'Mech of the Week: AKU-*
AkumaNamed for a type of Japanese demon, the
Akuma was designed by Independence Weaponry of Quentin in response to Theodore Kurita's call to produce cost-effective units during the Clan Invasion. Although it competes in some ways with Independence's own AS7-K
Atlas design, the
Akuma shares a lot of components with the older unit and has a price in the same range as the AS7-D, 9.2 million C-Bills vs. the
Atlas's 9.4 million. Originally only favored by the Ryuken-Go, the
Akuma became more popular after its participation in the destruction of Clan Smoke Jaguar, with the AKU-1XJ variant reaching the front lines in time to assist in the efforts against Sandoval incursions that would take Breed and Kesai IV. Development or adaptation continued with newer models integrating advanced technologies during the Jihad. Although built on Quentin, a planet now in Republic hands, only the advanced AKU-2XC variant is used by the Republic in significant numbers.
The original AKU-1X is an assault 'Mech that really belongs to an older school of assault design. At 90 tons, the
Akuma is 10 tons smaller than the
Atlas, kind of a cut-down model that tries to leverage more advanced technology. Well, advanced technology and MRMs. An endo-steel skeleton isn't a bad start, a smaller modification of the
Atlas's. The GM 270 fusion plant is where the savings came from, matching the old
Atlas's performance without breaking the bank. It's possible they're importing the engine from GM, or at least were, although I imagine they've found a domestic source somewhere since. (Remember, this was designed back when the Federated Commonwealth and the Draconis Combine were still allies. You know, the same kind of allies as Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin.) Apparently at some point between 3049 and 3058, Independence's engineers figured out that double heat sinks are something you should probably put in 'Mechs with advanced energy weapons or MRMs even if it is a little hard since unlike the AS7-K, they're being used here with 13 of them carried. 17.5 tons of Durallex Special Heavy, 1.5 tons less than the
Atlas, provides maximal protection on a frame this big. With a 10/15/10 arrangement on the back plates, the armor continues to remind me of the AS7-D, which sported a 10/14/10 configuration. The front is 28/43/28, missing a couple of thresholds to reinforce the back. Arguably a weakness, there's a point considering the Combine's focus on the Clan front and Clan 'Mechs tend to be fast, so an assault 'Mech is likely to take some back shots from ambitious (and arguably suicidal)
Mist Lynx and
Shadow Cat drivers with more balls than common sense. (Let's face it, they're Smoke Jaguar warriors. That's kind of a thing for them.) The head, arms, and legs are all at the max with 9, 30, and 38 armor respectively. The key chink in all of this (other than the head, which is a given) is the lack of CASE, something later models will correct. (All of the
Akumas share the same armor distribution. Whichever one you're hunting, bring plenty of guns. Big ones.) The armament of the
Akuma is diverse, offering you a lot of options but averaging out to more of a brawler role. Each arm has a medium laser, a Victory 23M standard on the right and a Victory Heartbeat MPL on the left, sharing that mount with a Guided Technologies 2nd Gen Streak SRM 4 and a Lord's Light ER PPC that represents half of your long-range firepower. The side torsos each mount a mid-range heavy weapon, with a Shingunga MRM 30 rack on the left shoulder and an Imperator Code Red LB 10-X autocannon protruding from the right side. The LB 10-X is one of the best weapons in the Inner Sphere, a fine blend of range, low heat, firepower, and flexibility that fortuitously matches the Clan equivalent's performance if not its compactness, and it has the industry standard two tons of ammo. The MRMs are another story. I'm not a great fan of MRMs but at least the
Akuma manages to carry enough of them to be something other than an afterthought. I actually think MRM 30s and 40s can even be fun when you hit people with them. That said, the reach isn't impressive and the accuracy even less so. At least you have 16 rounds to (hopefully) introduce people to the Dragon's newest weapon. Considering the design's speed, the LRM 20 launcher the
Akuma could have carried would have been more useful. As a final gesture of oddity here, Independence put another Streak rack in the center torso, a 6 tube model this time. While I like the Streak 6, I'm pretty sure I could find a use for the 2.5 tons they could have saved, a list that includes options like CASE, ECM, TAG, a C3 slave, and A-pods. Okay, the A-pods are a stretch but it would be a way to burn a half-ton without mounting a cigar laser.
