Overview The Lynx was designed at Kallon Industries by a group of expert Technicians and MechWarriors in response to a Star League contract issued in 2736 after studies of combat reports of the early battles between Star League units and the rebellious Periphery states. These reports indicated a need for a 'Mech with more firepower in the medium weight class, since it appeared that firepower and protection were superior to mobility in many of the situations that the Star League armies were face with. Kallon Industries modified their Wolverine chassis to meet the contract demands, and in doing so, were able to get their design into production ahead of the competition. The Kallon production lines, already filled with the popular Rifleman and Wolverine designs, did not build very many examples of the Lynx. Only 2,500 examples were built, and it is a testimony to the basic soundness of the design that 80 of them continue to soldier on in the Inner Sphere. Over 1,000 examples left the Inner Sphere with Kerensky when he went into exile. The production lines were destroyed early in the First Succession War, though there are rumors that Defiance Industries of Hesperus II has obtained a rare copy of the Lynx to study in order to undertake production in the near future. Capabilities The Lynx has been nicknamed "The Medium 'Mech that thinks it's a heavy". Its design staff insured that the 'Mech would be easy to maintain and that modular components were used throughout its construction. It also ensured that the Mechwarrior had a comfortable environment and good firepower at all ranges. Its Maximilian 65 armor is the heaviest armor that one can find on a medium 'Mech. Its Tek BattleCorn communications system makes it a useful command vehicle for Medium Lances or in Regimental Command Lances. In the Lynx, the Wolverine chassis underwent only slight modification. The SRM-4 and a medium laser were installed where the SRM-6 launcher is on the Wolverine. The ball turret was done away with in response to com- plaints from'Mechwarriors concerning the restricted vision from the cockpit, and from Techs complaining about the turret's maintenance time. A drum LRM-5 launcher similar to the Shadow Hawk's was mounted on the righttorso. The Lynx's drawback is its lack of jump jets and relatively slow speed for its size. In actual battle conditions, however, the Lynx makes up for its lack of mobility by its heavy armor and heavier firepower. Variants The LYN-6X variant removes the missile racks and replaces them with a large laser in the left torso and adds one heat sink in the right torso. This variant was designed with raiding and guerilla warfare in mind, since it would not be dependent on missile reloads. The LYN-7X removes the LRM rack in favor of 4 jump jets and an additional heat sink. This variant was designed for hard fighting in rough terrain, where jump jets would be necessary for mobility. Neither variant was produced in large quantities; it is estimated that less than 15 each of these types still exist in the Inner Sphere. Notable 'Mechs and MechWarriors Captain Steven Fortna with 24 'Mech kills, including an Atlas, and credit for two Demolisher tanks; Capt Fortna is the most successful MechWarrior in the Horsemen of the Apocalypse mercenary unit. He is respected within the unit for his tactical ability and his bravery. He is known for standing fast against much larger enemy units to enable the rest of his company to execute the effective "Block and Sweep" tactic. LYN-5X LYNX Type: LYN-5X LYNX Mass: 55 Tons Chassis: Crucis-B Power Plant: DAV 220 Cruising Speed: 43.2 kph Maximum Speed: 64.8 kph Jump Jets: None Jump Capacity: None Armor: Maximilian 65 Armament: 1 Kreuss Particle Projection Cannon 1 Conan / S LRM-5 1 Hovertec Short Range Missile Quad 3 Magna MkII Medium Lasers Manufacturer: Kallon Industries Communications: Tek BattleCom Targeting and Tracking System: Garret T11C Simulator Stats: Type: LYN-5X LYNX Tons Tonnage: 55 Tons 55 Internal Structure: 5.5 Engine: DAV 220 10 Walking MPs: 4 Running MPs: 6 Jumping MPs: 0 Heat Sinks: 17 7 Gyro: 3 Cockpit: 3 Armor Factor: 168 10.5 Internal Armor Structure Value Head: 3 9 Center Torso: 1825/10 Rt/Lt Torso: 13 20/6 Rt/Lt Arm: 9 16 Rt/Lt Leg: 13 20 Weapons and Ammo Item Location Critical Tons PPC RA 3 7 SRM-4 LT 1 2 AMMO SRM-4: (25) CT 1 1 AMMO LRM-5: (24) CT 1 1 LRM-5 RT 1 1 Medium Laser LA 1 1 Medium Laser LA 1 1 Medium Laser LT 1 1 Back to BattleTechnology 9 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1990 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com