STATISTICS
| Mass: 100 tons | Movement Type: Bipedal Humanoid |
| Power Plant: TME 300 eXtraLight | Armor Type: TME 3000 Standard |
| Comm Systems: TME Vox Et Deus | Cruising Speed: 33 kph |
| Targeting/Tracking Systems:
TME 3050 Point-And-Shoot |
Maximum Speed: 55 kph |
| Chassis: TME BoloMech | |
| Armament: 2 TME/BTSTS-MRAC:3060 "Vulcan" Medium Rotary Autocannon 4 TME/BTSTS-LLRM:3000 "Gentle Breeze" Long Range Missile 5-Racks 2 TME/BTSTS-HSRM:3000 "Roundhouse" Short Range Missile 6-Racks 1 TME/BTSTS-ELL:3049 "Lightspear" Extended Range Large Laser 3 TME/BTSTS-ML:3000 "ZapEmGood" Medium Lasers |
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OVERVIEW
An advanced modification of the TME-155 Valiant, the Valiant Mark II is equipped with the cutting edge of Inner Sphere weapons technology. With increased damage potential, heavier armor, and a more powerful engine, the Mark II is superior to the original in almost every aspect. Unlike most TME designs, its primary armament are ammunition-dependent: the rotary autocannon in each arm, which are supported by twenty long-range and twelve short-range missile tubes. A single extended-range large laser and twin medium lasers, both in leg mounts, provide lasting tertiary firepower. A final medium laser in the head, which can be mounted either forward to increase its assault strength or the rear to discourage pursuit, rounds out the armament.
Replacing the original Valiant's 200-rated TME/FE-89.1MW engine, the Mark II's extra-light 300-rated TME/XLFE-247.5MW increases the Valiant's maximum speed by 66% with only a one-ton increase in fusion core mass. The result is that the Valiant is no longer slower than its Atlas and Daishi counterparts. To support increased momentum, the legs were redesigned with structural reinforcements, pressure sensors, and balance sensors in a boxy extension of the Valiant's shins. The hip actuators were redesigned entirely to accomodate the power and coolant linkages for the energy weapons mounted there in semi-traversable turrets. The old dual-machine gun hardpoints of the original Valiant were removed to improve the ballistics of the armor, and the room freed up in the shoulders by removing the medium lasers and turret mechanisms once located there could then be allocated to the powerful shoulder actuators needed to wield the bulky and powerful rotary autocannon. Two and a half tons of additional standard armor were added to the Valiant's frame, giving it protection comparable to a Daishi. All of these modifications called for an entirely new designation, and thus, the TME-158 Valiant Mark II.
While the shoulder missile racks now lack the versatility they once had with the original Valiant's turret mechanisms, their reduced arcs of fire are easily made up for by the Mark II's improved speed. The improvements in fundamental capabilities, along with the simple effectiveness of the rapid-firing TME/BTSTS-RAC:3060 autocannon, have made the Valiant Mark II a popular replacement for aging TME-155 Valiants.
TME-158 Valiant Mark II Assault CSU BattleMech |
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| 100 tons | Cruising MP: 3 (32.4 kph) | Flank MP: 5 (54.0 kph) | Jump MP: 0 |
| Engine: 300 XL Fusion | Engine Mass: 9.5 t | Cockpit Mass: 3 t | Gyro Mass: 3 t |
| 14 (28) Dbl Heat Sinks | Structure Mass: 10.0 t | Armor Mass: 18.5 t | Armor Points: 296 |
Drawing Board Stats for the TME-158 Valiant Mark II
ARMOR |
EQUIPMENT |
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Location |
Front |
IS |
Rear |
Rotary AC/5 | Left Arm |
| Head: | 9 | 3 | NA |
60 RAC/5 shots | Left Torso |
| Center Torso: | 45 | 31 | 16 | Rotary AC/5 | Right Arm |
| Left / Right Torso: | 32 / 32 | 21 / 21 | 10 / 10 | 60 RAC/5 shots | Right Torso |
| Left / Right Arm: | 32 / 32 | 17 / 17 | NA / NA | 2 LRM-5 | Left Torso |
| Left / Right Leg: | 39 / 39 | 21 / 21 | NA / NA | 24 LRM-5 shots | Left Torso |
| 2 LRM-5 | Right Torso | ||||
| 24 LRM-5 shots | Right Torso | ||||
| SRM-6 | Left Torso | ||||
| 15 SRM-6 shots | Left Torso | ||||
| SRM-6 | Right Torso | ||||
| 15 SRM-6 shots | Right Torso | ||||
| ER Large Laser | Right Leg | ||||
| 2 Medium Lasers | Left Leg | ||||
| Medium Laser | Head (Rear?) | ||||
| XL Engine | Left/Right Torsos | ||||
| Double Heat Sink | Left Arm | ||||
| Double Heat Sink | Right Arm | ||||
| No Hands | Left/Right Arms | ||||
DESIGNER'S NOTE: Fans of Keith Laumer's "Retief" series of books may recognize both the CSU acronym and the "Bolo model WV/1" designation for what they truly are (of course, fans of Laumer's "Bolo" series will certainly recognize the designation). In "Cultural Exchange," Retief: Envoy to New Worlds (Copyright Keith Laumer, 1963; printed Baen Books, 1987), the Bolo model WV is "'what is known as a Continental Siege Unit... with a half-megaton/second firepower,'" with the modification (M-1) of a blade "'for demolition work'" (page 65).