OBT Forum

GDM-2E Gendarme

Overview:
In 2475, a small handful of dissidents from the Terran Hegemony arrived in the
distant worlds of the Southern Cross.  Furious at the destruction of the Alamo
by Theodore Cameron in 2470, this small band of Texans refused to accept the
Director-General's apologies and restitutions.  Among their number were two
members of the Hegemony BattleMech Research Center at Skobel MechWorks.

After reaching the Southern Cross, these engineers introduced BattleMechs to
that polity, but the generally low levels of technology and lack of knowledge
on the part of Doctors Abe Vinson and Rita Moore forced the Southern Cross
Congress Defence Force (and later the Mlitia Force) to adopt fission, rather
than fusion engines.

Fusion technology was not achieved until contact with the Star League was
established in 2712, with the first home-grown fusion powered BattleMech
manufactured in 2722.

The Gendarme was the light-weight BattleMech of the SCCDF and SSCMF throughout
the 25th, 26th, and early 27th Centuries . . . and it can still be encountered
today, although it is no longer in production.

Capabilities:
The Gendarme is a very low-end BattleMech in comparison to units in service in
the Inner Sphere.  At 35-tons, it should be a powerful unit, but the lack of
fusion engines means that it is underpowered for its size . . . and quite slow.

A 140-rate fission engine provides for a maximum speed of just 64.8 kilometers
per hour and a walking speed of only 43.2 kph.  The concept of jump jets never
occurred to the Southern Cross, so the 'Mech is ground-bound as well. 

Five and one-half tons of armor plating provide for good protection, matching
or exceeding that of similar BattleMechs of the Star League and Successor
States in effectiveness and protective qualities.  The cockpit is well-designed
as well, being described as spacious, organized to maximize pilot efficiency,
and having an excellent ingress/egress/emergency ejection system that minimizes
damage to the MechWarrior.

But the use of the fusion engine, despite the low speed, put a serious bind on
the availability of weapon systems.  The standard production model of the
Gendarme (the GDM-2E) carries a Class 5 Autocannon in the right torso (one ton
of ammunition for 20 shots), a Medium Laser in the left torso, and two
Machine-Guns, mounted one each in the right arm and left arm, sharing a single
half ton ammunition bin in the right torso.

With only the five base heat sinks included on the chassis, this design still
suffers from excess heat production on a run.  However, from 2482 to 2722, the
Gendarme served as the backbone of the Southern Cross BattleMech Command.

Deployment:
The inexpensive, yet fairly capable, Gendarme comprises the majority of the
Southern Cross BattleMech units prior to 2722.  Adequete for defensive
operations against pirates and raiders, lances and companies comprised solely
of GDM-2E and -2E2 Gendarmes are found on every world within the Congress. 
After the arrival of the Star League, this 'Mech was slowly phased out of
'official' service (production only came to a halt in 2744), but due to the
number produced, it remains a common sight, especially among industrial
security forces and the military wing of the CDL hidden in The Wastes.

Variants:
The GDM-2E2 is the only production variant produced.  This model removes the
laser and autocannon, but retains the same speed, armor, and arm mounted
Machine-guns, as well as the base five heat sinks.  Two missile systems are
mounted:  an LRM-10 in the left torso with two tons of ammunition replaces the
AC-5, while an SRM-4 in the right torso with one ton of ammunition replaces the
Medium Laser.  Although prone to severe overheating when both weapon systems
are used simultaneously, the Southern Cross militiary prizes the -2E2s in
service for their heavy firepower.  Approximately one quarter of all Gendarmes
produced are the -2E2 variant, typically assigned with one GDM-2E2 with a lance
of three GDM-2Es.

Gendarme GDM-2E

Mass: 35 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Advanced Rules
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/E-E-D
Production Year: 2482
Cost: 2,402,460 C-Bills
Battle Value: 568

Chassis: Unknown Standard
Power Plant: Unknown 140 Fission Engine
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: None
    Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Unknown Standard Armor
Armament:
    1  Autocannon/5
    1  Medium Laser
    2  Machine Guns
Manufacturer: Unknown
    Primary Factory: Unknown
Communications System: Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown
================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      58 points                3.50
Engine:             Fission Engine               140                       9.00
    Walking MP: 4
    Running MP: 6
    Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             5                         0.00
Gyro:               Standard                                               2.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -  96                  6.00

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            7         
                                        Center Torso     11           12       
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  5         
                                           L/R Torso     8            10       
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  4         
                                             L/R Arm     6            10       
                                             L/R Leg     8            12       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Machine Gun                                  RA        0         1         0.50
Machine Gun                                  LA        0         1         0.50
Autocannon/5                                 RT        1         4         8.00
Medium Laser                                 LT        3         1         1.00
@AC/5 (20)                                   RT        -         1         1.00
@MG (1/2) (100)                              RT        -         1         0.50
                                            Free Critical Slots: 38

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      3    Points: 6
4          2       1       1       0      1     0   Structure:  3
Special Abilities: SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA
Gendarme GDM-2E2

Mass: 35 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Advanced Rules
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/E-E-D
Production Year: 2750
Cost: 2,395,710 C-Bills
Battle Value: 567

Chassis: Unknown Standard
Power Plant: Unknown 140 Fission Engine
Walking Speed: 43.2 km/h
Maximum Speed: 64.8 km/h
Jump Jets: None
    Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Unknown Standard Armor
Armament:
    1  LRM-10
    1  SRM-4
    2  Machine Guns
Manufacturer: Unknown
    Primary Factory: Unknown
Communications System: Unknown
Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      58 points                3.50
Engine:             Fission Engine               140                       9.00
    Walking MP: 4
    Running MP: 6
    Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             5                         0.00
Gyro:               Standard                                               2.00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3.00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA+H    R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -  96                  6.00

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            7         
                                        Center Torso     11           12       
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  5         
                                           L/R Torso     8            10       
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  4         
                                             L/R Arm     6            10       
                                             L/R Leg     8            12       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Machine Gun                                  RA        0         1         0.50
Machine Gun                                  LA        0         1         0.50
LRM-10                                       RT        4         2         5.00
SRM-4                                        LT        3         1         2.00
@LRM-10 (24)                                 RT        -         2         2.00
@MG (1/2) (100)                              RT        -         1         0.50
@SRM-4 (25)                                  LT        -         1         1.00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 38

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      3    Points: 6
4          2       2       1       0      1     0   Structure:  3
Special Abilities: SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA, IF 1