Hetzer

Description
The Hetzer was designed as a cheap, self-propelled artillery-piece to be stationed on worlds deemed worthy to defend, but not valuable enough to station a complete garrison force or even BattleMechs. Its primary and only weapon is in the front, meaning the unit lacks a turret, making it difficult to employ in roles other than defensive ones. Also, its wheeled chassis restricts its mobility. Due to its decent protection of six tons of standard armor and its Crusher SH Cannon, combined with its low price, the Hetzer is still a valuable asset for poor commands and is especially popular throughout the Periphery. However, Quikscell Company is largely known for its poor manufacturing standards, resulting in many Hetzers being shipped with only half their components installed or even completely lacking some of them. Crews reportedly refused new Hetzers meant to replace their older ones, because they couldn't be sure that the new models would work properly.

Weapons and Equipment
Drawing all firepower from a massive Autocannon/20, the Hetzer can easily blast through thick armor, whether it's mounted on a BattleMech or vehicle. Also, the tank carries four tons of ammunition, enabling it to obliterate a number of enemies before forced to reload. Its downsides include its limited firing-arc, its complete dependence on a short-range weapon, a lack of back-up weaponry, and mediocre speed.

Variants

 * AC/10 : This field refit introduced in 2893 exchanges the autocannon for a smaller class 10 version with five tons of ammunition. the armor is also increased slightly. BV (2.0) = 536
 * Laser : Quickscell produced no variants, but that did not stop commands who fielded the Hetzer from modifying it. The "Laser" variant first seen in 2889, replaced the autocannon with four Medium Lasers and an additional ton of armor. This gave it greater survivability and longevity. BV (2.0) = 520


 * LRM : The "LRM" variant introduced in 3001 turned the Hetzer into a long-range support vehicle. It mounted a pair of LRM-15s and four tons of ammunition. BV (2.0) = 657


 * SRM : Instead of the autocannon, the 2957 "SRM" variant utilized five SRM-6s and three tons of ammunition. BV (2.0) = 630


 * Scout : This variant first seen in 3014 tried to expand on the Hetzer's usefulness. Its ammunition is cut in half allowing for a remote sensor dispenser to be installed. BV (2.0) = 544


 * LB-X : Introduced during the FedCom Civil War, the original Assault Cannon is replaced by a LB 20-X AC variant with five tons of ammo. BV (2.0) = 767


 * Sealed : This Hetzer variant uses Environmental Sealing to protect the Protectorate Militia crew from toxic threats on the battlefield. To make the vehicle independent from fuel the Internal Combustion Engine was replaced by a fusion engine. The standard autocannon is replaced by a Rotary AC/5 with 3 tons of ammo, and a C3i system allows it to share targeting data with its colleagues. BV (2.0) = 775

Custom Variants

 * Jagdpanzer II : This is a Experimental Technology variant of the Hetzer which was introduced during the Jihad. The vehicle features six tons of Vehicular Stealth Armor and a Guardian ECM to help protect and hide the Jagdpanzer from its opponents. The original Assault Autocannon is removed in favor for a Ultra version with four tons of ammo. The vehicle has two Machine Guns, each mounted on a Sponson-type turret on either side of the vehicle. Lastly, the vehicle's engine is exchanged for an Extra Light Fusion Engine, which allows the vehicle flank up to 80 km/h. BV (2.0) = 1,009