The Crab has been a welcome addition to the regiments 
of the Draconis Combine ever since Comstar began 
supplying them in 3030. Since that date the Crab has 
earned a distinguished fighting record even against the 
predations of the Clans.

In 3045 the Draconis Combine made the Crab one of its 
standard designs when they decommisioned line used 
for the ageing TBT-7K Trebuchet. The line would have 
been used as another Dragon manufacutrer but the old 
machinery was limited to a maximum of 50 tons.

After that date the Crab has been produced in great 
numbers to become the Combines most numerous 
medium weight battlemech. Because the Draconis 
manufacturing plants could not replicate the advanced 
Ferro-Fibrous armor of the original design some minor 
modifications were needed.

The new design labeled the CRB-28 had 10 tons of armor 
and mounted one less heat sink than the original. This 
variant became widely used throughout the Combine and 
was greatly respected by pilots and foes alike.

After the entrance of the clans, Drcaonis engineers were 
able to reproduce the Ferro-Fibrous armor as well as 
Endo-Steel internals commonly used in starleague 
designs. The designers were simply going to readd the 
Ferro-Fibrous armor as per the original design but 
realised that if they included Endo-Steel internals as well
they could mount the maxinmum armor for the chassis 
and free up an extra three tons of space over the CRB-28.

To free up even more space the engineers replaced the 
heat sinks with the more effiecent double heat sinks now 
available to them. This meant, even with three less heat 
sinks than the CRB-28, the design would have 50% better 
heat disapation than the original.

Now the designers had an extra 6 tons to work with and 
decided instead of wounting the more heat intensive ER 
laser variants they would mount a third large laser, giving 
the same heat generation factor but increasing the long 
range damage by 50% for a loss of 120 meters in 
weapon range. 

Designers also upgraded the Crabs standard close 
range weapons, replacing the medium laser with a 
pulse variant and mounting a small laser as found in the 
previous variants.

Finally designers added the new triple strength myomers 
to take full advantage of the heat buildup. This gives 
the CRB-29 a top speed of 97 KPH, a 12% increase in 
speed, and makes the right arm pincer a truly deadly 
weapon.

To take full advantage of these enhanced myomers the 
left hand was removed and replaced with a second 
moveable pincer. With the enhanced strength when 
heated the pincers can sever the limbs of mechs up to 65 
tons.
 
This made the Crab CRB-29 the fastest, most powerful, 
best protected and the most heat effiecent of any known 
Crab variant. 

Battle History

This variant has been deployed since 3060 along the 
border with the Ghost Bears and Lyran Alliance and 
therefore hasn't seen much action. With the traitorous acts 
of the Alshain Avengers and the response by the Ghost 
Bears, several Crab CRB-29's have seen action and 
have been able to hold their own against the superior 
clan machines

Known Variants

A C3 variant is known to exist with the medium pulse laser 
being replaced with the original medium laser and a C3 
Slave unit being added to the cockpit of the mech. This 
mech has been designated CRB-29C.