Lion

Type: Military Spheroid Transport
In Service: 2595

Mass: 7,200
Thrust: 4/6
Heat Sinks: 117
Fuel: 210 tons
Structural Integrity: 15
Armor: 54 tons of standard armor (28+2 fwd, 18+2 sides, 22+2 aft)

Mechs: 8
Light Vehicles: 12
Crew: 50
Cargo: 2,230 tons
Escape Pods: 10

Bay 1: Mechs (8) 2 doors
Bay 2: Light Vehicles (12) 2 doors
Bay 3: Cargo (2230 tons) 1 door

Weapons:
Fwd:
2 Large Lasers
4 Medium Lasers
2 PPCs
2 LRM 20s

FL/FR:
2 Large Lasers
4 Medium Lasers
2 PPCs
2 LRM 20s

AL/AR:
2 Medium Lasers
2 PPCs
2 LRM 15s
2 SRM 6s

Aft:
2 Large Lasers
2 Medium Lasers
2 LRM 15s
2 SRM 6s

Amunition Load
24 tons of LRM 15 ammo
24 tons of LRM 20 ammo
12 tons of SRM 6 ammo


Overview:

The Lion was originally concieved to provide transport to small special warfare units opperating in the periphery towards the end of the Reunification War. With most major combat opperations concluded, the SLDF moved on to cleanup, hunting down isolated pockets of resistance scattered across the subjugated worlds of the periphery states. However, this soon proved to be much harder than first thought. With entire continents and worlds to disappear into, resistance fighters were able to plague the SLDF at will. The only effective means to hunt them down required deploying forces in the uninhabited wilds of numerous worlds for long terms to systematically search the area. This either required a treacherous overland journey or the use of several dropships to ferry the combined arms forces needed to do the job. Either option was extremely resources intensive and at times very dangerous. In late 2593 for example a mixed company aboard two Leopard and one Gazelle class dropship was dispatched to an uninhabited portion of New Vandenburg in order to hunt down rebel forces. The ships vanished and were never heard from again, however the battlemechs and vehicles they carried soon showed up in the hands of Taurian rebels during a number of raids against SLDF bases. The official theory is that due to the aerodyne design of the Leopard and Gazelle, the rebels were able to pick out exactly where they could land and laid a trap for them. 

[editor's note: a fine little theory, but it only works if the dropships just happened to land right on top of a rebel nest. Lets face it, a continent is huge, and even an aerodyne would have plenty of landing zones available to it. Unless the rebels had inside information telling them where the ships would be comming in, it is likely only bad luck that the ships were right where they needed to be to get bushwhacked.]

With this in mind, the SLDF called for a new transport that not only did not have this weakness, but was in general far better suited to transporting and supporting small units in hostile territory. In 2595, the Lion was unveiled.

Capabilities:

An important characteristic of the Lion is that it has a spheroid hull. Though this limits its maneuverability in atmosphere, it also gives the ship the capacity for vertical takeoff and landing. In short, the ship can land pretty much wherever it wants.

The Lion was meant to transport a combined arms unit composed of two mech lances and a full company of light scout vehicles. Because the designers knew the ship's mission profile could change quite frequently, they made sure to include a great deal of flexibility in the vehicle bays. They can be quickly and easily modified to accomodate heavy armor, infantry, or even aerofighters as needed (though such modifications can eat up a bit of the ship's considerable cargo space). As the ship was meant to opperate far from support, designers included room for a considerable amount of cargo, and a well chosen force had little trouble opperating outside of SLDF support for as much as six months at a time.

With its independent role in mind, the SLDF made sure that the ship was both well armed and armored. Over fifty tons of armor provide exceptional protection, while an extensive and diverse arsenal of weapons allows the ship to defend itself from fighters and other dropships.

Deployment:

Though the Lion was exactly what the SLDF needed, in a curious bit of irony the war came to an end before the first ships could reach the troops. Despite this, the Lion quickly became popular, though only a relatively small number would be used for the role they were originally designed for. As the years passed the ships became the transport of choice for combined arms units (suplementing the smaller Fortress when that ship became available).

Lions saw extensive action during the Amaris Coup and the Succession Wars. Though many would accompany the SLDF on the Exodus (most of them surviving to become part of the clan fleets as a result) others in the posession of the great houses would not be so lucky. Precious few would survive to present day. Currently the vast majority of existing Lions are in service with the clans.