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BattleMech Technical Readout
Name/Model: Archer (ARCHammer) ARC-K3
Designer: IronRaven Special Projects Group
Source(s): Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology: Inner Sphere
Technology Rating: D
Tonnage: 70
Role: Brawler
Configuration: Biped BattleMech
Era/Year: Succession Wars / 2900
Rules (Current): Introductory
Rules (Era): Introductory
Rules (Year): Introductory
Total Cost: 6,055,173 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,411
Chassis: Earthwerks ARC
Power Plant: VOX 280
Walking Speed: 43.2 kph
Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: None
Armor: Maximillian 100
Armament:
2 PPCs
4 Diverse Optics Type 18 Medium Lasers
2 Machine Guns
Manufacturer: Earthwerks Incorporated, Gorton, Kingsley, and Thorpe Enterpises, Vandenberg Mechanized Industries
Primary Factory: Calloway VI (EI), Satalice (GKTE), New Vandenberg (VMI)
Communications: Neil 9000
Targeting & Tracking: RCA Instatrac Mark XII
================================================================================================
Overview:
Following the Battle Hesperus, Coordinator Miyogi Kurita ordered a top to bottom evaluation
of the DCMS to explain why it had failed. Despite having completely destroyed one of the
Battlemech lines at the Lyran military-industrial juggernaut and damaged a number of others,
along with destroying precious stocks of advanced Star League parts, he considered it an
utter failure. At least as much as the "why" he wanted to know the "who". Several officers
committed seppeku at his feet, while others were executed without their honor. But there was
also an order to find the materiel flaw.
The final report concluded that there were many points of failure from a physical asset
perspective, and the preventing another such failure would not be easy. Along with
destroying House Kurita's last WarShips, more than half of the DropShips, aerospace fighters
and Battlemechs that had been committed were destroyed or disabled but not recovered, and
many more were heavily damaged. Given the nature of the objective, a disproportionate number
of the Mech assigned to the Hesperus mission were heavy and assault mechs. In particular,
the DCMS' 'heavy trooper' Mechs had been battered. While the production of WHM-3K
Warhammers and MAD-3R Marauders hadn't been effected, there weren't enough of them. A number
of suggestions were made, and several prototypes were built. As Phoenix Hawks, Wolverines
and Crusaders were pushed into roles they never should have been in, a hurried trial was
conducted.
Part of the goal was to make a cheaper Warhammer. Miyogi Kurita, unsurprisingly, was a
Warhammer pilot for much of his time as a mechwarrior, and it probable that the DCMS had a
gut feeling that this would be a good baseline. A number of mechs were explored, both
virtually and practically. Among the proposals that were actually built in prototype were a
pair of what had been ARC-2R Archers. These machines, rather than being build by the
manufacturer were made in house by the DCMS.
While the Archer -K1 never left the computer, it should be examined. While the Kuritians
probably do have a record, what is known is from the declassified files of the LCAF. Lyran
intelligence also gives us the nickname for these Archers- "ARCHammer". While sources and
methods have not been released, a general description of this configuration is known.
Equipped with arm mounted PPCs at the cost of all the medium lasers, and the LRM-racks with
ten tube models, it also placed a pair of machineguns just below the cockpit. With ten tons
of armour and ten heatsinks, it was discarded as being unable to fill the roll of a trooper
mech.
The ARC-K2 is an interesting, hybrid design. The right torso is unchanged, as are the four
medium lasers (including the rear mounted ones). The left torso saw a seemingly radical
change, but when you remove the LRM launchers, the Archer is just an armoured box with legs.
Into the box the Kuritian engineers stuffed a particle cannon, with a machine gun and a half
ton of ammunition. Fourteen heat sinks keep it fairly cool at all ranges, while the thirteen
tons of armour is unchanged from the ARC-2R. Better armoured than a Warhammer, Marauder or
even the Lyran Zeus, so many overlook the durability of a "mere" fire support platform. It
is known that the LCAF, ironically, actually built one of these in the 2960s for evaluation
purposes, thinking to use it as the bodyguard for fire support lances. It offers shattering
firepower at long and short range, and does not neglect enemy infantry.
The ARC-K3 is in some ways the more conventional prototype. It is at least symmetrical.
Again keeping the four medium lasers, it replaces both LRM racks with the -K2's PPC/MG
combo. Interestingly enough, each machine gun is supported by it's own half-sized ammo tank,
with no cross linking between them. With 18 heatsinks it is as well cooled as many larger,
more front line oriented machines. Late in the trial, the two rear facing medium lasers were
removed and the MGs swapped for small lasers, with the addition of three additional
heatsinks. This change actually suggests that this ARCHammer may actually have been very
close to adoption as it made the ARC-K3's weapons identical to that of the WHM-6K less the
SRM rack.
It may also have been done because the Alshain team had brought their prototype Catapult
variant, which was very coincidentally armed exactly like the -K3. The maintenance crew
chief of the -K3 is purported to have hospitalized his Alshain counterpart in a fit of rage.
