TR-3X Wraith

Weapons                  Loc.        Crit
Medium X-Pulse Laser......RA...........1.............2
Medium X-Pulse Laser......RA...........1.............2
Medium X-Pulse Laser......LA...........1.............2
Medium X-Pulse Laser......LA...........1.............2
Bloodhound Active Probe...RT...........3.............2
Angel ECM Suite...........LT...........2.............2
TAG.......................CT...........1.............1
C3 Slave Unit.............RT...........1.............1
Laser Anti-Missile System.LT...........2.............1.5
Null-Signature System......*...........7*............0
Jump Jets.................RT...........3.............3
Jump Jets.................LT...........3.............3

Overview:

About the same time that Burger's Battlemechs engineers began the Nevermore Project, they decided that the goal of the project was a viable one and thus expanded the scope of it to include other testbed designs.  To this extent, they poured over numerous mech designs searching for possible candidates.  One design that came up was the Free Worlds League's Wraith.  Curtiss Militech's combining of speed and advanced armament on a 55-ton frame impressed the Burger enginners,  as did its recon ability, so they decided to choose the design as a testbed for creating a super-advanced recon and hunter-killer mech.  They requested the assistance of the Stone Cold Hearts' Colonel Devereaux, utilizing her FWL connections to obtain a few Wraiths for tinkering.

Capabilities:

The first step of the Wraith project was to create enough space and tonnage to install the additional equipment that the engineers envisioned for the TR-3X.  To do this, they did two things.  First, they dropped the ferro-fibrous armor, replacing it with 11.5 tons of Durallex Medium armor.  Though this required additional armor tonnage, it enabled the TR-3X to carry maximum armor at slightly less cost.  And because standard armor is much less bulky than ferro-fibrous, it created enough internal space for the engineers to work with.  The second thing they did was replace the LTV 385 XL engine with the smaller Vlar 330 XL engine.  This reduced mobility slightly, but the TR-3X is still very maneuverable, and freed up the tonnage required for the armor, two additional double heat sinks, and new equipment.

As with the Raven, Burger enginners installed a Null-Signature System into the TR-3X, enhancing its recon abilities further by giving it near-stealth capability.  Also, as with the Raven, the TR-3X features advanced recon equipment, including a Bloodhound Active Probe, Angel ECM Suite, Target Acquisition Gear, and a C3 Slave Unit.  As an additional defensive measure, the engineers added a new Laser Anti-Missile System.   Though it adds to the heat concerns, the Laser AMS has no need for ammunition, giving the TR-3X excellent and extended protection against missiles.

New weapon systems were also included on the TR-3X.  The older Tronel pulse lasers have been replaced with four prototype Medium X-Pulse Lasers from the NAIS.  An upgrade of the standard pulse laser, x-pulse lasers have improved range, at the cost of higher heat.  This cost was deemed acceptable by the engineers, and so they mounted the new lasers, giving the TR-3X impressive short and medium range firepower.

One interesting aspect of the TR-3X Wraith is the dual cockpit design, in a pilot/gunner fashion.  Though this requires additional training and cooperation between the mechwarrior team, it serves a dual purpose.  It has been proven that, during combat, a trained and competant pilot/gunner team can perform better in a mech than a solo mechwarrior of similar expertise could.  This serves to improve the TR-3Xs offensive capabilities.  A second purpose of this cockpit design is that, during reconnaisance patrols, one mechwarrior can operate the mech while the other concentrates on monitoring the recon equipment, thus improving recon abilities.

Deployment:

The Wraiths acquired by Colonel Devereaux have been refitted and are currently undergoing operational tests.  Early reports are promising, and Burger's Engineers is considering a limited production run.  The Free Worlds League military and government initially balked at this and caused an uproar when they first heard of the project.   Burger's Battlemechs responded by sending the FWL military an additional shipment of LNS-O Longstrikes as well as blueprints and licenses for a limited production run of the 100-ton OmniMech.  As their military has always been chronically short on assault mechs, the FWL conceded and sullenly allowed Burger's Battlemechs to continue.