Anzu

Produced by Earthwerks-FWL, Incorporated for the AMSC, the Anzu was named for the mythological griffin that snatched the tablets of destiny from the gods, and was intended to be a symbol of the refusal of the various peoples of the Free Worlds League to allow others to dictate their future. The Anzu was the embodiment of AMSC combat doctrine when it was introduced.

The Anzu was well-regarded by both MechWarriors and technicians for its reliability; the AMSC found the Anzu to be a good fit for the aggressive combat tactics they had developed since the Jihad. Although the Anzu's maximum ground speed was 64 kph, the Chilton 465 Jump Jets allowed the Anzu to jump up to 120 meters. The Anzu mounted eleven tons of Starshield A Standard Armor with CASE II built in to protect the 'Mech and its pilot from ammunition explosions. The Anzu also used the same life support systems as the Shadow Hawk, already well-proven by the time the Anzu entered service, and the RCA Instatrac Mark X targeting and tracking system allowed the Anzu to simultaneously engage multiple targets while also spotting for indirect fire through the installed TAG system.

Weapons and Equipment
The Anzu was designed to be a powerful mid-range fighter, and to meet that battlefield mission; mounted in the left arm was a powerful Imperator Automatic Ultra Class 10 Autocannon, fed by three tons of ammunition stored in the left torso, along with two tons of ammunition for the Zeus LRM 10 Launcher mounted into that same torso. The designers mounted a Diverse Optics Sunfire Extended-Range Medium Laser and a Fusigon Shorttooth Light Particle Projection Cannon in the right arm. The designers boosted the performance of the Fusigon Shorttooth by mounting a PPC Capacitor in the right arm as well, allowing the pilot of an Anzu to boost the damage output of the Shorttooth for brief periods.

Variants

 * ZU-J70 : The ZU-J70 variant of the Anzu was developed by Earthwerks to act as a lancemate to the ZU-G60. Other than the ER Medium Laser, the original weapon loadout of the ZU-G60 was removed; a lighter Rotary AC/5 took the place of the Ultra AC/10, while the LRM-10 was replaced with an MML-7. Lastly, an ER Small Laser was mounted in the Anzu's head. Feeding the Rotary AC/5 was four tons of ammunition, stored in two CASE II-protected bins located in the left arm and left torso; two tons of ammunition for the MML-7 were also stored in the left torso. A Snub-Nose PPC replaced the Light PPC and capacitor. BV (2.0) = 1,680.

Design Quirks
The Anzu was subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Improved Life Support
 * Multi-Trac