Difference between revisions of "Orca (BattleMech)"

(Added estimated cost.)
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| model        = OC-1X
 
| model        = OC-1X
 
| class        = [[Superheavy BattleMech|Superheavy]]
 
| class        = [[Superheavy BattleMech|Superheavy]]
| cost        = N/A
+
| cost        = 77,575,000 C-Bills (estimated) <ref>''Cost was calculated using MegaMekLab v. 0.45.2''</ref>
 
| production year = 3091
 
| production year = 3091
 
|Tech Base = Inner Sphere
 
|Tech Base = Inner Sphere

Revision as of 17:46, 6 February 2019

This article is about the 'Mech. For other uses, see Orca (disambiguation).
Orca (BattleMech)
Orca
Production information
Manufacturer Skobel MechWorks
Production Year 3091
Model OC-1X
Class Superheavy
Cost 77,575,000 C-Bills (estimated) [1]
Technical specifications
'Mech type Inner Sphere BattleMech
Mass 200 tons
Chassis Skobel Endo Steel
Armor Unknown with CASE II
Engine 400 XL
Communications System "GarbleTalker X" with Guardian ECM Suite
Heat Sinks 19 double heat sinks
Speed 32.4 km/h
Armament
BV (2.0) 3,357

Originally a non-canonical April Fools publication as "Project Omega" (see below), the Orca as such has meanwhile been canonized in full as a prototype project, even referencing the tongue-in-cheek Clan Wolverine references from the Project Omega publication.

Description

The Orca was constructed as a secret project in or shortly before 3091. Its development occurred under such total secrecy, that even "an unfortunate delivery driver who slipped through security due to a lapse [and] was caught filming a livefire test with his personal device" was only released from custody 5 years later.

The prototype was created haphazardly, and thus includes some intrinsic flaws like the very difficult control. With suboptimal production standards, it was decided to mothball all prototypes in still-classified locations. While considered a failure, the multiple lessons learned from the Orcas development ultimately resulted in the successful creation of the Poseidon, the Republic's first production superheavy BattleMech, decades later.[2] [3]

Weapons and Equipment

Variants

No variants are currently known.

Design Quirks

The Orca has the following Design Quirks:

Project Omega

The "Project Omega" document was an April Fools joke by Dave McCulloch and Warner Doles that was uploaded to the then-official classicbattletech.com website. Pertaining to be an official Technical Readout-style document within the BattleTech universe (a report within Word of Blake), it described the super-heavy Orca-class BattleMech, allegedly built and deployed by the not-named Clan, complete with combat history and variants.

Although clearly marked as non-canonical, the design gained notoriety among fans similar to the Gausszilla (which was also canonized eventually). Within the document the Orca was classified as a "Dreadnought"; 'Mechs massing above 100 tons are now otherwise known as Superheavy 'Mechs.

Orca (BattleMech)
Orca ("Project Omega" version)
Production information
Manufacturer "Minnesota MechWorks"
Class Superheavy
Cost ?
Technical specifications
'Mech type Inner Sphere BattleMech
Mass 200 tons
Chassis "Wolverine Dreadnought Type XX"
Armor "Bioforge Delta Zulu"
Engine 400
Speed 32.4 km/h
Armament
BV (1.0) ?
BV (2.0) ?

Variants

The April Fools Orca as presented does not appear to be an Omni design.

  • The Anti-Personnel Laser does not exist under BattleTech rules, though a Small Pulse Laser or Micro Pulse Laser could easily serve the implied function.
  • One variant mentined exchanges the artillery piece for a quartet of "rotary gauss guns", which are described as "deadly against light vehicles" (but do not exist as a weapon system under BattleTech rules).
  • The other variant exchanges the artillery piece for two more ER PPCs plus heat sinks.

References

  1. Cost was calculated using MegaMekLab v. 0.45.2
  2. Technical Readout: 3145 Republic of the Sphere, p. 44 "PSD-V2 Poseidon"
  3. Technical Readout: 3145, p. 182 "PSD-V2 Poseidon"

Bibliography