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                 BattleMech Technical Readout

Name/Model:         Zeus ZEU-6U
Designer:           IronRaven Special Projects Group
Source(s):          Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology:         Inner Sphere
Technology Rating:  E
Tonnage:            80
Configuration:      Biped BattleMech
Era/Year:           Succession Wars / 3048
Rules (Current):    Standard
Rules (Era):        Standard
Rules (Year):       Standard
Total Cost:         8,065,200 C-Bills
Battle Value:       1,630

Chassis:              Chariot Type III 
Power Plant:          Pitban 320 
Walking Speed:        43.2 kph  
Maximum Speed:        64.8 kph  
Jump Jets:            None
    Jump Capacity:    None
Armor:                Valiant Lamellor
Armament:             
    1 Defiance 1001 ER PPC
    1 Coventry Star-Fire LRM 15
    1 Thunderbolt A5M Large Laser
    2 Defiance B3M Medium Lasers
Manufacturer:         Defiance Industries
    Primary Factory:  Unknown
Communications:       TharHes Calliope ZE-2
Targeting & Tracking: TharHes Ares -7

================================================================================================
Overview:
    The ZEU-6U Zeus has never stepped off an assembly line. Instead, it is a field upgrade that
    started being applied to the ZEU-6S and some 6Ts starting in 3048. While this field
    expedient is not actually approved by FedCom high command, their proponents maintain it is
    actually a superior mech to the advanced technology 9S.
    
    The first part of the upgrade is to remove the autocannon (or PPC) and it's ammunition tank
    from the left arm. Depending on who performs the upgrade, there are either mounting block
    machined to to cradle an extended range PPC, or if available, the entire forearm is replaced
    with that of the 6T. The new PPC is usually a Defiance 1001. Some actually carry captured
    Lords Light 2 PPCs taken from captured Draconis components. The rest of the weapons are
    unchanged, which is important given the the complicated nature of the Thunderbolt laser. The
    proponents of the 6U maintain that the heat management and the reliability of the A5M (it is
    shipped and mounted as a single solid module) compared to the Cyclops extended range model
    are superior. The medium lasers are unchanged, as is the long range missile rack and it's
    feeding mechanism.
    
    The other change is repacking the engine with double heat sinks, with five additional
    freezers in the torso, bringing the total to seventeen. While not increasing mass, it does
    double the ability of the mech to manage heat to the point it is nearly impossible to
    overheat without damage or being lit on fire, and the mechwarriors who favor the 6U are able
    to "alpha strike" at will. The armour has to be shifted about as a result, making the 6U
    appear, as one proponent described it, "well fed". But the changes need for this are
    minimum.
    
    In the process, the two tons of mass freed up by going to the PPC is converted to an
    additional two tons of armour. Valient's Lamellor product is not only shipped about Lyran
    space in one ton sheets, it can also be welded to a great many other types of armours. Just
    not the new ferro-fibrous types, which are like welding aluminum to steel. The resulting
    thirteen and a half tons of armour is a 17.4% improvement, and a cheap one that can be made
    common supplies from a wide variety of sources by even the most minimally trained technical
    teams. While not mounting the CASE found in the new 9S, the increased durability is
    considered by many to be a suitable alternative, particularly with the removal of the
    autocannon ammunition. While the details can vary due to the ad hoc nature of these
    conversions, the back armour is usually improved to the point of being able to a solid hit
    from a PPC or class-10 autocannon.
    
    Because there is no official specification for the 6U, all things described here can be
    thought of as a "guideline" than a hard and fast rule. Given the prodigious cooling ability,
    there are variations as to how many heat sinks are actually mounted. Some of these machines
    actually only mount sixteen heat sinks, with the extra available mass going to either an
    extra ton of LRMs, or even more armour. Several are known to exist that actually only have
    fifteen heatsinks, more than enough for the energy weapons to be keep cool if the LRMs are
    left out, and while some go for extra missiles and extra armour, most of these 6Us put all
    the savings into armour. The resulting mechs are juggernauts, and prove that sometimes the
    best plan is just pure brute force.
    
    While the quartermasters dislike Zeus 6Us, as previous mentioned, there are those who are
    clamoring for this kind of upgrade to to applied across the board to all 6Ts as soon as
    possible in the form of an upgrade kit with new PPCs and heatsinks, and kits similar kits
    with the left forearm of the 9S to units with 6Ss. They argue that these field refits could
    upgrade the existing Zeus inventory within 18 months and uses assets typically found at the
    company level and a dropship's mechbay. Defiance Industries, of course, argues otherwise.

================================================================================================
Equipment                                                             Mass                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                          Standard                  8.00                     
Engine:                                     320 Fusion                22.50                     
    Walking MP:                                 4                                               
    Running MP:                                 6                                               
    Jumping MP:                                 0                                               
Heat Sinks (Double):                         17 [34]                   7.00                     
Gyro:                                        Standard                  4.00                     
Cockpit:                                     Standard                  3.00                     
Armor Factor:                                  216                    13.50                     
    Type:                                    Standard                                           

                                    Internal         Armor     
                                    Structure        Value     
    Head:                               3              9       
    Center Torso:                      25             31       
    Center Torso (rear):                              12       
    R/L Torso:                         17             24       
    R/L Torso (rear):                                 10       
    R/L Arm:                           13             22       
    R/L Leg:                           17             26       

================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo                                       Location          Critical     Tonnage   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Laser                                              CT                1          1.00             
LRM 15 (Ammo 8)                                           RT                1          1.00             
Large Laser                                               LT                2          5.00             
Medium Laser                                            LT (R)              1          1.00             
LRM 15                                                    RA                3          7.00             
ER PPC                                                    LA                3          7.00             

================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics                                             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 37
TP: BM,  SZ: 4,  TMM: 1,  MV: 8"
Damage: (S) 3 / (M) 3 / (L) 2,  OV: 0
Armor (A): 7,  Structure (S): 6
Specials: IF1, REAR1/1/-
 
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Code Release 2.24.13.1 (2024-09-02T12:52:21-04:00)