Awesome AWS-9F
Mass: 80 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E-A
Production Year: 3050
Cost: 21,050,970 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,879
Chassis: Unknown Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Unknown 400 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 54.0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86.4 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Unknown Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
3 PPCs
1 Small Laser
1 Guardian ECM Suite
Manufacturer: Unknown
Primary Factory: Unknown
Communications System: Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown
The 9F variant of the Awesome is one of several designs developed by Technicron Manufacturing in the late 3040s as upgrades to the famous Awesome. One of the more radical examples, the 9F was designed as a high speed cavalry mech, relying on advanced armor and structural members to free up space for a massive fusion engine that would give it speed comperable to many contemporary medium mechs. Use of an advanced, light weight cooling system likewise allowed the 9F to retain all of the firepower of the classic 8Q, even allowing it to sustain a higher rate of continuous fire without significant heat troubles. A guardian ECM suite rounds out the design.
Though the total package promised to be a highly capable, maneuverable assault mech, it would ultimately be rejected in favor of what would become the 9M for a variety of reasons. The first concern was that the advanced infrastructure necessary to support the production of Endo Steel structural components and Ferro Fibrous armor plating was still in relative infancy, and would be unable to support large scale construction for a number of years. Another concern was that the venerable Kreuss PPCs the mech used as its primary weapons would quickly be rendered obsolete, and the design was unable to mount three of the newer extended range model guns while maintaining an acceptable heat profile. Further, the 9F had no effective secondary weaponry for close range combat. Most damning of all, however, was that Irian Battlemechs Unlimited (Technicron's partner in the Awesome program) lobbied heavily for their own design (the future 9M), and the massive company's influence among the Free Worlds League government was an enemy that perhaps no level of technical capability could overcome.
Even so, the design got renewed interest following the beginning of the Clan Invasion. Faced with reports of powerful, highly maneuverable omnimechs like the Vulture or Mad Cat, the League revisted the rejected 9F as a possible counter, ordering a short run produced by Technicron starting in late 3051. Though the mech's performance in field tests were promising, ultimately the League turned to the newer, theoretically more flexible Hercules as their heavy, mobile combat platform. Though once again rejected for wide scale deployment, the handful of 9F Awesomes built remained highly prized by their pilots for their successful blend of speed, firepower, and durability, and a surprising number of the design remains in service among League forces even today.
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Equipment Type Rating Mass
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Internal Structure: Endo-Steel 122 points 4.00
Internal Locations: 2 CT, 2 LT, 2 RT, 2 LA, 2 RA, 2 LL, 2 RL
Engine: XL Fusion Engine 400 26.50
Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: Double Heat Sink 16(32) 6.00
Gyro: Standard 4.00
Cockpit: Standard 3.00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA
Armor: Ferro-Fibrous AV - 241 13.50
Armor Locations: 2 LT, 2 RT, 6 LA, 4 RA
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 25 31
Center Torso (rear) 19
L/R Torso 17 24
L/R Torso (rear) 10
L/R Arm 13 24
L/R Leg 17 33
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Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
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Small Laser HD 1 1 0.50
PPC RT 10 3 7.00
Guardian ECM Suite RT 0 2 1.50
PPC LT 10 3 7.00
PPC RA 10 3 7.00
Free Critical Slots: 2
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 8 Points: 19
5 3 3 3 0 4 0 Structure: 4
Special Abilities: ECM, ENE, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA
