Aardvark Light Tank

[Psyckosama]

Aardvark Light Tank

Mass: 20 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/C-C-C
Production Year: 2635
Cost: 212,700 C-Bills
Battle Value: 312

Power Plant: Ford 100 I.C.E.
Cruise Speed: 54.0 km/h
Flanking Speed: 86.4 km/h
Armor: PolySlab Standard Armor
Armament:
    1 Magna Mk II Medium Laser
    2 GM Minigun Machine Guns
Manufacturer: Omni Defense Systems
    Primary Factory: Various
Communications System: RCA E-Z Comm 7
Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Quikispot 3

Overview:
The Aardvark is another unsung hero of the Inner Sphere. Its success comes from
its extreme simplicity in both operation and construction. While the limited
range of its main gun presents a problem when compared to its number one
competitor Scorpion Light Tank, but its superior armor, higher speed, and 
lower price tag make it extremely popular.

Capabilities:
The Aardvark's boxy, slab sided hull is based on the virtually omnipresent
Heavy Tracked APC, with a 85% parts commonality between the two designs. The
Aardvark removes the APC's troop capabilities and one of the hull mounted
machine guns, slimming down  the hull to present a smaller cross section. A
turret ring is added to the top and fitted with a machine gun and a single
medium laser and clad in a single ton of armor. The remaining internal volume
to mount a power inverter and three heat sinks.

While lacking in range, the Aardvark's Magna Mk II Medium Laser lacks the
tracking issues that plague the Autocannons used by similar tanks, such as the
Scorpion, while the coaxial GE MiniGun allows the vehicle to present a 90 meter
'no go' zone to enemy infantry. This, combined with the Aardcark's extremely
compact hull allow it to thrive in tight, short range conditions that would be
a death trap for most other vehicles.

Battle History:
   The commonality of the Aardvark makes its use in combat less a question of
'if' and more one of 'how often'. Among MechWarriors it is commonly jested that
the 'little bricks' exist for the sole purpose of giving them something to blow
up when nothing dangerous is around. This attitude, while not entirely
inaccurate, can cause many MechWarriors to underestimate or even ignore them,
often at great personal cost.

One of the most clear examples of this was happened in 2992 during a Free
Worlds League raid of the Capellan world of Bithinia. A recent small scale
invasion had forced the Confederation to concentrate their regional forces onto
Old Kentucky in order to push off the League's entrenched occupation forces.
Taking advantage of the reduced protection the League ordered an attack against
Bithinian Ballistics's main production facalty in order to reduce their output
and disrupt resupply to the units on Old Kentucky.

The League sent a mixed heavy and medium company to attack the complex. They
were successful in repelling the planet's few remaining BattleMechs and their
supporting armor, but due to their complacency they had allowed the militia's
Aardvarks to withdraw unmolested, not seeing them as a threat. When they
entered the capitol in order to attack the factory, the Aardvark's rallied,
with the support of local infantry, used their close range firepower and
respectable speed to torment the enemy, using the buildings as cover, until the
'Mechs were forced to withdraw from the city or face destruction, buying time
for reinforcements to arrive from the surrounding systems

Deployment:
While extremely numerous, the most common buyers of the Aardvark are local
militia forces, and mercenary companies that either cannot afford better, or
need cheap armored vehicles to serve in secondary combat and support roles. The
only Successor Houses that make any significant use of the design are Houses
Davion and Liao. The AFFS normally integrates them into their mechanized
infantry battalions as organic fire support, while the Capellans use them as a
mobile screening force to support and shield more powerful, less expendable
combat vehicles.

Variants:
The popularity and commonality of the Ardvark, combined with its ease of
modification, has lead to a large number of sub-types. One of the most
popular replaces the Medium Laser with an SRM6 and an additional machine
gun. Another removes both the Medium Laser and the turret mounted machine
gun to give it two LRM5s and a single ton of ammo.

Notable 'Mechs & MechWarriors:
   Trogdor the Burninator

   “Trogdor the Burninator” is the name of an Aardvark attached to the New
Avalon 10th Mechanized Infantry Battalion. Modified to mount an additional
machine gun and four vehicle flamers, with tanking for two tons of fuel in
place of the Medium Laser, the tank is the unit mascot and the batallion banner
of a cartoon dragon with a single large beefy arm is proudly painted on its
flanks.


================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      10 points                2.00
Engine:             I.C.E. Engine                100                       6.00
    Cruise MP:  5
    Flank MP:   8
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             3                         3.00
Control Equipment:                                                         1.00
Lift Equipment:                                                            0.00
Power Amplifiers:                                                          0.50
Turret:                                                                    0.50
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -  72                  4.50

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     20       
                                          Left/Right   13/13       
                                              Turret     16       
                                                Rear     10       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Laser                                 T         3         1         1.00
Machine Gun                                  T         0         1         0.50
Machine Gun                                  BD        0         1         0.50
@MG (1/2) (100)                              BD        -         0         0.50

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      2    Points: 3
5          1       1       0       0      1     0   Structure:  1
Special Abilities: EE

[Psyckosama]

So what do you guys think?

[Jimmy B]

The background and history always give new designs a little life.

But I do have one question,  The variant that drops the Medium Laser
and replaces it with an SRM6 and another Machine Gun.
Where does it get the extra tonnage from this?  What else does
it have to lose for this modification.

[Psyckosama]

The background and history always give new designs a little life.

Anything you'd change about the background, and I'm considering the quirks.

But I do have one question,  The variant that drops the Medium Laser
and replaces it with an SRM6 and another Machine Gun.
Where does it get the extra tonnage from this?  What else does
it have to lose for this modification.

It looses nothing. There's 1 ton for the laser, 3 for the heat sinks, and .5 tons for the power converter. An SRM6 is 3 tons, 1 ton for ammo, and one half ton left over for the machine gun.

[Jimmy B]

Ahhh, Ok.

I did not even think about the Heat sinks and power converter.
Hidden tonnage, hehe.

Only 1 ton of ammo though, hmmmm
Well I guess that works, a light tank is not going
to see 15 rounds of combat anyway, unless they are lucky.

[Psyckosama]

Potential Jihad Era refit.

Aardvark Advanced Light Tank

Mass: 20 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: Tracked
Rules Level: Advanced Rules
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E
Production Year: 3070
Cost: 630,200 C-Bills
Battle Value: 542

Power Plant:  140 Fusion Engine
Cruise Speed: 75.6 km/h
Flanking Speed: 118.8 km/h
Armor:  Heavy Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
    1  Light PPC
    1  Medium Laser
    1  Small Pulse Laser
Manufacturer:
    Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      10 points                2.00
Engine:             Fusion Engine                140                       7.50
    Cruise MP:  7
    Flank MP:   11
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             10                        0.00
Control Equipment:                                                         1.00
Lift Equipment:                                                            0.00
Turret:                                                                    0.50
Armor:              Heavy Ferro-Fibrous          AV -  79                  4.00

                                                      Armor     
                                                      Factor     
                                               Front     21       
                                          Left/Right   16/16       
                                              Turret     10       
                                                Rear     16       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light PPC                                    T         5         1         3.00
Medium Laser                                 T         3         1         1.00
Small Pulse Laser                            T         2         1         1.00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      3    Points: 5
7          2       1       1       0      1     0   Structure:  1
Special Abilities: ENE