336315164-Technical-Readout-TRO-3039-OEF

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

INTRODUCTION 4 Panther 114 FIRST IN CENTURIES… 222
VEHICLES 6 Assassin 224
8 Cicada 116 Raven 226
Ferret Light Scout VTOL 10 Clint 228
Savannah Master Hovercraft 12 Hermes II 118 Wolfhound 230
Swift Wind Scout Car 14 Vulcan 232
Armored Personnel Carriers 18 Whitworth 120 Hatchetman 234
J-27 Ordnance Transport 20 Blackjack 236
Mobile Army Surgical Hospital 22 Vindicator 122 Cataphract 238
Packrat Long Range Patrol Vehicle 24 Centurion 240
Skulker Wheeled Scout Tank 26 Enforcer 124 Hatamoto-Chi 242
Warrior H-7 Attack Helicopter 28 Hunchback 244
Harasser Missile Platform 30 Trebuchet 126 Daboku 246
J. Edgar Light Hover Tank 32 Dervish 248
Mobile HQ 34 Dragon 128 Sai 250
Scorpion Light Tank 36 Quickdraw 252
Sea Skimmer Hydrofoil 38 Catapult 130 STAR LEAGUE 254
Coolant Truck 40 JagerMech 256
Karnov UR Transport 42 Grasshopper 132 Thorn 258
Hunger Light Support Tank 44 Orion 260
Pegasus Scout Hovertank 46 Awesome 134 Flea 262
Saladin Assault Hover Tank 48 Charger 264
Saracen Medium Hover Tank 50 Victor 136 Hornet 266
Scimitar Medium Hover Tank 52 Zeus 268
Striker Light Tank 54 Stalker 138 Mongoose 270
Engineering Vehicle 56 Cyclops 272
Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun 58 Banshee 140 Falcon 274
Goblin Medium Tank 60 Atlas 276
Condor Heavy Hover Tank 62 CONVENTIONAL FIGHTERS 142 Hermes 278
Drillson Heavy Hover Tank 64 Boomerang Spotter Plane 280
Maxim Heavy Hover Transport 66 Angel Light Strike Fighter 144 Hussar 281
Vedette Medium Tank 68 Boeing Jump Bomber 282
Bulldog Medium Tank 70 Guardian Fighter 146 Sentinel 283
Hi-Scout Drone Carrier 72 Defender Medium Strike Fighter 284
LRM/SRM Carrier 74 Meteor Heavy Strike Fighter 148 Wyvern 285
Manticore Heavy Tank 76 ’Mechbuster 150 Crab 286
Pike Support Vehicle 78 Planelifter Air Transport 152 Kintaro 287
Mobile Long Tom Artillery 80 AEROSPACE FIGHTERS 154 Champion 288
Rommel/Patton Tank 82 Seydlitz 156 Lancelot 289
Monitor Naval Vessel 84 Cheetah 158 Bombardier 290
Von Luckner Heavy Tank 86 Thrush 160 Guillotine 291
Demolisher Heavy Tank 88 Sparrowhawk 162 Black Knight 292
Partisan Heavy Tank 90 Sholagar 164 Flashman 293
Schrek PPC Carrier 92 Corsair 166 Thug 294
SturmFeur Heavy Tank 94 Samurai 168 295
Ontos Heavy Tank 96 Transit 170 Highlander 296
Behemoth Heavy Tank 98 Stingray 172 King Crab 297
Neptune Submarine 100 Lucifer 298
BATTLEMECHS 102 Shilone 174 PROJECT PHOENIX 299
Commando 104 Transgrassor 176 Locust 300
Javelin 106 Slayer 178 Stinger 301
Spider 108 Chippewa 180 Wasp 302
UrbanMech 110 Riever 182 Valkyrie 303
Firestarter 112 Stuka 184 Ostscout
Jenner 186 Phoenix Hawk
188 Griffin
190 Scorpion
192 Shadow Hawk

