Kharaa Assault Gun (2986)
Mass: 50 tons
Movement Type: Tracked
Power Plant: 150 ICE
Cruising Speed: 32.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 54 kph
Armor: Standard
Armament:
1 Binary Laser (Blazer) Cannon
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 2986
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-E-E-D
Cost: 760,500 C-bills
Type: Kharaa Assault Gun
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Tonnage: 50
Battle Value: 517
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure 5
Engine 150 ICE 11
Cruising MP: 3
Flanking MP: 5
Heat Sinks: 16 16
Control Equipment: 2.5
Power Amplifier: 1
Armor Factor: 88 5.5
Internal
Structure Armor
Value
Front 5 27
R/L Side 5/5 22/22
Rear 5 17
Weapons
and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage
Binary Laser Cannon Front 4 9The Kharaa Assault Gun is a vehicle produced by the Gumerian Diktat. Marketed as an affordable and compact anti-battlemech self-propelled gun, more than half of the weight of the Kharaa is taken up by its Binary Laser Cannon and associated components. The Kharaa sacrifices much to fit this large, hot weapon: Its speed is low even for an ICE vehicle of its size, and armor is just barely sufficient for its role.
The Kharaa can be loosely compared to the Inner Sphere Hetzer Assault Gun. The Kharaa is 10 tons heavier, about 100,000 C-Bills more expensive and slower despite using a more powerful powerplant (though in practice its treads navigate terrain with greater ease than the Hetzer's wheels). The Kharaa's gun has somewhat less power than a Hetzer's AC/20, but critically the Blazer is still perfectly capable of blowing a Battlemech's head clean off in a single hit- combined with the significantly higher effective range of the Blazer, the Kharaa has an overall greater lethal threat radius.
The Kharaa did not generally perform well in the 1st Gumerian War. This was mainly a result of a misapplication of the vehicle rather than their inherent attributes: Many Gumerian CO's used Kharaas like conventional tanks, where their slow speed and lack of turret made them little more than cannon fodder in open fields. When the Kharaa was used as ambush predators (especially in urban environments, as demonstrated in the Battle of New Merrion), the Kharaa proved itself to be effective, and the Mechani-Crossroadian forces quickly learned to screen their infantry forces with conventional armor instead of Battlemechs when fighting in cities.
