Patriot

Description
The Patriot is a BattleMech produced by Ronin Incorporated on Wallis. Its genesis lies in the development of the Pikeman, a 'Mech that was in R&D when Kirc Cameron-Jones declared himself Captain-General of the Free Worlds League in 3069. With an eye to developing his military, he ordered Ronin to develop a 'Mech that could command a regiment and use artillery so that the commander would not be tempted to close with the enemy. Ronin was quickly able to convert their Pikeman to the necessary specifications, leading to production in late 3070. The variants of the 2C have seen greater production numbers and more widespread use, as their more general battlefield roles have surpassed the niche of the standard version.

Since it is a commander's 'Mech, the Patriot has a strong twelve tons of armor. Added to this is the defensive capability of a LFN Lindblad Shotgun Anti-Missile System, with CASE protecting the ammunition. A Guardian ECM Suite provides protection from enemy electronics.

Weapons and Equipment
The Patriot is built around a Holly Arrow IV Artillery System. Four tons of ammunition gives it some flexibility between standard artillery rounds and homing missiles. Target Acquisition Gear allows it to call in friendly support should an enemy get within range. The only conventional weapon on the design is a Magna Starflare Heavy PPC.

Variants

 * PKM-2D : More closely resembling the Pikeman than the 2C, this variant uses an LB-X Autocannon/20 instead of the massive artillery launcher. A pair of ER Medium Lasers round out the weaponry. BV (2.0) = 1,739, 1,699


 * PKM-2E : A model that was still new in 3075, the 2E has three, Artemis-enhanced MML-7s. BV (2.0) = 1,534, 1,443