StarDate 3/4
Jack Freeman
Movement Type: Wheeled
Power Plant: DAV 190 Fusion
Crusining Speed: 76 kph
Flank Speed: 119 kph
Armor: Starshield
Armament:
1 Imperator-A Autocannon 5
Manufacturer: Star League Weapons Research Communications System: Dalban Commline
Targeting and Tracking System: Dalban MidRez-C
Record Sheets: Gremlin & Gremlin-B
Pixie & Firebug
As the Good Years wore on through the early 28th century, certain leaders in the Star League sought to maintain a less-militaristic presence on its member worlds. Star League engineers decided that a well-build armored car could be an effective combat vehicle, yet it would not seem as antagonistic to frontier colonials as the presence of a conventional tank might be. As a result, the Gremlin was designed, developed, and manufactured. Later, as the likelihood of a civil war grew nearer, the Gremlin entered regular service in many Star League recon units.
Several tens of thousands were produced before the Star League collapsed, and this vehicle continues to be used extensively in first- and second-line units throughout the Inner Sphere. There are reports that small numbers ofthe Gremlin are once again being built within Houses Kurita, Liao, and Steiner.
Capabilities:
As a combat vehicle, the Gremlin was designed to be the standard armored car used in conventional Star League reconnaissance units. As such it would be widely deployed throughout the Inner Sphere, and one major design consideration at the time was overall cost. The unit had to have almost as much firepower and greater maneuverability than the standard medium battle tanks of the era, at a fraction of the price.
Interestingly, many of the Gremlin's components were adapted or modified from the Terran Hegemony's Banshee BattleMech, not an especially successful model. The Imperator-A Autocannon, the Dalban Commline Communications System, Starshield armor, and a redesigned Dalban MidRez-C Targeting System all saw similar use on (or were derived from) the far larger 'Mech. This clearly is one situation where the resulting product readily surpassed its 'inspiration'.
The Gremlin has good speed for a vehicle its size, and possesses a fair amount of armor for making safe, long-range encounters. (Short-range encounters often prove fatal to armored cars anyway.) There are even armored side-guards that give the wheels a modicum of protection, a fairly uncommon feature for such a small vehicle. It normally carries a crew of three (commander/observer, driver, gunner/loader), but can operate with only two at a reduced rate of fire. The coolant system on the DAV 190 fusion unit has a slight design flaw and the vehicle occasionally overheats, but the problem usually is not severe.
The single major complaint about this armored car is its complete lack of secondary armament. If anything should happen to the turret, the vehicle is rendered totally useless for combat. Unfortunately, that was a sacrifice that the designers made and most Gremlin crews have learned to live with. Despite this, the Gremlin is one of the most popular and enduring armored cars in use anywhere in the Successor States.
Battle History:
The Gremlin has served best in the traditional duties of armored cars dating back to 20th-century Terra. These assignments include armed reconnaissance missions into hostile territory, quick thrusts against vulnerable rear areas, screening the movement and activities of friendly forces, and operating as a high-mobile command post.
One additional role has the Gremlin acting as a last-ditch fighting platform in urban combat. A squadron of four or more armored cars will work together, maneuvering at high speed between buildings, as the units attempt to flank and 'box in' an attacking BattleMech. Casualties are often high, but the tactic usually pays off against most light and medium 'Mechs.
Variants:
Throughout the centuries, several variants have been produced from the Gremlin. Though most of these modifictaions were as a result of necessity, few alterations have improved the overall design. The most common-and successful-design change consists of reducing the autocannon magazine by half and mounting an Aberdovy MK. III or Martell medium laser in the front. Known as the Gremlin-B, this version has a little added short-range firepower and prevents neutralization on the battlefield from a single lucky turret hit.
Perhaps the best known major modification involves replacing the Imperator-A autocannon with a Mydron Model D light autocannon, a Magna Mk. II medium laser, and additional armor. However, this version (known derisively as the Pixie) is considered by most to be a rousing failure, without enough armament to perform adequately in its preferred roles. Even so, small numbers are believed to be in service with all Houses and several Bandit Kings.
Another radical design replaces the autocannon with a Harmon Heavy or Magna Mk. III large laser and three Purity flamers, all of which are mounted in the turret. This armored car, known as the Firebug, has seen very limited service with House Steiner along the Marik border.
Notable Vehicles and Pilots:
Captain Mordred Leonard
Captain Leonard commands a six-vehicle mercenary unit known as the "Knights of Hesperus." Leonard's unit, under long-term contract to House Steiner, contains one Gremlin-B, four standard Gremlins, and one Firebug. Self-taught experts in the subject of urban warfare, Leonard's Knights have successfully ambushed BattleMechs from both House Kurita and House Marik.
His greatest accomplishment took place when the Knights swarmed an undamaged Kurita Dragon in a city on Wheel and eventually destroyed it, while only damaging two Gremlins. Leonard's own Gremlin-B, nicknamed "The Green Machine" for its all-olive paint job, fired the killing shot. The unit's victories to date total nine �Mechs (mostly Wasps and Locusts), and several dozen other vehicles.
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