SturmFeur

Description
The SturmFeur, translated as "Assault Fire" in German, debuted in 3018. At that time, it was the largest combat vehicle dedicated to providing missile support in the Inner Sphere. True to the philosophy of the LCAF that commissioned it, the SturmFeur is slow and can withstand a determined counter-assault before needing to withdraw, thanks to its copious armor protection.

Weapons and Equipment
The primary armament on the SturmFeur was a pair of SturmFeur LRM-20s. These allowed the tank to provide withering support fire, both directly and indirectly. This allowed it to stay out of range and even out of sight of most enemy units. Difficulties with targeting technology during the Third Succession War necessitated splitting up the launchers so that they didn't accidentally damage friendly units. Because of this, one LRM was mounted in a turret, and the other was mounted behind but only fires forward, over the turret in an arc. The only secondary weapons were a pair of MiniGuns attached to the turret. They provided effective anti-infantry defense, but little else.

Variants

 * Heavy Gauss : A newer variant was more radical. This "Heavy Gauss" variant replaced the turret mounted LRM-20 and Machine Guns with an Artemis IV assisted LRM-10 and an ER Medium Laser. Even more radical is the removal of the fixed missile rack and mounting a Heavy Gauss Rifle in the front of the tank. These also radically change the SturmFeur's mission from a fire support role to more of a close up brawler. Considering the SturmFeur's speed, it is unclear how well it would do in such a role. Cost = 5,133,750 C-bills BV (1.0) = 1,067 BV (2.0) = 1,711


 * SRM : A variant introduced in 3023 offered by Trellshire, the "SRM" replaced the turret-mounted LRM with four SRM-4s and an additional Machine Gun. This gave the SturmFeur increased ability to defend itself at short range and was sometimes used as a bodyguard for standard SturmFeurs. Cost = 2,481,313 C-bills, BV (2.0) = 1,390


 * Word of Blake : Produced by Defiance Industries when the Word of Blake held Hesperus II, this version of the SturmFeur was equipped with a Light Fusion Engine. The weapons were removed and replaced by a forward firing LRM-20 with Artemis IV fire control system. A single B-Pod was attached to every side of the hull, protecting the SturmFeur from infantry attacks. The body also housed the Improved C3 Computer common to Word of Blake units. The turret carried a single TAG system, two ER Medium Lasers, and a pair of MML-9s with Artemis IV FCS. The LRM-20 had a ton of ammunition, and the MML-9s had a ton each of SRM and LRM ammunition. BV (2.0) = 1,578


 * Kalki Cruise Missile Launcher : Using a SturmFeur chassis, the Kalki was designed by Kallon Industries to provide missile artillery support to ground units. Unfortunately, even expanding the chassis to a staggering 125 tons and downsizing the engine only allowed the designers to incorporate a single Cruise Missile 50 launcher. Also problematic was the greatly reduced top speed. To reduce costs and make more room for the Cruise Missile launcher, the top speed was reduced to approximately 32 km/h. Though it carried a decent amount of armor protection, the increased size of the vehicle resulted in the armor being considerably thinner in all locations. The largest problem, however, was the sheer size of the missiles. The Kalki only had enough room to carry a single missile for the launcher, meaning it had to be reloaded from an external source after every shot. Considering the missiles weigh as much as a Commando, this was a deadly shortcoming. Kallon shelved the project in the 3070's. BV (2.0) = 803


 * Kalki Cruise Missile Launcher (Production) : The production version of the Kalki is a complete redesign of the experimental version. Many components from the SturmFeur are re-used, but the chassis has been updated to 150 tons. The Kalki is now powered by a Fuel Cell engine, which reduces cost. It also mounts a pair of Magshots for protection. The Cruise Missile 50 launcher still only has one reload, but engineers were able to upgrade the armor protection to seven tons. BV (2.0) = 1,036

Design Quirks
The Kalki Cruise Missile Launcher (Production) variant is subject of the following Design Quirks:
 * Difficult to Maintain
 * Distracting
 * Non-Standard Parts
 * Poor Performance
 * Trailer Hitch