I would like to know the story behind this
Say hello to the Charger.
The Sarna article for this thing STARTS with the sentence: "The Charger is seen as an example of abject failure in BattleMech design."
That should let you know what you're in for.
It was built as an 80-ton "ultra heavy scout" by Wells Technologies. Most of its 80 ton mass (~60%) is taken up the giant engine that manages to make it go a staggering... 86.4 km/h.
Yes, this was fast for an assault 'Mech when it was made, and in some reapects still is. But the problem is that because the engine is so fucking huge, and because Wells Technologies are morons, the 'Mech has only 10 tons of armor (less than 65% of the maximum total armor coverage for the weight. There are medium and heavy mechs with more armor than this thing.
And in terms of weapons? 5 small lasers.
That's it. Equivalent to 3 medium lasers and with a maximum possible range of 120 meters (but a maximum effective range of 90).
It carries no advanced scouting gear: no Active Probe, no ECM, no remote sensors, nothing.
It's armor is (relatively speaking) tissue paper and it is only armed with pop guns.
The only way it can truly be useful is... Well the clue is in the name. This wasn't Wells Technologies intent, and the fact that its good at this is essentially coincidence, but a Charger running at full speed will do serious damage to whatever unfortunate bastard it runs down and body checks.
Anyway, Wells Technologies sold this thing to the SLDF in the late 2600s, when the Star League was in its golden age, and the SLDF was fairly stagnant and corrupt, especially in terms of procurement. It was so bad that the SLDF withdrew it from service and shipped the 'Mechs back to Wells Technologies — they didn't even consider them worthy of being buried in an apocalypse proof bunker on some out-of-the-way planet to pad the DoME and SLDF Corps of Engineers budgets.
Thus meant that by the time the Star League fell, Wells Tech had over a thousand Chargers that they were just sitting on. Amd when the Succession Wars began, House Kurita came a-knockin'. They bought the vast majority of the Charger fleet, and established a long term contract with Wells, which proved useful, because it turns out that the Charger, while crap at its original job, was still a reliable and rugged 'Mech that was pretty good for garrisoning out of the way worlds to free up good 'Mechs to fight elsewhere, and was very good at COIN ops (counterinsurgency missions).
Also, the Kuritans and Capellans modified some by ripping out the old giant engines, stuffing in a smaller one, and filling the remaining space with more guns and armor. This made the Charger a more conventional (and much better) assault 'Mech, and so to the present day of the setting there are two lines of Charger development: trying to make it work in the original role (heavy scout), and turning it into a truer assault 'Mech.
And then there's the Charger C, aka "what happens when the 32nd century Clans get their hands on the Charger". 130 kpg top speed with MASC+supercharger, Ferro-Lamellor armor so it takes less damage, and five new, much heavier lasers to give it over three times the close range damage potential of the original. AND they managed to actually give it proper scouting equipment!
