Fireball

Description
The Fireball was a quick response BattleMech built as a direct result of the Clans' Elemental infantry. As the Clans swept through the Inner Sphere, members of the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth met with scientists from the New Avalon Institute of Science to discuss, among other things, how to counter their new Battle Armored foes. The result was a 'Mech which on paper met many of the criteria for successfully dealing with Elementals: it had weapons with a high rate-of-fire for taking on swarms of "Toads" as they were known, had ammunition stores to maintain that rate for extended periods, and an extremely high speed so it could quickly come to the aid of heavier units. These Fireballs were given to units with prior experience fighting the Clans but assigned to rookie pilots, partly because the 'Mech's capabilities fit the personality of many of these new Mechwarriors, partly to more quickly build up their combat experience. The Crucis Lancers, Deneb Light Cavalry and Ceti Hussars were the first regiments to receive these 'Mechs in 3053, employing them immediately on the front lines as raiding along the border between the Inner Sphere and Occupation Zones commenced following the Truce of Tukayyid.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before reports came back that the Fireball was woefully inadequate for its assigned job. While fast enough to get to a trouble spot the 'Mech simply didn't have the firepower to effectively fight off the enemy; in many cases the Fireball was actually outgunned by the very Elementals it was meant to defeat. Luckily the 'Mech's extreme speed allowed FedCom commanders to repurpose the Fireball as a scout and raider, a role in which it served the AFFC through to the FedCom Civil War. It was on the very doorstep of the Corean factory that the Fireball saw its heaviest fighting to date, churned out in large numbers for the Loyalists until the Allies took over, where it became one of their primary recon assets. Since the civil war the Fireball played a pivotal role in rebuilding shattered units, including the Ceti Hussars and Deneb Light Cavalry, and has continued to serve in years since.

Weapons and Equipment
The Fireball is built around a massive 5-ton DAV 220 extra light fusion engine, which propels the 'Mech to a cruising speed of 119 km/h and top speed of 184 km/h, allowing it to respond to a call from anywhere in the line for immediate support. The high speed of the Fireball comes at a price though, as the 'Mech only has four tons of armor protection and a very light weapons array. A Hovertec Streak SRM-2 serves as its primary weapon, giving it highly accurate short-range firepower. The launcher is mounted over the left shoulder along with one ton of reloads. The 'Mech is also armed with a LFN Lindblad Machine Gun for anti-infantry combat, carried over the right shoulder with one ton of ammunition. Aiming these weapons is the Corean B-Tech Targeting-Tracking System, a proven component chosen because of previous battlefield experience and because it was manufactured on New Avalon as well, cutting down on shipping time.

Variants

 * ALM-8D : The 8D variant of the Fireball released in 3054 was built with the hope of reducing the Fireballs ammunition dependence as well as increasing its firepower. This is done by removing the Streak launcher and replacing it with two Medium Lasers, vastly increasing the raw firepower of the Fireball. The 'Mech has also received an additional half ton of armor. BV (1.0) = 481, BV (2.0) = 574, cost=3,106,240


 * ALM-9D : The 9D is a compromise between the 7D and 8D models. Released at the same time as the 8D, this variant removes the machine gun and its ammunition and replaces them with a single medium laser. The 'Mech retains its Streak launcher, but gains an additional half ton of armor protection. BV (1.0) = 434, BV (2.0) = 527, cost=3,070,240


 * ALM-10D : This version of the Fireball, debuting in 3076, uses Extended Range Lasers instead of the standard versions. A MASC system boosts the 'Mech's maximum speed and Heavy Ferro-Fibrous armor increases protection. The machine also has a Targeting Computer for better accuracy. BV (2.0) = 957

Custom Variants

 * ALM-XF : This Fireball unique variant built in 3077 was equipped with a 320 XXL Engine, MASC, and Supercharger. This combination of speed systems gives it a consistent running speed of 240 km/h, with bursts of up to 400km/h possible. This Fireball has a pair of ER Small Lasers as its only weapons and a mere three and a half tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor protect it. Despite these limitations, and the fragile XL Gyro, the owner (noted as a criminal) didn't see this as a problem. The Fireball-XF (which stands for "Extra Fast") is used only in illegal street races. BV (2.0) = 612

Design Quirks
The ALM-XF Fireball variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Hard to Pilot
 * Narrow Profile
 * Non-Standard Parts