Vulcan (BattleMech)

Description
The Vulcan was designed as an anti-infantry 'Mech in Introduction Year::2775 during the closing years of the Amaris Civil War. As the SLDF battled Republican troops in the streets and thoroughfares of the Terran Hegemony, many 'Mechs were destroyed by dug-in infantry during these urban battles. In response to this problem, MatherTechno Inc. designed the Vulcan to pack weaponry capable of taking out large numbers of enemy troops and capable of unparalleled mobility in an urban environment, though not intended to engage in all-out battles with larger 'Mechs. The Vulcan's distinct profile would eventually give rise to its nickname "Scarecrow."

Production of the Vulcan began as soon as MatherTechno's factory on Northwind was liberated by the SLDF, with Aleksandr Kerensky himself specifically ordering their production lines converted to produce the Vulcan. The design's baptism of fire came during Operation Liberation, the final battle of the civil war to liberate Terra from Stefan Amaris, where it served as part of the Volunteer Regiments and earned its reputation as a tough city fighter. Each of the Great Houses had a sizable number of Vulcans at the start of the First Succession War when, just a few months into the conflict, MatherTechno's factory on Northwind was destroyed. Only the Lyran Commonwealth and Free Worlds League managed to acquire the design specifications for the Vulcan and keep it in limited production throughout the rest of the Succession Wars, with the League awarding the schematics to Nimakachi Fusion Products Limited and the Commonwealth giving theirs to Coventry Metal Works. Of the other Great Houses the Capellan Confederation had the fewest number of Vulcans as a result of the loss of Sappho, where the majority of their Vulcans were stationed, to House Marik during the Second Succession War. The Federated Suns kept their Vulcans going thanks to several spare part supply dumps located in their territory, and used the 'Mech extensively during the reconquest of Kentares IV. The majority of the Draconis Combine's Vulcan inventory was used during a raid on Dobson in 3020 where they decimated several key Davion aerospace fighter bases.

Following the recovery of several lostech components Nimakachi was able to create a new variant, the VT-5M, and begin limited production in 3050, eventually increasing their lines to produce twenty a month. Coventry Metal Works produced their own upgraded variant around the same time, the VT-5S, which played a pivotal role during the FedCom Civil War as part of the Allied forces. The Word of Blake purchased a number of Vulcans in preparation for their seizure of Terra in 3058, codenamed Operation Odysseus. The Blakists would go on to seize more Vulcans after the start of the Jihad following their sacking of Nimakachi's Tematagi plant in 3069, with many transferred to the Protectorate Militia for policing duties.

Weapons and Equipment
The Vulcan's primary weapons are a Firestorm Flamer mounted in the right arm and a Sperry Browning Machine Gun in the left arm, fed by one ton of ammunition stored in the left torso. To give it some anti-'Mech firepower the Vulcan was given a reliable Armstrong Autocannon/2 with one ton of ammo, both mounted in the right torso, however it performed poorly in this regard and was most often employed as an anti-building weapon. A Randell medium laser in the left torso served as a backup weapon for the autocannon, while ten heat sinks are used to keep the 'Mech cool. Its one true deficiency was the lack of manipulative hands, limiting its ability to engage in close combat fighting with other 'Mechs.

The Vulcan is lightly armored at only five tons, though this is typically sufficient when facing infantry forces and its narrow profile makes it a harder target to hit. A cruising speed of 97.2 km/h is enhanced by six jump jets mounted in the rear of the Vulcan's torso, specially vented to reduce heat buildup, giving it a jumping range of 180 meters.

