Gremlin-C Armored Car
Mass: 30 tons
Movement Type: Wheeled
Power Plant: DAV 160 ICE
Cruising Speed: 64.8 kph
Maximum Speed: 97.2 kph
Armor: Starshield
Armament:
1 AC/5
Manufacturer: Various
Primary Factory: Various
Communication System: Dalban Commline
Targeting & Tracking System: Dalban Midrez-C
Introduction Year: Circa 2800
Tech Rating/Availability: D/X-C-D-D
Cost: 338,675 C-bills
Built for scouting and garrison work on the frontiers and deployed by the tens of thousands, it should be no real surprise that the Gremlin armored car has managed to linger on through the Periphery Uprising, the Amaris Coup, the Succession Wars, and even more recent conflicts and continues to soldier on across the Inner Sphere and Periphery even to this day, even if it is nowhere near as plentiful as it once was.
Of course, the Gremlin would not be completely spared the ravages of the Succession Wars. As technical knowledge and industrial capability dwindled, many an original Gremlin would become the target of scavengers, particularly for its fusion engine, which, if not particularly useful intact, could at least be broken down for critical components. Efforts to keep a useful vehicle in the field (and in production) thus required some significant compromise, leading to the creation of the Gremlin-C variant.
The central change to the design is the incorporation of a low tech diesel engine to the original hull. This cost the Gremlin-C some ground speed, though it remains a surprisingly nimble vehicle compared to most opponents. A single medium autocannon remains the vehicle's sole armament (though the exact make of the gun can vary from operator to operator), fed by a single ton ammunition bay that lacks the raw endurance and flexibility of the original, but is still adequate for most battles the Gremlin can expect to find itself in. While armor protection has been increased over the original Star League models, the Gremlin can still hardly be considered well protected, and its best defense is very much its mobility over clear ground. Tactical doctrine developed for the vehicle during the Star League era insisted that the Gremlin was to use its superior speed to avoid battle with heavier opponents, advice that worked well in theory with the backing of the largest military that has ever existed, but during the fires of the Succession Wars or even the Amaris Coup, tended to fall flat, and thousands of Gremlins would find themselves thrown into the line of fire simply due to a lack of other options.
As the immediate desperation of the early Succession Wars passed, the Gremlin was gradually able to return to its roots as a scout and garrison vehicle, however the now standard Gremlin-C variant could never quite live up to the reputation of its distinguished ancestor, and stiff competition from other vehicles like the Scorpion and Vedette saw it gradually lose its niche in the Inner Sphere, with the last production lines closing by the 3040s. While small numbers can still be found in various planetary militias across the Inner Sphere, they are a dying breed.
It is in the Periphery where the Gremlin continues to hold on, and the vehicle is reasonably common thanks to intermittent production in the Taurian Concordat and Outworlds Alliance. Further out and on the other side of the Periphery, the Hanseatic League has been producing the Gremlin in large numbers since the 3050s, originally focusing on the C variant, but in more recent years also producing fusion powered models. While a portion of these vehicles are sold on the open market, the majority are being retained by the Hanseatic military as part of a general buildup. With the Goliath Scorpions well settled within striking distance of their territory, it's easy to assume the League is eager to gather as many weapons as they can.
Variants:
The original Star League version of the Gremlin used a DAV 190 fusion engine and carried double the ammunition capacity of the Gremlin-C. While this gave the fusion powered vehicle the option of operating for longer periods without resupply, the standard use in garrison postings was to carry a mixed ammunition load, with a ton of standard ammunition and a ton of either flak or tracer ammunition, depending on the expected threats in the deployment area. Though primarily intended as a Garrison unit, once major conflicts broke out both the Star League and the Great Houses would rely on the Gremlin as a scout vehicle, due to its relatively light logistical tail and its high speed, and it would be so successful in this role that the Great Houses would regularly produce additional fusion powered Gremlins, at least when the availability of compatible fusion engines allowed.
The earliest variant of the Gremlin, named the Gremlin-A, was a fairly experimental model which replaced the autocannon with a four tube mortar system. Though reasonably effective in field testing, the Gremlin-A ran affoul of the SLDF's decision not to adopt the mortar system into general service, and only a small number were ever built.
Concerns about the vehicle's lack of firepower (or armor) would lead to additional variants. The most common of these, the Gremlin-B was originally an SLDF design which removed a ton of autocannon ammunition to mount a medium laser in a ball mount on the forward hull, the theory being if the turret was disabled, the vehicle would possess a backup weapon. A more exotic variant called the "Pixie" replaced the autocannon with a lighter model, and used the saved weight to mount a medium laser and additional armor, though the drastic loss in long range firepower means this variant is widely regarded as a failure. The last of the major fusion powered variants came from the Lyran Commonwealth in the middle of the Succession Wars, which replaced the autocannon with a large laser and three flamers, all turret mounted. Commonly called the "Firebug" this version is a decent combatant and lethally effective against infantry, but has developed an unsettling reputation for the amount of collateral damage it tends to create.
Compared to the original, the Gremlin-C has spawned relatively few, but not no, variants. The Gremlin-D is equipped for short range work, mounting a pair of SRM-6 packs as well as an anti-personnel machine gun, and particularly in Hanseatic service is often paired with a group of Gremlin-Cs as a short ranged escort. The Gremlin-E, on the other hand, mounts a single fifteen tube LRM rack, with these vehicles filling a fast fire support role.
Type: Gremlin-C Armored Car
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Introductory)
Movement Type: Wheeled
Tonnage: 30
Battle Value: 310
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure 3
Engine 160 ICE 12
Cruising MP: 6
Flank MP: 9
Heat Sinks: 0 0
Control Equipment: 1.5
Power Amplifier: 0.0
Turret: 1.0
Armor Factor 56 3.5
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Front 3 11
R/L Side 3/3 11/11
Rear 3 8
Turret 3 15
Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage
AC/5 Turret 8.0
AC/5 Ammo (20) Body 1.0
Record sheets for all these little gremlins and... way more other units than I originally intended, can be found by following the link at the start of this thread:
https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=84454.0Author Note: The Gremlin, Gremlin-B, Pixie, and Firebug variants originally appeared in Stardate Magazine Volume 3 Issue 4, and the record sheets for these vehicles attempt to replicate the original stats as closely as possible (which, since three of them are only described briefly in the variants section, means there's still room for interpretation). In line with my traditional philosophy of not using other people's work unless I have something to add, the Gremlin A, C, D, and E are all my work. 
