Having served in the FWLM as a MechWarrior during the final years of the Third Succession War, Angus Gilmour retired to his homeworld of Talitha with the intent of looking after the moderate repair shop his own father had opened decades earlier. Though a competent MechWarrior, Gilmour's true calling was mechanics. When the local militia unit was forced to rely on civilians just to keep up with maintenance on their own equipment, they quickly hired Gilmour and his company.
         Within just a few years, Gilmour Mechanics became the prime contractor for all militia maintenance on the world. Angus reinvested the profits right back into the company, building new facilities and hiring the best ex-military techs he could. More than that, he built a reputation of being able to rebuild and refit ‘Mechs thought beyond hope.
         By 3060, the family business was worth billions. Not only was Gilmour MilTech the leading maintenance contractor in the FWL, but it also rebuilt scrapped military equipment and, with the opening of a new facility financed in part by Hollings-Dupre, Ltd., began selling new ’Mechs to concerns throughout the Inner Sphere. These new Cronus incorporated advanced technology but when the Jihad cut off supplies of these technologies Gilmour Mechanics returned to building the original design.
         After Tikonov captured the world from the splintering Free Worlds League, the Ridziks generally left the company alone, letting them continue to build and sell the design. The only thing they required was that Gilmour Mechanics use systems produced inside the Tikonov Free Republic, and as the years have gone by this design has continued to sell well.

         Angus Gilmour loved to tinker. He would constantly buy battlefield scrap and turn it back into serviceable equipment. Though he would rebuild the occasional Orion or Javelin, he and his techs concentrated on building the Cronus, a home-brew design incorporating the most popular features of each of the 55 ton ’Mechs commonly available at the time. His company could churn out less than two dozen a year, but his Cronus was a still viable and cheap alternative to buying a new ’Mech, especially for cash-poor mercenary companies.
         As Gilmour MilTech grew, it changed with the times. In 3060 it began to build the Cronus in mass numbers, for a short time with advanced technologies, but the modern version is the one produced since the 3040s. The Cronus is a good brawler, capable of good speed and mobility thanks to the Leviathan Lifter jump jets, the Cronus can easily close the range on most designs out there. A BlazeFire Systems large laser gives it the ability to hit hard at medium range. Three Intek medium lasers and a Hovertec Quad SRM are deadly to most BattleMechs at short range.
         Finally, an amazing 14 heat sinks allows the Cronus to fire most of its weapons, with only a full alpha strike making it overheat by a significant amount. Interestingly, Gilmour has modified the heat sink cage below the cockpit to be hot swappable with a C3 slave system. While this very slightly reduces the design's ability to move and fire, the improved coordination with other units is generally considered to be worth the loss.

         Gilmour MilTech sells primarily to mercenary units, independent planets, and some Periphery nations, assisted by Hollings-Dupre’s logistics network. The Triumvirate Guard also makes use of the Cronus, considering it to be a good bodyguard for their Lineholder.