechs low profile helped protect it from enemy fire. Hounds, were, in fact, among the last defenders of Addicks, fighting for control of vital urban centers as civil authority collapsed around them. Many were destroyed in the carnage, which is why the ‘Mech is rarely seen outside CSoT space. Presently, the CSoT maintains a relatively large number of Hounds, deploying them in the fortified cities along its Confederated Magistry and Federated Suns Fronts, where they have encountered both ConMag and Davion forces.
During a recent border clash, several regiments of the Davion Light Guards were sent on a parts raid against CSoT storehouses on Almach. There, the city of Mendoza held a sizeable stock of ‘Mech components, defended by the urban defense regiment of the 9th Republican Guards, including several Hounds. Commanding Mendoza’s defense, Colonel Tatiana Kiechiv deployed her Hounds as the city’s first line of defense. The Hounds confronted a Davion Awesome company as it moved into the city. Supported by smaller armored vehicles and battle armored infantry, the CSoT Hounds used classic tactics, engaging the Awesomes with pop-up fire, then vanishing among the buildings. The Davion Awesomes wound up with a major fight on their hands, and the assault bogged down as they stopped to engage the CSoT defenders.
The Davion attackers eventually pushed the CSoT forces back, but sustained losses that greatly lessened their effectiveness. When the remaining elements of the CSoT Lavrov Regiment arrived from New Hessen. The Davion Awesomes were forced to withdraw with only a small fraction of the booty they had anticipated.
VARIANTS:
As noted above, the major variant of the Hound is the actuator-less version. The disadvantages of this design proved fatal, and so very few have survived to see 3097. The Confederated Systems of Tikonov has a few Hounds that dropped the MML to upgrade the Imperator Class 10 Ultra autocannon to a Imperator-Zeta Class 20 Ultra autocannon, but the weapon increased the Hound’s heat profile and combined with its recoil in the arm that kept damaging the linkage, have kept this variant from gaining any significant popularity.
NOTABLE UNITS:
Lieutenant Patrice Wiesióly
This able officer commands an urban defense lance of Rubinsky's Light Horse. Although considered by many to be something of an eccentric, she collects teapots with passionate enthusiasm, and tends towards bizarre reading habits, her command of Wiesióly lance has been flawless, and her actions in defense of New Mariotta on Small World against a Kuritan raiding party have been used as examples of textbook tactics at CSoT military schools and academies. As with many Mech Warriors, Wiesióly quirks are tolerated, even encouraged by superiors eager to find a competent commander.
As a member of Rubinsky's Light Horse Battalion’s Defense Lance, Patrice has defended all types of terrains but finds cities most to her liking. She will usually jump in her Hound from roof top to roof top, coming down to street level only when absolutely necessary. This practice nearly killed her on Kansu when a building collapsed under her ‘Mech. Only quick action by a nearby lance of Apollos saved the ‘Mech from being crushed. Despite this, Patrice continues her roof-hopping habits. She maintains it is the best way to see the city.
Notes:
Features the following design quirks: Narrow/Low Profile, Extended Torso Twist, No/Minimal Arms, and Fast Reload Ultra AC/10