CHINA'S MAIN PRODUCTION BATTLEMECHS 1995-2025
First Generation
TINMAN
Mass:
3 tons
Chassis:
9 foot Humanoid type 1
Power Plant:
Diesal
Cruising Speed:
60.0 km/h
Maximum Speed:
90.0 km/h
Jump Jet:
mixed diesel oil, 5 jump pulse capacity.
Jump Range
10 meters vertical height per pulse
Armor:
0.15 inches rolled steel plate
0.05 inches Optional ceramic powder high temperature overlay
Armament:
Left arm mounted 0.50 caliber machine gun, 300 rpm cyclic, 10 round burst
200 rounds case less ammo
Right arm mounted 0.50 caliber machine gun, 300 rpm cyclic, 10 round burst
200 rounds case less ammo
Shoulder mounted 40 mm grenade launchers, 300 rpm cyclic
30 rounds.
Manipulators 3 fingered on each arm
Can hand carry a 0.5 ton optional pistol heavy weapon or 1.0 ton Rifle heavy weapon.
Manufacturer(s):
Chinglee
Communications System:
TanChing Spread Spectrum
Targeting & Tracking System:
Cat's Eyes 5
Production Dates
prototyped only 1995- 1998

OVERVIEW:

A 3 meter high Chinese mech with simple steel plate armour and a relatively small high output Diesel motor.

The several hundred built between 1995 and mid 1998 and were used as test units. The Chinese used them to fully integrate the technology reversed engineered from the remnants of the Cylon equipment discovered around a crashed starship, in Tibet. 

The Tinman's range is very limited and the Diesel engine has a tendency to quickly overheat under full load conditions, such as running at Maximum speed or lifting at rated limit.

Most of these prototype test units were converted to the standard configuration above and sold around the world. They retained the arm mounted machine guns,  and the 40 mm grenade lunchers, but most purchasing country's converted local heavy weapons for their mech's optional ”hand weapon”.

Several nations allied with China and Russia copied the Tinman design and purchased the artificial muscle fibers from Russia or China putting many minor variants of this design into local production often with improved armour or heavier weapons most locally produced variants lacked the cold fusion power plants of the later Chinese and Russian designs.  

After the Russian designed  Wolf mecha became available to China and Russia's allies along with it's associated spare parts stream most Tinman mecha were modified to be interchangeable with the similar Russian design and often had explosive active armour panels retrofitted to it's simple metal armour.

 

 

Second Generation
 IRONMAN
Mass:
5 tons
Chassis:
12 foot Humanoid Type 2
Power Plant:
Cold-fusion model 1A
Cruising Speed:
55.0 km/h
Maximum Speed:
80 km/h
Overload Speed:
160 km/h must use steam jet to cool down
Jump Jets:
1 Steam Jet 3 pulses auto refill any water source
Jump Capacity:
6 meters vertical height per pulse
Armor:
0.25 inches unobtainium 
Armament:
Left arm mounted 25 mm auto cannon 50 round clip, 300 rpm cyclic, 5 round burst
four 50 round clips case less ammo.
Left Shoulder mounted 40mm grenade launcher, 300 rpm cyclic
30 rounds
Right shoulder mounted 0.22 caliber anti missile 4 barrel gatling 1200 rpm cyclic, 40 round burst
1800 rounds rim fire 0.22 shorts ammo
Right arm 0.50 caliber machine gun, 300 rpm cyclic, 10 round burst
500 round case less ammo
Manipulator  3 fingered on each arm
Can carry 0.5 ton optional pistol heavy weapon or 1.0 ton Rifle heavy weapon.
Control
40% invasive Neurointerface 60% conventional
Manufacturer(s):
Chinglee
Communications System:
TanChing Spread Spectrum
Targeting & Tracking System:
Cat's Eyes 5
Production Dates
prototyped 1998, production 1999
 
Overview:
A 4 meter high Chinese battlemech the first to have the superarmour, the first to be mass produced, the first to have large numbers with the invasive neuro interface and the first to have a cold fusion power-plant.

The Ironman prototype was tested under diesel power in late July of 1998 and it was put in mass production in early 1999, complete with a cold fusion power plant and 40% containing the invasive neuro interface.

The Chinese continued production of this model, eventually mostly for sale to allies with minor improvements for the next 30 years, both with and without the Neuro interface control system.

The Chinese version originally often carried a short barreled 125 mm "hand" cannon  with a 5 round clip of armour piercing saboted shells and two extra 5 round clips of  mixed high explosive and saboted shells. This weapon was not known for accuracy and most  of China's allied nations preferred conversion of smaller higher accuracy weapons or small caliber gatling mini-guns.