194 Wolverine

196 Ostroc

198 Ostsol

200 Rifleman

202 Crusader

204 Thunderbolt

206 Archer

208 Warhammer

210 Marauder

212 Goliath

214 BattleMaster

216 Longbow

218 Marauder II

220 GENERAL SIZE COMPARISON CHART

CREDITS 3

TECHNICAL READOUT: 3039

TECHNICAL READOUT: 3025 TECHNICAL READOUT: 3026 TECHNICAL READOUT: 3039

Illustrations Writing and Design Writing Proofers
Duane Loose Kevin Stein Herb A. Beas II Rich Cencarik, Christopher K. Searls, and Patrick Wynne.
David R. Deitrick Sam Lewis Randall N. Bills
Ken’ Horner Special Thanks
Writing Dale L. Kemper Development Kevin Killiany To the stalwart crew of Chris Wheeler and Mike Miller,
Blaine L. Pardoe Shaun Duncan Sam Lewis Nick Marsala who once more tackled a huge amount of work on
Boy F. Petersen, Jr. David McCulloch this product so I could concentrate on cool projects
Anthony Pryor Editorial Staff Mike Miller to come!
Editor-in-Chief Ben Rome
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L.R. Butch Leeper Kevin Stein Senior Editor Chris Wheeler BattleTech Technical Readout: 3039, Classic BattleTech,
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Original Technical Readout: 2750 material by

Clare W. Hess Blaine L. Pardoe

Dale L. Kemper Boy F. Petersen, Jr.

Jim Long

INTRODUCTION 4

Victor,
Several years ago I passed to you an historical treatise covering the War of 3039 compiled by General Caradoc Trevena. At that time, General Trevena also sent me a rough draft of a
manuscript to act as a companion volume to that work.

An amalgam of the ComStar documents Technical Readout: 3025 and Technical Readout: 3026, the manuscript built off of the great work of Wolfnet and tried to further erase the blatant
errors introduced by ComStar. However, the document as generated by General Trevena went much further. The revised Dragoons documents were relatively un-touched in their publications,
leaving them as if they had been published in the years 3025 and 3026 respectively. However, as we know, the time period from 3025 until 3039 saw momentous changes in the Inner Sphere. Of
particular note was the discovery just before the start of the Fourth Succession Wars of the Helm Memory Core that contained lost Star League technology; the core quickly circulated to all the
Great Houses, and they poured resources into unlocking its secrets.

By the launch of the War of 3039, many newly rediscovered technologies were starting to make an appearance, even if they were simply jury-rigged in the field. ComStar, for its own purposes
that Trevena delves into in his War of 3039 treatise, unlocked its vault of hidden Star League designs and provided many of them to House Kurita. And for the first time in centuries, brand new
machines of war started coming off production lines.

All of this laid the groundwork for the War of 3039. This is the perspective that General Caradoc attempted to convey with his Technical Readout: 3039. With the current events of the Inner
Sphere, I believe this document presents an important picture of a time period that is still relevant; the War of 3039 planted the seeds that the Clan Invasion further watered, leading to the current
glut of technologies that are wreaking such havoc during the Jihad. What’s more, a close examination of some of the personalities noted in this document will reveal important connections to
the Jihad; threads that could be critical chinks in numerous factions’ armor.

The start of the Jihad and the last desperate years removed this work from my mind. However, despite the centuries-old status of many of these designs, they still represent the most common war
machines on the battlefield, despite the numerous upgrade variants of these vehicles and ’Mechs; variants noted by Wolfnet in their Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade and Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade
documents. Or even the seeming legion of brand new designs noted in such documents as Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, Technical Readout: Project Phoenix, and so on.

As before, I commend this manuscript to your hands. While it may appear obscure and a relic from an era that seems long lost, I know it will be of worth. As Captain Nikoli so succinctly stated in
Wolfnet’s Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade document, “Just as knowing an enemy is critical, knowing the genesis of today’s technologies can also be important.”

