Dig Lord

Description and History
The Dig Lord is a heavy-class mining IndustrialMech which was created by Achernar BattleMechs in 3057. The design was based on an older early Star League Era design known as the Dig King. The design was produced uninterrupted until the FedCom Civil War, when Archon-Princess Katrina Steiner-Davion required the company to produce more military models. Achernar stopped production for a period of two years, but never re-tooled the line, allowing the design to continue production until the Jihad, in 3077 when coalition forces damaged the main Achernar factory. However, a second production line on Canopus IV in Magistracy of Canopus remained operational.

Weapons and Equipment
The Dig Lord is equipped with a Rock Cutter in its right arm actuator, a Mining Drill in its left arm. The 'Mech has four Fluid Guns with ten tons of liquid storage for them. The design is also equipped with an extended fuel tank for prolonged use in the field. The 'Mech is protected by 8 tons of Heavy Industrial armor to protect it from the hazards of mining and other concerns. Powering the 'Mech is an 195-Rated Fuel Cell engine, giving it power to move at a stately pace, while the engine is fed by an Extended Fuel Tank in the center torso.

Cargo
None

Variants

 * RCL-Z1 Dig Lord Armed Mining 'Mech : Developed in the Calderon Protectorate to augment their thin defense forces, the Dig Lord Armed Mining 'Mech is protected by eight tons of Heavy Industrial Armor. It also removes the traditional equipment used in the Dig Lord and replaces it with a single MML-5 with two tons of ammunition, a Heavy Rifle mounted in a BattleMech Turret on the left torso, and a Medium VibroBlade in the right arm. The vibroblade is made more deadly with the addition of an Actuator Enhancement System. This 'Mech isn't intended to face dedicated BattleMech forces, but instead support vehicles and infantry against lighter units. BV (2.0) = 698


 * Deep Lord MilitiaMech : Produced by Bristol SalvageWorks in the Magistracy of Canopus, the Deep Lord is a Dig Lord that has been refitted with weapons and armor to supplement regular military forces. The treads, rock cutter, mining drill, and fluid guns have been removed and replaced with a Mace and an SRM-6 launcher in the torso. Additional firepower comes from the Heavy Rifle carried in a BattleMech Turret on the left torso. Though protected by eight tons of Heavy Industrial Armor, the Deep Lord will not last long on the modern battlefield as it's slow, poorly armed, and lacks an ejection seat. However it is likely to drive off bandits and pirates while simultaneously being one of the cheapest units on the battlefield. For that reason it has been sold to many small mercenary commands, city-states, and corporations working in the Periphery. BV(2.0) = 715, 713


 * Dig Lord RCL-4L MiningMech MOD : Developed in the Dark Age, this armed variant of the Dig Lord was used extensively on Vega during the Republic of the Sphere era by warlords and criminal elements. Basically it removed the Fluid Guns and their storage bays from the torso and replaced them with a single Autocannon/10 and SRM 4 missile pack. Each weapon was provided with two tons of ammunition. Though they looked like a BattleMech, these modified Dig Lords often fell quickly to their purpose-built cousins. BV(2.0) = 706

Related Designs

 * Dig King - Light-Class MiningMech that the Dig Lord is based on.


 * MiningMech Mk II

Design Quirks
The RCL-4 Dig Lord has the following design quirk:
 * Improved Life Support
 * Narrow/Low Profile

The RCL-Z1 Dig Lord variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Jettison-Capable Weapon (Medium Vibroblade)
 * Prototype
 * Protected Actuators