Charger

Charger
Production information
Manufacturer	Wells Technologies, Luthien Armor Works, Ravenna Electronics, Sapphire Metals
Production Year	2665
Model	CGR-1A1
Class	Assault
Cost	7,520,370 C-bills
Technical specifications
Mass	80 tons
Chassis	Wells 990
Armor	Durallex Heavy
Engine	LTV 400 XL
Speed	86.4 km/h
Armament	5 x Small Lasers
BV (1.0)	820
BV (2.0)	981

Description

The Charger is seen by many as an example of abject failure in BattleMech design. Wells Technologies originally wanted a scout 'Mech that was not only fast but could survive contact with the enemy. This was done by building the Charger on an 80-ton frame, making it the heaviest scout 'Mech in existence, and powering it with a massive LTV 400 fusion engine that took up almost sixty percent of the Charger's mass. This gave the Charger ten tons of heavy Durallex armor, enough to survive repeated hits from an Autocannon/20, and a top speed of 86.4 km/h, allowing it to outrun most other 'Mechs, but left very little room for offensive capability. In fact this deficiency was intentional, since anything other than gathering data quickly was seen as a distraction by the design team.

This was to be the 'Mech's downfall, as its popgun laser array proved to be quite laughable, little better than for fighting infantry and light combat vehicles. Its armoring, while respectable, could not stand up to sustained punishment, which meant if the 'Mech got too close to heavy combat or trapped by superior numbers it could be shot to pieces. When the Charger debuted in 2665 it quickly became derided as "a light 'Mech trapped in an assault's frame" and while originally meant to be fielded by the SLDF the Star League quickly withdrew it from use. Wells Technologies eventually found itself wallowing in over a thousand Chargers which no one now wanted to buy. In an odd twist of fate however, the fall of the Star League and the start of the First Succession War would save the company and the Charger. Desperate for any 'Mech they could get their hands on, the Draconis Combine bought the 'Mech in large numbers and established a long-term contract with the company.

During the long attritional warfare of the Succession Wars era the Charger proved to be a reliable, low-maintenance 'Mech useful in rear areas and garrison duty on low-tech worlds, especially in the Periphery. Its primary use was as a close-assault 'Mechs against smaller recon 'Mechs like Wasps and Stingers and proved deadly to any machine whose main armament was already destroyed; its greatest successes often came in less orthodox roles such as counter-insurgency operations, but still the Charger saw little battlefield action. By 3025 nearly five hundred of the original thousand Chargers was still in use, largely with the Combine but also in the other Great Houses too. This was mainly due to battlefield salvage and black-market trading, the latter of which Wells itself took part in due to export restrictions placed on it by the Combine. The company was eventually bought out by its license-holder Luthien Armor Works in 3027 after the discovery of this underhanded dealing, and production of the original Charger ceased altogether in 3030.

In the devastating aftermath of the Fourth Succession War however, the Combine once again needed 'Mechs to replace its loses, and the Coordinator himself ordered LAW to produce a 'Mech which would act as a symbol of the Combine's might. The resulting crash program to produce the Hatamoto-Chi gave LAW the ability to rework the Charger line using rediscovered technology, allowing them to produce "new" assault 'Mechs in half the time through a major modification program rather than starting from scratch. These new Chargers like the CGR-3K were still close-in brawlers but had more varied weaponry and utilized better technology, and debuted in time to meet the Clan Invasion. Success with the revamped designs was such that by 3068 every DCMS unit had at least one new Charger in its inventory, though with the loss of LAW's Luthien planet production on the -3K model was ceased and many had moved on to the newer CGR-SA5 model. Some of the original Chargers are still used as labyrinthine fighters by backwater stables on Solaris VII.

Armament

Because the designers of the Charger wanted to discourage any activities that would put the 'Mech in danger, the engineers at Wells Technologies armed the Charger with five Magna Mk I Small Lasers, mounted in its arms, torso and head. These were considered little more than popguns to be used against infantry and light vehicles however and left the 'Mech dangerously undergunned. Arguably the Charger's most potent weapons are its fists; if the Charger is able to close the distance and get within hand-to-hand combat, it is more than capable of pounding to pieces other 'Mechs, especially lightweight ones.

