Lynx

The Lynx was first produced in Introduction Year::2761 by Blue Shot Weapons of Solaris VII for use by the SLDF. One of the first BattleMechs to mount an ER PPC, the Lynx possesses a stunning combination of speed, mobility, armor, and firepower for any 'Mech of any weight class. However, Blue Shot Weapons, the designer of the Lynx, never was able to produce this striker BattleMech in significant numbers. With the decline of technology of the Succession Wars, Blue Shot's production dwindled still, until the factory producing the Lynx was destroyed in Production Ceased::2928 by Marik raiders. The few remaining Lynxes were ultimately cannibalized for whatever could be salvaged. The Lynx did not see production again until Reintroduction Year::3056.

Weapons and Equipment
The Lynx is powered by a Nissan 275 XL engine that allows the 'Mech to reach speeds of up to 86.4 km/h. Adding to its mobility, five Luxor Load Lifters jump jets provide the Lynx with a jumping distance of up to one hundred and fifty meters. The Lynx is protected by twelve tons of Kallon Unity Weave armor which almost provides the maximum protection that a fifty-five ton 'Mech can carry. Finally, to dissipate the waste heat produced by all of its energy weapons, the Lynx has fifteen double heat sinks.

The Lynx is intended for long term independent operations as well as protracted combat. To carry out the 'Mech's intended combat roles, the Lynx carries a Defiance 1001 ER PPC, giving it an effective range of six hundred and ninety meters. Backing up the ER PPC is a Defiance B3L Large Laser that gives the Lynx even more firepower in the medium to long range envelope. For close range combat the Lynx has a quartet of Defiance B3M Medium Lasers that can eviscerate any enemy that gets too close.

Variants

 * LNX-8Q : Never produced by the factory, the 8Q was the result of the general decline in technology during the Succession Wars. The necessary shift to a standard fusion engine resulted in the loss of a significant amount of equipment, including a ton of armor, the jump jets, and two Medium Lasers. The loss of available weight also forced the downgrade of the ER PPC to a second Large Laser. The design retains fifteen heat sinks, though they were forced to be swapped out for the single variety. BV (1.0) = 1,027, BV (2.0) = 1,292


 * LNX-9C : The 9C variant of the Lynx enhances its short-range firepower. This is done by removing the Large Laser and replacing it with a pair of Streak SRM-2 launchers that add to its already devastating short-range arsenal. BV (1.0) = 1,478, BV (2.0) = 1,630


 * LNX-9R : A very basic upgrade of the Lynx, the 9R replaces the Large Laser with an ER Large Laser extending its effective range and making it more complimentary to the ER PPC at the cost of greater waste heat. BV (1.0) = 1,529, BV (2.0) = 1,755


 * Lynx C : Clan Smoke Jaguar's first BattleMech built with Clan spec technology rebuilt the popular Lynx. Retaining the same ground speed and jump radius as its forbear, the weapon suite is now an ER PPC, ER Large Laser, Large Pulse Laser, ER Medium Laser, and ER Small Laser. To offset the increased heat, engineers replaced two tons of armor with double heat sinks, bringing the total to seventeen. BV (2.0) = 2,712

Design Quirks
The Lynx has the following Design Quirk:
 * Multi-Trac