Difference between revisions of "Lubalin Ballistics-X AutoCannons"

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Lubalin Ballistics-X AutoCannon, or LBX (also written LB-X), are a development that builds upon the Standard AutoCannon by turning it into the BattleMech equivalent of a shotgun.

Overview

Schematic of an LBX AutoCannon

Rather than firing a single slug the LBX fires a cluster of pellets at the target which spread out and have the potential to strike multiple areas on the target. While their rate-of-fire is significantly lower than that of a standard AutoCannon, their burst damage is significantly enhanced. In addition, the larger LBX weapons (the LBX10 and LBX20) have improved range compared to standard AutoCannon. One important factor to note is that LBX weapons carry fewer rounds per ton, something that is acutely noticed if they are fired too liberally.

Currently it appears there is no difference between Inner Sphere and Clan versions of the Lubalin Ballistics-X AutoCannon.

Weapon Stats

All stats are current as of release 0.8.6.

(C)LBX2 and (C)LBX5

Oddly, the LBX2 and LBX5 do not have the improvement in range seen in the larger LBX AutoCannon (in fact, the LBX2 has shorter range!). Their rate-of-fire remains acceptable for anti-aircraft duties, however, aided by the shot spread and increased weapon damage. The shot spread also makes them useful against Battle Armor. One big plus is that since the LBX2 and LBX5 both deal Kinetic instead of Light Kinetic damage they are more capable against more heavily armored foes, however they remain best used as long range direct fire support weapons.

(C)LBX10 and (C)LBX20

The LBX10 and LBX20 take one of the most attractive elements of the AC10 and AC20, their high damage per shot, and improve it further. In addition they both get a much appreciated range boost (though the LBX20 still has a frustratingly short range of just 450 meters). Unfortunately this comes at the cost of further reduction to their rate-of-fire, making the time between shots slow enough that hitting nimble targets can be difficult.

One thing to keep in mind is that the shot spread makes it difficult to focus fire on a single location when firing at range, instead spreading the damage out across the unit. On the flip side this means that if an enemy location is already heavily damaged they are more likely to deal at least some damage to the area. At close range the pellets have less time to spread out, resulting in more concentrated damage, making the LBX10 and LBX20 especially dangerous in close quarters combat.

Canon

Lubalin Ballistics-X AutoCannon was initially intended to expand the weapon's role into anti-vehicle and anti-infantry duties. Initially developed in 2595 by the Terran Hegemony (LBX10 only), it featured the ability to fire either slugs for concentrated damage or cluster munitions that had a better chance of finding a chink in the target's armor (and also made it better able to engage aircraft).

While the Inner Sphere lost LBX technology in 2840 during the Succession Wars the Clans would go on to introduce the LBX2, LBX5 and LBX20 during the 2820's. Later the Inner Sphere would rediscover the LBX10 in 3035 thanks to the Helm Core, and introduce the other LBX classes in 3058 in response to the Clan Invasion.

In Classic BattleTech the CLBX2 and CLBX5 have improved range over their Inner Sphere counterparts. In addition all CLBX weapons are more compact and weigh less than Inner Sphere LBX weapons.

Usage

The following vehicles equip these weapons.

See Also

• Standard AutoCannons

• Ultra AutoCannons

• Rotary AutoCannons

• Gauss Rifles