Champion

The Champion debuted in 2602 from Bergan Industries and is the second BattleMech released by Bergan Industries, following just over a century after their highly successful Locust design. The Champion was intended to work in heavy recon and fast strike roles.

The Champion has been criticized as a ‘Mech that is too heavy for its role, citing that it is both under armored and under-gunned. It has also been pointed out that the Champion's greatest weakness is the use of single heat sinks which can cause the ‘Mech to suffer from some heat problems when weapons are used aggressively.

Armament

The armament on the Champion consists of an Lubalin LB 10-X Autocannon, 1 Harpoon 6 SRM Launcher mated to an Artemis IV fire control system, 2 Magna MkII Medium Lasers, and 2 Martell Small Lasers. The excess heat produced by these weapons is kept in check through the use of 10 single heat sinks.

Variants

• CHP-2N Champion - This variant removed the advanced LB-X Autocannon and replaced it with a standard autocannon and removed the Artemis IV FCS. In addition this variant removes the Ferro-Fibrous armor and replaces it witht he same weight in standard armor reducing the overall armor protection on the 'Mech even further.

• CHP-3N Champion - This variant of the Champion is a major upgrade. It replaces the standard fusion engine with a lighter but more vulnerable extralight engine. In addition the heat sinks have been upgraded to double heat sinks and two Large Lasers have been added to the Mech's arsenal.

• CHP-3P Champion - The 3P is the newest variant of the Champion. The 'Mechs weapons have been completely upgraded to modern standards with the removal of all of its weapons. In their place this version of the Champion carries four ER Medium Lasers, one in each arm. An Ultra Autocannon 10 replaces the LBX Autocannon and the SRM 6 has been replaced by an improved Narc Missile Beacon. In addition the extralight engine used in the 3N has been retained and the 'Mech has also had an improved c3 computer added to allow it to work as part of a 6-unit c3 network.