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                 BattleMech Technical Readout

Name/Model:         Caracal CAR-9A
Designer:           Loki1789
Source(s):          Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology:         Inner Sphere (Mixed)
Technology Rating:  E
Tonnage:            55
Role:               Brawler
Configuration:      Biped BattleMech
Era/Year:           Dark Age / 3150
Rules (Current):    Standard
Rules (Era):        Standard
Rules (Year):       Standard
Total Cost:         8,124,532 C-Bills
Battle Value:       1,663

Chassis:              Caracal Endo Steel
Power Plant:          CoreTek 275 
Walking Speed:        54 kph    
Maximum Speed:        86.4 kph  
Jump Jets:            Luxor 2/Q 
    Jump Capacity:    150 meters
Armor:                Kallon Light Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:             
    1 Donal PPC
    3 RAMTech 1500Z ER Medium Lasers
    1 Zippo Flamer
Manufacturer:         Arc-Royal MechWorks
    Primary Factory:  Arc-Royal
Communications:       O/P Com-22/H47
Targeting & Tracking: Type IV Bloodhound with Advanced Targeting Computer

================================================================================================
Overview:
    Saffi found her husband on the observation deck of the Victoria R. A 3070
    Union-class Dropship, the Victoria R was one of the more comfortable homes she
    had known. A good thing, since both she and her husband seemed scarcely able to find a
    chance to leave her for long, even while the rest of the crew was on shore leave. At the
    moment, David was watching the sunset from a deck chair. He didn't look around when the
    hatch chimed as she entered.
    
    "Tired?" she asked as she approached, behind the chair.
    
    "Yeah," he sighed, twisting his neck to look up at her. "The ground crews finally finished
    resurfacing Vicky's armor half an hour ago. You'd think years piloting a Battlemech would
    prepare me for the heat, but apparently not."
    
    "You did not have your cooling vest," she suggested mildly. "Is that all the repairs done,
    then?"
    
    "Repairs, yes," he said, looking back out the window. "Resupply is in progress. We're
    expecting shipments in about two weeks."
    
    "Good," she said. "Did the Duchess's office forward a new contract?"
    
    "Garrison training. Should give us time to finish shakedown and integration on the new
    'Mechs."
    
    "Maybe not," she disagreed. She went to the table in the center of the room and linked her
    personal computer to the display projector there, then brought up documents for them both to
    review. "These are the reports from the testing drills we did a few days ago," she explained
    as the window automatically darkened to make the projection easier to see. David got up with
    a grunt and come to look.
    
    "The Caracals, eh? Seems like they worked more or less as intended," he said dubiously,
    scanning the after-action write-up. Saffi held up one hand palm down and rocked it back and
    forth in a dithering motion.
    
    "More or less. I will get to that later, but first, you invited the Hounds to send people to
    watch, right?"
    
    He nodded. "I did. I seem to recall that there were reps from Arc-Royal MechWorks there,
    too, isn't that right?" As he spoke, he crossed the room to the wet-bar and unlocked the
    cabinets.
    
    "Aff," she said absently. "Well, they sent back a proposal for local production, and we are
    supposed to review it and reply as soon as possible."
    
    "In principle, I don't see why we couldn't extend them production rights to the chassis and
    such," David replied as he set out two glasses and began to mix, "but there will be some
    production issues. Last I checked, AR MeckWorks doesn't make everything they'd need for the
    9S, let alone the 9WT."
    
    "Aff," she agreed. "I've got the list of changes right here."
    
    David froze.
    
    "Changes? I don't like the sound of that."
    
    Saffi sighed quietly.
    
    "Most of them are minor. A change to different jets and lasers, for instance, to what they
    are already making. Those should not be an issue, right?"
    
    "Probably," he agreed reluctantly. "The lasers swap out easily, of course, since that's part
    of the point in the first place. Offhand, I think that the jump jets shouldn't be
    hard to refit."
    
    "They were impressed with the performance of the pulse laser, and proposed to integrate a
    targeting computer into the design," she continued.
    
    "With what weight?" David scoffed. "I'd love to have one, but there just isn't room."
    
    Saffi took a deep breath. This was the tricky part.
    
    "They propose to replace the large laser and one of the arm-mounted medium lasers with a
    Magna Hellstar PPC, and cut heat sinks to make up the weight difference for a targeting
    computer," she explained.
    
    "They what?" David gasped. "A whole new weapon system? And cutting two weapons to fit
    it!"
    
    "The proposed armament is more effective at the edges of its range," Saffi began. "At
    primary engagement range, the PPC has almost the same effect on target as the lasers
    removed, and it is far more heat-efficient at all ranges. The Magna Hellstar has been in
    production throughout the Inner Sphere since time out of mind, so it will actually be
    easier to keep in good repair than the large laser. The only drop in on-target
    performance is within the PPC's minimum range, and the Caracal is not intended to engage at
    that range normally anyway. And," she added, "they can produce Clan-grade double heat sinks,
    and with those, almost everything can be condensed into the torso for even better
    protection."
    
