Piranha

The Piranha was developed by Clan Diamond Shark shortly before the Battle of Tukayyid to combat Inner Sphere conventional infantry and light vehicles. The sheer speed that the BattleMech is capable of has also made it something of a scout, though it lacks sophisticated electronic equipment. The Piranha is protected mostly by its speed, though it does mount four tons of armor. Relatively rare in the Inner Sphere following Tukayyid, by the late 3060s the Diamond Sharks maintained production of the Piranha primarily as a filler to pad out other sales to the various Clans. The design had also begun to appear in sizable numbers in the Flurry Clusters of Clan Ice Hellion who successfully bid for and won the rights to produce the design in 3066 in a Trial fought on Hector. Ideally suited to their "pack" tactics, the Hellions created new variants on the Piranha, though they maintain the original design philosophy.

Weapons and Equipment
The Piranha's main threat is its twelve Series XII Rotary Machine Guns. These are a serious threat to any foe on such a speedy 'Mech, especially if a Star of Piranhas operate in a pack, and such a large array allows the 'Mech to chew through an opponent's rear armor almost instantly. They are most deadly, however, to unarmored infantry, capable of wiping out an entire company in seconds. For work against hardened targets, the Piranha mounts a pair of Mk. 3 ER Medium Lasers and a single Series 1 ER Small Laser. Since the design only uses ten single heat sinks, the MechWarrior must still manage heat levels. The ammunition dependency of the Machine Guns ensure that Piranhas must stay close to supply lines, so most have been relegated to solahma or garrison roles.

Variants

 * Piranha 2 : This variant of the Piranha is fielded by Clan Ice Hellion and upgrades to double heat sinks so that the Machine Guns can be effectively swapped out for ER Micro Lasers. The other lasers were upgraded to heavy models. BV (1.0) = 660, BV (2.0) = 853


 * Piranha 3 : This version is more properly adapted to a scouting role by the addition of a Light Active Probe. It also uses upgraded heat sinks to allow for an all-energy configuration. Eight ER Micro Lasers and two Micro Pulse Lasers replace the machine guns. A Targeting Computer improves the accuracy of all the weapons. BV (1.0) = 992, BV (2.0) = 1,142


 * Piranha 4 : This version uses two Machine Gun Arrays to make it more effective in combat. One array mounts Light Machine Guns, while the other mounts standard Machine Guns. The ER Medium Lasers are tied into a Targeting Computer as well. BV (2.0) = 1063

Apocryphal Variants
From MechWarrior Online:
 * PIR-A : The first Piranha Games developed variant, the Piranha A is a support unit mounting two Anti-Missile Systems beside two machine guns in each side torso, supported by an ER Micro Laser in each arm and a center torso mounted ER Small Laser. Carrying a ton each of machine gun and AMS ammo, the Piranha A retains the standard Piranha Endo Steel frame and XL engine but is fitted with ten double heat sinks and clad in three and half tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor.


 * PIR-B : The second MWO developed variant, the Piranha B carries a pair of ER Small Lasers in each arm supported by a pair of Heavy Machine Guns in each side torso and twin ER Medium Lasers in the center torso. Built on the same body as the Piranha A, the B variant carries a single ton of heavy machine gun reloads.


 * PIR-CT Cipher : The Piranha Hero 'Mech, the Cipher carries three Machine Guns and three ER Micro Lasers in each side torso supported by a single Heavy Medium Laser in each arm and a center torso ER Small Laser. Carrying two tons of machine gun ammunition and ten double heat sinks, the Cipher is built on an 180 XL engine, an Endo Steel frame and is covered by just three tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor.