Onager

Description
The Onager is a Clan Jade Falcon Assault BattleMech produced by Red Devil Industries on Pandora shortly after the end of the Jihad. Named after a medieval siege engine, the Onager's creation was ordered by Khan Samantha Clees as a replacement for Inner Sphere designs used in various garrison forces.

The Onager was conceived as a cost-effective design to produce and maintain. It is not as fast as typical Clan Assault `Mechs produced in the past era. The 'Mech was designed with an easy to maintain 270 rated Fusion Engine. To aid in its lack of mobility and improve its tactical effectiveness, the design was provided with five Improved Jump Jets. The Onager is protected by 15 tons of Ferro-Fibrous Armor, which gives the Assault 'Mech significant staying power in combat.

By 3085, the design had been fielded in test trials on the Periphery border, where it received good reviews by its pilots. Many garrison forces were grateful for a solid Clan replacement over Inner Sphere designs.

Weapons and Equipment
The Onager's weaponry is designed more with close combat in mind than ranged fighting. To handle threats at long range, the 'Mech relies on its massive Class 30 Hyper Assault Gauss Rifle. The weapon has four tons of ammunition to give it ample time to cut down incoming enemies. At shorter ranges, the 'Mech is capable of bringing the rest of its withering firepower to bear. This arsenal includes a pair of Medium Pulse Lasers and two 6-tubed Short-Range Missile Launchers. To clear infantry and other smaller targets, the 'Mech also has a pair of Micro Pulse Lasers and a Small Pulse Laser. The heat from its weapons is managed by 12 double heat sinks, though this is not entirely sufficient.

Variants

 * Onager 2 : This Dark Age variant introduced in Introduction Year::3137 carries a HAG/30, two Large Pulse Lasers, two SRM-6s, and two Micro Pulse Lasers. The space and weight gained by removing the Medium and Small Pulse Lasers allowed engineers to add HarJel II repair systems to the torso locations. The Improved Jump Jets were replaced by three standard Jump Jets, allowing the Onager 2 to cover 90 meters per jump. BV (2.0) = 2,847