Basilisk (2990)
Mass: 30 tons
Movement Type: VTOL
Power Plant: 100 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 86.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 129.6 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament:
1 Binary Laser (Blazer) Cannon
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 2990
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-E-E-D
Cost: 1,214,000 C-bills
Type: Basilisk
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Tonnage: 30
Battle Value: 598
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure 3
Engine 100 Fusion 4.5
Cruising MP: 8
Flanking MP: 12
Heat Sinks: 16 6
Control Equipment: 1.5
Lift Equipment: 3
Power Amplifier: 0
Armor Factor: 48 3
Internal
Structure Armor
Value
Front 3 12
R/L Side 3/3 12/12
Rear 3 10
Rotor 3 2
Weapons
and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage
Binary Laser Cannon Front 4 9The Basilisk is a VTOL produced by the Gumerian Diktat. One of the last designs produced before the 1st Gumerian War, the Basilisk is another result of the Gumerian officer corps' enthusiasm for the Binary Laser Cannon.
Before the war, the Mechani Alliance believed that the Basilisk was not real, despite the type being put on display during a regular Diktat propaganda parade. Their engineers calculated that the sheer weight of the blazer and its heat sinks would put the vehicle's armor and speed at levels so dangerously low that even the Gumerians would reject the idea, and so Mechani Intelligence believed the Basilisk platform was actually armed with either a PPC or a large laser variant.
The outbreak of the war proved them wrong, as the Basilisks headcapped a decent number of MAF Battlemechs during the early months. The Mechani forces adapted quickly and began better integrating AA assets in front-line formations and prioritizing the slow and vulnerable Basilisks, preventing them from seeing that sort of success for the rest of the war.
Despite its flaws, the Basilisk caught the attention of the semi-nomadic Amethyst Legion, who saw a potentially large market for the type in the Inner Sphere. They reached a trade agreement with the Mechani Alliance for physical samples and industrial documents pertaining to the production of the Basilisk VTOL (captured from the defeated Gumerian Diktat), which the Legion used to sell Basilisk copies to Inner Sphere states via their MerchantShips starting in 3004.
The Basilisk proved to be highly profitable. With the Inner Sphere states still reeling from technological losses due to the ongoing succession wars, the Amethystian Basilisk offered an advanced, but not too advanced, VTOL platform with a main armament capable of decapitating heavy Battlemechs, a then-unique capability for a VTOL in the Inner Sphere. The design proliferated in the Inner Sphere and was used by both sides in the 4th Succession War, where it performed much better than it did in Gumerian Hands due to the lower level of both AA assets and general technology levels.
The Inner Sphere Basilisks suffered in a similar way to the Vela Corridor basilisks during the Clan Invasion: The invaders had a proliferation of effective AA weaponry such as LB-X autocannons that could readily exploit their weaknesses, and many of their Mechwarriors were good enough shots that they could regularly land ERPPC or Gauss Rifle hits on the Basilisk's fuselage, which would invariably obliterate it. Basilisks were quickly sidelined for new VTOL designs until being resurrected in the late 31st century.
Variants
HPPC: The 3068 upgrade features a HPPC and ferro-fibrous armor, increasing their firepower, range, and survivability against chance Gauss Rifle hits.
Basilisk Omni: A post-Jihad era Basilisk that features heavy ferro-fibrous armor, 15 tons and 8 crits of pod space. The high payload enables the Basilisk to carry most heavy weaponry or large amounts of air-mobile battle armor, but the weaknesses of the original Basilisk chassis remains.
