Infiltrator Mk. III Heavy Battle Armour
Tech Base: Inner Sphere/3073/What if
Chassis Design: Humanoid
Chassis Weight: Heavy : Chassis Weight 1000 - 1500kg
Chassis Movement
Ground Movement: 10.8 kph
Power Plant: Standard
Jump Jets: 2 (3 With Jump Booster - Standard)
Jump Capacity: 60 Metres (90 Metres with Jump Booster)
Armour Type: Advanced Stealth Armour, w/ECM Suite (Standard)
Standard Heavy Scout
Armament: Armament:
1 Magshot Gauss Rifle 1 Grand Mauler Gauss Cannon
1 Remote Sensor Dispenser
Manufacturer: Achernar BattleMechs
Location: New Avalon
Communications System: Standard
Targeting and Tracking System: Standard with Active Probe
Overview
The original Infiltrator Mk. I was one of the first Inner Sphere produced Battle Armour designs and was intended as a scout not a front-line combat unit. Many who tried to use the unit as a combat unit soon realised their mistake as the Infiltrator failed to deal with the threats. The Waddle as it was described was soon removed from production to be replaced with a far more capable and popular Mk. II variant. The Mk. II featured Jump Jets, better armour, a parafoil and advanced Electronic Counter Measures and carried probably the most capable of all Battle Armour weapons, the Magshot Gauss Rifle. Soon the Mk. II became known as the Puma and is still considered to be one of the Inner Sphere’s best Battle Armour suits.
In 3070 however the builders of the Mk. I and Mk. II Infiltrator designs, Achernar BattleMechs based on New Avalon, decided to build a new Mk. III Infiltrator this time building a suit for the heavy market. The new suit made its debut in 3073 during the Varnay Crisis and is a very capable suit mirroring the Mk. II while having better protection. So far the new suit has yet to get a nickname but this cannot be far away and like the Mk. II it is expected to be a fighting name.
Capabilities
The Mk. III Infiltrator is built around a heavier chassis than the previous models allowing it to carry more than its predecessors. First difference for the new Mk. III is that it only has two standard Jump Jets compared to the Mk. II three, this is because of the heavier chassis but the Achernar engineers got around this by fitting a Grey Death Legion designed Jump Jet Booster allowing the standard suit to match the Mk. II version in manoeuvrability.
The next difference between the new version is that it carries more armour and that it is the Advanced Stealth Armour variant bulkier but far more capable than that found on the previous Infiltrator incarnations allowing the new Infiltrator to get far closer to an enemy before being noticed and making the suits far more difficult to hit at long ranges.
Weapon wise the Mk. III carries a very similar arrangement to the Mk. II suit a single Magshot Gauss Rifle for ranged fire while the Anti-Personnel Weapon has been removed in favour for a Battle Claw on the right arm. Like the Mk. II the design has an ECM Suite and a Parafoil making it perfect for stealthy insertions. Overall the Mk. III is only slightly more capable and survivable in combat but several warriors have pointed out that even a slight advantage can mean the difference between life and death.
Alongside the Standard Mk. III a Heavy Scout version of the Mk. III was also developed for special covert operations. Although the suits look identical the Heavy Scout does not feature a Jump Jet Booster, a Magshot Gauss Rifle or a ECM Suite.
Instead the Heavy Scout has a brand-new Free Worlds League developed David Light Gauss Rifle as its primary weapon, where a Federated Suns weapons developer got access to this weapon is unknown and although it is inferior to the Magshot it is far lighter, weighing less than half of the Magshot's mass, and is still a very capable weapon. Along side this weapon is an anti-personnel weapon mount that was removed from the standard model.
For special equipment the unit has a BattleMech-class Active Probe giving it sensors equal to a BattleMech and superior sensors to almost any other Battle Armour suit, a Remote Sensor Dispenser allowing it to set up sensor nets over a wide area and either a shotgun or laser microphone helping it in covert operations. Finally the parafoil from the standard model is retained allowing the suit to be inserted covertly from high atmosphere/near orbit.
The AFFS plans to build both variants in equal measures although it is rumoured that the Rabid Fox received an entire production line’s worth of the Heavy Scout before a single Standard Suit was built.
Deployment
Because of the Varnay Crisis on New Avalon the Infiltrator Mk. III has only been deployed with select units. Most prominent deployments are with the First Davion Guards, the First New Avalon Guards, the Fox's Teeth and the Independent Infantry unit the Eighteenth Federated Airborne Infantry Brigade who were the first to deploy this Battle Armour wholesale.
Infiltrator Mk. III Heavy Battle Armour
Equipment Slots Mass
Chassis System: Heavy - Humanoid 0 400
Chassis Movement Systems
Ground Movement : 1 MP 0 0
Jump Jets: 3 Standard/2 Scout MP 0 160
Armour Type : 8 points Advanced Stealth Armour 5 480
Chassis Manipulators
Right Arm : Battle Claw 0 15
Left Arm : None 0 0
Standard
Chassis Equipment Location Slots Mass
Magshot Gauss Rifle Left Arm 3 175
ECM Suite Body 1 100
Jump Jet Booster (+1 Jump MP) Body 2 125
Parafoil Body 1 35
Heavy Scout
Chassis Equipment Location Slots Mass
David’ Light Gauss Rifle Left Arm 1 100
Anti-Personnel Weapon Mount Left Arm 1 5
Shotgun Microphone
or Laser Microphone Left Arm 1 5
Active Probe Body 2 250
Remote Sensor Dispenser Body 1 40
Parafoil Body 1 35