Sutra (Blazer Saladin)

[Daryk]

There''s a reason the Saladin is considered Scraborough Limited's "last" medium hover tank.  Their actual last attempt at one, while successful from a design standpoint, had its marketing failure driven home when the first one was delivered to a DCMS unit that took one look at the specifications and immediately stripped it for parts without even putting it in the field.  The armor and auxiliary systems went to the unit's other Scarborough machines, while the engine and half the heat sinks were installed in a damaged Panther.  The Blazer Cannon was quietly stuffed into the back of a warehouse and subsequently disappeared, later turning up on Solaris VII with the serial numbers inexpertly filed off.

As an energy based assault gun, the Sutra boasted higher speed, increased range, ammunition independence, and almost twice the armor of its progenitor in a package less than 30% more expensive.  Unfortunately, the initial customer was more interested in its components than its performance characteristics, and Scarborough terminated the project.  The design specifications were archived and eventually revived after the introduction of the Heavy PPC, but a similar fate awaited the first unfortunate Saeiqa delivered to a DCMS unit.

Fractional Accounting note: If you apply it, you can get four more points of armor (for the nose of course) out of the quarter ton saved from Controls with no increase in cost.

Code: [Select]

Sutra

Mass: 35 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Hovercraft
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: Succession Wars
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-E-E-D
Production Year: 2952
Dry Cost: 1,187,733 C-Bills
Total Cost: 1,187,733 C-Bills
Battle Value: 678

Power Plant:  140 Fusion Engine
Cruise Speed: 97.2 km/h
Flanking Speed: 151.2 km/h
Armor:  Standard Armor
Armament:
    1  Binary Laser Cannon
Manufacturer:
    Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      16 points                3.50
Engine:             Fusion Engine                140                       7.50
    Cruise MP:  9
    Flank MP:   14
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             16                        6.00
Control Equipment:                                                         2.00
Lift Equipment:                                                            3.50
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -  56                  3.50

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     20       
                                          Left/Right   12/12       
                                                Rear     12       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Binary Laser Cannon                          FR        16        1         9.00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      2    Points: 7
9h         2       2       0       0      1     0   Structure:  2
Special Abilities: ENE

[Natasha Kerensky]

Nice.  The fusion engine is expensive and it’s hard to justify any energy weapon with more than ten heat points on a fusion combat vehicle.  But this improves the Saladin in every dimension, potentially making the costs worthwhile while preserving the core mission role.  This may be my favorite Blazer upgrade of all time.

[DevianID]

This is a great unit.  Per your fluff, If I were a Steiner commander I would have lots of salvaged panthers from all the draconic combine battles.  This Sutra is, like you mentioned, a Jagdpanther upgrade kit.  Cut the PPC and SRMS and jump jets, use the 140 fusion engine off the Sutra to get the salvaged panther running again, and put a Blazer with 16 heat sinks on the new 'jagdpanther' 35 ton ambushing mech destroyer.

[Daryk]

Thank you both!  The thing that suprised me the most was the drop-in nature of the HPPC swap.

[DOC_Agren]

how did I know u designed this from just the title...

and yes the DC would would kill this in heartbeat as why should a tanker have a fusion engine, they are unworthy

[Daryk]

Especially with a Panther engine...  8)