Montgomery-class DropShip (Mech/ASF Carrier)

==Description==
When Commandant Tai Kekoa began their reformation of the Dust Devils shortly after the disaster on Kufstein, they realized early on that the configuration of the unit's DropShip assets would be an obstacle to their plans. As such, one of the first steps in the Devils' grand restructure was a complete overhaul of the unit's three standard Confederation-class Mech/ASF transports, as well as their single Intruder-class assault ship. Kekoa contracted the Majesty Metals and Manufacturing shipyard on Dunianshire for the refits, and dipped deep into the Devils' cash reserves and captured ClanTech stockpile to fund the project. It took several months, but in the end, the new Commandant was quite pleased with their reborn vessels, as the new, lighter engines and weaponry allowed for the transport of the Dust Devils' new BattleMech formation in the same number of ships, without sacrificing AeroSpace fighter capacity. The changes to the Confederation-class Mech carriers were significant enough to justify their designation as a new class, named the Montgomery after the lead ship of the class, DDS Raiju Montgomery. 
==Armament==
MMM's refit team's first step was to upgrade the Confederation's Star League-era engine core to an innovative XL Fusion model, freeing up weight for the further required refits without sacrificing thrust or lift capacity. While the primary weapons bay configuration was left intact, the entire arsenal of standard lasers were replaced with lighter, more powerful Clantech extended-range versions drawn from the Devils’ captured stockpiles. Replacing the original single heat sinks with double-strength versions not only compensates for the increased heat of the new weaponry, but allows for a higher rate of sustained fire. Finally, the vessel's already impressive defensive capability is further increased with the addition of four point-defense bays and the increase of the stock model's already impressive armor from 46 to 50 tons. 
==Cargo==
Next to the engines, by far the most radical change to the standard Confederation focused on the design's three cargo bays. The first bay maintains the original configuration of two AeroSpace fighter decks, each with its own door, but for BattleMech transport MMM was able to install a fifth cubicle thanks to the reduced weight of the Montgomery's lighter engine. The Mech cubicles are spread across decks two and three, with a door for each Mech to allow for rapid deployment, with an additional cargo compartment on deck two providing 69 tons of spare parts and ammunition capacity. A detailed study of the internal conveyor system of the DDS Manaki 'ino allowed MMM's engineers to replicate much of its form and function into the Montgomery-class, allowing for rapid movement of Mechs and cargo between vessels when the Montgomery is docked to the Argo-class's Multiple-Collar Docking System and the respective conveyors are connected. Making space for the additional cubicle and the conveyor system required the sacrifice of some of the Confederation-class's legendary repair and maintenance capabilities, but for the Devils such a loss is trivial in light of the facilities available on the DDS Manaki 'ino.
==Named Vessels==
To date, MMM has not received further requests for the Montgomery-class as a refit, and has not actively pursued a partnership with Kong Interstellar to produce the design as net-new vessels. Considering the expense of the class's drive core, and that the only current large-scale user of five-Mech combat formations among Inner Sphere or Periphery forces is the Marian Hegemony (a regular antagonist to the Magistracy), it is unlikely that the class will proliferate beyond the Dust Devils themselves.
* DDS Raiju Montgomery
* DDS True Grit
* DDS Kaldrvind
==Notes==
The Confederation is referred to in English canon as the Confederate as a very obvious counterpart to the Union, but as the author prefers not to glorify anything to do with the historical Confederacy, the Dust Devils AU uses the German translation instead.
Category:Dust Devils AU
Category:DropShipsCustom
Category:AeroSpace