Armchair Generals Quarterly - Second Quarter 3084 edition
"'Mechs in Depth: The
Shadow Cat"
Ekron Viertel
Staff Writer
Technical Readout 3058 Upgrade. page 171. Wolfnet. 3070
Before the Clans came to call, the term "shadow cat" may have evoked thoughts of something sleek, swift, quadrupedal and perhaps cuddly. Unfortunately for the defenders of Luthien the later two would not be apt descriptions of the 45 ton OmniMech the Nova Cats would deploy. DCMS commanders must have been horrified by the reports coming back from observation posts. Stars of an unknown medium 'Mech were closing with incredible speed, pouring Gauss slugs into their defenses all the while. After the Invasion, "shadow cat" would be synonymous with an agile, viscous stalker and hunter.
Perhaps a sign of the respect other Clans hold for the design, or perhaps because it was nearly a half century old by the time of REVIVAL, the
Shadow Cat is by far the most widespread of any OmniMech developed by Clan Nova Cat. Inner Sphere soldiers would come to associate the 'Mech with not just the invading Nova Cats, but Clans Smoke Jaguar and Steel Viper as well. As intelligence from the Clan Homeworlds began to trickle back to the Successor States it was confirmed that the Fire Mandrills and Cloud Cobras utilized the
Shadow Cat. Later, whether through trade or salvage, examples could be found within the
touman of every Clan in the Sphere by the time the Word of Blake launched their ill-conceived war against humanity. The extraordinarily brutal battles of the Jihad would take their toll though. Once the dust settled only Clans Nova Cats, Diamond Shark, Snow Raven, and surprisingly the Jade Falcons maintained
Shadow Cats in significant numbers. As three galaxies of Nova Cat warriors joined the nascent Republic of the Sphere, so to would their
Shadow Cat OmniMechs. The fleet footed medium 'Mech is no doubt a welcome addition to the RAF. Most interestingly, the
Shadow Cat has even started cropping up in wealthier mercenary commands. While some of these have no doubt been sold by the ever mercantile Diamond Sharks one can't discount old fashioned battlefield salvage as a source.
By all available accounts, the Nova Cats maintained exclusive production rights to the
Shadow Cat at their Barcella complex until the Clan's Abjurement. One of the few bright spots in this dark period of Nova Cat history was that they managed to pack up portions of the Barcella Beta facility and transport it to their new capital on Irece. Thus maintaining a supply of the OmniMech in their new Inner Sphere home. Since things have gone quiet in the Homeworlds, no one outside of the Clans could say what's become of the rest of the Barcella center or
Shadow Cat deployment there. [Omniscient narrator: If only certain
Clan Watch reports were more widely available, most in the Sphere would know that the
Shadow Cat is as dead in the Homeworlds as the Clan that created it.]
The RFUM 270 XL Fusion engine powering this predator provides the
Shadow Cat with an unmodified top speed 97 kph. A slow pace compared to other 45 ton OmniMechs, the integrated Myomer Accelerator Signal Circuitry enables bursts of speed approaching 130 kph. MASC can be risky but it does allow the 'Mech keep pace with faster 'Mechs like the
Fenris (
Ice Ferret), if only temporarily, with a significantly lighter engine. Hard mounted Model KY Booster jump jets also allow the '
Cat to quickly traverse the most difficult terrain when raw speed isn't sufficient. [Omniscient narrator: This is one of the few instances that placing jump jets in the legs was a great design choice. Without any additional heat sinks to stuff in the legs, they're the only viable crit padding. Loosing one or two of them due to failing a MASC roll is going to hurt your performance a heck of a lot less than an actuator hit.]
All the internal components and Type 79-45 endo steel chassis are wrapped in seven tons of Compound H17 ferro-fibrous armor. Though less than 85% of the maximum coverage, the armor is still reasonably dispersed over the front of frame. Only the arms the lack the armor to take a Clan-spec ER PPC hit with just enough protection to handle a Clan ER large laser. The center torso is the only location on the entire machine that will take a class 20 autocannon round without breaching. Much more lightly armored, the rear center torso can only shrug off an Inner Sphere medium pulse laser. The armor on the rear side torso sections is precariously thin. Should the machine fall on its back a stray rock will crack open these sections. Mind you it doesn't have to be a particularly sharp rock. Needless to say, MechWarriors at the controls of a
Shadow Cat quickly learn to rely speed.
Utilizing all the weight saving materials available to the Clans at the start of the 31st Century and some reasonable design choices enable the
Shadow Cat to install seventeen tons of equipment. Admittedly those bulky components do make for some cramped conditions. It's what the
Shadow Cat does with that available tonnage that lend this medium OmniMech its reputation. Due to the original mandate that the machine compete with
Fenris, nearly all configurations are designed with some recon in mind. Four of the six known configurations mount an active probe. Though the armament often results in a hunter-killer rather than pure scout.
