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Design Overview
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                 BattleMech Technical Readout

Name/Model:         Leopard LPD-1A
Designer:           Rudel Gurken
Source(s):          Custom Mordel.Net Units
Technology:         Inner Sphere
Technology Rating:  D
Tonnage:            50
Configuration:      Biped BattleMech
Era/Year:           Succession Wars / 2789
Rules (Current):    Introductory
Rules (Era):        Introductory
Rules (Year):       Introductory
Total Cost:         3,619,000 C-Bills
Battle Value:       1,098

Chassis:              Alshain 56-Carrier 
Power Plant:          Magna 200 
Walking Speed:        43.2 kph  
Maximum Speed:        64.8 kph  
Jump Jets:            Pitban LFT-50 
    Jump Capacity:    120 meters
Armor:                StarGuard II
Armament:             
    1 Lord's Light PPC
    1 Imperator-A Autocannon/5
    1 Victory 23R Medium Laser
Manufacturer:         Alshain Weapons
    Primary Factory:  Alshain
Communications:       Neil 2000
Targeting & Tracking: Matabushi Sentinel

================================================================================================
Overview:
    In the year 2777, as General Kerensky began Operation Liberation, to free Terra and crush
    Amaris once and for all, the Federated Suns introduced the Enforcer medium Mech. While this
    Mech remained unnoticed for the most part by the Draconis Combine in the following turbulent
    years, it gave the Kuritan troops a bad surprise when they finally attacked in earnest in
    2786.
    Impressed by the performance of the new Davion machine the Coordinator immediately called
    for tender to create a suitable answer. After several prototypes were reviewed Alshain
    Weapons got the order to produce its LPD-1A Leopard medium Mech in 2789. One of the
    advantages of Alshains design was, that it shared several key components with the companies
    main product, the Panther, which was mass produced there since 2739.

Capabilities:
    Battlevids showed the Enforcers exceptional performance at short and medium ranges as well
    as its two major flaws: a weak rear armor and a very limited ammo supply for its
    auto-cannon.
    After reviewing the vids and a salvaged Enforcer Alshains designers started with the same
    tonnage and movement profile. Though carrying the same amount of armor it was distributed
    differently, with almost a ton of it covering the rear torso locations, for a level of
    protection deemed to be the necessary minimum.
    The weapon placement was similar too, but other weapons were chosen. The designers thought,
    that the Enforcer would best being attacked at range, before it can bring its full firepower
    and its jump jets into action. Therefore a PPC and an AC/5  were mounted into its handless
    arms. This combination had some less firepower, but the bigger punch of the PPC and the
    increased endurance of the AC together with the greater range seemed to be worth it. To
    strengthen the Leopards short range firepower a medium laser was chosen instead of the
    Enforcers small laser.
    finally 13 heat sinks enabled the Mech to use most of its firepower without having to worry
    about heat buildup.
    
    In its first combat engagements the Leopard seemed to live up to its promise, but as the war
    dragged on open field battles got scarce and most of the fighting took place in the
    shattered ruins of cities and industrial areas, the minimum range of the Leopards weapons
    proved to be a serious problem, worsened by the Davion pilots adapting to the new situation.
    
    As the 1st Succession War came to a halt, its Enforcer-killer image had been burned away by
    reality. Only because commanders realised the Leopards capabilities as a fire-support unit,
    the Mech remained in production, though with a lower priority than before. That let to long
    production stops, especially in the 3rd Succession War, whenever the top priority Panther
    production lines were threatened by damage or supply problems, because the Leopard line was
    shut down first.

Deployment:
    During the 1st Succession War Leopards were sent to units fighting at the Davion front.
    Later on, after its killer image was destroyed, turned up in units all over the DCMS. Some
    of them were salvaged by the Federated Suns and relegated to militias, which called them
    "Fake-Enforcers".

Variants:
    When the Leopard production was considered low priority nobody wanted to wast energy in any
    kind of variant, though a production run of LPD-1B left the line in a time of PPC-scarcity.
    It carried a second AC and 2 tons of additional ammo instead of the PPC and three heat
    sinks.
    That changed after new technologies got available due to the discovery of the Gray Death
    Memory Core. New equipment was incorporated into the design as soon as possible, eventually
    leading to the LPD-1C, -2A, -2D variants (see seperate entry LPD-2D) and some  field
    upgrades.

================================================================================================
Equipment                                                             Mass                      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure:                          Standard                  5.00                     
Engine:                                     200 Fusion                 8.50                     
    Walking MP:                                 4                                               
    Running MP:                                 6                                               
    Jumping MP:                                 4                                               
Heat Sinks (Single):                            13                     3.00                     
Gyro:                                        Standard                  2.00                     
Cockpit:                                     Standard                  3.00                     
Armor Factor:                                  152                     9.50                     
    Type:                                    Standard                                           

                                    Internal         Armor     
                                    Structure        Value     
    Head:                               3              9       
    Center Torso:                      16             20       
    Center Torso (rear):                               5       
    R/L Torso:                         12             19       
    R/L Torso (rear):                                  5       
    R/L Arm:                            8             16       
    R/L Leg:                           12             19       

================================================================================================
Weapons and Ammo                                       Location          Critical     Tonnage   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Laser                                              CT                1          1.00             
Jump Jet                                                  RT                1          0.50             
Autocannon/5 (Ammo 20)                                    LT                1          1.00             
Jump Jet                                                  LT                1          0.50             
PPC                                                       RA                3          7.00             
Autocannon/5                                              LA                4          8.00             
Jump Jet                                                  RL                1          0.50             
Jump Jet                                                  LL                1          0.50             

================================================================================================
Alpha Strike Statistics                                             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Point Value (PV): 26
TP: BM,  SZ: 2,  TMM: 1,  MV: 8"j
Damage: (S) 2 / (M) 2 / (L) 2,  OV: 0
Armor (A): 5,  Structure (S): 4
Specials:
 
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Code Release 2.24.13 (2024-05-02T16:46:03-04:00)