—Anastasius Focht
12 November 3073

GAME NOTES
Players can use the Vehicle and Infantry QSR rules of the Classic BattleTech Introductory Rulebook to easily play most of the vehicles in this product. The complete rules for using vehicles, as well as

fighters (both conventional and aerospace), in Classic BattleTech game play can be found in Classic BattleTech Total Warfare, while the rules for the construction of such units can be found in Classic
BattleTech TechManual. Additionally, note that some designs were modified from previous publications to make them fully compatible with the construction rules as presented in TechManual.

While the primary game stats of most of the BattleMechs listed in Technical Readout: 3039 are constructed using the Introductory Rules as presented in the Introductory Rulebook of the Classic
BattleTech Introductory Box Set, some of the variants mentioned are constructed with weaponry found in Total Warfare; the construction rules for said equipment can be found in the TechManual.

Several units mount weapons and/or equipment not found in Total Warfare or TechManual, or mount equipment they cannot mount under those rules sets. They are: Swift Wind Scout Car,
Mobile HQ, Hi-Scout Drone Carrier, Mobile Long Tom Artillery and Raven. The rules governing the use of their weapons and their construction are beyond the Standard Rules presented in Total
Warfare and TechManual. They are covered in the Advanced Rules presented in Classic BattleTech Tactical Operations.

The Battle Value (BV) system provides a numerical rating (a “point system”) that represents the damage capabilities and survival potential of every BattleTech unit. The Battle Value system
can be used by players to aid in the creation of their own balanced scenarios. All Battle Values listed in this book were generated using the Battle Value system as it appears in TechManual. If a
unit lists a NA under Battle Value, then it falls into the Advanced Rules category, as described above.

Pre-Filled Record Sheets
As detailed under Record Sheets, page 9, of the Classic BattleTech Introductory Rulebook of the Classic BattleTech Introductory Box Set, players can go to www.battlecorps.com/catalog and purchase pre-

filled Record Sheet book PDFs such as Record Sheets: 3039. Such PDFs enable a player to easily print out pre-filled record sheets as needed, for ease of use.
Record Sheets: Project Phoenix Upgrade contains pre-filled record sheets (i.e. all the necessary game play stats) for the ’Mechs detailed in the Project Phoenix section of this product. Furthermore,

many additional variant record sheets of those ’Mechs found within Record Sheets: Project Phoenix Upgrade are fully covered within Technical Readout: Project Phoenix. As noted above concerning
some of the variants found within this product, those Technical Readout: Project Phoenix’ variants mount weaponry found in Total Warfare and will require that rulebook to use.

5

VEHICLES 6

O nce considered “Kings of the Battlefield” centuries before any modern BattleMech was a gleam in a designer’s eye, conventional combat vehicles have endured the test of time.
Since the early twentieth century, when the first tank rolled across barbed wire and trenches at an astounding three kilometers per hour before breaking down due to mechanical
failure, tanks and their various cousins have played an irrefutably important part in any given battle or campaign.

With the advent of the BattleMech, however, conventional combat vehicles were thought to finally have an appropriate successor. BattleMechs were more durable, could traverse any
terrain a vehicle could and even terrain most vehicles could not, and could be deployed quickly via orbital insertions, something vehicles had attempted to do only a few times with disas-
trous results. The Star League invested massive amounts of funds into BattleMech research and development, much to the chagrin of the generals in charge of combat vehicle brigades.
Attempts to produce conventional vehicles just as effective as ’Mechs had mediocre results, as many pointed out that in an intense fight, the BattleMech unit would overcome a conventional
vehicle force almost every time.

It was this intense fighting, ironically, that led to the resurgence of conventional vehicles. The Succession Wars devastated the Inner Sphere’s manufacturing and technological base,
slowing down (or in many cases stopping) production of the advanced and expensive fighting machines. Conventional vehicles were less expensive, and unlike BattleMech production, those
production lines could often be repaired and even built from scratch on a variety of worlds. Depending on the design, a conventional tank could be purchased three or four times over for the
same price as a equally sized BattleMech, and with ’Mechs now held in reserve for only important operations, planetary militias and defense forces found themselves with no other option but
to fill their ranks with armored fighting vehicles, using swifter hover-skirt and wheeled units to scout for ambushes and enemy advances. Their smaller size would prevent detection, allowing
them to on occasion ambush and destroy a “superior” BattleMech force.

