In 3070, Regent Cham Kithrong found it time to begin spreading out the main industrial centers of the Taurian Concordat.   The first steps of that plan were the construction of tank production facilities on Tortuga Prime, Erod's Escape, and Hellespont, far enough away from the Inner Sphere that they could survive on their own even if the rest of the Taurian Concordat were lost.   The Regent, wanting a strong tank that could be used in multiple missions, looked to the Rommel, long built in the Concordat, for inspiration.

A good design, it had served capably for over half a century, but newer tanks and BattleMechs had bypassed it in capability.   The Regent ordered that it be redesigned to be able to keep up with the newer and faster units available in the modern time, feature weapons that did not need reloading or that featured ammunition easily manufactured in the darkest parts of the Periphery, be capable of fighting BattleMechs, Tanks, or infantry, and that it maintain its strong armor profile.   The result was what many consider to be the most dangerous Rommel in production by any nation.

Seeing the demands put on them, the engineers realized that there was only one way to meet all of the Regent's demands.   It would be expensive, but would grant the speed that the Regent wished without sacrificing the armor or weapons.   An Extra-Light engine was added to the design, one powerful enough to allow the tank to move at nearly 90 kilometers an hour, an impressive speed for a tank of its mass.

A gauss rifle replaced the old autocannon, giving the tank extensive range and the ability to threaten any target, especially the lighter BattleMechs and tanks normally found in the Periphery.   It fires simple slugs of ferros metal that are easy to construct by nearly any technological level, making it a simple weapon to reload.   The gauss rifle is backed up by twin extended range medium lasers that run off the fusion engine directly.   While firing them does burn up the water that fuels the engine more quickly, it is usually an easy task to find water on colonized worlds, also allowing the tank to last for long periods of time.

The final addition to the new Rommel's weapons grid encompassed a number of machine gun grids on the turret and on every side of the tank.   Allowing the tank to fire swaths of destruction at any infantry unit threatening it from any direction, the new Rommel adds the ability to deal with infantry as well as BattleMechs and other tanks.   The designers also changed the standard armor and upgraded it to Ferro-Fibrous for extra protection that pleased the Regent.

First deployed with the newly-raised First Tortugan Lancers, brought into being to protect the new Tortugan Sector of the Taurian Concordat, they have quickly proven their usefullness and plans are underway to fund their construction in the other sectors.