imported>Csdavis715: /* Variants */

2024-06-10T06:51:26Z

Variants

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{{ApocryphalArticle}}
{{InfoBoxBattleMech
| image = Loader King.jpg
| name = Loader King
| manufacturer =
[[Achernar BattleMechs]]
----
[[Solaris Arms]]
| model = LDK-X2A
| Use = LoaderMech
|Tech Base = Inner Sphere
|mech type = IndustrialMech / BattleMech
|feet=2
| cost =
| introduced = [[3030]]
| mass = 65
| chassis =
| armor =
| engine = [[260 Fusion Engine]]
| comsys =
| T&T =
| heat sinks = 1 [[Double Heat Sink|double]]
| speed = 64.8
| armament =
* 1x [[MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries/Equipment#Burst-Fire Rifles|Medium Rifle-Burst Fire]]
* 2x [[Autocannon/2|Autocannon/2-Rapid Fire]]
* 1x [[SRM-4]]
* 3x [[medium laser]]
| Equipment = <span></span>
| BV (1.0) =
| BV (2.0) =
}}

==Description==
The '''''Loader King''''' is a [[IndustrialMech|LoaderMech]] developed by [[Achernar BattleMechs]] during the [[Succession Wars era]].<ref name=MWO-RGH-Lore>''MechWarrior Online Roughneck'' Lore and Blueprint</ref>

Following the phenomenal success of [[Sitwell Corporation]]'s ''[[Powerman]]'' LoaderMech in the twenty-ninth century, other corporations decided to tap into the same lucrative market. While best known for its [[BattleMech]]s, Achernar also manufactured IndustrialMechs, the most famous of which was the ''[[Dig King]]'' MiningMech, and the company chose to develop a direct competitor to the ''Powerman''. The resulting ''Loader King'' would be regarded as a superb and resilient design, able to weather constant hard use and continue to perform for decades.<ref name=MWO-RGH-Lore/>

This well-earned reputation would be the seed for the eventual conversion of the ''Loader King'' into a full BattleMech. The desperate expansion in BattleMech production to try and stem the [[Clan]] onslaught during the [[Clan Invasion|initial invasion]] resulted in stepping up the output of Achernear's existing lines for the ''[[Locust]]'', ''[[Enforcer]]'' and ''[[Dervish]]'' but was still not enough. This prompted one of the company's lead designers to suggest a radical method to expand 'Mech production, using the ''Loader King'' as the basis not merely for a militarized MOD conversion but overhauling the sturdy and proven design with the appropriate BattleMech-grade components turn it into a full combat 'Mech - the ''[[Roughneck]]''.<ref name=MWO-RGH-Lore/>

The 'Mech's inherent capacity to withstand strenuous operational conditions, showing a remarkable ability to endure sustained wear and tear, made the ''Loader King'' an ideal chassis for organizations like [[Solaris Arms]] to weaponize it for the purposes of arena combat.<ref name=MW5Mmdd>''MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries'', BattleMech Database description</ref>

==Weapons and Equipment==
One of the more common variants, the LDK-X2A uses a 260 rated [[fusion engine]] for a top speed of 64.8 km/h. Each arm is equipped with a rapid-fire [[autocannon/2]], with the right torso having a burst-fire [[MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries/Equipment#Burst-Fire Rifles|Medium Rifle]] and an [[SRM-4]] installed in the left torso. Three [[medium laser]]s, two in the center torso and one in the head, round out the arsenal. Tuned for the arenas, the 'Mech has thirteen tons of armor but just one [[double heat sink]] and a single ton of ammunition for each weapon type.<ref name=MW5M>''MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries''</ref>

==Variants==
*; LDK-X1A : One of the original two BattleMech models introduced in [[3028]], the X1A featured a [[275 Extralight Fusion Engine]] for a top speed of 68.54 km/h. Three burst-fire [[MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries/Equipment#Burst-Fire Rifles|Light Rifles]] were equipped in the arms and right torso, along with a rapid-fire [[autocannon/10]] in the left torso. A pair of [[SRM-4]]s and a [[small laser]] in the left torso and head, respectively, offered additional firepower. The armor and ammunition weight resembled that of the X2A, though was able to fit an additional double heat sink and ton of AC/10 ammo.<ref name=MW5M/>

*; LDK-X1B : The other original variant, the X1B likewise uses the same [[extralight fusion engine]] but is also built on an [[endo steel]] chassis for additional weight savings. The head small laser is retained but the rest of the weapons have been switched out, with each arm containing a rapid-fire [[autocannon/5]], each of the left and right torsos carrying an [[SRM-6]], and a [[MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries/Equipment#PPCs|PPC-X]] in the left arm. Three double heat sinks and two tons of ammo fill out the weight.<ref name=MW5M/>

*; LDK-X3A : A companion to the X2A released in [[3030]], this all-[[Energy Weapons|energy]] variant removes the dependency on ammunition by carrying a [[MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries/Equipment#PPCs|PPC-X]] in the right arm and [[Binary Laser Cannon|Binary Laser]] in the left. Two [[medium laser]]s in the right torso with a third in the left, along with a [[small laser]] in each of the left torso and head slot, offer a variety of options for both ranged and close quarter fighting. Six double heat sinks are needed to keep the 'Mech cool, which also carries the same engine and armor weight as the X2A.<ref name=MW5M/>

*; LDK-SA5 : Produced in [[3032]], this final [[Solaris Arms]] variant kept the [[260 Fusion Engine]] but incorporated the [[endo steel]] skeleton to create enough room to carry a rapid-fire [[autocannon/20]] in the right torso. While the SA5 also has two [[small laser]]s in each of the left torso and left arm to complement the short-range power of the AC/20, it also uses a long range [[Binary Laser Cannon|Binary Laser]] in the right arm. Maintaining the thirteen tons of armor, the remaining four tons are taken by two double heat sinks and two tons of ammunition.<ref name=MW5M/>

===Custom Variants===
*; LDK-IDM ''Indomitable'' : Created in [[3037]] and first piloted by [[Rayan Shiver]], the ''Indomitable'' was used so successfully that after an unprecedented winning streak, accusations of match fixing would eventually end Shiver's career. Employing the [[275 Extralight Fusion Engine]] and [[endo steel]] chassis to maximize space, the 'Mech was equipped with three burst-fire [[MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries/Equipment#Burst-Fire Rifles|Heavy Rifles]], one in each arm and the right torso, with an [[SRM-4]] in each arm and the left torso should an opponent get too close. Two double heat sinks and two tons of ammunition were all that was needed.<ref name=MW5M/>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* [https://mwomercs.com/news/2016/12/1672-roughneck-lore-blueprint MechWarrior Online ''Roughneck'' Lore and Blueprint]
* ''[[MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries]]'' (video game)

[[Category:'Mechs]]
[[Category:Apocryphal BattleMechs]]

Loader King - Revision history

imported>Csdavis715: /* Variants */