MechDB Misadventures, Part 7: The Ultimate Iron Dome Unit?
Throughout the BattleTech universe (and by extension, all of its adaptations, including MechWarrior), there are some units that can fulfill the role of "iron dome" in a formation such as a lance (an Inner Sphere term referring to a group of four BattleMechs). These units are tasked with defending themselves - and their allies - against hostile missile (and artillery) salvos with their anti-missile systems (either the regular, ammunition-dependent type, or the newer, more heat-intensive, ammunition-independent Laser AMS). Many BattleMechs have provision for one, two, or even three such systems on their chassis, but what if I told you there is one variant of the apocryphal Corsair (an Assault-class 'Mech created specifically for MechWarrior Online) that can carry up to four? The 7A variant, however, has exactly that many, which is a unique and desirable property given that no other BattleMech variant can have more than three (and many of them don't even have provision for any AMS at all).
The Corsair COR-7A is the only BattleMech in MWO with four(!) AMS hardpoints, ensuring that it can defend against incoming missile salvos more easily than any other 'Mech.
The loadout I've shown here focuses on long-term DPS and staying power, with a dual Rotary Autocannon/2 and four Medium X-Pulse Lasers, cooled by 17 Double Heat Sinks and fed by 10 tons of RAC/2 ammo (5 per gun). It also has an ASP for closer zooming when needed - a handy tool when combined with those range quirks. Its real trump card, however, is its quartet of Laser AMS spread evenly throughout the chassis. They run hotter than regular AMS, but require no ammunition - another reason for all those extra heat sinks. The resulting 'Mech is intended for long engagements where it is expected to encounter large numbers of hostile missile-armed units.
The closest thing in the Infinite Space trilogy to a quad-AMS Corsair is a Calatian Super Dreadnought armed with five Proton Blasters and a pair of larger beam weapons - an Antichronon Pulse Blaster at minimum, although Positron Scrambler Beams, Tachyon Ray Guns or even Graviton Disintegrators (the last of which is only possible in the Combat Simulator, since you can't have more than one of those at a time in regular gameplay) can be substituted if you have the chance.
Every Calatian capital ship can serve as an "iron dome" for its fleet when armed exclusively (or at least mainly) with point-defense weapons, but the flagship Super Dreadnought shown above, with its quintet of small turrets and a pair of medium-sized ones, takes the cake.
As "iron dome" vessels, their effectiveness is increased even further with targeting computers, especially the more advanced ones such as the Eidetic Matrix Bubble shown above. Also, their small size relative to other factions' capital ships makes them comparatively nimbler and faster, and even more so when upgraded with more powerful thrusters (up to and including the Reactionless Thruster). Although their lack of large turrets limits their effectiveness at longer ranges (particularly when facing a Yellow Kawangi Dreadnought, which was built almost solely with that role in mind), their 360-degree coverage makes them a beast at short- and medium-range combat from any angle.
In short, "iron dome" units should not be underestimated, especially if you plan to use missile-armed units against them - you'll most likely expend a lot of ammo unnecessarily as they tear your salvos to shreds before they can cause any meaningful damage. On the other hand, if you have any such units in your formation, they might just make the difference between victory and defeat for your side, unless your opponent chooses not to use missile-based weapons against you, in which case you'll need other tactics instead. Still, it's nice to know that you can counter a hostile missile salvo with the right equipment - as long as you have enough ammo (or heat capacity for Laser AMS) to spare.
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