Guillotine

Description
The Guillotine was originally designed in Introduction Year::2499 as a front-line BattleMech for the Terran Hegemony and was the Star League Defense Force's standard heavy 'Mech for generations. While its weaponry was ample for its era, as time went by the march of technology allowed for the development of larger 'Mechs which were significantly better armed. However few of these new 'Mechs could match the Guillotine in maneuverability or staying power, and so the 'Mech simply transitioned from the front-line shock role to that of a heavy raider - a task it excels at thanks to its quick speed and use of jump jets. Its mobility also makes the 'Mech adept at fighting in difficult terrain such as jungle or mountainous regions. The only serious issue with the 'Mech ironically are its weapons, which have been plagued with various problems over the centuries.

Newhart Industries built the Guillotine from their factory on New Earth, but this was destroyed during the Amaris Civil War in 2776 as part of a celebration put on by the 12th Republican Guard. At the same time Irian BattleMechs Unlimited was building Guillotines under contract from Newheart out of Irian and continued to do so for another half-century; Lycomb-Davion IntroTech had also been producing the Guillotine from their main manufacturing facility on Demeter, but this facility was destroyed by Capellan Confederation forces early in the First Succession War. The collapse of the Star League and exodus of the SLDF scattered Guillotines across all of the Great Houses, while ComStar succeeded in raiding New Earth in 2788 and acquiring a battalion's worth from former Newhart stockpiles. In the wake of the First Succession War a shortage of the advanced components necessary for the 'Mech forced IBMU to design a downgraded variant, the GLT-4L, which they continued to produce off and on for the next few centuries.

The recovery of the Helm Memory Core inspired a number of old designs, the Guillotine included, to be upgraded with lostech. Using the refurbished Newhart factory Irian's new GLT-5M model not only restored the Guillotine to its former glory but improved upon it with better (and importantly more reliable) weaponry. Irian continued producing new Guillotines, which would go on to take part in the FedCom Civil War and the Jihad.

Weapons and Equipment
The Guillotine carries a Sunglow Type 2 Large Laser in its left arm as the primary weapon. While the Sunglow laser is an excellent weapon, there are issues with the fiber optic power cabling, which runs from the power converter hidden deep within the 'Mech out to the emitter. Running near the surface of the underarm, it is all too easy for the cable to bind when the weapon is raised over the 'Mech's head. Experienced pilots know to lower the arm in this case, but for a MechWarrior unused to the Guillotine they may try to force the line and snap it, preventing use of the 'Mech's most powerful weapon. Replacing the power cabling is an extremely expensive and time consuming process requiring considerable effort.

Back-up for the large laser are four ExoStar II Medium Lasers, two in the right arm and two split between the side torsos. Like the larger lasers the ExoStar IIs consist of a power supply well-hidden within the Guillotine connected to a firing mechanism by fiber optic cables, although the eight cables which power the medium lasers don't suffer from the Sunglow's snagging issue. The final weapon on the design is a single Coventry-6 SRM-6 with one ton of reloads in the right torso. Despite centuries of correcting other faults in the system, a stubborn and persistent problem with the SRM launcher is its occasional failure to arm missiles five and six. Not even a complete redesign of the system managed to solve this bug. The problem was eventually discovered to involve the CASE protecting the missile reloads, and only its removal caused the problem to desist.

The nimbleness of the Guillotine is what's responsible for its longevity, a factor which can catch new pilots off-guard. Four Anderson 398 jump jets, one in either leg and either side torso, gives the 'Mech a jumping distance of 120 meters. The bone-crushing force of its landings is offset by the specially-designed command chair, while twenty-five heat sinks allow the 'Mech to fire all of its weapons after jumping in behind an enemy. The twelve tons of armor and CASE for the SRM missiles provide good protection.

Variants

 * GLT-4L : The 4L Guillotine is a downgraded version of the original 3N model introduced in 2825. Although 3N used a significant number of off-the-shelf components, the two exceptions were its Endo Steel internal structure and CASE to protect its ammunition bay. The 4L was a simple redesign that consisted of utilizing a standard internal structure, removing its CASE system and three single heat sinks to free up the necessary tonnage. The replacement chassis was a Crucis Type V. BV (1.0) = 1,222, BV (2.0) = 1,400


 * GLT-4P : This variant of the 4L model was introduced in 2833. While few pilots were willing to tamper with the original design, this refit replaces the Large Laser with a PPC at the expense of two tons of armor.  Results with this variant have been mixed. BV (1.0) = 1,190, BV (2.0) = 1.376


 * GLT-5M : The 5M model is a redesign performed after the technological renaissance that started in the late 3040s. Introduced in 3049 the 5M is a 'Mech that is nearly identical to the original 3N. With the sole exception of the primary weapon being upgraded to a Sunbeam ER Large Laser model for extended reach, the 5M has an almost identical weaponry configuration, speed profile, and armor coverage as the 3N. BV (1.0) = 1,295, BV (2.0) = 1,472


 * GLT-8D : The 8D variant introduced in 3062 picks up where the 5M left off. All of the lasers have been upgraded to ER versions and the SRM-6 has been replaced with a Streak SRM-6 while an additional ER Large Laser has been added to the design. The heat sinks have also been upgraded to double heat sinks. Finally, to make the design even deadlier than it was before, a Targeting Computer has been added, allowing the Guillotine to dispatch its foes with deadly accuracy. BV (1.0) = 1,627, BV (2.0) = 1,891


 * GLT-6WB : Produced by Irian Technologies in 3068, the 6WB is an upgrade similar in some ways to the 8D. A Small Cockpit and Ferro-Fibrous armor make room for an Improved C3 CPU, allowing the 'Mech to share targeting data with other units. The large laser has been replaced with a Heavy PPC, while the missile launcher has been swapped out for an LRM-15, though it only has one ton of ammunition. Eleven double heat sinks are barely adequate to keep waste heat from crippling the 'Mech thanks to its four ER Medium Lasers. A Compact Gyro seems an odd addition in a 'Mech that has extra space. BV (2.0) = 1,672


 * GLT-6WB2 : Built in 3070 on an Endo Steel frame and utilizing a Compact Gyro, the 6WB2 only mounts two ER Medium Lasers. The removal of half a ton of armor allows the inclusion of a Light Gauss Rifle and paired Light PPCs. An Artemis IV-guided LRM-5 launcher provides long range firepower. Six improved jump jets enable the 6WB2 to leap up to 180 meters. This variant retains the C3i module. BV (2.0) = 1,635


 * GLT-6WB3 : Following the Blakist defeat, many of their weapons were changed for the victorious powers. This version of the GLT-6WD Guillotine introduced in 3080 exchanges the Improved C3 CPU for a Guardian ECM and standard a C3 slave CPU.  BV (2.0) = 1,741

Related BattleMechs

 * Guillotine IIC - The Guillotine was one of the 'Mechs carried on the Exodus with General Kerensky and the SLDF. The Clans have created their own variant of the Guillotine called the Guillotine IIC, which is an upgraded version manufactured solely with Clan technology. BV (1.0) = 2,187, BV (2.0) = 2,377