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Design Overview
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                 BattleMech Technical Readout

Name/Model:         Grasshopper GHR-3Rb
Designer:           Ruger
Source(s):          Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology:         Inner Sphere
Technology Rating:  E
Tonnage:            70
Configuration:      Biped BattleMech
Era/Year:           Star League / 2780
Rules (Current):    Experimental
Rules (Era):        Experimental
Rules (Year):       Experimental
Total Cost:         20,334,607 C-Bills
Battle Value:       1,956

Chassis:              Standard
Power Plant:          350 XL
Walking Speed:        54 kph    
Maximum Speed:        86.4 kph  
Jump Jets:            Standard
    Jump Capacity:    150 meters
Armor:                Standard with CASE
Armament:             
    1 Snub-Nose PPC
    6 Medium Lasers
    1 LRM 5
Manufacturer:         Unknown
    Primary Factory:  Unknown
Communications:       Unknown with Guardian ECM Suite
Targeting & Tracking: Unknown with Beagle Active Probe

================================================================================================
Overview:
    While many know the 'Mech today as the Grasshopper, back in the days of the end of the Star
    League, when the design was first being developed, it was known by a different name, and was
    a different 'Mech with a different mission. The Ghost Hunter, as it was known then, was
    developed to be a hunter/killer of light and medium 'Mechs, and as a headhunter unit, and
    was filled with many items of advanced technology to help it fulfill these roles.

Capabilities:
    While its descendent has become known as a rugged, heavily armored design, noted for its
    mobility for a heavy design, large heat capacity and decent firepower, the original Ghost
    Hunter was even more mobile, armored, and armed 'Mech. The 70 ton frame mounted 13.5 tons of
    armor, virtually the maximum the frame will hold. Like its younger cousin, it mounted
    primarily an energy based armament, although it had half again as many medium lasers for the
    majority of this armament, and a single 5 pack of LRM's is its only ammunition-dependent
    weapon. These long-range missiles were usually fitted with smoke rounds for battlefield
    control.
    
    That is largely where the Ghost Hunter's resemblance to the later Grasshopper ended. The
    rest of the 'Mech was filled with an abundance of advanced Star League technology. Whereas
    the Grasshopper mounts a large laser, the Ghost Hunter had a snub-nosed particle cannon
    instead. This weapon matches the range of the heavy laser, but has a much greater punch on
    its extended short range firing bracket. Additionally, the engine was an extra-light type
    350 fusion core, which enabled the design to reach a ground speed of over 80 kph, and its
    jump jet system allowed the 'Mech to reach a full 30 meters further than the Grasshopper's
    120 meter range. The sensor system had also been tied into a Beagle Active Probe, to enable
    the unit to find its prey.
    
    Defensively, the 'Mech was almost without peer. The engineers had fitted the Ghost Hunter
    with both a Null-Signature System and a Chameleon Light Polarization Shield System to try
    and block both visual and electronic detection of the 'Mech. To aid in this, a Guardian ECM
    Suite was also added to the design, and the LRM ammunition was fitted into a CASE system.
    Combined, these systems virtually prevented any form of detection of the 'Mech when they
    were active.
    
    Unfortunately, trying to integrate all these systems into one machine proved difficult, even
    for the Star League's greatest engineers. Not only was the price tag per unit astronomical,
    the Ghost Hunter also proved to be a "hanger queen", with 2 of every three units confined
    largely to maintenance while the third was actually in use. Rare components, and hard to
    understand systems meant that few technicians could repair the 'Mech, and while its
    ruggedness would often alleviate some need for maintenance, when it was required, it was
    difficult to perform. All this combined meant that, although a half dozen prototypes were
    ordered, none of them lasted for many years. Soon, it was decided to remove virtually all of
    the new tech, and turn the design into the more economical Grasshopper.

Deployment:
    As mentioned above, the Ghost Hunter design never amounted to more than a half-dozen
    prototypes, all of which were recorded to have been destroyed either in the fight against
    Amaris, or, in the case of the last machine, in the early days of the First Succession War.

================================================================================================
Equipment                                                             Mass                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                          Standard                  7.00                     
Engine:                                       350 XL                  15.00                     
    Walking MP:                                 5                                               
    Running MP:                                 8                                               
    Jumping MP:                                 5                                               
Heat Sinks (Double):                         14 [28]                   4.00                     
Gyro:                                        Standard                  4.00                     
Cockpit:                                     Standard                  3.00                     
Armor Factor:                                  216                    13.50                     
    Type:                                    Standard                                           

                                    Internal         Armor     
                                    Structure        Value     
    Head:                               3              9       
    Center Torso:                      22             30       
    Center Torso (rear):                              13       
    R/L Torso:                         15             20       
    R/L Torso (rear):                                 10       
    R/L Arm:                           11             22       
    R/L Leg:                           15             30       

================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo                                       Location          Critical     Tonnage   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LRM 5                                                     H                 1          2.00             
Jump Jet                                                  CT                1          1.00             
Guardian ECM Suite                                        RT                2          1.50             
2 Jump Jets                                               RT                2          2.00             
Medium Laser                                              RT                1          1.00             
Snub-Nose PPC                                             RT                2          6.00             
Beagle Active Probe                                       LT                2          1.50             
CASE                                                      LT                1          0.50             
2 Jump Jets                                               LT                2          2.00             
LRM 5 (Ammo 24) [Smoke]                                   LT                1          1.00             
Medium Laser                                              LT                1          1.00             
2 Medium Lasers                                           RA                2          2.00             
Chameleon LPS                                             *                 6          0.00             
2 Medium Lasers                                           LA                2          2.00             
Null-Signature System                                     **                7          0.00             

* Chameleon LPS occupies 1 critical slot in each location except the Head and Center Torso
** Null-Signature System occupies 1 critical slot in each location except the Head

================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics                                             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 52
TP: BM,  SZ: 3,  TMM: 2,  MV: 10"j
Damage: (S) 3 / (M) 3 / (L) 0*,  OV: 1
Armor (A): 7,  Structure (S): 3
Specials: CASE, ECM, IF0*, PRB, RCN, STL
 
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Code Release 2.24.13.1 (2024-09-02T12:46:23-04:00)