The Jaguar was developed as a possible successor to the North's first Heavy Gear, the Hunter. An advanced commando/general purpose Gear, the Jaguar was very similar to the Hunter in most regards, but with significant improvements: more powerful weapons and actuators, improved sensors and communication systems, reinforced chassis and armoring, and a more powerful V-engine.
The armament of the new Gear was kept very similar to that of the Hunter, although the main direct fire weapon became the heavier Riley MR25 machinecannon rifle. A new second-generation IHADS control interface and a more precise targeting system allowed a generalized improvement in fire-control. Actuator systems were improved as well using a new and more powerful actuator design. A more powerful communications array also allowed the Jaguar to function under mild ECM jamming and to be used as a command unit.
The Jaguar also benefited from the introduction of a new S-V1110 V-Engine that could produce 620 horsepower and allowed it to outpace any Gear in its class. New armor materials, still using the durasheet composite standard to Northern Gears but reinforced with steel alloy sub-plates and chassis struts made the Jaguar more resistant to damage from shock and weapon fire. The reinforced chassis of the Jaguar also made possible a built-in airdropping capability for every production model. To ensure that each Jaguar can survive multiple drops with ease, its legs are reinforced.
The only real drawback of the Jaguar design is the interface for the new IHADS system: bulkier than the old Hunter-inspired system, it leaves little headroom for the pilot.
Usage[]
The Jaguar entered production just in time to take part in the War of the Alliance against the Colonial Expeditionary Force. It helped turn the tide against the CEF in many roles: as a commando, trooper, command unit, anti-armor unit, and even paratrooper.
They first swelled the ranks of the Northern armies and, once a rapid agreement had been reached, were sent south to answer the need for high-technology commando Gears in Southern forces. The Jaguar saw action across the planet as a commando, a trooper, a command unit, an anti-armor unit and a makeshift airdroppable fire-support Gear.
It also (unfortunately for its pilots) jump-started Southern Gear development and inspired the deadly Black Mamba. The Jaguar has yet to replace the Hunter because of its higher cost and increased complexity, but with every cycle it enters service in more and more units and some consider it only a matter of time before it becomes the lead Gear of all Northern forces.