After 2005 limited numbers of early production model Ironman mecha became available complete with Cold-fusion and superarmour. China adopted the policy of only selling Ironman mecha that were at least 5 years behind current production units.

Nations that purchased Iron Man mecha often purchased extra unobtainium plates or retrofited active armour and after 2013 all Ironman mecha were built with a very limited covering of  active armour plates over critical sections.  

 

Third Generation 
DRAGON
Mass:
8 tons
Chassis:
15 foot Humanoid Type 3
Power Plant:
Cold fusion model 1F
Cruising Speed:
80.0 km/h
Maximum Speed:
120 km/h
Armor:
0.50 inches unobtainium
Armament:
Left arm and shoulder mounted 125 mm auto cannon, 1 round every 30 seconds
30 rounds case less ammo
Right shoulder mounted 0.22 caliber anti missile 4 barrel gatling, 1200 rpm cyclic, 40 round burst
1800 rounds rim fire 0.22 shorts ammo
Right arm 0.50 caliber machine gun 300 rpm cyclic, 10 round burst
600 round case less ammo
manipulator 3 fingered on right arm
after 2010 often has a weaker copy of the russian electromagnet spike retrofitted under the 125mm gun.
Can carry 0.50 ton optional heavy weapon, only compatible with the Ironman "pistol" option heavy weapon.
Control:
80% invasive Neurointerface 20% conventional
Manufacturer(s):
Chinglee and Hanchi
Communications System:
TanChing Spread Spectrum
Targeting & Tracking System:
Dragon's eye 2
Production dates:
prototyped 2002, production small numbers 2003
 
Overview:

A 5 meter high Chinese battlemech this version sacrifices the jump jets and one arm replacing both systems with a 125 mm cannon cut down to fit the mech, the cold fusion power plant is smaller and more powerful than the second generation Ironman version.

The Dragon prototype was first tested in late June of 2002, without a main weapon, and was put into limited production in late 2003 with a heavily modified 125 mm cannon replacing the problematic magnetic rail gun.  The Recoil from the 125 mm cannon was extreme and effectively limited the firing rate to one round every thrity seconds, this slowly improved by several seconds over the years.  To maintain balance the mecha is required to backstep at least  two steps.

The armour of the Dragon was often retrofited with a limited covering of  reactive armour and after 2013 it became standard, but unlike the ultra dragon was limited to a single layer.
 


 ULTRA DRAGON
Mass:
10 tons
Chassis:
15 foot Humanoid Type 3
Power Plant:
Cold fusion model 1F
Cruising Speed:
80.0 km/h
Maximum Speed:
120 km/h
Armor:
0.65 inches unobtainium
Several layers of  reactive armour with sensor detonated brick-lets.
Armament:
Left arm and shoulder mounted 20 mm magnetic pulse rail gun, 3 rounds/hour in 2005, 20 rounds/hour in 2015
50 rounds
Right shoulder mounted 0.22 caliber anti missile 4 barrel gatling, 1200 rpm cyclic, 40 round burst
1800 rounds rim fire 0.22 shorts ammo
Right arm 0.50 caliber machine gun, 300 rpm cyclic, 10 round burst
600 round case less ammo
manipulator 3 fingered on right arm
Can carry 0.50 ton heavy weapon, only compatible with the Ironman "pistol" option heavy weapon.
Control:
100% invasive Neurointerface
Manufacturer(s):
Chinglee and Hanchi
Communications System:
TanChing Spread Spectrum
Targeting & Tracking System:
Dragon's eye 2
Production dates
prototyped 2004, production 2015
 

Overview:

Twelve UltraDragon were completed with the still experimental magnetic pulse rail guns in 2004, but major problems with this weapon limited UltraDragon production to prototype levels of 4 to 6 a year until around 2015, when the major flaw of excessive barrel wear was finally solved and the recharge and overheating problems greatly reduced.

The Ultra class or UltraDragons is just over 2 tons heavier than the Dragon with the added weight coming from the addition of a slightly larger cold fusion power plant and an increase in the super armour and the addition of active armour plates and explosive brick-lets. The 20 mm magnetic pulse gun along with it's superconductors and electronics is actually a half ton lighter than the 125 mm cannon of the Dragon, but until 2015 excessive barrel wear and super-conductor burnout, along with shock damage limited the weapon to less than 50 shots before replacement of the weapon was required. The weapon has the energy equivalent of a 12 inch gun with the penetration ability comparable to a 16 inch gun and even with far heavier recoil systems and 2 tons added weight each firing of the weapon required the Ultradragon to take multiple back-steps to remain standing.

The Ultradragons main weapon's magnetic fields prevented the retrofitting of a russian designed electromagnet spike under it.