Watchman

Standing at ten meters tall, the Watchman is a 'Mech that was born of necessity. The idea for the design came when the bulk of the AFFS was moved to the Clan front. Because this seriously undermined the ability of the Federated Suns to keep its borders secure, the Watchman was designed to be distributed to militia units within the border marches to bulk up their strength. In its own right the Watchman is a durable and reliable 'Mech that is built with off the shelf components and is very easy to repair. The 'Mech is armored with eight and a half tons of standard armor, has a top speed of 86.4 km/h, and can jump up to one hundred and fifty meters. This, combined with the Watchman's varied arsenal, makes it an excellent trooper or trainer.

Weapons and Equipment
The primary weapon on the Watchman is a ChisComp 43 Special Large Laser which gives the Watchman good medium to long range striking power. To defend itself at close ranges, the 'Mech carries two ChisComp 39 Medium Lasers. Finally, to deter infantry attacks, the 'Mech has two Sperry Browning Machine Guns.

Variants

 * WTC-4DM : An upgrade of the Watchman made after the incursion into the Draconis Combine by James Sandoval, the Duke of Robinson, the 4DM upgrades the Watchman to make it more potent on the modern battlefield. The 'Mech has had the Large Laser and Machine Guns replaced with a PPC, giving the 'Mech a great deal of long range firepower. The 'Mech has also upgraded its heat sinks to double heat sinks and the armor has been upgraded to Ferro-Fibrous armor, providing the 'Mech with better armor protection. BV (2.0) = 1,225


 * WTC-4DM2 : This field-expedient refit was introduced to fight off the Draconis Combine during their early 32nd century invasion of the Draconis March. All the weapons have been removed and replaced with a Large Re-engineered Laser, ER Flamers, and two Magshots. The laser and flamers are on one arm, while the Magshots are on the opposite arm.

Custom Variants

 * WTC-4MB Watchman Belle : Debuted in 3144 on the Hartford Gardens Arena and piloted by Penny O'Hara, Watchman Belle is an experiment in bringing master-and-drone technology into the realm of BattleMech dueling. This 'Mech features a type of modified command console that allows a copilot to control a heavyweight drone — a Vulpes refit nicknamed the Beast. 'Mech armament is completely changed, with a quartet of ER Medium Lasers that support a single Large Re-engineered Laser. This combination of firepower taxes the ’Mech’s twelve Double Heat Sinks. Seven tons of Ferro-Fibrous Armor protect the 'Mech. The 'Mech adds a Clan Watchdog System electronics package. This effective blend of active probe and ECM hardware not only allows Belle to disrupt her adversaries’ sensors, but also serves as a powerful counter-countermeasures suite, that can punch through hostile interference that might otherwise render her Beast a very expensive and impotent statue. BV2 = 1,204.

Design Quirks
The Watchman has the following Design Quirks:
 * Easy to Maintain
 * Easy to Pilot
 * Rugged (1)

Related BattleMechs

 * Enforcer - In order to cut production time and costs, Prince Hanse Davion requested the new Watchman BattleMech be based on the classic Enforcer design. The Watchman is built on the same chassis, and uses the same engine and similar armor to the venerable Davion design.  Also to save time and reduce costs, the Watchman is armed with easily accessible spare weapons systems.


 * Sentry - A slightly higher-tech version of the Watchman, the Sentry mounts the same engine, armor, jump jets, a modified chassis, and is armed mainly with surplus weapons systems for ease of maintenance and production.