V5.00 P HellbenderHBD-1A fEDABAMA 6 6 4 5 41 3 if "" & c$ (Unknown)c (Unknown)c (Unknown)8 (Unknown)8 (Unknown)ccccccccccccccc  8 88The Hellbender is a major variant of the Lyran Salamander fire support Mech. Its origins stem from both military and business problems with the Salamander; the solution to those problems, is a classic example of the Lyran mind at work. On the military side, the Salamander was much appreciated for its ability to send large numbers of missiles downrange. But the Salamander was also notoriously vulnerable to return fire, with a fragile XL engine and large ammo bins; the bin in the left arm was a particular problem, since it lacked CASE protection. On the business side, the Salamander's military problems and high price quickly limited its sales. This problem was exacerbated by the return of the Longbow (in Reseen form) to the armies of the Inner Sphere. If Defiance Industries wanted to remain competitive in the fire support market, something drastic would have to be done about the Salamander. That something was the Hellbender: a tougher, less expensive Salamander. It was a stroke of business genius, a Mech that could attract a wider market than the overly specialized and overly costly Longbow, without losing sales to existing Salamander customers. `The Hellbender uses the same ES2 chassis as the Salamander, and externally, the two Mechs look much alike. But internally, a large number of changes have been made, enough that the Hellbender warrants being given its own name. The new name also helps marketing, by making a clear distinction between the Hellbender and the troubled Salamander, while still maintaining some relationship between the two. The Salamander's fragile, expensive XL engine has been replaced with a smaller, more durable standard engine. This limits the Hellbender's top speed to 54 KPH, but on a positive note, it also cuts the unit price nearly in half, improving its appeal to smaller markets. The Hellbender is armed with three LRM-20's, much like the Salamander. But the troublesome arm ammo bin is gone, and the remaining bins have been rearranged to provide twelve salvos per launcher. To compensate for the reduced ammo load, the LRM launchers are enhanced with Artemis IV, to make the limited shots count. CASE protects both ammo bins, and a trio of Defiance B3M medium lasers provides defense at close range. With heavier guns, a battle fist, thicker armor, and no XL engine, the Hellbender is tougher, more versatile, and more survivable at close range than the Reseen Longbow. This fact is being played up by Defiance, and is proving to be a decisive selling point to many users. The only notable variant of the Hellbender that has actually seen production, is a model used by the LAAF's experimental C3-equipped units. This model simply replaces the head ML with a C3 slave, and has proven terrifyingly effective when teamed with short-range C3 spotters.  The Hellbender is slated to wholly replace the Salamander in LAAF service. The Hellbender is also for sale to allied mercenary units, and other users that do not present a direct threat to the Lyran Alliance.Designed by James Myers [ none ] (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown) (Unknown)