Sadly, attempts to license the Mechbuster chassis were futile, and the search for potential chassis for bearing the Rotary Autocannon eventually settled on a heavily modified Raubvogel frame - most of the modifications focusing on adding VSTOL capabilities or making it different enough to pass in court (not in a Steiner one - though Lyrans are no friends to Marians anyway). The fuel tank was lengthened to increase the plane's range by half... if it would keep its old engine. It didn't - a 225 turbine would increase the plane's speed, and even armor was improved - also by half, though it isn't exactly much anyway - three tons of armor make the two-ton ammo bin for the RAC look extremely optimistic in the face of any anti-air weaponry. It is, however, surprisingly cheap, more than four times cheaper than HMI's licensed Shilones - which gives it a clear niche as a cheap Periphery anti-raider fighter, in which even the short-legged, VSTOL-lacking Mechbuster with only 5 bursts for its autocannon was actually used by (desperate) planets. While Caesar O'Reilly isn't currently willing to sell the resulting product to his neighbors, as Marians still often engage in raiding themselves, there is a home market for the plane, and rumors say that Outworlds Alliance may be interested in a batch.
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Plumbata (Standard)
Mass: 45 tons
Frame: P-AC-45
Power Plant: 225 ICE
Armor: Marian Arms Standard
Armament:
1 Rotary AC/5
Manufacturer: Hadrian Mechanized Industries
Primary Factory: Pompey
Communication System: Garret T10B
Targeting & Tracking System: O-P 911
Introduction Year: 3100
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-E-D
Cost: 703,518 C-bills
Type: Plumbata
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Tonnage: 45
Battle Value: 542
Equipment Mass
Engine 225 ICE 20
Safe Thrust: 5
Max Thrust: 8
Structural Integrity: 5
VSTOL Equipment: 2.5
Heat Sinks: 0 0
Fuel: 480 3.0
Cockpit 4.5
Armor Factor 45 3
Armor
Value
Nose 15
Wings 10/10
Aft 10
Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV
Rotary AC/5 NOS 10.0 - 20 20 0 0
Rotary AC/5 Ammo (40) FSLG 2.0 - - - - -
However, Rotary ACs are, despite best efforts from Marian Arms, still scarce in the Hegemony, and many Plumbatae are fitted with more ubiquitous (and imported/"imported" from FWL) MMLs and Machine Guns. While dogfighting, already dangerous for the poorly-armored Plumbata, becomes a death sentence, LRM range and general missile availability ensure that this variant may actually still be manufactured along with the main one when RAC/5 production is brought to intended amounts.
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Plumbata (MML)
Mass: 45 tons
Frame: P-AC-45
Power Plant: 225 ICE
Armor: Marian Arms Standard
Armament:
3 MML 5
1 Machine Gun
Manufacturer: Hadrian Mechanized Industries
Primary Factory: Pompey
Communication System: Garret T10B
Targeting & Tracking System: O-P 911
Introduction Year: 3100
Tech Rating/Availability: D/X-X-E-D
Cost: 689,430 C-bills
Type: Plumbata
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Tonnage: 45
Battle Value: 294
Equipment Mass
Engine 225 ICE 20
Safe Thrust: 5
Max Thrust: 8
Structural Integrity: 5
VSTOL Equipment: 2.5
Heat Sinks: 0 0
Fuel: 480 3.0
Cockpit 4.5
Armor Factor 45 3
Armor
Value
Nose 15
Wings 10/10
Aft 10
Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV
3 MML 5 NOS 9.0 - 6/3 0/3 0/3 0
Machine Gun NOS 0.5 - 2 0 0 0
MML 5 SRM Ammo (20) FSLG 1.0 - - - - -
MML 5 LRM Ammo (24) FSLG 1.0 - - - - -
Half Machine Gun Ammo (100) FSLG 0.5 - - - - -