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Epona

Primary Configuration
Alternate Configuration A
Alternate Configuration B
Alternate Configuration C

Armament:

4 Medium Pulse Lasers

1 Streak SRM 4

Manufacturer:    Niles Industriplex Alpha

   Location:    (Unknown)

Communications System:    Build 1700 /5 Tacticom

Targeting & Tracking System: Series XL FWS

Overview:

         Clan Hell's Horses maintains a high regard for the usefulness of conventional forces, and as such are the only Clan to manufacture and deploy the Epona. Other Clans consider the pod technology wasted on conventional vehicles, but the Horses, who regularly use vehicles in front-line roles, have enjoyed the benefits of the flexibility of this design for more than seventy years. Though the success of the Epona might have been expected to prompt the design and production of more OmniVehicles, the Clan-wide bias toward BattleMech supremacy even among the Horses prevents expansion of this concept. The Epona remains the only vehicle of its kind in use among the Clans.

Capabilities:

         Based on the heaviest hovertank chassis possible in order to achieve maximum speed potential and structural integrity, the Epona is purpose-built as a recon and pursuit craft, very similar in design to the Dragoons' Bandit hovercraft (likely an offshoot of the Epona). The major difference between the two is that the Epona mounts roughly half the armor of the Bandit, but carries more than double the pod space.
         The primary configuration of the Epona reflects the favored attack mode of Clan Hell's Horses by employing an effective mix of pulse lasers and SRMs. The next most common Epona configuration features twin turret-mounted LRM-20s, supported by a pair of forward-fixed extended-range medium lasers. Apparently meant as a heavy artillery-support unit, this version also features target acquisition gear to spot for even heavier artillery units after first softening up the target with its own weapons.
         The Epona's B and C configurations favor engagements in relatively open terrain, featuring a single, massive weapon backed up by short-range missiles. The C configuration adds an ECM array and features TAG.
         The modular technology that makes these variations possible does create one minor problem for Epona crews. The roles of driver, gunner and commander, usually specialized in other vehicles, become less distinct in the Epona, as each crew member's duties can change with the weapons load. For this reason, the controls at each station in this vehicle are easily programmable for all possible tasks to make transitions between roles easier. Still, new crews must drill for weeks in the proper use of an Epona before taking it into the field.

Deployment

         Hell's Horses is the only Clan to use the Epona, despite its relatively long career in service. As with OmniMechs, Eponas are considered front-line units, meant for the most elite of warriors, and are concentrated in the Clan's primary Galaxies.

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Primary Configuration

Type/Model:	Epona Pursuit Tank Prime
Mass:	50 tons

Equipment:		Items	Mass
Internal Structure:	25 pts Standard	0	5.00
Engine:	215 Fusion	0	9.50
Shielding & Trans Equip:		0	5.00
Cruise MP:	9
Flank MP:	14
Heat Sinks:	16 Single	0	6.00
Cockpit & Controls:		0	2.50
Crew:	4 Members	0	.00
Lift Equipment:		0	5.00
Turret Equipment (Locked):		0	1.00
Armor Factor:	96 pts Ferro-Fibrous	1	5.00

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Alternate Configuration A 

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 Alternate Configuration B

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Alternate Configuration C 

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