    David frowned. He closed the cocktail shaker and began to shake it vigorously - more
    vigorously than usual. After a few moments with no sound except the humming of the ship and
    the projector and the rattle and slosh of the ice and spirits in the shaker, he opened the
    top and poured out two drinks. He approached and gave one to her, still thinking, eyes
    narrowed unhappily as he sipped his own.
    
    "I suppose they're right," he agreed sourly. "But it'll require a significant rebuild to get
    9S's to fit their proposed layout, and we'll lose compatibility with the 9WT's. We wouldn't
    be able to use ARLC supply to replace damaged chassis and supply parts."
    
    "That is the other thing we need to discuss," she said, then took a sip of her own drink.
    "There is a problem with the WT's."
    
    ~~~
    
    The Caracal is a medium Battlemech that fills the role of a frontline combatant with a
    favorable combat matchup against other 'mechs in or below its weight class. It offers
    excellent durability and survivability, the ability to engage targets continuously and at
    any range for extended battles, improved mobility with jump jets, and the capability to
    survive both strained supply lines and heavy battlefield damage with its all-energy armament
    scheme. Thanks to cooperation in the recent past with both the Lyran Commonwealth and Clan
    Wolf-in-Exile, Arc-Royal MechWorks can manufacture all components locally.

Capabilities:
    The CAR-9A is an effort to adapt the capable Caracal platform for use by the fledgling
    Arc-Royal Liberty Coalition. Small changes to armament, such as using a PPC rather than an
    ER Large Laser for its primary armament, increase its effectiveness at long range at the
    cost of a small short-range performance decline. The CoreTek engine and Magna PPC installed,
    while newly in production at the MechWorks, are venerable and reliable designs, expected to
    suffer no notable teething troubles and to provide full parts interchangeability with other
    manufacturers. At a cost comparable to AR MechWorks' Hoplite HOP-5C -- their other value
    55-ton Battlemech -- and with improved durability and mobility and a marginal improvement in
    firepower, the designers of this iteration of the Caracal platform have high hopes for its
    future in the uncertain years ahead.

Deployment:
    The Caracal CAR-9A is expected to be offered both as a domestic defense product and an
    export product to fill the treasury of the ARLC. With its simple components, it is expected
    to be suitable for use by local militias and mercenary units alike, like its predecessor the
    CAR-9S. Reaching market at a slightly lower price than its predecessor, it still may
    experience some difficulty with market penetration in the face of the earlier design thanks
    to the MechWorks' smaller available capacity for additional production.

Variants:
    CAR-9A2 - So long as opportunities for trade between the ARLC and Lyran Commonwealth remain,
    Clan-grade ER Medium Lasers can be sourced from Defiance Industries for a small improvement
    in firepower and ranging at a reasonable cost. The CAR-9A2 simply replaces the RAMTech
    lasers with Defiance C9M's and is externally all but indistinguishable from the standard
    -9A.

================================================================================================
Equipment                                                             Mass                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                         Endo Steel                 3.00                     
Engine:                                     275 Fusion                15.50                     
    Walking MP:                                 5                                               
    Running MP:                                 8                                               
    Jumping MP:                                 5                                               
Heat Sinks (Double):                       14 [28] (C)                 4.00                     
Gyro:                                        Standard                  3.00                     
Cockpit:                                     Standard                  3.00                     
Armor Factor:                                  168                    10.00                     
    Type:                              Light Ferro-Fibrous                                      

                                    Internal         Armor     
                                    Structure        Value     
    Head:                               3              9       
    Center Torso:                      18             23       
    Center Torso (rear):                               6       
    R/L Torso:                         13             20       
    R/L Torso (rear):                                  5       
    R/L Arm:                            9             18       
    R/L Leg:                           13             22       

================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo                                       Location          Critical     Tonnage   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flamer                                                    H                 1          1.00             
2 ER Medium Lasers                                        CT                2          2.00             
3 Jump Jets                                               RT                3          1.50             
2 Jump Jets                                               LT                2          1.00             
Targeting Computer                                        LT                3          3.00             
PPC                                                       RA                3          7.00             
ER Medium Laser                                           LA                1          1.00             

Note: Equipped with Full-Head Ejection System

================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics                                             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 37
TP: BM,  SZ: 2,  TMM: 2,  MV: 10"j
Damage: (S) 3 / (M) 3 / (L) 2,  OV: 0
Armor (A): 6,  Structure (S): 5
Specials: ENE
 
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Code Release 2.25.5 (2025-11-01T14:50:28-04:00)