So what if this abomination made it to prototype stage before saner heads prevailed, and the higher ups wanted a more practical version that didn't run 73 million Stones per unit?
Well it might look something like this.
The Warpig urban assault vehicle was very nearly a catastrophic boondoggle, with a design program described as "an extended alcohol fueled shit post", the legend of which has only begun to spread via Republic troops and refugees filtering out since the fall of Terra. Because there has been little news from Terra since Clan Wolf's conquest, most of the stories surrounding the vehicle are unconfirmed. We can't confirm that one of the designers used money skimmed off the program to build a 35,000 ton personal megayatch. We can't confirm the original prototype was completed with vending machines for the crew or a quote unqote "stripper pole", and we certainly can't confirm that a set of detachable wings fashioned from surplus Riever aerofighters was also designed, much less a companion airship which would provide close support fire as well as long range transport. We can only hope that these were clever exaggerations that gradually ballooned into urban legends around the Warpig's development.
What can be confirmed is that the prototype was inefficient and absolutely not worth its expected per unit cost of 73 million stones, beating out even the ridiculous Manticore II in sticker price. While corruption, poor oversight, or rank incompetence let the Warpig get as far as it had, saner heads prevailed by the time military commanders actually saw what they were getting for all their money.
This wasn't the end of the Warpig, however. Exarch Stone in particular wanted an assault class IFV and urban assault vehicle for his Bastion strategy, and so much money had already been sunk into the program that the military was unable to escape the pull of the sunk cost fallacy. And so, a new set of engineers were brought in to take the prototype and its associated plans and turn it into... something useable. The two turrets were consolidated to one, the mismatched autocannons were switch to a pair of common caliber weapons, the heavy missile systems were swapped for a lighter set of streak missile launchers, and, most importantly of all, the massively expensive engine was changed for an off the shelf model already in use on the Alacorn. Just consolidating to a single turret provided much of the savings necessary for these changes, though the lighter missile system and a switch to a tougher armor composite not only made up the rest, but freed up room for close defense lasers covering each arc, giving the vehicle more protection against being swarmed by infantry.
The result is, honestly, acceptable. It can transport multiple squads of battle armor or as many as eighty conventional footsoldiers, while having the approximate throw weight of a standard demolisher and significant armor protection. It is by no means a perfect vehicle, being aggressively specialized for a specific task, but it is functional in that role, and met the needs put forth by Devlin Stone as part of the Bastion strategy.
Given the Warpig's troubled history, that may be the best we can hope for.
Warpig Urban Assault Vehicle (Standard)
Mass: 95 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 285 XL
Cruising Speed: 32.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 54 kph
Armor: Heavy Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
5 Small Pulse Laser
2 Rotary AC/5
2 Streak SRM 6
Manufacturer: Unknown
Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3145
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-X-D
Cost: 17,218,500 C-bills
Type: Warpig Urban Assault Vehicle
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Movement Type: Tracked
Tonnage: 95
Battle Value: 1,810
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure 9.5
Engine 285 XL 13
Cruising MP: 3
Flank MP: 5
Heat Sinks: 10 0
Control Equipment: 5.0
Power Amplifier: 0.0
Turret: 3.0
Armor Factor (Heavy Ferro) 277 14
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Front 10 62
R/L Side 10/10 51/51
Rear 10 51
Turret 10 62
Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage
Small Pulse Laser Rear 1.0
Small Pulse Laser Left 1.0
Small Pulse Laser Front 1.0
Small Pulse Laser Right 1.0
Small Pulse Laser Turret 1.0
2 Streak SRM 6 Turret 9.0
2 Rotary AC/5 Turret 20.0
Streak SRM 6 Ammo (30) Body 2.0
CASE Body 0.5
Rotary AC/5 Ammo (120) Body 6.0
Infantry Body 8.0
