Thresher

Description
The Thresher is a second-line BattleMech that is all-around average. It excels at nothing, but will rarely turn in a particularly poor showing. It has modest speed for a 'Mech its size, which it compensates for with MASC and enough jump jets to leap up to 150 meters. The Thresher is the result of a joint development project between Clan Diamond Shark and Clan Hell's Horses, the result of which was obvious to Inner Sphere observers before they had even encountered the 'Mech in battle. The obviously committee-designed unit is far from threatening, but it did provide the basis for a later OmniMech, the Summoner. This expensive garrison 'Mech uses an XL Engine and an Endo Steel skeleton to save weight. It carries a modest nine and a half tons of armor.

Weapons and Equipment
The largest gun on the Thresher is its Type DL Ultra Autocannon/10. The medium range weapon can dish out a fair amount of damage, but it is not a legitimate long-range threat. At closer ranges, the Thresher can bring a Series 2h ER Medium Laser and a pair of accurate Series 14a Medium Pulse Lasers to bear. Two Mk. 22 Type III SRM-6 launchers can exploit holes the other weapons make in an enemy's armor. Thirteen double heat sinks keep the 'Mech cool.

Variants

 * Thresher 2: This variant is more respectable at long range. It downgrades the autocannon to an OVR-X LB-X Autocannon/5. The weight saved is used to upgrade the pulse lasers to Series 7J ER Large Lasers. BV (1.0) = 2,007, BV (2.0)= 2,337

Custom Variants

 * Thresher Edward:The personal ‘Mech of Tai-sa Edward Brandon of the Fortieth Dieron Regulars, his captured Thresher has been modified with Inner Sphere technologies. Save for the removal of a heat sink, structurally the 'Mech is unchanged and the torso-mounted weapons remain intact, but all the arm mounted weaponry has been replaced with an Inner Sphere standard ER Medium Laser mounted in each arm in support of a MRM-20 and a single ton of reloads in the right. BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 1,862

Related OmniMechs

 * Summoner - Clan Jade Falcon used captured Threshers as a template to construct their first OmniMech design, the Summoner, which debuted around 2870.


 * Thresher II - A Dark Age refit of the Thresher ordered by Clan Wolf, outfitted to combat the Republic of the Sphere combat doctrine. The result was different enough from the baseline Thresher to warrant a new designation rather than a new model number..