Saracen

Description
Being the first of three well-known hovertanks built by Scarborough Limited, the Saracen was developed towards the end of the Third Succession War. It used an I.C.E. instead of the fusion reactor older vehicles mounted because Scarborough hoped that the lower cost and maintenance requirements would boost sales in the LosTech-aftermath of the Succession Wars. They were correct and shortly after created two other vehicles based on the Saracen, the Scimitar and the Saladin. Although it is used throughout the Inner Sphere, House Marik fields the greatest number of this potent skirmisher.

The Saracen is a typical example for a well-designed hovercraft: it is fast, topping out at about 130kp/h, and decently armored. Its weapons are designed for maximum effect against other vehicles, using a mix of long and short-range missiles mounted in its turret. It has endeared itself to its crews due to its reliability and ruggedness and forms the backbone of many striker units. On the downside, it highly depends on ammunition and thus needs constant supply. Being designed as a raider/skirmisher not meant for long-term engagements, this drawback is not hampering its effectiveness very much, however.

Weapons and Equipment
The Saracen's main weapon is its turret-mounted Coventry StarLight LRM-10 supplied with 24 shots of ammunition. This weapon gives the tank a great reach and respectable firepower that even most 'Mechs cannot simply ignore. To counter its main weapon's minimum range, the turret also mounts three SRM-2-launchers, sharing a single ton of ammo. Together with the tank's speed, the fact that all weapons are turret-based gives the Saracen great flexibility and allows it to exploit weak spots in enemy formations. Mounting seven tons of standard armor, the vehicle is well-protected for a hovertank. The armor is evenly spread around the chassis with the vehicle's sides sporting only marginally less protection.

Variants

 * Saracen MRM : Replacing the LRM-10 with an MRM-20 is one of the few official variants of the Saracen. This version is mostly employed by the DCMS. It also removes the SRM-2 launchers and replaces them with a single Streak SRM-2 launcher. BV (2.0) = 676


 * Saracen Mk II : The Saracen was given an overhaul by Scarborough and entered service with the DCMS as the Saracen Mk II.

Because Scarborough Ltd. offers two other hovercraft with similar speed and armor profile, Saracens are rarely modified, as commanders simply employ a Saladin or Scimitar instead. Some crews are known to have made cosmetic changes, however, trying to convince enemies that they are up against more firepower.