DI Schmitt Tank, pg. 21, TRO: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth
-Who needs tracks when you got rims?In the spirit of modern car manufacturers, Defiance Industries as branded their products so thoroughly it has become difficult to speak of them without the DI namesake mentioned. Joining the prestigious ranks of the DI Morgan and DI Multirole is the DI Schmitt Tank. Stats for this 80 ton bruiser have been long coming. For some fans of the old MWDA game, where the DI Schmitt was rolling death, the DI Schmitt has been a much anticipated addition. Like many of the MWDA units, the DI Schmitt suffers some construction shortcomings when dropped into Battletech. The massive and varied armament of the DI Schmitt carried over from the MWDA dossiers influenced the overall design.
But, what an armament it has! Twin RAC5s, a LRM15, twin machine gun and a quad mount of medium lasers mounted in the turret provide the user with more firepower than the average 80 ton tank. A whopping 99 points of damage from the turret alone! Though, in reality your average damage will be well below this. Twin flamers mounted in the front of the tank also gives you the ability to light wooded hexes on fire and cause heat damage to those pesky TSM mechs. Taken together the weapons scream short ranged brawler.
The LRM15 is the odd duck in the weapons package. The traditional minimum range of the Inner Sphere LRM launcher keeps it from being effectively used with the medium lasers, and a single LRM15 is hardly force your opponents to duck inside your minimum range. The real utility of having a token LRM15, lies in indirect fire. Pegging your opponent with a few indirect LRMs might give them an incentive to crest that hill or round that corner to where your DI Schmitt is waiting with bared teeth. This ability is also handy for when the DI Schmitt becomes immobilized, or a crafty opponent stays at 16-21 hexes. 2 tons of ammo for the LRM15 means you can also consider a ton of non standard missiles for utility.
All those weapons and heat sinks come at a cost. Movement is limited to a 3/5 profile by the DAV 220 XL Fusion Engine. Armor tops out at 8.5 tons of Ferro Fibrous arranged 45/31/20/25. This is far below the maximum for a 80 ton tank at 1457 Battle Value. The front armor can withstand 3 hits from a Gauss rifle or the increasingly common clan ERPPC before expossing internal structure. The sides capable of 2. The turret, however, at 25 points is too thinly armored to expose even in hull down conditions. The Wheeled chassis further complicates the movement options and survivability. A DI Schmitt may look as mean, but it cannot take many hits without the armor giving or the tires exploding. Either problem is trouble enough for an assault tank. The designers sacrificed mobility and armor in order to pack a massive punch in the turret.
Which brings up another question: Why exactly does this thing exist? The LCAF already has the short ranged firepower circuit ably covered by the Demolisher II and Fortune Wheeled Assault Vehicle. And, not even by some other, mysterious manufacturer, either. Defiance Industries actually makes all three vehicles, on the same planet! Well, inquisitive reader, what the DI Schmitt brings to the table (besides a MWDA origin) is the nature of it's short ranged firepower. The Demolisher II and Fortune offer a 1-2 boom boom punch that can certainly crush the ambitions of an unfortunate foe. But, the firepower is concentrated in the power of 2 guns each. The DI Schmitt's weaponry is concentrated in mostly 5 point clusters in multiple weapons. This requires more successfull hits to equal the hitting power of a Fortune or Demolisher II, but at the same time gives you a greater chance of hitting with
something. That bucket of to-hit rolls will come in handy when you are fighting things like Battle Armor, where your 5 point clusters of damage are going to add up.
Defiance has exported the DI Schmitt to neighboring Free Worlds states where Ontos deliveries have been complicated by political divisions. If the RATs are an accurate reflection, the RAF also holds the DI Schmitt in high regard, assigning them the vaunted 7 position on 2D6.
Quirks are more mercifully. A trailer hitch and the anti aircraft targetting quirks are positives, with no noted drawbacks. Taken together, this suggests a dual role as mule and bodyguard for towed vehicles. All sorts of fun combinations can be assembled from the trailer hitch, including a one stop road block in urban combat. Simply hook up a gun trailer and hang a sign saying "Road Closed".
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The only listed variant of the DI Schmitt attempts to correct some of the more blatant construction shortcomings. The engine fed Flamers are swapped out for a pair of Vehicular Flamers. This allows for some alternate ammo use, but also frees up the 6 heat sinks needed to handle the engine fed versions. Reversing that mistake (the worst tonnage to damage tradeoffs since the ICE Ontos) allows the DI Schmitt to mount a targetting computer. Otherwise it remains unchanged. The Targetting Computer variant comes in at 1625 BV.
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Using a DI Schmitt will prove challenging. Anyone familiar with the old Ontos will feel right at home. The DI Schmitt picks up the overly armed, slow and underarmored roles once filled by the Ontos. Ambushes and bodyguard are the primary duties of this tank, with a passable future in urban combat. The antiaircraft targetting quirk suggests an above average ability to take on airborne units, but the weapons are not optimized for the job. Stick to places where your DI Schmitt's huge arsenal, mediocre armor and wheeled chassis won't attract much attention. Look into alternate ammunition for the LRM rack and vehicular flamers, if you use the t-comp variant. Some mine clearance missiles can make all the difference, especially in urban conditions where mobility is restricted and mines are predatory to wheeled vehicles. Set up your ambush carefully break faces.
Defeating a DI Schmitt is fairly easy as long as you begin the process at range. One of the traditional tools for crippling assaults tank, SRMs will put you at risk of being hit by the DI Schmitt's guns. Avoid using those unless mine clearance or tear gas SRMs are loaded, so you could use them at 9 hexes and minimize your chances of being hit with medium lasers. LBX cluster rounds and LRMs are far more reliable. Immobilize the DI Schmitt and focus fire on the turret. Not only does it have weaker armor than the front and sides, the turret can be targetted from any arc.
But, if you must engage the DI Schmitt in close quarters, be cautious with your choices in battle armor. The large number of 5 point clusters and several chances to hit can wither your battle armor down in quick order. Reflective armor of the DCMS Zou will help to reduce the damage of the medium lasers. The RAC5s can still put out the majority fo the damage, so beware. Choose carefully, because the DI Schmitt can destroy your battle armor in quick order. Conventional infantry is more resilient to the DI Schmitt's RACs and lasers, but should not stray too close, less they be shredded and burned by the DI Schmitt's machine guns and flamers. Laser, SRM and other long ranged conventional infantry can and should avoid the limited range of these weapons and paralyze the tank.
