Retriever RTV-3R

Overview
In 3055, the Ellingham Corporation set about designing a unit that could use the famous mobility and hardiness of bipedal 'Mechs for search & rescue operations. Production and supply line difficulties delayed the prototype, however. The 'Mech was originally designed with customized targeting and communications gear to mark targets for S&R teams, but the proprietary system never worked up to spec. A break finally came in 3060 when the waning popularity of the Narc Beacon left manufacturers increasingly desperate to find buyers for their growing surplus of Narc equipment. Designers for the Retriever were able to adapt the Narc system to fire a less powerful but longer-lasting civilian grade homing beacon, and were pleased to find it meshed well with the 'Mech's targeting and communications systems. The Retriever was finalized and has been sold in small but steady numbers since then, even after the Draconis Combine seized the primary factory in 3143.

Its pilots enjoy some celebrity among emergency responders, who jokingly call them Hazardous Environment Recovery Operators, for the obvious acronym. The cargo bay has proven to be one of the most popular parts of the 'Mech. Though the bay was intended to carry supplies for an S&R team, pilots have found multiple uses for an armored compartment sealed against the outside environment. The Retriever's cargo bay has been used to carry anything from short-range drones to strapped-in medical teams, with at least two recorded instances of field doctors repurposing the cargo bay of a stationary Retriever as a makeshift surgical theatre.

Notable pilots: Omar Erikson, who bought a Retriever for "personal use." He was fond of taking his Retriever on extended safaris hunting the local megafauna of his planet. These expeditions evolved into major social events, with guests following along in jeeps to watch Erikson fight large beasts with his laser and saw, then joining him for nightly parties inside a two-story collapsible structure he packed into the 'Mech's cargo bay.

Capabilities
The Retriever is built for search & rescue operations in the harshest of conditions. A Searchlight in conjunction with a Beagle Active Probe lets it find injured people and damaged vehicles, even those unable put out a distress beacon or commline signal. A powerful Dual Saw allows the Retriever to carve away rubble, trees, or anything else between it and those in need of rescue. Paramedic Equipment accessible through hatches in the lower legs provides medical supplies to ground personnel. A modified Narc Beacon allows the 'Mech to tag areas of interest for other teams to follow up on. A cargo bay in the chest has room for up to two tons of emergency supplies. For defense the 'Mech carries a single Small Laser. Three and a half tons of Heavy Industrial armor fortified with full Environmental Sealing protect the 'Mech from everything from raiders to toxic atmospheres to aggressive wildlife, and a set of jump jets allow it to get out of situations other search vehicles couldn't even get into.

Deployment
The Retriever saw use across the Inner Sphere, though the 'Mech's price meant it was usually only sent out in response to a major crisis. It garnered accolades when it was deployed to rescue a lesser Duke's family, whose DropShip escape pod had sunk to the bottom of a deep ocean. The image of a pair of Retrievers walking out of the water dragging the escape pod behind them remains in the manufacturer's advertising portfolio. The Retriever saw widespread use among mercenary units and House militiaries, who would deploy the Retriever alongside BattleMech lances to recover their wounded from the battlefield and help pull civilians out of active combat zones. It also saw frequent "off-label" use as a cheap scout, where its powerful sensor package proved just as capable of picking out enemy units as it was rescue targets. Some desperate militaries have replaced the civilian-grade tracking beacons with traditional Narc warheads to try and use the 'Mech as a missile spotter, but when faced with hostile targets, more often than not the Retriever's low speed and armor left it destroyed before getting to mark anything.