OBT Forum

Bjorn Assault Battle Armour

After being on the receiving end of several raids by Clan Hells Horses where the Horses used their new Buraq Quad battle armour to great effect, the Dominion decided they needed a fast Quad battle armour design of their own.

Unfortunately Dominion Scientists were unable to fit what they deemed an agreeable amount of firepower and protection within the initial design parameters.  So, they approached it in the typical Dominion way, adding mass.  The suit grew into a 2-ton assault suit, trading speed for firepower and protection.

The speed was also affected by the suits physical design. Thanks to its very ursine shape, the test suits were horribly uncomfortable for even the most seasoned Elemental.  Adjustments were made to the interior and seating but it was still grossly uncomfortable, and the speed was ordered reduce to increase firepower and protection.  Still the new suit could move at over 40 kph, allowing it to outpace all but the newer Elemental II and Sylph II battle suits. 

Other problems encountered were with the internal layout.  The eventual solution was to have the Elemental sit on the rear of the suit on a heavily angled control chair with the controls above and around them, their feet towards the suit’s head.  This lead to some comments about them having to climb in and out of the ‘poop chute’ as an Elemental could only enter or exit the suit via the rear.

There was also difficulty in training crews to adapt to a quad design instead of the far more traditional humanoid layout.  Indeed, it was this problem that caused the greatest delays to the introduction of the new suit, in there was a lack of enough trained personnel to crew them in suitable numbers.
To bulk out the training cadres and get a viable pool of experience the Scientists argued for the inclusion of freeborn personnel to be included in the testing programme.  By applying more manpower and accepting the training would involve a lot of trial and error as tactics evolved and grew, the first suits and their Warriors were ready to deploy through sheer dint of brute forcing the training programme.

Three separate variants were made to fulfil a different battlefield Niche.

The Hunter could be considered the standard version and is draped in enough fire-resistant armour to give it protection equal to a Kanazuchi.  Firepower came from a Battle Armour LB autocannon and a standard machine gun, whilst two AP mounts give it even more anti-infantry firepower.  The Hunter also features a broad array of heat sensors allowing it to track targets and spot potential ambushes.

The Stalker is a dedicated infantry hunter-killer.  Although it loses its Fire-resistant armour the Stalker can obliterate an infantry platoon in a heartbeat as well as harass Mechs and engage other battle armour.  It does this with its heavy flamer and paired machine guns.  Expanding on the Hunter’s heat sensors, the Stalker is outfitted with extensively enhanced sensors allowing it to track and locate hidden targets in any situation or battlefield condition.

Finally the ‘Roar’ is the dedicated support unit, featuring an LRM-5 with six shots in total whilst an ER micro laser allows it to fight on once its ammunition is depleted.  The initial plan was to fit this variant with anti-ballistic armour, but the weight was too much and without sacrificing significant levels of protection to gain an advantage in one area, it was seen as too much of a loss.  However, the armour protection was somewhat increased, making the Roar the most heavily armoured of the Bjorn variants.


Bjorn Assault BattleArmor
Clan experimental

BV: 603
Cost: 4,887,500 C-bills

Movement: 4/4

Internal: 5
Armor: 75
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1                   1       15
Trooper 2                   1       15
Trooper 3                   1       15
Trooper 4                   1       15
Trooper 5                   1       15

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Battle Armor LB-X AC (Body)    Point     0
Machine Gun (Body)             Point     0

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Body) Point
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Body) Point
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
BA Fire Resistant (Body)       Point
Heat Sensor (Body)             Point





Bjorn 'Stalker' Assault BattleArmor
Clan experimental

BV: 486
Cost: 5,543,750 C-bills

Movement: 4/4

Internal: 5
Armor: 75
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1                   1       15
Trooper 2                   1       15
Trooper 3                   1       15
Trooper 4                   1       15
Trooper 5                   1       15

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Heavy Flamer (Body)            Point     5
Machine Gun (Body)             Point     0
Machine Gun (Body)             Point     0

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Improved Sensors (Body)        Point
BA Standard                    None
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Body) Point
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Body) Point




Bjorn 'Roar' Assault BattleArmor
Clan experimental

BV: 398
Cost: 4,692,500 C-bills

Movement: 4/4

Internal: 5
Armor: 80
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1                   1       16
Trooper 2                   1       16
Trooper 3                   1       16
Trooper 4                   1       16
Trooper 5                   1       16

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
LRM 5 (Body)                   Point     2
ER Micro Laser (Body)          Point     1

Ammo                           Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1
BA LRM 5 Ammo                  Point     1

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
BA Standard                    None