Smoke Jaguar Dossier: LRM Carrier

Smoke Jaguar Dossier 

Type: Vehicle

Name: LRM Carrier

Vehicle Type: Tracked

Weight: 60 Tons

Tech Base: Inner Sphere





Description:
Ever since the development of the first rocket centuries ago, military units have used mobile missile systems to provide cheap and effective fire support. Along with its SRM counterpart, the LRM Carrier serves in every military action across the Inner Sphere in a variety of shapes and forms.

The chassis for missile carriers vary in basic design, but they are all essentially military transport vehicles, tracked being the most common, adapted to carry the huge missile launchers and loading equipment. Those adaptations generally consist of reinforcing the suspension systems and armoring the crew and critical components areas enough to survive the back blast from so many missiles. With an average top speed of 54 kph and armor unable to survive counter-battery fire, if forced to engage in direct combat a carrier's life expectancy is measured in seconds.

Manufactured by almost every major military supplier, the modern LRM Carrier is derived from those developed in the Age of War by Quik Products Inc, the future Quikscell Company. In many cases derived a little too closely, during the Succession Wars era many manufacturers were producing little more than shoddy direct copies that fell below even Quikscell's low quality standards. After the end of the Fourth Succession War Quikscell lodged lawsuits against those manufacturing clones of Quik based carriers, resulting the closure of many smaller manufacturers and larger manufacturers ending production. While those who produced their own designs were not effected, Quikscell's elimination of much of its competitors and its offer to exchange any missile carrier not produced by them for legit Quikscell versions and parts made it the number one player of the missile carrier market.

Armament:
While its chassis is identical to its SRM counterpart, the LRM Carrier mounts three LRM-20 launchers in its turret. Quikscell utilize FarFire brand launchers, but carriers produced by other manufacturers frequently use the launchers common to their House of origin, such as DeltaDart LRMs in the Federated Suns or Shigunga in the Draconis Combine. A barrage fired from a missile carrier is a fearsome sight and four tons of ammunition allow a carrier to keep up that rate of fire up for over a minute, but forces carriers to be tied to a functioning supply system to keep them in action for any extended period.

Variants:
Upgrade - Introduced by Quikscell in 3054 for the Federated Commonwealth, the use of Lexington Ltd. High Grade Ferro-Fibrous boosts armor protection of the carrier, while dropping the engine down to InterComBust 120 frees up weight to add an Artemis IV FCS for each launcher and a C3 Slave to greatly improve their accuracy.

Captain Nash's Analysis:  Truly a support weapon, the LRM carrier is a glass cannon.  She can dish out the pain with her three LRM20 launchers, but throw the same back at her and she will be toast.  Figure the Jaguars have a bunch of these seized during the invasion, the way the House Kurita loves them.  Safe bet the Clanners have not swapped out the inner sphere LRM launchers with the clan variant, so get close to this one to take advantage of the launchers minimum range.

Tech Readout:
http://www.solaris7.com/TRO/Vehicle/VehicleInfo.asp?ID=1124