BattleMech Technical Readout
Name/Model: Shrike SHR-5K
Designer: master arminas
Source(s): Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology: Inner Sphere
Technology Rating: D
Tonnage: 45
Configuration: Biped BattleMech
Era/Year: Succession Wars / 3025
Rules (Current): Introductory
Rules (Era): Introductory
Rules (Year): Introductory
Total Cost: 3,833,220 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,155
Chassis: Standard
Power Plant: 225 Fusion
Walking Speed: 54 kph
Maximum Speed: 86.4 kph
Jump Jets: Standard
Jump Capacity: 150 meters
Armor: Standard
Armament:
1 LRM 15
2 Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Unknown
Primary Factory: Unknown
Communications: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking: Unknown
================================================================================================
Overview:
VANESSA MORGAN: On other topics, your Grace, a recent survey of INNs viewership here in
the Confederation gave us a number of interesting questions that your people have about you.
One of the ones I found most peculiar is that the people here want to know what is your
favorite bird. Do you have one?
CANDACE LIAO: [Laughter] I spend more time governing St. Ives in my role as a Duchess in
service to my father the Celestial Light of Sian than in idle birdwatching, Vanessa.
VM: So, there is not a single avian out there that you favour?
CL: Now, I did not say that. [Laughter] There is one bird--a songbird--which I greatly
admire, Vanessa.
VM: A songbird, your Grace? Not a raptor or hunting bird?
CL: Yes, a songbird, but a most peculiar one, to use your own turn of the phrase.
VM: Please continue; I am fascinated.
CL: It is a relatively small bird, and as I said, a songbird and not a powerful raptor.
Yet, this bird is fearless and aggressive against creatures far larger than itself. It
sings and it is a thing of beauty, but it uses sharp talons and a hooked beak to prey upon
insects, reptiles, and small mammals--even upon other species of small birds. And it is
cunning, this bird will often take advantage of the terrain in which it lairs by using thorn
bushes to trap its prey--and those who intrude into its domain. As the prey avoids its
talons and beak, the shrike will use its own body mass and flying velocity to impale its
opponent upon long thorns, and then leave them there to die in agony before returning to
feed.
VM: The shrike? Isn't that a little, ah, plain and ruthless for such a lovely woman as
yourself, your Grace.
CL: [Laughter] I find that the shrike is the most Liao of all birds, Vanessa. And not
all species of shrike are adorned with unflattering brown and grey plumage; there are many
which are bedecked in feathers of glistening sable, glowing crimson, deep sapphire blue, and
brilliant emerald greens. As for ruthlessness; answer me this, Vanessa, is it a vice to be
ruthless in the defense of your nest, of your home? The Liao believes it to be a virtue,
which you would do well to remember in these troubled times.
VM: Of course, your Grace. There was no disrepect intended.
--excepts from an interview between Candace Liao and INN reporter Vanessa Morgan, April
17, 3021, St. Ives.
From once dizzying heights of industrial might, HildCo Interplanetary has fallen quite far
since the beginnings of the Succession Wars. The Capellan based conglomerate famed for its
introduction of the Victor assault BattleMech nearly five centuries ago once had factories
and offices and showrooms on scores of worlds across the Inner Sphere. But today, it
retains only a sing
Capabilities:
The Shrike was designed and built to provide a fast-moving, mobile bombardment platform
ideally configured to support mid- and light-weight units of the Confederation Armed Forces.
At 45 tons, the Shrike is equal in mass to the famed Ceres Vindicator, but uses a larger
and more powerful VOX 225 fusion engine to acheive ground speeds of up to 86.4 kilometers
per hour. Like the Vindicator and the assault class Victor, the Shrike is equipped with
jump jets to give the 'Mech the maximum maneuverability possible: in this particular case,
the Shrike has been provided with five HildCo Model 10 jets with a maximum range of 150
meters.
Armor coverage on the 'Mech is quite good as well, with nine tons of Durallex Medium
providing equivalent protection to that mounted on the Vindicator, only a half-ton less than
that carried by the Terrible Trio of 55-tonners so commonly encountered in the Inner Sphere
militaries (the Griffin, the Shadow Hawk, and the Wolverine).