Variants

• CGR-1A5 - The 1A5 variant of the Charger is one of the first variants of the Charger made to take it from the role of scout to assault 'Mech. A Capellan modification to the CGR-1Ls they received as part of the Kapteyn Accords, the engine has been downgraded to a 320 version, which reduces the maximum speed of the 'Mech to 64.8 km/h, and and four of the Small Lasers have been removed. In their place is an Autocannon/20 as its primary weapon, two SRM-6 launchers and a Medium Laser, while the 'Mech's armor has been increased by five tons. This makes the CGR-1A5 extremely dangerous at close ranges and gives it a speed comparable to most 'Mechs in the heavy weight class, while carrying armor on par with other eighty ton 'Mechs. BV (1.0) = 1,128, BV (2.0) = 1,458

• CGR-1A9 - A Combine-LAW attempt to make the Charger more effective at long ranges, the 1A9 uses a reduced 320-rated engine, lowering its top speed 64.8 km/h, and it's arsenal has also been overhauled with the removal of four of the five Small Lasers. The 'Mech has had four Medium Lasers installed for close combat and a single LRM-20 launcher installed as well. To make up for the lost mobility, four jump jets have been installed to allow the Charger to jump up to one hundred and twenty meters. This variant was fielded in time to surprise the AFFS during the War of 3039, but has since fallen into the hands of the Outworlds Alliance thanks to a legal snafu giving Raveena Electronics a production license. BV (1.0) = 1,315, BV (2.0) = 1,397

• CGR-1L - An export model sold to the Capellan Confederation as part of the Kapteyn Accords, the CGR-1L was a simple modification of the Charger in an attempt to make it more effective following their disastrous use on Chara in 3023. In place of four and a half tons of armor and all five Small Lasers, the -1L mounts a Large Laser and two Medium Lasers. While more prone to overheating and less protected, mounting armor comparable to that of a traditional scout 'Mech, it was better capable of defending itself against other scout 'Mechs, and in the desperate mindset of CCFW warriors that was good enough. Since then the CGR-1L has remained in Cappellan service as a training 'Mech and, according to rumor, punishment assignment for dissident soldiers. BV (1.0) = 772, BV (2.0) = 980

• CGR-2A2 - A Periphery modification of the Charger, the 2A2 has had a ton of armor removed and has had its weapons stripped out. In their place, the 2A2 carries a Medium Laser and five Rocket Launcher 10s. This modification gives the Charger an immense amount of firepower that can be used in one shot or can be used over the course of a battle. With the Charger's role as a heavy scout, the one-shot nature of the Rocket Launchers is not as much of a hindrance as if they were placed on a dedicated assault 'Mech. BV (1.0) = 944, BV (2.0) = 1,109

• CGR-3K - House Kurita's 3K is an upgrade of the 1A9 that uses an XL engine to maintain the Charger's speed of 86.4 km/h. The 'Mech is armed with four Medium Pulse Lasers and an LRM-20 launcher with an Artemis IV fire control system. The Mech also has a jumping distance of up to one hundred and fifty meters. This variant was confirmed to have been deployed on An Ting in the War of 3039 and may have been what Davion forces initially dubbed the Charger II; however, descriptions of the Charger II suggest that it was more likely a LRM-equipped variant of the Hatamoto-Chi (presumably the -Kaze). BV (1.0) = 1,485, BV (2.0) = 1,656

• CGR-3Kr - A Jihad-era variant based on the Combine's CGR-3K, this version uses Triple Strength Myomer and a Sword to create a close-combat 'Mech. To keep the TSM active it uses the heat from a Light PPC, Snub-Nose PPC, a pair of ER Medium Lasers, and a Small Laser, ER Small Laser, and Medium Laser. Like its progenitor, it can jump 150 meters. The weapons are more accurate due to the presence of a Targeting Computer. Light Ferro-Fibrous armor protects the chassis. BV (2.0) = 2,092

• CGR-C - An upgrade of the 3K, the Charger C is modified to carry a C3 Slave unit that allows it to share targeting data with other 'Mechs in its unit. In order to add the slave unit, a Medium Pulse Laser had to be removed from the design. The left over mass goes towards extra ammunition. BV (1.0) = 1,479, BV (2.0) = 1,592

• CGR-KMZ - The "Kamikaze" variant is produced at a Luthien Armor Works plant on Shimonita that was purchased by the Sapphire Sunset yakuza clan and renamed Sapphire Metals. It has a top speed of 64 km/h, but utilizes improved jump jets that allow it to leap up to 180 meters. It also utilizes Light Ferro-Fibrous armor. It primarily has a long-range armament composed of two Light PPCs and a Heavy PPC. An MML 9 has two tons of ammunition, allowing it to be effective at both short and long range. Should an enemy manage to close, the "Kamikaze" carries a Sword in the shape of a wakizashi. BV (2.0) = 1,781

