Corsair (BattleMech)

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This article is about the COR- series BattleMechs. For other uses, see Corsair (disambiguation).
Corsair (BattleMech)
Corsair
Production information
Manufacturer Unknown
Production Year"unknown" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. unknown
Model COR-5R
Class Assault
Cost 8,435,408 C-bills
Technical specifications
'Mech type Inner Sphere BattleMech
Mass 95 tons
Chassis Standard
Armor Standard
Engine 285
Communications System unknown
Targeting Tracking System unknown
Heat Sinks 20
Speed 48.6 km/h
Armament
BV (1.0) Unknown
BV (2.0) 1,704


Canonicity

The Corsair is the third BattleMech design introduced by and so-far exclusive to MechWarrior Online (as opposed to designs taken from established Canon for the BattleTech universe).

While Randall N. Bills had issued a ruling as Catalyst Game Labs' incumbent BattleTech Line Developer to the effect that all Hero 'Mech background information from MWO is considered canonical for (CGL) BattleTech,[1] Assistant Line Developer Ray "Adrian Gideon" Arrastia later expressly clarified that the original designs from PGI are not canonical,[2] regardless of any Hero 'Mechs or Hero 'Mech fluff associated with them. (There had been no original designs by PGI when Randall Bills made his ruling, which Ray Arrastia upheld when initially queried about the canonicity of the new original PGI designs[3] though he later added the aforementioned caveat.)

As a result, the Corsair designs (including the "Ravager" Hero 'Mech) are exempt from the canonisation of MWO Hero 'Mechs and remain apocryphal.

Description

While Corsair is supposedly a generic Periphery term referring to heavy and assault class FrankenMechs cobbled together out of desperation as the Succession War era dragged on, with no specific weight or base chassis, the most successful of these are ninety-five ton brutes modeled on the "Ravager", an individual Hero 'Mech equipped with Star League era weapons that was piloted by Jake Kalmar of the Oberon Confederation until 3037.[4]

This particular series of 95-ton BattleMechs is identified by the COR- alphanumerical code as if it were a regular production model. This is odd insofar as no proper production was known to take place in the Oberon Confederation or elsewhere before it was overrun by the Clans in 3049, nor does a standardized refit program seem plausible, as there are only relatively few 95 ton designs to begin with and they are invariably considered extremely rare in the Periphery.

Weapons and Equipment

The COR-designated Corsair builds are constructed almost entirely out of so-called Succession War era technology. Clad in sixteen tons of armor, a 285-rated standard fusion engine propels the Corsair at 48.6 kph, putting it in the common Succession War assault 'Mech speed range. Twenty standard heat sinks offer effective cooling for its highly varied weapons loadout.[4] [5]

Armed with a grab-bag array of weaponry, the Corsair's primary weapons are an AC/10 and LRM-15 mounted in its right torso, supported by a trio of Medium Lasers split between its left and center torsos and a SRM-6 and Large Laser mounted in its vestigial left arm. Two tons of SRM ammo, three tons of autocannon reloads and two of LRM reloads offer nearly military-grade endurance for a pirate raider 'Mech. [4] [5]

Variants

  • COR-6R 
    The 6R is retains the AC/10, LRM-15 and left arm Large Laser, but swaps the SRM-6 for a LRM-10 and drops the Medium Lasers for a center torso Small Laser and a Machine Gun and SRM-2 in the left torso its armor reduced to fifteen tons. The 6R carries two tons of autocannon and LRM reloads and one ton each of SRM and Machine Gun ammo. [5]
  • COR-7A 
    The 7A carries an Autocannon/5 in its right torso and left arm, supported by a PPC in the right arm and a Large Laser in the left torso. A Medium Laser in right arm and left torso round out the offensive weaponry. Defensively the 7A carries four Anti-Missile Systems, one in each arm and side torso, fed from a combined four tons of ammo. Carrying two tons of AC/5 refloads, one less heat sink is carried. [5]
  • COR-5T 
    The 5T is built to wear its targets down at range, carrying a trio of Autocannon/2s in each arm, supported by just four Medium Lasers spread across its three torso locations. Carrying six tons of reloads for its autocannons, the extra weight required leaves the 5T with just eleven heat sinks. [5]
  • COR-7R 
    The 7R is built for close combat, fitted with an Autocannon/20 right torso and twin Large Lasers in its right arm, carrying two Rocket Launcher 10s in its center torso, a Rocket Launcher 20 in its left torso and left arm, with an additional Rocket Launcher 10 in the head. Seventeen and half tons of armor ensure the 7R can close into range to make full use of the five tons of AC/20 reloads and twenty-two heat sinks it mounts. [5]

Custom Variants

  • COR-RA Corsair "Ravager"
    Jake Kalmar's infamous "Ravager" was built around a 285-rated XL Engine to save weight to carry eighteen tons of armor and fifteen double heat sinks. Offensively the "Ravager" is armed with a Gauss Rifle in the left arm and a Ultra AC/5 in the right torso, supported by a center torso mounted Large Pulse Laser, a standard Large Laser in the left torso and right arm, rounded out by a Medium Laser in the head and each arm. Two tons each of Gauss and UAC reloads gave it good endurance.[4] [5] The 'Mech was salvaged by Chloe's Cavaliers after they tracked Kalmar to Sigurd in 3037 and killed him there.
  • COR-BR Corsair "Broadside"
    The second Corsair Hero 'Mech, the Broadside carries a Gauss Rifle in its left arm and left torso, supported by twin Large Lasers in its right arm, SRM-4s in the head and center torso and single Medium Laser. Carrying three tons of SRM reloads and two tons of Gauss rounds, this Hero 'Mech is powered by a 285-rated XL engine, clad in sixteen tons of armor and fitted with thirteen Double Heat Sinks.[6]

Notable Pilots

  • Jake Kalmar - Hailing from the Oberon Confederation, Kalmar's "Ravager" advanced weaponry ensured him great success but also eventually led to unwanted attention and his demise.[4]

Behind the Scenes

  • During Mech_Con 2018, artist Alex Iglesias stated that the Corsair FrankenMech was made up of these BattleMech parts he cobbled together: Thunderbolt (uses the missile rack for the right torso), Stalker and King Crab (the legs of both 'Mechs were used for the Corsair).

References

  1. Archived here, with reference: Talk:MechWarrior Online#Randall Bills ruling
  2. In this posting on the official BattleTech Forum by Ray "Adrian Gideon" Arrastia, regarding the canon status of PGI-exclusive 'Mechs for which record sheets had been brought to Mech_Con 2018: "Those sheets are not official and those designs are not canon for the tabletop. CGL cannot use the PGI-created designs, no matter what “part” CGL or its employees play in the creation of the designs. When asked for confirmation, Randall and Brent stated that those were provided by a demo agent and they allowed it *this time only* as part of the hype at Mech_Con."
  3. In this thread on the official BattleTech Forum
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 MechWarrior Online Corsair Lore and Blueprint
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 MechWarrior Online Corsair Store Page
  6. MechWarrior Online Corsair Holiday Bonus 2018

Bibliography