The bad blood spilled on the hanger floor didn't stay there. There were a series of
"incidents", including a raid by supposed mercenaries on the Alshain corporate headquarters
on Al Na'ir. The unusual thing about this raid is that mercenaries had a Panther and
Wolverine -6K, both of which showed signs of something having been painted over before
applying LCAF markings along with those of a mercenary company that ComStar knew existed but
nothing more. A counter argument could be made that the same paintjob had been applied to
the white Enforcer and Quickdraw, but that didn't reduce the rumors and accusations.
As the Secret War took up more nd more of the Coordinator's and DCMS's time, this issue was
becoming less and less of a problem. Several questions specific to the ARCHammer were
raised, the most important one being that at the time, the Draconis Combine had no Archer
production lines. While the DCMS has its own peculiar Archer configuration, they all started
off as ARC-2Rs or captured ARC-2Ss and there was no immediate ability to produce more in any
usable quantity. At the same time, Nimakachi was able to in crease their Warhammer output,
and LAW their Quickdraw and Dragon. But perhaps the most damning thing against the ARCHammer
was that one of the junior officers responsible for the design was the brother of Roweena
Kurita's personal assistant- that made it "part of the family", and the part of the family
that opposed the Coordinator.
The legacies of this project are several. The Catapult would become the CPLT-K2 Catapult (or
Katapult, or much less commonly CatHammer), but never be available in any great numbers. The
large laser equipped ARC-2K Archers would continue to be converted. And nearly a century
later, the Dragon and Grand Dragon would go into production. Though lighter armed and
armoured that what had been envisioned for a "heavy trooper" at the start of the Third
Succession War, by the end it was the solution the DCMS had in quantity with entire lances
and even companies.
And there is nothing stopping any House of the Inner Sphere or Periphery from producing new
ARCHammers. With the technology recovered with the use of the Helm Memory Core, double heat
sinks would make it an even better hammer.
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Equipment Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 7.00
Engine: 280 Fusion 16.00
Walking MP: 4
Running MP: 6
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks (Single): 18 8.00
Gyro: Standard 3.00
Cockpit: Standard 3.00
Armor Factor: 208 13.00
Type: Standard
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head: 3 9
Center Torso: 22 33
Center Torso (rear): 10
R/L Torso: 15 24
R/L Torso (rear): 6
R/L Arm: 11 22
R/L Leg: 15 26
================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Medium Lasers CT (R) 2 2.00
Machine Gun RT 1 0.50
Machine Gun (Ammo 100) RT 1 0.50
PPC RT 3 7.00
Machine Gun LT 1 0.50
Machine Gun (Ammo 100) LT 1 0.50
PPC LT 3 7.00
Medium Laser RA 1 1.00
Medium Laser LA 1 1.00
================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 36
TP: BM, SZ: 3, TMM: 1, MV: 8"
Damage: (S) 3 / (M) 3 / (L) 2, OV: 0
Armor (A): 7, Structure (S): 6
Specials: REAR1/1/-
Distribution
Name/Model: Archer (ARCHammer) ARC-K3
Technology: Inner Sphere
Tonnage: 70
Configuration: Biped BattleMech
=============================================================================================
Left ArmHeadRight Arm
1. Shoulder 1. Life Support 1. Shoulder
2. Upper Arm Actuator 2. Sensors 2. Upper Arm Actuator
3. Lower Arm Actuator 3. Cockpit 3. Lower Arm Actuator
4. Hand Actuator 4. Roll Again 4. Hand Actuator
5. Medium Laser 5. Sensors 5. Medium Laser
6. Roll Again 6. Life Support 6. Roll Again
1. Roll Again 1. Roll Again
2. Roll Again 2. Roll Again
3. Roll Again 3. Roll Again
4. Roll Again 4. Roll Again
5. Roll Again 5. Roll Again
6. Roll Again 6. Roll Again
Left TorsoCenter TorsoRight Torso
1.PPC 1. Fusion Engine 1.PPC
2.PPC 2. Fusion Engine 2.PPC
3.PPC 3. Fusion Engine 3.PPC
4. Machine Gun 4. Gyro 4. Machine Gun
5. Machine Gun (Ammo 100) 5. Gyro 5. Machine Gun (Ammo 100)
6. Heat Sink 6. Gyro 6. Heat Sink
1. Heat Sink 1. Gyro 1. Heat Sink
2. Heat Sink 2. Fusion Engine 2. Heat Sink
3. Roll Again 3. Fusion Engine 3. Heat Sink
4. Roll Again 4. Fusion Engine 4. Roll Again
5. Roll Again 5. Medium Laser (R) 5. Roll Again
6. Roll Again 6. Medium Laser (R) 6. Roll Again
Left LegRight Leg
1. Hip 1. Hip
2. Upper Leg Actuator 2. Upper Leg Actuator
3. Lower Leg Actuator 3. Lower Leg Actuator
4. Foot Actuator 4. Foot Actuator
5. Roll Again 5. Roll Again
6. Roll Again 6. Roll Again
PPC 1. Fusion Engine 1.
PPC 2. Fusion Engine 2.
PPC 3. Fusion Engine 3.
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