Condor (Combat Vehicle)

A heavy cavalry unit designed for rapid reaction to a shifting battle, the Condor is one of the few heavy hover tanks available. Although expensive to buy and to maintain, this immense hovercraft is capable of a flank speed of 129 km/h and a cruising speed of 86 km/h, making it one of the fastest vehicles in its weight class and as fast as the speediest ’Mechs and vehicles. Six tons of StarSlab/9.5 Mk II armor give the Condor considerable protection for its role, though the bulk is concentrated on the front and turret, notably weakening the sides.

Introduced a few short years before the formation of the original Star League, the Condor remained one of Red Devil Industries main sellers for centuries and was widely distributed across the Inner Sphere, with the militaries of the Lyran Commonwealth, Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation fielding the majority during the Succession Wars. With the loss of Red Devil's factories with the capture of Pandora by Clan Jade Falcon in 3064, the design was secured by Quikscell Company, who developed an advanced new-tech refresh of the venerable and still highly popular design, even selling the unassembled components of the tank in kit form in effort to keep up with demand.

Weapons and Equipment
Unlike tracked or wheeled vehicles of the same weight, the Condor is intended to attack enemies "on the fly" at medium ranges, carrying a GM Whirlwind Class 5 autocannon and a pair of Defiance B3M Medium Lasers in its turret. While many manufacturers are forced to buy the popular Defiance B3M Medium Laser at the going market rate, Red Devil actually build their own under license. Originally, Defiance Industries declined to allow the company to do so, which led the Red Devil to offer a bounty program for used or slightly damaged lasers taken in combat to recondition and install on new Condors. When Defiance noticed that some of its flagship BattleMech designs, such as the Zeus, attracted undue fire from foes attempting to cash in on the bounty, they quickly relented. Not nearly as notable, the reliable SureFire MiniGun, mounted on the body, is intended as an anti-personnel weapon.

Variants

 * Davion : A 2952 variant popular among AFFS units, House Davion forces generally strip both the lasers from the turret for a second Autocannon/5, though it still only has twenty shots. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 611


 * Liao : A 2878 variant sighted in House Liao space, the CCAF strip out the Whirlwind and opt for four medium lasers instead. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 765


 * Flamer : This 3025 version of Condor changes the weapons array and adds armor. A vehicular Flamer is mounted fore and aft, each with a ton of ammunition. The turret contains a pair of Machine Guns and trio of Medium Lasers. BV (2.0) = 715


 * Upgrade : Sharing only a minimal resemblance to the Red Devil model, the Condor rolling off Quikscell's Richvale production lines utilizes a wide range of advanced technology. Replacing the internal combustion engine with a more powerful Core Tek 215 XL Fusion Engine both greatly increases the Condor's speed while freeing up space to carry upgraded weapons array. Giving the Condor the long-range striking power required on the modern battlefield, the standard GM autocannon was replaced with an advanced Mydron Excel 5SG LB-X AC/5, boosting the ammunition carried to two tons to allow for the use of both standard and cluster munitions, while the lasers were dropped for a turret-mounted Valiant Abalest LRM 15-pack fed with two tons of reloads. Based on the experiences of the FedCom Civil War, an extra machine gun was added to the sole original. An upgrade to ten heat sinks and StarSlab/9.5 Ferro-Fibrous Mk II boost the Condor's staying power in battle. BV (1.0) = 546, BV (2.0) = 965


 * Upgrade Laser : An attempt by Quikscell to reduce the Condor's dependence on ammunition based weaponry, this variant of the upgraded tank replaces the autocannon with a Cyclops Extended-Range Large Laser, with the remaining weight being used to add a turret-mounted Anti-Missile System, a Guardian ECM Suite and an additional ton of armor. BV (2.0) = 1,197


 * Upgrade 2 : Apparently a hybrid between the original Condor and the Condor Upgrade, this version uses a standard Fusion engine to provide power. The turret carries four ER Medium Lasers and three SRM-2 launchers with two tons of ammunition. BV (2.0) = 977


 * Fission : This Capellan Confederation experiment replaced the fusion engine with a Fission Engine. To make room for the engine, engineers removed the autocannon and replaced it with a third medium laser. They also increased protection by adding Sponson Turrets to the tank, each carries a Vehicle Flamer and a Machine gun. The ammunition for these weapons is stored in the body. The Fission powered engine also carries an extra two and a half tons of armor.


 * Condor Trans-Track : An experiment by the LCAF, this version of the Condor sought to overcome the hovercraft's inability to traverse difficult terrain by adding an additional transportation method: A retractable tread system. The theory was that the hoverskirts would allow the Condor Trans-Track to rapidly cover open terrain, and the track system would allow it to cover rough terrain. Engineers had to remove armor and trade the AC/5 for an AC/2 to free enough weight for the track system and additional controls. The retractable tread system wasn't successful, frequently jamming itself and rendering the tread system useless. The LCAF cancelled the project.


 * Laser Upgrade : This Dark Age variant uses a Fusion engine to power three Medium Re-engineered Lasers in its turret. It is also protected by Ferro-Fibrous armor. BV (2.0) = 752


 * Condor Multi-purpose Tank (Standard plate): This Republic variant uses the failed Condor Trans-Track as a base chassis. It removes the lift skirts and other hover-related components in favor of a fifty ton tracked chassis. Equipped with an LB 5-X autocannon, LRM-15, and two machine guns, it serves in the Republic Standing Guard. It can reach a top speed of 96km/h thanks to an XL Fusion engine. This version is protected by six and a half tons of standard armor. BV (2.0) = 811


 * Condor Multi-purpose Tank (Reactive): This version of the Condor Multi-purpose tank offers weapons and performance identical to the standard armor protection version. The only difference is that this variant serves in front-line Republic commands and is protected by six and a half tons of Reactive Armor. BV (2.0) = 963

Design Quirks
The Condor Heavy Hover Tank Fission variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Non-Standard Parts

The Condor Trans-Track has following Design Quirks:
 * Bad Reputation
 * Difficult to Maintain
 * Illegal (Dual Motive System)
 * Nonfunctional (Dual Motive System)
 * Obsolete/3045