I'd use the same Mark XX's I've got them equipped above as secondaries. Just a tiny bit more damage. :)
Anyway, let's consider getting some use out of the dregs of society. Penal units are a popular theme among autocratic powers across the Inner Sphere. I mean, you've got all those people sitting around eating your food and living in your cells, why not put them to work?
Of course, keeping them in line is a problem.
Barrier Troops are one historical method of doing so, making sure they run the right way when the shooting starts. But that just eats additional manpower. If only there was a way to ensure the same compliance without tying up some machineguns watching them?
Hey, how about bombs in their heads? Great idea miss Waller.
So that's what these are. Basically standard riflemen, except they have suicide charges implanted. As fundamentally unwilling, possibly untrained units, you should probably limit these to green experience rating. Beyond that, the explosive suicide implant has a tech rating of C, an availability rating of A across all eras, and is available since the age of war (all as per interstellar operations). So the real limitation to their use is actually ethics. Factions playing up their nobility and ethics aren't likely to put bombs in the heads of their own troops, even criminals. Capellans might see the practicality of it, maybe the Combine as well. Any pirate kingdom would probably be happy to follow suit if they have the capability to put bombs in heads.
For bonus points, detonate them among the enemy's infantry. The total raw damage is a bit more than you can get from their autorifles, and it's area affect, which is bad news for both conventional and battle armored troops. Fair warning, this probably makes you a monster.
Penal Unit (augmented)
IS experimental
BV: 83
Cost: 500,879.23 C-bills
Movement: 1/1
Men: 28 (7/4)
Armor: 1.0
Primary Weapon: Auto-Rifle
Secondary Weapon: None
Damage per trooper: 0.52
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Auto-Rifle MEN 0
Swarm Mek MEN 0
Stop Swarm Attack MEN 0
Leg Attack MEN
Implants:
Suicide Charge