• CGR-SA5 - A variant of the Charger that takes the 1A5 variant to its logical conclusion with new technologies, the SA5 is powered by a 320 rated Light Fusion Engine, giving it a speed of 64.8 km/h, while a MASC system has been added allowing the 'Mech to reach speeds of 86.4 km/h in short bursts. The 'Mech is also built on an Endo Steel chassis to save even more weight. The SA5 carries an LB-X Autocannon/20 as its primary weapon. This is backed up by three ER Medium Lasers and two Streak SRM-6 launchers. The 'Mech is armored with fifteen and a half tons of armor. BV (1.0) = 1,717, BV (2.0) = 2,003

• CGR-SB - Called Challenger by its designers, the SB variant of the Charger was devised in 3025 by Stuart Bell, chief Tech of the mercenary unit Hat-in-the-Ring Battalion. The radical alteration looks to turn the Charger into a traditional assault 'Mech. This is accomplished by reducing the 'Mechs speed to 54 km/h, which allows the use of a smaller engine (incidentally, the commonplace Pitban 240 reactor). The 'Mech is armored with fifteen and a half tons of armor and is armed with four Large Lasers and a Medium Laser. The Challenger also has twenty-eight heat sinks to help handle the massive amounts of heat from its heavy energy weapon arsenal. The SB modification concept is remarkable because it is not particularly difficult to apply, using a common and well-known reactor type in the refit and essentially only upgrading the existing weapons so that the targeting system needs not be tampered with. BV (1.0) = 1,330, BV (2.0) = 1,604
  • The Challenger subtype in turn saw attempts at modification, such as mounting a Donal PPC in the right arm and/or a LRM-15 launcher in the torso. However, these modifications are quite difficult and tend to overtax the Challenger's Dalban HiRez targeting system. Considering the scarcity of Chargers, and even more so the Challenger sub-variant in the first place, field modifications of this subtype probably remained unique attempts applied to only one or two 'Mechs each.

• CGR-1X1 - This experimental model is a heavily modified CGR-1A, with almost every system given a cutting-edge makeover. The ancient and massive 400-rated engine has been replaced with an XL model. A supercharger combined with MASC gives the 'Mech an astounding top speed. The old weaponry has been replaced with an ER Large Laser and a Medium X-Pulse Laser. Chaff Pods and Laser Anti-Missile Systems supplement Ferro-Fibrous armor, and the 'Mech carries an advanced suite of electronics. BV (2.0) = 2,009

Custom Variants

• Charger Storrs - Used by Timothy Storrs of the Black Widow Battalion, this Charger has a top speed of 54 km/h. The standard weapons were removed and replaced by three Large Lasers and a Medium Laser. It carries twenty-five heat sinks, and is protected by fifteen and a half tons of armor. BV (2.0) = ???

NOTE: This appears to be a canon variant of the BattleTechnology Challenger variant listed above.

Notable Pilots

• Jeremiah Rose piloted a CGR-3K Charger during the early battles of his Black Thorns.
• Ty Wu Non of Warrior House Hiritsu piloted a Charger at least since Operation Guerrero.

Related BattleMechs

• Hatamoto-Chi - The HTM (Hatamoto) series of assault BattleMechs fielded by the Draconis Combine is essentially a redesign of the Charger, with a related chassis and (apparently) the weapon load-out similar to that of the Thug. The Hatamoto-Chi is considered the standard configuration.

Gallery

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  CGR-1A1 Charger in Battle

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  CGR-1A5 Charger in Motion

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  CGR-1L Charger in Battle

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  CGR-3K Charger in Combat

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  CGR-3K Charger

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  The CGR-SB Challenger variant

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  CGR-1X1 Charger variant with experimental equipment.

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Bibliography

• BattlePack: Fourth Succession War
• Experimental Technical Readout: Corporations
• Master Unit List: Battle Values
• Record Sheets: 3025/3026
• Record Sheets: 3050
• Record Sheets: 3050 Upgrade (Inner Sphere)
• Record Sheets: 3060
• Record Sheets: 3067
• Record Sheets: 3085 Unabridged — Old is the New New
• Record Sheets: Upgrades
• Technical Readout: 3025
• Technical Readout: 3039
• Technical Readout: 3050
• Technical Readout: 3050 Revised
• Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade
• Technical Readout: 3085
• More Tales of the Black Widow