MercTech: Rifleman

History:
The 60 ton Rifleman has always had a complicated history. Built primarily as an anti-aircraft platform, the Rifleman is intended to bring a lot of firepower against a strafing aerospace fighter and have the time to cool off before the next run, but circumstances often force it against ground forces, a role that it fares horribly in. The ubiquitous -3N carries twin class-5 autocannons and large lasers as primary weapons at long ranges, with twin medium-class lasers as close-range backup. While this is impressive firepower for a 60 ton design during the Succession Wars, 10 standard-grade heat sinks can't possibly dissipate the waste heat within an acceptable amount of time, and 7.5 tons of armor is comparable to a lighter medium mech's protection, with paper-thin armor covering the rear. When you accept its intended role and do your best to keep it there, the Rifleman performs admirably.

As one of the enduring mechs throughout the centuries, the Rifleman has seen a large amount of variants, with some trying to rectify its flaws and make it a more effective fire support platform against other mechs and vehicles, and other improving its AA capabilities even further with the latest technologies. One attempt to solve the Rifleman's issues was not a variant, but an entirely new mech, the 65 ton Jagermech.

RFL-3N:
Structure: Standard

Armor: Standard 7.5 tons

Engine: Standard 240

Top Speed: 65 kph

Gyro: Standard

Heat Sinks: 10 Single Heat Sinks

Cockpit: Standard

Equipment: 2x AC-5s w/ 1t ammo, 2x Large Lasers, 2x Medium Lasers

RFL-3C:
Structure: Standard

Armor: Standard 8.5 tons

Engine: Standard 240

Top Speed: 65 kph

Gyro: Standard

Heat Sinks: 10 Single Heat Sinks

Cockpit: Standard

Equipment: 2x AC-10s w/ 2t ammo, 2x Medium Lasers

RFL-4D:
Structure: Standard

Armor: Standard 7.5 tons

Engine: Standard 240

Top Speed: 65 kph

Gyro: Standard

Heat Sinks: 15 Single Heat Sinks

Cockpit: Standard

Equipment: 2x PPCs, 2x Large Lasers

RFL-5D:
Structure: Standard

Armor: Standard 9 tons

Engine: Extra-Light 240

Top Speed: 65 kph

Gyro: Standard

Heat Sinks: 17 Double Heat Sinks

Cockpit: Standard

Equipment: 2x ERPPCs, 2x Large Lasers, 2x Medium Lasers