Type: RFL-5Q Rifleman
Production: Federated Commonwealth (Red Devil Industries, Pandora)
Combat Value: 1511 BV
Total Cost: 4,742,400 C-Bills (including x1.6 tonnage premium)
EQUIPMENT
Tonnage: 60
Internal Structure: 6t
Engine: GM 180: 8t
Walking: 3
Running: 5
Double Heat: 15(30): 5t
Gyro (Standard): 2t
Cockpit (Standard): 3t
Armor (Ferro): 11t
Head 3/9
Center Torso 20/30/9
R/L Torso 14/20/8
R/L Arm 10/20
R/L Leg 14/27
Quirks: Arms Flip, Anti-Aircraft Targeting, Improved Comms, Searchlight, Ubiquitous
WEAPONS
3x PPCs (9cr, 21t): RA/RT/LA
4x Medium Lasers (4cr, 4t): RA/2xLT/LA
During the mad scramble of the Clan Invasion, with the Federated Commonwealth rushing to produce viable ‘Mechs that could be thrown at the advancing invaders, ‘Mech factories near the front lines made the decision to focus on simple, low-cost upgrades that could be fielded en masse, rather than unproven or barely prototyped high-end technologies that would eat up valuable resources and development time. In the Lyran half of the Commonwealth in particular, Red Devil Industries on Pandora was no exception, with two ‘Mechs on their production lines that were being snapped up by the FC as quickly as they could be thrown together.
With their ‘stock’ Rifleman 3N barely more than target-practice for Clan ‘Mechs, and the newly unveiled 5D requiring a pricey XL engine that was protected by a mere 9 tons of armor, it was no surprise that the bulk of the resources and focus of Red Devil Industries was on their Battlemaster assault ‘Mech. However, stopping the Rifleman lines would have been a waste of a ‘Mech production series, and the bean-counters and mecha masters in the bowels of their Pandora headquarters threw together a heavy-punching “light assault”, ultimately creating a low-cost (it costs less to manufacture than the nearly three-century old RFL-3N), while also being far more effective in ‘Mech to ‘Mech combat, literally marketed to the former Lyran ‘social officer’ old-boys network as a miniature Awesome, and nearly as effective.
The Riflemen 5Q (a deliberate allusion to the Awesome “Q” identifier) is massively up-armored from the original design, carrying over 80% the total armored weight of a standard Awesome, nearly the maximum optimal load for a 60-ton ‘Mech. It also has four backup weapons where the venerable assault design does not – retaining the twin Magna Mk II medium lasers of the Rifleman 3N, and adding another pair. In place of the Large Lasers and Autocannons, the 5Q equips three Donal PPCs, pulled from the large surplus in stockpile at Red Devil, formerly used on their Battlemaster line. As the upgraded Battlemaster no longer uses the Donal, there were plenty available for the 5Q.
Taking advantage of the Rifleman’s existing weapon mounts, the 5Q uses the familiar over/under mounting on each arm, with the stocky Donal PPC and long-barreled Magna Mk II Medium Lasers on each side. The left torso mount retains the stock medium laser, with a second fitting beside it, while the right torso mount has been enlarged to fit the third Donal PPC. Due to the nearly identical number and placement of weapons systems, the existing Garret D2j targeting system was retained without modification, and only very minor firmware updates were required to handle the additional left-torso weapon. ‘Mechwarriors piloting the 5Q have noticed that it struggles with target acquisition if the two left-torso medium lasers are aimed at different targets, but operates perfectly if the pair are treated as a single linked weapons system. As a result, the 5Q retains its excellent anti-aircraft capabilities, and the fearsome range of the PPCs mean that this Rifleman is just as much of a threat to Aerospace Fighters and VTOLs as its Star League era ancestors.
However, in order to keep costs low and still fit in the 60-ton Rifleman frame, one concession was necessary: the Pitban 240 engine was too bulky to allow as many upgrades as the 5Q called for. Fortunately for the design team, speed was not a significant consideration for the “mini assault” concept, nor was it as highly valued as weaponry or armor by the Lyran officer corps. The 8Q has a mere 54kph top speed, matching the Awesome in that regard as well, and is powered by a GM 180 fusion engine, imported from Outreach, and produced by Blackwell Corporation – the mercenary operated firm uses the engine on a number of their other products, and quite a decent supply that it was willing to sell off to fellow firms fighting off the Clans. In one of their only two concessions to modern technology, the 5Q is packed with double heat sinks, fitting a full fifteen into its frame, and wrapping the entire ‘Mech in eleven tons of Arcshield Maxi X Ferro Fibrous armor, the same type used on Red Devil’s flagship Battlemaster line, dramatically simplifying production logistics with just a single armor type being manufactured in-house.
In all, the development period for the 5Q was less than two months, from initial planning to production of the first twenty models, with the major delay being the shipping time necessary for the engines to reach Pandora from Outreach. All of the initial run were immediately snapped up and shipped out to the Clan front, with an order for several hundred more immediately placed by the FC procurement division. When Pandora fell to Clan Jade Falcon in the FedCom Civil War, the 5Q lines were recreated at the J.B. Battlemechs Inc facility on Storfors, along with Red Devil’s Battlemaster series, with Rifleman 5Q serving with distinction during the dark days of the Jihad that followed. It remains in production into the 32nd century, largely as a durable and heavy-hitting militia ‘Mech, but one that is enormously popular with the ‘Mechwarriors that have the opportunity to pilot one.
