Panther for Inner Sphere Annex

Overview:

It is common knowledge that the New Earth Trading Company (NETC) supplied the Lyran Alliance Armed Forces (LAAF) with the Manticore Heavy tank prior to shifting production to the Myrmidon Medium tank in 3060. What is less well known is that NETC’s engineers have spent the past three years tooling up a new factory line to produce an even heavier Main Battle Tank (MBT). Reports from our ROM agents indicate this new tank, the Panther, promises to be a formidable opponent.

Capabilities:

As a general purpose MBT, the Panther must tread a fine line between firepower, armor and maneuverability. Driven by tracks, this tank operates over a wider variety of terrain than either hovercraft or wheeled vehicles – but sacrifices speed to do so. The Panther’s top speed of 64 kph was originally to be provided by a standard fusion powerplant, but this failed to leave room for effective armor and payload. Instead, the tank is equipped with a lighter and more advanced VLAR 300 Light Fusion engine. At little more than twice the cost, the Panther can carry nearly double the firepower, eighty percent more armor and move at nearly twenty percent greater speeds than would be allowed by a similar standard fusion engine.

The Panther’s 75-ton chassis can keep pace with most BattleMechs in its weight class (such as the Orion or the Marauder). Its ten and a half tons of ferro-fibrous armor give it plenty of protection in a firefight. Such encounters are likely to be fierce; the Panther’s designers chose a pair of Particle Projection Cannons (PPCs) for the main guns. They combine range, striking power and endurance, and are well established in LAAF supply depots. Two turret-mounted SRM-4 Short Range Missile launchers augment the tank’s main guns, allowing the Panther to lay down suppression fire against infantry and fast vehicles. Although the SRM racks must work from a single ton of ammunition, we believe they will be equipped with Inferno rounds to maximize their effectiveness.

This tank’s low profile oscillating turret has perhaps attracted the most attention. Unlike comparable designs, the PPCs are anchored in the upper half of the turret. The gunner raises or lowers the main guns by pivoting onto the bottom half of the turret. This results in a design which is lower in height; mounted further back on the hull and combined with a front-mounted engine, it creates the Panther’s signature profile.

While the Panther’s primary electronics are hardened against the massive static discharge of the dual PPCs, secondary electrical functions such as the turret/gun elevation and rotation motors are not. The Panther’s guns are aimed instead using a fluid-logic controlled hydraulic system which is immune to electromagnetic disturbance. This arrangement combats the usual ‘lag’ found in such hydraulics with a ‘dither’ valve. It is vital to controlling the movement of the turret and guns and is in constant motion in order to react more quickly to the gunner’s commands. The resulting low frequency harmonics resonate through the crew compartment, pulsing at a frequency of between 24 and 30 hertz to create a distinctive sound. The crew of the first prototype dubbed this comforting vibration the ‘cat’s purr’ and it led to the nickname ‘Raubkatzen’ or ‘big wild cat.’ NETC’s marketing department, inspired by the sound, gave the design its present name.

Deployment:

While the Terran panther might be a solitary animal by nature, the tank is not. The Panther is meant to be fielded in large ‘fleets’ - but the design must prove itself first in operations which are not critical to the future of the Lyran Alliance. Thus the first ‘anther prides’ have been trained and shipped to the Timbuktu Theater, where they will defend Lyran space against incursions by Periphery pirates. House Steiner is hoping for success - this combat vehicle and others like it would free up much-needed BattleMechs in the coming Civil War. If viable, Panther crew may find themselves facing more organized opponents – such as the Federated Suns.

Notable Vehicles and Crews:

The Bagheera

Painted pitch black, the Panther affectionately known as ‘Bagheera’ is already a veteran of several Periphery border actions. The crew considers her to be the perfect night combat vehicle – sleek, stealthy and powerful. One pirate prisoner captured during an ambush confessed that the raiders did not realize there were any LAAF forces in the area until they heard the purring hum of the Bagheera’s turret – followed shortly by the roar of the big cat’s PPCs.