Variants

 * VL-5T : One of the most common of the Vulcan ' s early variants, the 5T was introduced by MatherTechno a year after the original model debuted. It removes the Autocannon/2 and replaces it with three Maxum medium lasers, two heat sinks, and using the remaining mass saved to add two additional tons of armor.  The majority of the Federated Suns' Vulcans were 5T models.   BV (1.0) = 744, BV (2.0) = 942


 * VT-5M : The 5M Vulcan is an upgrade of the 2T version used by House Marik that makes the 'Mech far more effective in close range combat. The 'Mech uses a Crucis-II Delux Endo Steel chassis and removes the autocannon for a Tronel PPL-20 Large Pulse Laser and also upgrades the medium laser to a Tronel XII Medium Pulse Laser, using an LFN Lindblad and Flame Tech brand machine gun and flamer respectively. Eleven double heat sinks were also incorporated. This version of the Vulcan began production in 3052 and ceased only with the destruction of Nimakachi's Tematagi plant in 3069. BV (1.0) = 761, BV (2.0) = 811


 * VT-5S : The 5S Vulcan is a 3050 upgrade of the 2T version used by House Steiner which replaces the standard fusion engine with an extralight engine and also upgrades the armor to Lexington Ltd. High Grade ferro-fibrous with CASE to protect itself from ammunition explosions. The inclusion of MASC enables the 5S to move up to 129 km/h in short bursts. Additionally, the Autocannon/2 has been replaced with an Imperator Ultra Autocannon/5. BV (1.0) = 681, BV (2.0) = 833


 * VT-5Sr : This Jihad-era field refit Vulcan carries two extra heat sinks and a plasma rifle while retaining the medium laser, machine gun and flamer. Outfitted with MASC, the 'Mech could escape with a short speed boost from a dangerous situation. BV (2.0) = 1,210


 * VT-6C : The 6C was produced by the Word of Blake starting in 3070 so that their Vulcans could be integrated in a C3 network. This upgraded version of the 5M swapped out the lasers for an ER Large Laser and ER medium laser, respectively. The weight saved was used to install a C3i Computer. The removal of a heat sink allowed for the replacement of the machine gun with three Light Machine Guns linked to a Machine Gun Array. BV (2.0) = 959


 * VT-6M : Another upgrade of the 5M, this variant was produced by Nimakachi before their plant was destroyed, though only around thirty of these 'Mechs were produced and most were captured by the Blakists. The addition of an 240 XL engine allowed engineers to swap out the lasers for an ER Medium and a Light Gauss Rifle with a generous two-ton ammunition bin. Its armor was upgraded to five tons of StarSlab 1/d Light Ferro-Fibrous to improve protection, especially around the arms. BV = 959

Custom Variants

 * VT-5ML Vulcan Aladdin : Debuted in 3143 on The Scrapyard Arena and piloted by Scout Weigner, the 'Mech is armed with only a pair of Thunderbolt-5 launchers and a retractable blade. It is the Angel ECM Suite and the Stealth Armor that give the 'Mech its ability to hide in built-up terrain, and thus surprise his enemies with quick strikes. This machine is rarely seen outside of tag team fights and exhibition games like the Fantasy Tournament. BV2=947


 * VT-2T Vulcan Timms : Piloted by Richard Timms of the 3rd Davion Guards during the failed attack on Vega during the War of 3039. The machine guns, ammo and medium laser were replaced with two additional Flamers and a Small laser. BV2= 603

Apocryphal Variants
From MechWarrior 5: Heroes of the Inner Sphere Expansion Pack:
 * VL-2P: This variant of the Vulcan mounts EW countermeasures and an active probe alongside the usual complement of flamers and machine guns.

From MechWarrior Online:
 * VL-BL Bloodlust: While all indications are that Sondra Stoverston piloted a standard VL-2T variant, MWO's Hero 'Mech version of her Bloodlust is armed with two Machine Guns in the Left Arm, while a Small Laser and another Machine Gun round out the Right Arm. The Head, Right and Left Torso each carry an SRM-4, while four tons of ammo help keep the SRMs sufficiently supplied. Powered by a 240 XL engine to mount such a heavy weapons loadout, otherwise the Bloodlust retains the same jump jets, armor volume and single heat sinks of the common VL-2T variant.

Design Quirks
The Vulcan has the following Design Quirk:
 * Narrow/Low Profile

Related BattleMechs

 * Stag - Clan Wolverine extensively redesigned the Vulcan, resulting in the Stag and Stag II.

Notable Pilots

 * See Category:Notable Vulcan Pilots