Hollander

The Hollander was introduced in 3054 specifically to carry a Gauss Rifle into combat and act as a sniper. The Federated Commonwealth was in dire need of a response to the fast-moving, long-range firepower of the Clan Invaders at the time, and looked at a number of light 'Mech designs featuring PPCs or LRMs as a potential answer. It was Coventry's unorthodox decision to mount such a large weapon, one that had neither the overheating or ammunition explosion drawbacks of the other designs, which won them the contract. With its single massive cannon and use of rediscovered technology, the Hollander can destroy another light 'Mech in a single hit at extreme range and threaten heavier targets easily.

Unfortunately, Coventry was a bit too ambitious with the original Hollander design and had to make a number of cutbacks to get a working production model. Even using advanced lightweight materials, space and weight concerns forced a number of concessions in order to mount such a massive weapon. The original six tons of armoring was scaled back, especially around the torso and arms, so that the weapon could fully articulate, and the fusion engine was reduced in size due to the weight of the weapon. Ammunition stores had to be reduced and secondary weapons eliminated due to space concerns as well. As such, the Hollander's speed profile was reduced to that of a Clan heavy 'Mech, and it has nothing to fall back on if it should run out of ammo.

In spite of these setbacks the Hollander still boasted tremendous firepower and was cheap to build, leading to its immediate deployment as a light hunter-killer 'Mech. The first production run of Hollanders went to the 17th Skye Rangers and the 1st Kearny Highlanders, operating against Clan Jade Falcon on Barcelona and Mogyorod respectively, where they were hoped to prove effective against the Kit Fox. Other units, including prominent mercenary commands, also began to receive Hollander shipments thereafter. Since its debut numerous variants of the Hollander have attempted to address the flaws in the design, including the use of an even heavier chassis to create the Hollander II models.

Weapons and Equipment
The only weapon carried by the Hollander is a Poland Main Model A Gauss Rifle, taking up the 'Mech's right torso. While incredibly powerful, only two tons of ammunition in the center torso means the Hollander can fire just sixteen times before it is completely defenseless. So long as it still has ammo though the Hollander is very dangerous, as its heavily-reinforced legs - fitted with recoil compensators and support hydraulics - allows the 'Mech to accurately target and fire at the enemy even when running at top speed. Built on a Coventry BZK-III Endo Steel chassis, the 'Mech is protected by four tons of Lexington Limited High Grade Ferro-Fibrous armor; both design features were meant to save on weight as much as possible. However, its seven-ton Omni 175 engine gives the 'Mech a cruising speed of only 86.4 km/h. While not enough to actually catch its intended targets - light and medium 'Mechs - in a foot race, the Hollander's role as a long-range sniper does not necessarily require a high top speed.

Variants

 * BZK-G1 : The G1 variant of the Hollander is built to address concerns about the Hollander's lack of back up weapons. First debuting in 3056 the 'Mech replaces the heavy Gauss Cannon with an LB-X Autocannon/10 as its primary weapon, freeing up weight to mount two Defiance B3M Medium Lasers in its arms as backup weapons and add two tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor.  The G1 is an excellent 'Mech for vehicle hunting as well as anti-aircraft use with its LB-X cluster rounds. BV (1.0) = 768, BV (2.0) = 873


 * BZK-G2 : Developed in the Dark Age, this variant of the Hollander replaces the original weaponry with a Light Gauss Rifle and a Supercharger for the engine.


 * BZK-F5 : The F5 variant, called the Hollander II, is a variant of the Hollander that looks to alleviate the 'Mech's problems by building it on a chassis ten tons heavier than the original, pushing it into the medium weight class. First built in 3058 the 'Mech still carries a Gauss Rifle as its primary weapon, but is backed up by a single Medium Laser and a Streak SRM-2 launcher. BV (1.0) = 1,084, BV (2.0) = 1,214


 * BZK-F7 : The F7, debuting in 3061 is a modification of the F5 that takes advantage of the Hollander II's larger weapons payload to mount the Lyran Alliance's new Heavy Gauss Rifle, which is capable of causing a great deal of damage at short to medium ranges. While improving upon the firepower of the variant, the removal of backup weaponry to fit these massive weapon leaves it with the same problems as the original Hollander. BV (1.0) = 1,087, BV (2.0) = 1,192


 * BZK-D1 Hollander III : The first of the Hollander III designs to be manufactured by General Motors from their plant on Kathil, the BZK-D1 entered production in 3114. Using a GM 175 XL engine, the GM BZK-III Endo Steel chassis and six tons of StarGuard Reflec Reflective Armor with CASE II, the BZK-D1 traded the Gauss Rifle of the original for an Ultra AC/10 with three tons of ammunition and incorporated both a Compact Gyro and a Supercharger. The BZK-D1 also featured a Full-Head Ejection System. BV (2.0) = 1,116


 * BZK-D2 Hollander III : Produced as a result of interest from the LCAF, the BZK-D2 removes the Ultra AC/10 of the BZK-D1 and replaces it with a Gauss Rifle. The BZK-D2 lacked the Full-Head Ejection system, however, and carried a ton less armor. BV (2.0) = 1,270


 * BZK-D3 Hollander III : Manufactured for the mercenary sales market, the BZK-D3 completely replaced the weapons payload of the BZK-D1; retaining the armor configuration of the BZK-D1, the D3 variant mounted a Small Laser, an ER PPC and two Medium Lasers along with a Targeting Computer and an Angel ECM Suite. Like the D2, the D3 also lacked the Full-Head Ejection System. BV (2.0) = 1,575

Related BattleMechs

 * Blitzkrieg - Unimpressed with the Hollander's lack of speed, armor and secondary weaponry, the Lyran Alliance commissioned the Blitzkrieg. Though the Blitzkrieg fails to add a secondary weapons system, it improves upon the Hollander in every other manner, including mounting a devastating Ultra AC/20.
 * Kit Fox (Uller) - A light clan OmniMech that had a configuration that sported a Gauss Rifle, inspiring the Hollander's design.