Shadow Cat Prime – Taking up nearly all the space available in the right arm, the Gauss Rifle carried by the Prime forces even assault 'Mechs to be wary of the spry medium Omni'. Supplied with enough ammo for just over two and a half minutes of constant fire, a good pilot is more than capable of disabling an entire lance of medium BattleMechs before the the Rifle's bins run dry. Two ER medium lasers add an extra punch inside of 450 meters and keep this configuration reasonably affective in prolonged engagements. The enhanced sensor capabilities of an active probe combined with the
Shadow Cat's innate quickness make the Prime an excellent forward component of any offensive action. Just bear in mind that the big gun has the unfortunate side affect of making the
Shadow Cat Prime a high priority target.
Shadow Cat A – More so that any other variant, the
Shadow Cat A is armed for long duration assignments. Two ER large lasers provide the A solid offensive power as well as reach. The 'Mech's cooling system is enhanced by three additional double heat sinks enabling the A to run-'n-gun using the lasers without concern for negative affects. At more personal ranges the Streak SRM-6 can be brought into play. Already an efficient weapon, the designers included two tons of ammo, thirty flights worth. Once again an active probe rounds out the A's configuration. The culmination of the
Shadow Cat A's weaponry is deadly 'Mech realistically limited only by the endurance of the armor and the pilot.
Shadow Cat B – Last of the configurations seen during the Invasion, the B fills the “missile boat” role common to Clan OmniMechs at that time. Each arm mounts both an LRM-15 tied to Artemis IV fire control system along with an ER medium laser. The missile launchers alone can strip nearly two tons of armor off an unwilling target up to 630 meters off. The
Shadow Cat's speed can quickly bring the lasers into range resulting in the hardest hitting of all the REVIVAL era configurations. Continuous application of that firepower does make full use of all ten double heat sinks. Any heat generated from movement will build up and cause problems, albeit slowly. Four tons of reloads are shared by the two missile racks lending the B respectable endurance. Finally, an ECM suite is included with the practically standard active probe. It's worth noting that the
Shadow Cat B is the only variant equipped with electronic warfare capabilities.
Shadow Cat C – At first glance the
Shadow Cat C causes most observers to question the mental faculties of the technicians and warriors behind it. Two ATM-6 launcher fed by the typical three tons of missile allows for long range harassment to just past 800 meters using extended range munitions. As the C closes three ER medium lasers provide extra bite as standard and high explosive round become an option. Though without any additional double heat sinks you may want to hold off firing the third laser unless you don't mind things getting a bit warm. The
Shadow Cat C takes a turn for the odd when the scouting/support aspect is fulfilled by a NARC missile beacon supplied by two tons of reloads. Yes, NARC beacons are not compatible with Advanced Tactical Missiles. While not typical of Clan combat, using the NARC beacon to support Star mates or enhance Aerospace fighter missile strikes is not completely unheard of. The Nova Cats created the
Jenner IIC 3 after all. It's also worth noting that same Clan unleashed the
Nova Cat B just two years before the
Shadow Cat C was first spotted.
Shadow Cat H – The H is the only configuration that gives up any pretense of recon and opts for pure hunter. The right arm mounts an armor-slagging heavy large laser. Assisting the powerful yet inaccurate laser is a targeting computer. Nestled in he left torso is an LRM-20 rack supplied with two tons of missiles. An Artemis IV fire control system is wired into the missile rack making the most of that two minutes of fire. Four tons of additional double heat sinks allow Warriors to keep firing without heat concerns outside of jumping alpha strikes. Even then such a maneuver has to be use several consecutive times before any negative impacts are felt. While the
Shadow Cat H does push you to get more up close and personal than other configurations, in the hands of a smart, aggressive pilot it can be a force to be reckoned with.
Shadow Cat J – The most recently developed configuration, the J is an odd duck armed entirely with Gauss-based weapons. The active probe does make a triumphant return though. A class 20 Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifle provides the main punch for this Jihad-era variant. Supporting the HAG are a half dozen Anti-Personnel Gauss Rifles. Affective against unarmored infantry, all six of the AP Gauss Rifles used in concert can cause nearly as much damage against hardened targets as a typical shot from the HAG. Though well equipped to combat any variety of enemy the active probe may uncover the ammo supply keeps the
Shadow Cat J from prolonged engagements. The HAG carries twelve shots worth of slugs. The smaller guns share a ton of ammunition, just enough for a minute of fire with a quartet's worth of rounds available for one last volley. The results is a
Shadow Cat configuration that makes short work of light to medium weight opposition, vehicles, and infantry of all stripes but has equally short battlefield endurance.
Detractors of the
Shadow Cat are quick to point out that it carries slightly less armor and slower that its contemporaries in the 45 ton Clan OmniMech category, the
Fenris and
Grendel. That and the MASC the '
Cat relies on for speed has been known to occasionally cripple otherwise pristine 'Mechs. Murphy dictates that it happen at the most inopportune time, of course, often with disastrous results. Still, all three Omnis' are vulnerable to the range of pulse lasers that have proliferated in the armies of the Inner Sphere. Not to mention LB-X autocannons and any number of heavier weapons assisted by targeting computers. Arguably the
Shadow Cat does the best job of the three balancing the competing priorities of armor, weapons, and speed. It's this balance that will likely keep the
Shadow Cat in the front lines for years to come.
As always, the
Master Unit List has plenty of additional data for each configuration. Camo Specs has
several fine examples as well a
battle ROM from the Battle of Luthien.
