The sight of BattleMechs lumbering across the terrain is a familiar one among the worlds of the Inner Sphere. Nevertheless, the sight of an Atlas still manages to make even experienced MechWarriors break out in a sweat and brings the bitter taste of bile to their mouths.
         The Atlas was designed as a last-ditch attempt to ensure the superiority of the Star League's Regular Army over the growing armies of the House Lords. It was an understandable reaction to the Cameron edicts passed from 2751 to 2761 by the High Council, which permitted the five Lords to double the size of their personal armies. General Kerensky himself set down the specifications for the Atlas. He said it should be "a 'Mech as powerful as possible, as impenetrable as possible, and as ugly and foreboding as conceivable, so that fear itself will be our ally."
         Over the centuries since, several variants emerged, but the Draconis Combine's versions often seemed to be the ones that put the most fear into the enemy. During the Jihad, they put much work into upgrading the design further and it fought well against the Word of Blake until Quentin and Al Na'ir fell. The Combine lacked the resources to rebuild the factories, but after retaking Al Na'ir the Azami smuggled in what resources they needed to do so. And when Tikonov captured Quentin, they repaired those factories. Both planets produce the last of the Atlas designs that Coordinator Ricol approved for production.

         Ugly and foreboding are two apt descriptions for the Atlas. Though some 'Mechs might be taller and heavier, none have the Atlas' aura. Considerable effort went into making the Atlas' weapons as visible as possible, giving an opposing MechWarrior plenty of opportunity to see that he is outgunned and to decide he is not being paid enough to die. Designers spent an entire year fashioning the head and cockpit to create a perfect merging of function and gruesomeness. The result was a complete success, and so MechWarriors nicknamed the Atlas "Death's Head".
         The Atlas mounts a devastating gauss rifle, capable of ripping the head off an enemy BattleTech at even the longest ranges. Supported by light PPCs, two in the left and one in the right arm, the direct fire weaponary that an Atlas can engage an enemy with is enough to make even the most armored MechWarrior nervous.
         The Atlas' missile delivery system is a unique design. Three tubes fire three salvos within ten seconds, though to keep it looking like an older Atlas, there are two "dummy" tubes below the live ones. The large aperture across from the gauss rifle may look like another weapon, but it is the omnicoupling, where power and coolant cables can be attached to start up or repair the Atlas.
         The 'Mech's armor is thick, and the forward torso and legs are especially well protected. Someone once calculated that if a battalion of Stinger 'Mechs engaged an Atlas, the Atlas would retire for repairs an hour later, leaving only one Stinger still able to move.
         The head is roomy enough to support a small disk antenna, giving the Atlas limited surface-to-space communications. When entering battle, the pilot can fold up the antenna and stow it in a protected portion of the Atlas' head. The Atlas also has an advanced C3 system used for coordinating weapons fire with other units and a Guardian ECM system that is useful for jamming enemy scanners. These electronics systems make the design even more dangerous and harder to kill.
         The short-range missiles that can fire from the main rack make the 'Mech a close-range fighter to be respected, while its internal structure gives the arms and hands enormous power if the enemy lets it close to physical range. This has created many horror stories concerning Atlases and their ability to pick-up medium-sized 'Mechs with one hand and fling them to the ground as though they were mere toys.
         The main drawback of the Atlas is its tendancy to fall once its armor is breached. While swift on its feet compared to an older Atlas, explosive objects buried deep in the BattleMech around the fragile engine can cause catastrophic failure of the unit should weapons fire breach the armor, and so the MechWarrior must be careful not to push the BattleMech. Smart MechWarriors know when to retreat from battle if their armor becomes degraded rather than risk the loss of such an expensive BattleMech.

         The AS7-R is primarily used by the Azami Caliphate and the Tikonov Free Republic, two realms that use its capabilities to the utmost.