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Mithras

Armament:

2 Series 2b ER Medium Lasers

1 Type 25 Ultra AC/2

Manufacturer:    Various

   Location:    (Unknown)

Communications System:    Consolidated 6c

Targeting & Tracking System: TRTTS Mark II CWS

Overview:

         Originally designed as a scout vehicle that could also fill the role of a light tank, the Mithras eventually ceded the scout role to lighter and faster hover vehicles. The design's serviceable mix of speed, firepower and armor, however, make it ideal for supporting a wide variety of other operations. Able to traverse all but the most difficult terrain, the design enjoys many advantages over lighter and faster vehicles. The most common deployment is in support of conventional infantry, or to harry an enemy's flanks.

Capabilities:

         The Mithras carries a two-man crew. The driver is responsible for sensor operations and maneuvering the vehicle on the battlefield, while the gunner/commander operates the weapons and communication systems, as well as serving as navigator. An integrated fire control system known as the Combined Weapon System (CWS) allows the gunner, seated halfway up the turret, to both aim and fire. Though this allows for swift target identification and engagement, the lack of a secondary gun sight means that the turret weapons cannot be fired if the vehicle's sensors become inoperative.
         The Mithras's turret-mounted Series 2b autocannon allows accurate, sustained fire against targets up to one thousand meters from the vehicle. The system's advanced autoloader allows the gunner to select a variable rate of fire, and at full speed the 50mm cannon can fire twelve rounds a minute. However, as with many fast-load systems, the recoil mechanism is prone to foul the autoloader track, effectively rendering the weapon useless. To give the Mithras limited defensive capabilities in this event, and to provide additional firepower within the cannon's dead zone, the Mithras mounts an extended-range medium laser coaxially with the main weapon. Both systems are controlled by the gunner/commander, while a second laser is mounted on the front of the tank. Though nominally under the control of the driver, this weapon can also be operated by the gunner using the CWS, allowing the driver to concentrate on maneuvering the vehicle.
         The Mithras carries only three tons of armor, but the use of a ferro-fibrous compound gives protection equivalent to more than four tons of regular plating, allowing the vehicle to survive a single hit from all but the largest weapons. This tank's only weakness is its rear armor, which can sustain only a single hit from a light or medium weapon before being breached.

Deployment

         All Clans field the Mithras, but the Fire Mandrill Kindraa Kline possesses a notable concentration of the design, captured from the Ice Hellions during that Clan's "Hellion's Fury" campaign of ill-advised assaults on its fellow Clans following the Ice Hellions' failure to win a place in the invasion force. The Mandrills' Twenty-first Vanguard Cluster finds the design ideally suited to their particular style of defensive operations; while the 'Mech and Elemental forces hold their position and grind down the enemy, the light tanks harass the enemy flanks and rear positions, forcing them to either withdraw troops to deal with the "gnat bite" attacks or risk being slowly worn down.

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Type/Model:	Mithras Light Tank
Mass:	25 tons

Equipment:		Items	Mass
Internal Structure:	15 pts Standard	0	2.50
Engine:	150 Fusion	0	5.50
Shielding & Trans Equip:		0	3.00
Cruise MP:	6
Flank MP:	9
Heat Sinks:	10 Single	0	.00
Cockpit & Controls:		0	1.50
Crew:	2 Members	0	.00
Turret Equipment:		0	1.00
Armor Factor:	67 pts Ferro-Fibrous	1	3.50