Ursus (50t)
Model by Primus
The first in a series of Ghost Bear ’Mechs to be built in the Inner Sphere, the Ursus was designed to fulfill the Clan's most pressing need: defense. The fall of the Smoke Jaguars left the Ghost Bears with a sizable border facing the Draconis Combine, and they needed a strong, flexible defensive unit to garrison a border that could turn hostile at any moment. The Ursus fulfills its mission with a variety of weapon systems designed to engage a target at multiple ranges with accurate and massive firepower. As a defensive ’Mech, speed is secondary, and so the Ursus carries only a standard 200 rated engine, readily available in the Inner Sphere. Though this limits the 'Mech to a maximum speed of 65 kph, this was deemed a necessary sacrifice in order to mount the desired weapon systems on the 50-ton chassis.
Its highlight an extended-range large laser, the arsenal of the Ursus is impressive for a 'Mech of its size. Its only real weakness is a shortage of significant long-range firepower, with only an LRM-10 rack to supplement the large laser. A relatively maneuverable enemy can stay out of effective range of the majority of the ’Mech’s weapons, but because the Ursus is expected to face inferior Inner Sphere machines, this is not as much of a flaw as it might seem.