I knew I had done something.
Shere Khan SK-8
Level: Custom Level 2 / 2750
Technology: Inner Sphere Biped
Tonnage: 35 Tons
Armory: Coventry Research Facility
Faction Availability
Star League
Equipment Mass
Cockpit: Standard 3T
Engine: Fusion 140 5T
Gyro: Standard 2T
Walk: 4 MP
Run: 6 [8] MP
Jump: 4 MP
Standard Heat Sinks: 13 3T
5 in Engine
Internal Structure Armor
Standard Standard
Tons 3.5 6.5
Head 3 9
Center Torso 11 14/7
L/R Torso 8 10/5
L/R Arm 6 10
L/R Leg 8 12
Standard
Battle Value: 695
C-Bill Cost: 2,827,260
Qty Weapons and Equipment Location Critical Tonnage
1 LRM-5 LA 1 2
1 Ammo (LRM-5) 24 LT 1 1
4 Heat Sink LT 4 4
2 Jump Jets LL 2 1
1 MASC CT 2 2
2 Jump Jets RL 2 1
4 Heat Sink RT 4 4
1 ER Large Laser RA 2 5
Totals
18 12
Overview:
After its introduction in 2739, the Panther was considered one of the best fire support 'Mech for reconnaissance units and was distributed through the Star League forces hunting down bandits in the Periphery.
However, during operations following the killing of The Edge in 2742, it was found out that while the Panther was useful in its role, it was too slow to keep pace with the other light 'Mechs it was assigned to cover and this resulted in several loses on the battlefield.
Eager to find a solution but in a real hurry as things were heating up in the Periphery and with a low budget available as the priorities for the coming years were the Sovetskii Soyuz-class WarShip and the brand new MCY-99 Mercury, the Quartermaster Command asked Ford Military Limited on Earth if they could work on a faster design with better firepower and the same protection as the Panther and for an increase in price as low as possible.
Eager to win back a contract from the Star League Defence Forces, the company quickly accepted and begin the work on this new 'Mech.
Capabilities:
After reviewing the performances of the Panther, the team saw that it would be difficult to upgrade it but that the challenge would be worth it.
First, they took a look at the firepower and decided to focus even more on long range support. For this, they upgraded the Nightwing Large Laser in its right hand to a brand new Newhart Extended-Range Large Laser. This increased the range of the design by more than 25%, making it easier to perform its role from further away.
The same was done with the Totschlagen-6 SRM Launcher, which was replaced by a Zeus-5 LRM Launcher, a weapon known for its extreme accuracy at all ranges. The weapon was placed in the left arm for a greater field of fire and provided with a special and shorter firing tube, allowing 5 missiles to be launched by two of them. This was seen as an experiment as there were no certainties about its efficiency.
These changes increased the efficient range of the weapons by 40% and increased the endurance of the 'Mech by allowing more salvo to be fired.
The trickiest part was now to increase the speed while keeping costs low and with a limited amount of weight to play with. The solution came from a young engineer that had been allowed to work on the development of the Mercury: Myomer Accelerator Signal Circuitry. With this, the maximum speed of the 'Mech would be increased by one third, allowing it to keep pace with almost all light units in use in the Star League Defence Forces.
However, to allow the MASC system to work efficiently the armor had to be redrawn completely as the myomer in the previous and angular configuration was prevented from moving more quickly. The armor was made less angular but kept at the same level of protection with 6.5 tons of Maxmilliam 42.
Along with this external reshaping, the number of heat sinks was reduced to 13 in order to make room for the MASC.
To allow the 'Mech to perform its missions in spite of all hardships, it was provided wth a Dield Ranger Sightseer Communications System and a Ranger LAF Model 2 Targeting and Tracking System. Both systems being battle trusted after their use on the Hussar and offering both extended range capabilities in terms of detection or communication and the ability to jam out most form of communications.
The final result was a 'Mech that had the same protection and mobility as the Panther but more range and speed for an increase in price of less than 500,000 Star League Dollars.
As a reward to the young engineer, she was allowed to choose the name of the 'Mech and she selected Shere Khan, the Prince of Tigers and the 'Mech was officially christened the Shere Khan SK-8.
Configuration / Variants:
The only variant made was at the beginning of the years 2750 and consisted in an upgrade in the communication and tracking systems and the change of the LRM-5 for a Holly-4 SRM Launcher.
This was seen as necessary as some pilots just wanted to be able to close the gap with the enemy and quickly finished it.
This variant was named Shere Khan SK-8WH.
Battle History:
The Shere Khan saw more than its share of fights in the Periphery and during the Amaris Coup.
One of its earliest battles was led by Lieutenant Kelly Twine during a raid by pirates on the world of Star's End in 2744. She began by firing from afar as was normal procedure but when the bandits stop withdrawing thinking they had managed to attract the light forces of the SLDF away of their support, she ordered her lance to use the MASC and outflanked quickly the surprised pirates, ending the fight quickly.
Deployment:
1 battalion worth of this design was produced each year by the different factories of Ford Military Limited. Each of them was sent to the different independent regiments present in the Periphery and hunting pirates and bandits.
As things were heating up in the Periphery and the different bandits were being supplied and trained by the Rim Worlds Republic, the Shere Khan was quickly outdated and was thus set away in favour of more modern designs.
However, it earned a second youth during Amaris Coup when it was assigned to Volunteers Regiments. Due to their casualty rates, few Shere Khan SK-8 survived the fight and most of the survivors left with General Kerensky.
The only pieces of information available are coming from the decoding of the Gray Death memory core by Coventry Research Facility.