The AKU-1XJ replaces the weapons load in order to come closer to recreating the AS7-D, this time with jump jets. Although it's pretty inefficient because you're just above the 85 ton jump jet line, a 3/5/3 90 tonner isn't guaranteed to be a turkey. The definitive counterexample to what you might call “The
Quickdraw Effect” has long been the
Highlander, which is a well-respected assault 'Mech with sufficient firepower and flexibility to be a reliable member of your lances even if it lacks the brutal capabilities of designs like the
Nightstar or the
Fafnir. One of the reasons for that is the M-7 Gauss rifle. Guess what the
Akuma doesn't have? That's right, a Gauss rifle! No, the big ballistic weapon here is an LB 20-X in the right torso. I'm a fan of the LB 20-X but this is a little slow to employ it well. The ER PPC was also sacrificed, downgraded to an ERLL, although there are two MPLs on the left arm to keep it company. The MRM rack was upgraded to an MRM 40. Finally, there's an ERSL in the center torso. While it makes an adequate member of an assault lance to act as a short-range bruiser, that's not a role that 3/5/3 'Mechs are well suited to these days.
The first of several models incorporating improved technology debuted in 3071 to serve a Dragon under siege from within and without and was one of two new variants included in last year's Record Sheets 3067 Unabridged. The AKU-2X is a worthy entry to the Dragon's service, bringing several new technologies to bear. A C3 slave in the center torso is an especially notable change, bringing the
Akuma into the increasingly accepted C3 networks. Also in the center torso is a compact gyro, one of the distinctive features of the AKU-2 series. On the left arm, the Streaks and ER PPC were removed to upgrade to a heavy PPC, providing firepower comparable to a Gauss rifle that meshes well with the LB 10-X Like the 1XJ, the MRMs were upgraded to a 40 tube rack, but this time it's paired with Apollo fire control, making the weapons more accurate if a trifle less likely to swamp someone under. Also, someone at Independence finally figured out that CASE is good, protecting the LB-X and MRM ammo with it, a performance that would be repeated for the entire AKU-2 series. The single biggest flaw is the heat load you get by firing the HPPC, MRMs, and LB 10-X all together, shooting up to +3 on the scale before movement with 13 DHS, but overall this is a pretty solid assault 'Mech for mid-range beatdowns.
After the tide of the conflict turned, the 2XC model went into the field in 3077, with some serving in the Republic of the Sphere today. The design was covered in TRO3085's Old is the New New section. Similar to the 2X in some ways, the 2XC incorporates experimental technology and less ranged firepower. The MRM 40 with Apollo and LB-X are still there, with each arm mounting a medium laser. The ER PPC was again removed, this time swapped for a snubnose PPC. I'm a fan of the snubby just like I am the LB 20-X but again, I'm not convinced this is the right place for it. Yes, snubbies hit out to 15 hexes, but they only do 10 damage at 9 and inside. It does make the unit an interesting midrange bully when you consider the other two advanced goodies: an Angel ECM suite and boosted C3 slave, both packed into the center torso thanks to a compact gyro. 12 freezers are actually sufficient for your typical heat needs. If they're not, you have one coolant pod.
The AKU-2XK
Akuma is the last of the series for now. Again, it's an attempt to build a midrange brawler, but the details are interesting. The 2X's HPPC is putting in another appearance, with an MPL alongside it on the left arm and another one in the head. The right arm has an ERML. The MRMs are gone, replaced by a pair of MML 9s that give you some long-range punch and a short-range SRM buckshot that comes within two tubes of matching the LB 20-X on the 1XJ for clusters and already beats it out for damage. The right torso's RAC/5 makes for a good armor stripper before you apply the SRM shotgun. Ammo endurance isn't great with only two tons for the RAC and three to split between the MMLs, and you need to watch your heat load carefully thanks to only 11 freezers. Still, it's not a bad mid-range bruiser, which is about all I really expected at this point. The Guardian ECM and C3 slave round out the design's capabilities and make it significantly nastier at the outer edges of certain range bands, where it can rely on other units to spot for it. Or you can shove the 2XK down their throats, taking advantage of the 'Mech's heavy armor and close-in weapons to create an assault spotter and shift the ECM to ECCM mode to hopefully keep your C3 enabled.
References: The
Master Unit List is, as ever, an excellent first stop.
CamoSpecs has a surprisingly wide variety of examples to peruse if you're looking for something more visual.
