Kabuto

The Kabuto is an impressive light 'Mech that combines speed, armor, and firepower to make an excellent recon and strike BattleMech. To accomplish this, the Kabuto uses an advanced Chariot Type Ia Endo Steel chassis and is powered by a Leenex 140 XL engine that gives the Kabuto an impressive ground speed of 118.8 km/h while also saving weight on the 'Mech for armor and weapons. While the Kabuto is already a hard target to hit because of its ground speed, the 'Mech has four and a half tons of Starshield A armor, giving the Kabuto the maximum amount of armor that a 'Mech of its size can carry.

Weapons and Equipment
The Kabuto has a very straight forward and basic arsenal. For effective and powerful close range firepower, the Kabuto has two Guided Technologies 2nd Gen Streak SRM-4 launchers. The simplicity of its arsenal is one of the keys to the design, allowing for easy resupply and repair as the 'Mech has only one weapons system.

Variants

 * KBO-7B : This Jihad era variant has all missile weaponry removed; the launchers were replaced by pair of Light PPCs, one in each side torso. An additional Heat Sink is added in the head to improve the 'Mech's heat curve. BV (2.0) = 635

Related BattleMechs

 * Hitman - The Kabuto's chassis was developed by modifying the successful Hitman chassis, the Chariot Type I, rather than start from scratch. The designers made this decision in an attempt to repeat the predecessor's success, which was critically important because of the paucity of light BattleMechs deployed by the DCMS.