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Description
Overview:

The shortage of extreme-range artillery has been an issue since the collapse of the Star League nearly three hundred years ago. It became critical with the appearance of the Clans, where early engagement was necessary if a defending Inner Sphere force hoped to emerge victorious. Although Arrow IV systems are currently in widespread use, extreme long range is still the domain of conventional artillery, particularly the Long Tom. It is a curious fact that no House has ever taken up production of these Star League relics, despite their continued presence on the battlefield and the widespread availability of the technology needed for their manufacture. Long Tom components are still hoarded; the weapon itself is deployed infrequently either as a precursor to mass assault or as a last-ditch defense. This unusual situation is about to change, however, at least for the Draconis Combine’s Mustered Soldiery (DCMS).

Capabilities:

The Sabra II Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery carriage is one of the largest conventional weapons platforms ever produced by House Kurita, in this era or any other. Its main feature is a pair of Long Tom artillery pieces, forward-mounted in a ferro-fibrous armored tank chassis. The Long Toms are newly-minted copies of the old standard, and like the original are capable of hurling shells four times farther than the Arrow IV system, with comparable accuracy.

The carriage itself houses a Nissan 200 Fusion engine which can propel the Sabra to speeds in excess of 30 kph. While it will never win honors in a race for speed, the tracked nature of this design allows deployment on a wide variety of terrain. Moreover, the fusion engine relieves the issue of frequent refueling, a problem in logistics frequently encountered by its predecessor. Unlike the original Long Tom, the targeting, tracking and communications gear are housed in the same hull as the main guns. Furthermore, there is no provision for on-board ammunition. This reduces the number of crew required to man the Long Toms from fifteen to seven, the minimum required to clean, load and fire the guns. The gun carriage itself is equipped with large retractable spades at the rear. When extended and set, these provide a stable gun platform; apparently even the Sabra II’s enormous mass is not enough to absorb the recoil of a Long Tom without shifting position.

Ammunition transport and resupply are provided by the complementary BU-20a Ammunition Carrier and its crew, mentioned elsewhere in this readout. With a pair of Ammunition Carriers dedicated to a single Sabra II, the total number of vehicles is reduced to three from the original five – with an additional Long Tom into the bargain. This naturally makes the new design easier to transport to and from the battlefield; taken as a whole, the amount of logistical support required to field the Sabra II is very low when compared to the original Long Tom artillery piece. Finally, the Sabra II is armed with three Small Pulse Lasers, mounted on the left, right and rear of the main hull. These highly accurate weapons excel at warding off enemy infantry and the energy-based design neatly avoids the risk of ammunition explosion frequently associated with machine guns.

Deployment:

This weapons platform is designed to reinforce garrisons bordering the Ghost Bear Dominion and the Lyran Alliance. With its small logistics ‘footprint’ and low relative cost, the Sabra II is an ideal substitute for BattleMechs carrying long-range weapons and even precious Aerospace assets. Dispersed in moderate numbers which form part of a ‘layered defense’, the Sabra II’s highly destructive shells will be the first thing invading forces meet – and for many of them, the last.

Variants:

No variants have been seen, not even prototypes. However, informal discussions overheard by our agents center on removing the pulse lasers to make room for more armor or possibly a few tons of additional ammunition storage.

Description
Overview:

The shortage of extreme-range artillery has been an issue since the collapse of the Star League nearly three hundred years ago. It became critical with the appearance of the Clans, where early engagement was necessary if a defending Inner Sphere force hoped to emerge victorious. Although Arrow IV systems are currently in widespread use, extreme long range is still the domain of conventional artillery, particularly the Long Tom. It is a curious fact that no House has ever taken up production of these Star League relics, despite their continued presence on the battlefield and the widespread availability of the technology needed for their manufacture. Long Tom components are still hoarded; the weapon itself is deployed infrequently either as a precursor to mass assault or as a last-ditch defense. This unusual situation is about to change, however, at least for the Draconis Combine’s Mustered Soldiery (DCMS).

Capabilities:

The Sabra II Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery carriage is one of the largest conventional weapons platforms ever produced by House Kurita, in this era or any other. Its main feature is a pair of Long Tom artillery pieces, forward-mounted in a ferro-fibrous armored tank chassis. The Long Toms are newly-minted copies of the old standard, and like the original are capable of hurling shells four times farther than the Arrow IV system, with comparable accuracy.

The carriage itself houses a Nissan 200 Fusion engine which can propel the Sabra to speeds in excess of 30 kph. While it will never win honors in a race for speed, the tracked nature of this design allows deployment on a wide variety of terrain. Moreover, the fusion engine relieves the issue of frequent refueling, a problem in logistics frequently encountered by its predecessor. Unlike the original Long Tom, the targeting, tracking and communications gear are housed in the same hull as the main guns. Furthermore, there is no provision for on-board ammunition. This reduces the number of crew required to man the Long Toms from fifteen to seven, the minimum required to clean, load and fire the guns. The gun carriage itself is equipped with large retractable spades at the rear. When extended and set, these provide a stable gun platform; apparently even the Sabra II’s enormous mass is not enough to absorb the recoil of a Long Tom without shifting position.

Ammunition transport and resupply are provided by the complementary BU-20a Ammunition Carrier and its crew, mentioned elsewhere in this readout. With a pair of Ammunition Carriers dedicated to a single Sabra II, the total number of vehicles is reduced to three from the original five – with an additional Long Tom into the bargain. This naturally makes the new design easier to transport to and from the battlefield; taken as a whole, the amount of logistical support required to field the Sabra II is very low when compared to the original Long Tom artillery piece. Finally, the Sabra II is armed with three Small Pulse Lasers, mounted on the left, right and rear of the main hull. These highly accurate weapons excel at warding off enemy infantry and the energy-based design neatly avoids the risk of ammunition explosion frequently associated with machine guns.

Deployment:

This weapons platform is designed to reinforce garrisons bordering the Ghost Bear Dominion and the Lyran Alliance. With its small logistics ‘footprint’ and low relative cost, the Sabra II is an ideal substitute for BattleMechs carrying long-range weapons and even precious Aerospace assets. Dispersed in moderate numbers which form part of a ‘layered defense’, the Sabra II’s highly destructive shells will be the first thing invading forces meet – and for many of them, the last.

Variants:

No variants have been seen, not even prototypes. However, informal discussions overheard by our agents center on removing the pulse lasers to make room for more armor or possibly a few tons of additional ammunition storage.