Three vehicles whose only connection is that I picked up the Ogre Miniatures Set 1 and have no interest in actually playing Ogre. ;D
Jinete Hovercraft
Base Tech Level: Introductory (IS)
Level Era
-------------------
Experimental -
Advanced -
Standard 2750+
Tech Rating: E/C-E-D-D
The Jinete was developed for service with the Taurian Defense Forces in the later years of the Star League era as an alternative for the scarcer and more advanced Lightning. This inevitably invites comparison between the two vehicles, with whichever comes on top being mostly a matter of opinion. The Jinete is significantly better armored (despite an especially vulnerable rear quarter), and its machineguns allow more consistent cover of its flanks than the single shot missile launchers on the Lightning. On the other hand, the Lightning is faster, and its twin pulse lasers offer a superior overall punch to the Jinete's single large laser. Taurian crews heavily favored the Jinete, of course, partially due to its local origins, but also because it wasn't tied to supply lines originating in the Inner Sphere. In order to boost the vehicle's performance, it was common to modify the Jinete's machineguns to drastically increase their rate of fire at the expense of horrendous munitions expenditure and increased wear on the weapons themselves. This practice was officially prohibited by the TDF's senior leadership, but its use persisted throughout the periphery uprising.
The Jinete was one of the many casualties of the Periphery Uprising, with its production facilities destroyed by SLDF forces shortly before the Amaris Coup began. As the Concordat began a long, brutal fall into economic collapse shortly after, the facility was not rebuilt, and the design gradually slipped into extinction due to attrition. This may change soon, however, as the government of the unstable remnants of the Concordat have begun looking to resurrect some of the nation's earliest war machines in order to boost public morale. Rumors suggest an advanced model of the Jinete is already being designed.
Weight: 35 tons
BV: 675
Cost: 1,235,617 C-bills
Movement: 10/15 (Hover)
Engine: 175
Internal: 20
Armor: 112
Internal Armor
---------------------------
Front 4 30
Right 4 24
Left 4 24
Rear 4 10
Turret 4 24
Weapons Loc Heat
------------------------
Large Laser FR 8
Machine Gun TU 0
Machine Gun TU 0
Machine Gun RS 0
Machine Gun LS 0
Ammo Loc Shots
------------------------------
Machine Gun Ammo BD 200
Stradiot Medium Tank
Base Tech Level: Introductory (IS)
Level Era
-----------------------
Experimental -
Advanced 2470-2504
Standard 2505+
Tech Rating: E/C-C-D-D
The Stradiot was the Vedette of its day, a simple, basic tank that could be found among militias and house regulars virtually everywhere mankind had made its home. Though relatively lightly armed and armored, the Stradiot was generally much more nimble than the typical medium and heavy tanks of the day, allowing it to fulfill a role as the maneuver element of armored formations without suffering the general limitations of hover units or vtols, and its simple design and the low cost of not only the vehicle itself but the munitions it relied on made it a favorite among cost-conscious planetary militias. This guaranteed the Stradiot centuries of reliable service and its manufacturers centuries of steady orders.
It can be argued that the Stradiot didn't so much go extinct as evolve into two unique descendents. The Scorpion tank, coming into service during the First Succession War, could be thought of as a stripped down Stradiot, cutting back on mass, protection, and speed in order to cut unit cost to the bone, appealing to buyers desperate for hardware during those dark days. Though this new vehicle cut heavily into the Stradiot's market share, it still had its adherents for its superior mobility and lingered on well into the Third Succession War until the introduction of the Vedette. Though the Stradiot was able to hold out at first against first generation Vedettes (and their ridiculously overcomplicated rotating hull design), as the Vedette became more reliable, it was soon apparent that it was the overall superior tank. By the dawn of the 31st century, every Stradiot manufacturer had retooled to produce the Vedette instead, with the Vandenburg Mechanized industries plant on Pinard being the last to convert in 3001. Stradiots can still be found among the occassional planetary militia force even today, however these are increasingly either museum pieces kept on the rolls for the sake of tradition, or failing relics kept around because their operators simply can't afford new machines.
Weight: 40 tons
BV: 420
Cost: 544,367 C-bills
Movement: 5/8 (Tracked)
Engine: 200 ICE
Internal: 20
Armor: 80
Internal Armor
---------------------------
Front 4 20
Right 4 16
Left 4 16
Rear 4 12
Turret 4 16
Weapons Loc Heat
------------------------
AC/5 TU 1
Machine Gun FR 0
Machine Gun TU 0
Ammo Loc Shots
------------------------------
AC/5 Ammo BD 20
Machine Gun Ammo BD 200
Sauterelle Missile Tank
Base Tech Level: Standard (IS)
Level Era
-----------------------
Experimental -
Advanced 2750+
Standard -
Extinct 2830-3044
Tech Rating: E/E-F(F*)-E-D
The Arrow missile system has been wildly popular since its introduction during the Reunification War, and even as the war wound down and the newly solidified Star League began preaching peace, harmony, and unity, it was inevitable that the League's component states would eagerly incorporate this new weapon system into their forces. The Terran Hegemony began to oblige this desire in the early 27th century when it offered the system, as well as the Chapparal artillery platform for general sale, but they were still careful to restrict the supply, hoping to keep demand (and their exclusive control over feeding that demand) as high as possible for as long as possible. This lucrative monopoly managed to persist for roughly a generation, until Davidson Industries of Flushing introduced the Sauterelle.
A simple design intended to bring the Arrow IV to the masses, the Sauterelle does nothing fancy, from its petrochemical engine to its basic armor plate and its complete lack of secondary weapons. Its primary claim to fame, in fact, is that it's just kinda ugly. Its broad, low stance provides an exceptionally stable firing platform, but combined with the "conning tower" that houses the vehicle's commander and gunner, makes it look not too disimilar to a rolling bunker. The open missile mount, though highly reliable, looked positively primitive in comparison to other launch systems, and was prone to critical failure when under direct fire.
Looks aside, the Sauterelle proved very popular, and quickly spread across the Inner Sphere. As with other Arrow platforms, the loss of the technology to manufacture the vehicle's munitions proved its undoing. Attempts were made to keep the vehicles in service using a new, lower tech missile munition (the Arrow IVD), however this munition proved disappointing compared to existing tube artillery and was discontinued. The Sauterelle was extinct by the middle of the Second Succession War. The recovery just prior to the Clan invasion initially passed over the Saterelle in favor of other platforms such as the Chapparal and Padilla, however in recent years the Capellan Confederation has begun producing new Sauterelles for use by their home guard forces, where the vehicle serves primarily as an anti-aircraft platform.
Weight: 50 tons
BV: 688
Cost: 1,183,750 C-bills
Movement: 4/6 (Tracked)
Engine: 200 ICE
Internal: 25
Armor: 80
Internal Armor
---------------------------
Front 5 20
Right 5 16
Left 5 16
Rear 5 12
Turret 5 16
Weapons Loc Heat
---------------------
Arrow IV TU 10
Ammo Loc Shots
---------------------------
Arrow IV Ammo BD 5
Arrow IV Ammo BD 5
Arrow IV Ammo BD 5
Arrow IV Ammo BD 5