Armored Stinger

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Mass: 30 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Production Year: 3132
Dry Cost: 3,656,640 C-Bills
Total Cost: 3,713,640 C-Bills
Battle Value: 907

Chassis: LexaTech 300 Standard Standard
Power Plant: GM 180 Light Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 64.8 km/h
Maximum Speed: 97.2 km/h
Jump Jets: Chilton 360
Jump Capacity: 180 meters
Armor: Durallex Ballistic-Reinforced w/ CASE
Armament:
Magna Mk VI ER Medium Laser
Magna Longbow-5 LRM-5
Thunderstroke SRM-4
Manufacturer: LexaTech
Primary Factory: Hun Ho
Communications System: O/P 900
Targeting and Tracking System: O/P 911

Overview

The Armored Stinger began its life as LexaTech was unable to sell spare parts for their various LAM designs anymore because nobody really owned them anymore. Their factories on Hun Ho were pumping out Archers, Grasshoppers and Cerberus for the DCMS, but their production line for Stingers was left underutilized. Without the technology to rebuild LAM designs, they couldn’t copy their rather successful design from the past.

An engineer by the name of Hikaru Jenius came up with a great idea at a company party, however. What if they used the basic chassis of that LAM Stinger, without the conversion equipment, to build a new ‘Mech? Through a year of trial and error, Hikaru Jenius brought out the first generation of Armored Stingers. The DCMS was somewhat interested in the design to fill out their light ‘Mech line-up, and a hundred were ordered on a test basis. By the end of the Davion Reconquista, Armored Stingers were seen on both sides of the conflict as the DCMS bought as many as they could to fill up scout lances, while the AFFS captured and repurposed them.

Capabilities

The Armored Stinger is not the simplest model out there, but it remains on the cheaper end of the curve for modern scout BattleMech. For mobility, it copies its smaller cousin using a GM 180 Light fusion engine to go up to 96kmph, and carries a set of Chilton Jump Jets to jump 180 meters. The chassis is basically that of a standard Stinger, scaled up by 50%, meaning people working on them will easily recognize themselves. The body is protected by six and a half tons of ballistic reinforced plating to protect against missiles and autocannon rounds used extensively by the AFFS.

For weaponry, the Armored Stinger is capable of engaging targets at multiple ranges. The gun mount from the original Stinger remains, now equipped with an ER Medium Laser. Each shoulder is equipped with a semi-modular weapon system, allowing the Armored Stinger to mount either SRM 4s or LRM 5s. Whichever launcher is mounted, they are fed by a ton of CASE protected ammo.

While not as fast on land as the basic Jenner or as heavily armed as a Panther, it is a nice intermediate design. It also only requires limited advanced equipment to build and maintain. This made the Armored Stinger a popular machine with front-line units in the Dragon’s Tongue.

Deployment

The vast majority of the original production of the Armored Stinger were deployed in the push towards New Avalon by Matsuhari Toranaga. The combat performance of the machines, combined with their ease of repair and customizability of their missile launchers, led to more and more units being ordered from Lexatech. By the time New Avalon was conquered, every front-line regiment on that front was equipped with them.

More orders for the machine kept pouring in, and Lexatech started providing them to the DCMS units attacking the Republic of the Sphere. Along with the Zaku II, these more customizable models became increasingly popular with techs, while remaining cheaper to build and maintain than full OmniMechs. A limited production run was shipped to the Capellan Confederation.They also used them to fight against the Republic of the Sphere, and then to harass Clan Wolf and the New Star League.

The AFFS did manage to capture many units during the Reconquista and their fight against the Combine. Their performance were considered quite good and officers begun requesting them to replace some of their heavier scouts. Lexatech could not openly sell them to the Federated Suns, unfortunately. They used a subsidiary of Blackwell Heavy Industries, through GM, to license the design and begin construction.

Variants

The AFFS’s version of the Armored Stinger replaces the Ballistic-Reinforced armor with Reflective Armor. This increases the amount of protection and what it protects against. This 1D version was later modified for a “standardized” model. The 2D which takes out the customization aspect by replacing the shoulder launchers with standard MML-3s. With the freed up weight, a targeting computer is added to the ER Medium Laser.