The Shrike's primary armament is a long-range missile launcher carried in the right arm.
Quite similar in appearance to the blunt-nosed cylindrical launcher mounted on the Lyran
Zeus assault 'Mech, this LRM-15 is in fact nothing more than a modified Delta Dart system.
With the Thunderbolt heavy 'Mech so prevalent in Capellan service, there was a surplus of
spare Delta Darts in St. Ives warehouses which Duchless Liao graciously contributed to the
project. The arm can also serve as a battle club, as the launch tubes are recessed and
hard to damage with physical attacks. As the Shrike was intended as a fire support and
bombardment 'Mech, the HildCo design team chose to install a massive three-ton missile
magazine in the arm as well, giving this mid-weight design an incredible twenty-four salvoes
of fifteen missiles each!
Only two secondary weapons are mounted on the Shrike: a pair of Sorenstein V medium lasers
identical to those mounted aboard the Victor. One laser is carried in the left arm while
the second was fitted to the head--very similar in appearance and function to the
Vindicator's cockpit-mounted laser. HildCo designers did take the time and spend the
additional funds, however, to ensure that the head laser did not interfere with an ejection
of the MechWarrior, and there have been no confirmed incidents of injuries resulting from
the laser being placed in this posistion.
Unlike the Vindicator, the Shrike incorporates just 11 heat sinks in its cooling system,
making it unable to move and fire all weapons without risking serious overheat
complications. However, HildCo execs and test pilots noted that only seldom will a Shrike
pilot find himself able to use both the lasers and the LRM launcher simultaneously: and
the eleven heat sinks are more than enough to jump-and-gun with either the lasers or the
missiles all day long. The pilot can even fire all three weapons and walk with just
minimal heat build-up, but HildCo advises MechWar
Deployment:
Captain Winston S. Jankowski of the Red Lancers Regiment (Capellan Hussars) was one of the
first CAF MechWarriors to be assigned a newly manufactured Shrike. All three of the
Shrikes presented to the Red Lancers are concentrated in Jankowski's company, which also
contains six Vindicators and three Mosquitos. Jankowski decided to assign himself to the
Shrike in order to have a faster 'Mech that could move across the battlefield at a rapid
pace. So far, the veteran MechWarrior has been rather impressed with the new HildCo
product and he so informed Chancellor Liao during Maximillians inspection of the Red Lancers
in the fall of 3024.
Rabidly loyal to the Confederation as a whole and to the person of Chancellor Liao
specifically, Jankowski allows only the most fanatical soldiers of the CAF to join his
company. Any disrespect shown to the Chancellor, his family, or the Capellan
government--however fleeting or humorous the statement may be--he punishes in the most
severe manner possible: one hundred lashes across the back. The offender need not be a
member of Jankowski's company to suffer such a fate; in 3023, he ordered his company to take
a civilian merchant into custody and flogged the man to death for telling a joke that
reflected poorly on Chancellor Liao. A CAF board of inquiry later commended Captain
Jankowski for his devotion to the state and fined the deceased merchant's family all court
costs.
Variants:
Having been only recently introduced, HildCo has offered no variants of the basic Shrike
chassis, nor does the company have any plans to do so in the near future.
Notable MechWarriors:
So far, only seventy-two Shrikes have been produced by HildCo, a dozen of which now serve
with the three regiments of the Capellan Hussars and the Death Commandoes. Of the
remaining sixty Shrikes, forty-eight have gone to the St. Ives Armored Cavalry and the
remaining twelve are scattered throughout the remainder of the CAF.
Shrikes are often partnered with Vindicators and Victors, providing long-range covering fire
for those 'Mechs. Alternatively, a Shrike is assigned to a light lance as fire support for
a scout group or recon team. Due to the scarcity of the design, few lances have more than
one Shrike assigned--and none have more than two, although it is expected that over the
coming years more and more Shrikes will be joining various regiments of the CAF. For the
foreseeable future, however, the lion's share of Shrikes remains concentrated in the St.
