Cardinal

Description
The Cardinal was one of the most successful vehicles Clan Sea Fox manufactured in the thirty-second century. Produced from the Sea Fox plants on Twycross and Itabiana and introduced to service in 3112, the Cardinal was designed to be a low-maintenance assault transport for infantry, and while the Cardinal's dual-rotor arrangement was originally subject to some faults, the Sea Foxes had decades in which to redesign and re-engineer as needed, resulting in the Cardinal having one of the lowest maintenance costs for its engine and rotor systems.

Made from high quality components and Clan-manufactured weaponry, the Cardinal was intended to carry either two Points of Elementals or three squads of Inner Sphere battle armor in the ten-ton Infantry Compartment, but the Cardinal was so successful that most ended up being produced for Clan Jade Falcon and the Sea Foxes. Despite the prodigious size of the Cardinal - at least in VTOL terms - the lightweight fusion engine provided enough power for the dual rotors to propel the Cardinal at speeds approaching 130 kph. Five tons of ferro-fibrous armor protected the Cardinal as it ventured into heavy combat zones, and the array of weaponry mounted onto the front of the Cardinal meant that it often provided fire support to the troops it had transported.

Weapons and Equipment
All three of the weapon systems built into the Cardinal were installed in the front of the vehicle. The heaviest was the Type OVR-X LB 2-X Autocannon, backed up by a Type V "Longbow" LRM 5 Launcher and a pair of Tau II Anti-Personnel Gauss Rifles.

Variants

 * RAF : The majority of the customers who purchased Cardinals followed the Sea Fox guidance and avoided modifying the vehicles. The exception was the Republic of the Sphere; the RAF removed the Sea Fox weapon systems and replaced them with an MML 5 and three Clantech Small Pulse Lasers, again all mounted in the front of the Cardinal. The weight saving allowed the Republic Armed Forces to expand the Infantry Compartment up to 12 tons, giving RAF commanders more flexibility. BV (2.0) = 582

Design Quirks
The Cardinal was subject to the following Design Quirk:
 * VTOL Rotor Arrangement (Dual)