The Manticore is one of the best-designed and powerful tanks ever created. The vehicle is most commonly seen among the forces of Houses Steiner and Kurita, though the tank also sees service among the armies of the other three Houses.
         Although the Manticore mounts a variety of weapons and is heavily armored for a vehicle of its weight, it is not equipped to deal with super-heavy vehicles such as the Demolisher or the Behemoth. The tank was simply not designed to be a stand-up fighter.

         Mounting a large variety of weapon systems, the Manticore is capable of handling almost any combat situation. Because it is so useful, the Manticore is one of the few fusion-powered vehicles whose power plant has not been appropriated to supply 'Mech forces.
         The tank's main weapon is the Parti-Kill PPC. Unlike other particle cannons, the Parti-Kill does not use an energy collection capacitor or similar chamber. Instead, it uses a series of magnetic collection bottles that gather their energy straight from the fusion reactor. These energies are then channeled through a larger magnetic bottle and released from the cannon. This fires an energy "shell" that loses cohesion and disintegrates at 540 meters. The Parti-Kill's bolts are unstable at ranges under 90 meters.
         The Manticore's next main weapon is its SureShot Mk VI SRM rack. The weapon is mounted on top of the main turret, just above and behind the particle cannon. It is mounted on vertical and horizontal swivel mounts, giving the pack a full 120-degree arc of fire independent of the turret.
         The Manticore is capable of indirect fire with its Far Fire Medium Missile Rack. Like most long-range missile units, the Manticore's missiles are patched through a complex series of fire-control systems that can track targets over any type terrain. The TargiTrack 717 Targeting System gives the tank the ability to combine its fire simultaneously with other missile units to maximize the effectiveness of a missile strike against a particular target.

         The Manticore has proven itself to be a tough fighting vehicle, even against superior odds. On one of the many battles for the planet Morningside, a unit of invading Kurita BattleMechs was intercepted by a small Steiner Manticore force. The Steiner troops knew the surrounding terrain better than the invading forces, but the Kurita unit was better equipped.
         The battle started out as a meeting engagement between the two sides. The Manticores fired on the 'Mechs with their PPCs and long-range missiles. Momentarily shaken, the Kurita forces staged a withdrawal. Moments later, however, the Kurita'Mechs had regrouped and turned back to fight the tanks. Three Steiner 'Mechs and over ten tanks were destroyed in this first engagement.
         Both sides staged a momentary retreat, and then moved back into fighting positions. This time the Steiner defense forces were more wary of the Kurita 'Mechs, and used their long-range missiles for indirect fire instead of trying to move in close for an attack with the shorter-range weapons. Most of this fire was concentrated on the Kurita long-range firepower 'Mechs, such as Archers and Trebuchets. At the end of this second engagement, the Kurita forces had lost six 'Mechs and the Steiner forces had lost only five Manticores.
         Seeing that they could no longer rely on long-range firepower, the Kurita forces moved in as quickly as possible and attacked the Steiner Manticores. This was the most effective tactic against the defending units because it prevented them from bringing the power of their main gun to bear on the close targets. Although eight 'Mechs were destroyed, the Steiner forces lost over 20 tanks.
         Luckily for the remaining Manticore units, the Kurita commander considered his losses were too high to continue the fight, even though he had severely crippled the Steiner defenders. The Kuritans pulled back and left the planet.

         TechniCorp does not allow purchasers of the Manticore to make any modifications. Any tampering or exhanging of Manticore equipment immediately voids the service contract, and TechniCorp will make no repairs on a modified vehicle. Strangely enough, most customers respect this restriction.

Joe Bob Jones, Billy Smith, "Tex" Walters, and Jimbo Peterson
         These four Manticore crewman use their tank, the "Lone Star", as a super-heavy recon vehicle. On several occasions, they have taken on and destroyed several units of lighter enemy recon units. Their famous battle cry of "Yee-Ha" is the last thing enemy recon troops ever hear.

Lady Jane
         "Lady Jane" is the first Manticore registered as having killed an Atlas assault 'Mech. It is currently on display at the NAIS War Museum.