Ives Armored Cavalry.
================================================================================================
Equipment Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 4.50
Engine: 225 Fusion 10.00
Walking MP: 5
Running MP: 8
Jumping MP: 5
Heat Sinks (Single): 11 1.00
Gyro: Standard 3.00
Cockpit: Standard 3.00
Armor Factor: 144 9.00
Type: Standard
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head: 3 9
Center Torso: 14 20
Center Torso (rear): 5
R/L Torso: 11 17
R/L Torso (rear): 4
R/L Arm: 7 14
R/L Leg: 11 20
================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo Location Critical Tonnage
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Laser H 1 1.00
Jump Jet CT 1 0.50
2 Jump Jets RT 2 1.00
2 Jump Jets LT 2 1.00
LRM 15 RA 3 7.00
LRM 15 (Ammo 24) RA 3 3.00
Medium Laser LA 1 1.00
================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 30
TP: BM, SZ: 2, TMM: 2, MV: 10"j
Damage: (S) 2 / (M) 2 / (L) 1, OV: 0
Armor (A): 5, Structure (S): 4
Specials: IF1
Distribution
Name/Model: Shrike SHR-5K
Technology: Inner Sphere
Tonnage: 45
Configuration: Biped BattleMech
==================================================================================
Left ArmHeadRight Arm
1. Shoulder 1. Life Support 1. Shoulder
2. Upper Arm Actuator 2. Sensors 2. Upper Arm Actuator
3. Lower Arm Actuator 3. Cockpit 3. Lower Arm Actuator
4. Hand Actuator 4. Medium Laser 4.LRM 15
5. Medium Laser 5. Sensors 5.LRM 15
6. Roll Again 6. Life Support 6.LRM 15
1. Roll Again 1. LRM 15 (Ammo 8)
2. Roll Again 2. LRM 15 (Ammo 8)
3. Roll Again 3. LRM 15 (Ammo 8)
4. Roll Again 4. Roll Again
5. Roll Again 5. Roll Again
6. Roll Again 6. Roll Again
Left TorsoCenter TorsoRight Torso
1. Jump Jet 1. Fusion Engine 1. Jump Jet
2. Jump Jet 2. Fusion Engine 2. Jump Jet
3. Roll Again 3. Fusion Engine 3. Roll Again
4. Roll Again 4. Gyro 4. Roll Again
5. Roll Again 5. Gyro 5. Roll Again
6. Roll Again 6. Gyro 6. Roll Again
1. Roll Again 1. Gyro 1. Roll Again
2. Roll Again 2. Fusion Engine 2. Roll Again
3. Roll Again 3. Fusion Engine 3. Roll Again
4. Roll Again 4. Fusion Engine 4. Roll Again
5. Roll Again 5. Jump Jet 5. Roll Again
6. Roll Again 6. Roll Again 6. Roll Again
Left LegRight Leg
1. Hip 1. Hip
2. Upper Leg Actuator 2. Upper Leg Actuator
3. Lower Leg Actuator 3. Lower Leg Actuator
4. Foot Actuator 4. Foot Actuator
5. Heat Sink 5. Heat Sink
6. Roll Again 6. Roll Again
0 out of 0 users (0.00%) have found this review useful
Rating:
4.00
Comment:
I like this one. The mobility is still good and opens up enough space (compared to the faster 45-tonners) to mount serious armor and a heavy main weapon. The LRM-15 delivers solid firepower over a long range and don't underestimate it's indirect fire ability. 24 shots of ammo for it keeps the mech a long time on the battlefield compared to most other LRM carrying units. Two medium lasers are good standard backup weapons. I like the straightforward design.
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Member Review - Sleeping Dragon : 27-Sep-2011 19:58
0 out of 0 users (0.00%) have found this review useful
Rating:
3.50
Comment:
Hmm... nice one indeed. This 'Mech is fairly mobile, if not fast for it's size, well protected and packing quite a punch at range. Overall a solid support unit that deserves it's rating. It bears a lot of similarity to jumping Trebuchet though, having the advantage of being a bit lighter.
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"Underneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character." - Oscar Levant