House Davion was the first to officially recognize the full potential of conventional combat vehicles. While others used them in defensive operations only or created ad-hoc brigades for
offensive operations, the AFFS created official brigades that mixed BattleMechs and conventional vehicles together. Thanks to the combined efforts of Houses Davion and Steiner, conven-
tional vehicles played a much more important and recognized role in the Fourth Succession War and the War of 3039, performing duties many once thought could only be done effectively
by BattleMechs. Even mercenary commands such as the notable Gray Death Legion and Hansen’s Roughriders have been recognized over the decades as effectively using their conventional
assets in campaigns, while other exceptional units such as The Furies and Mobile Fire use combat vehicles as their primary combat force.

Many various combat vehicle designs exist, filling niches such as infantry transport, scouting, fire support, as well as the more traditional roles such as installation defense, picket, and
frontline combat duties. Combat vehicle have a wide variety of motive systems available, from the more common tracked, wheeled, and the fragile hover skirt, to the rotary and vector thrust
Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) craft and even the oddball wet-navy designs that patrol important water-rich planets. For every BattleMech design in existence, there is a conventional
vehicle that attempts to do the same duty at half cost or less.

Just as they were centuries ago, these vehicles have proven that, despite not having the glamorous reputation they once did, they are still indispensable.

7

FERRET LIGHT SCOUT VTOL 8

Mass: 5 tons Capabilities and detached a battalion of light ’Mechs for rear-area se-
Movement Type: VTOL The Ferret’s limited armor protection is its prime disad- curity, meaning they lacked the strength to complete the
Power Plant: Tyron 25 ICE encirclement.
Cruising Speed: 162 kph vantage. This vulnerability is not considered critical, howev-
Flank Speed: 248 kph er, because the Ferret’s mission is to avoid combat. A Ferret Two months later, the Kurita forces were forced off
Armor: ProtecTech Light is designed to stay well outside the effective range of any Tamar.
Armament: hostile unit while keeping the target under observation.
For that reason, the Ferret’s design keeps offensive arma- Variants
1 MainFire Minigun Machine Gun ment to a minimum. Cal-Boeing has introduced two variants of the Ferret.
Manufacturer: Cal-Boeing of Dorwinion
Another interesting feature is the Ferret’s IsBM Lantrin The first eliminates the craft’s troop-carrying capacity in
Primary Factory: Belladonna targeting and tracking system. In addition to its normal favor of increased armor, thus making the Ferret a more
Communications System: Achernar Standard targeting capabilities, the Heads-Up Display IsBM can also robust vehicle. Introduced in 2967, this “Wild Weasel” vari-
Targeting and Tracking System: IsBM Lantirn plug into any standard remote sensor monitoring set. ant was Cal-Boeing’s attempt to create a combat version.
The second does the opposite, stripping all the armor and
Overview Deployment weaponry to make the Ferret a light cargo transport with a
The Ferret Light Scout VTOL is a Federated Suns re- The Ferret has also entered service with Steiner, Marik, capacity of two-and-a-half tons.

connaissance rotor craft introduced in 2904. Although the and some worlds of the Periphery. When House Kurita at- Notable Crews
Ferret’s organic offensive capabilities are almost nonex- tacked Tamar in 2915, Colonel Richard Gunston ordered a
istent, it can call in long-range artillery fire and maintain company of infantry from his Fifty-fourth Combined Arms Corporal Hatashi Williams: Corporal Hatashi Williams pi-
contact with the enemy until a more suitable attack force Combat Team to use their attached Ferrets to make an air- lots the Ferret called “DragonFly.” While assigned to troops
moves into the area. It serves very well on screening op- mobile assault on the Fourth Proserpina Hussars landing guarding the New Avalon Institute of Science, he got into
erations, but the Ferret’s speed and troop-carrying ability zone. The slaughter was tremendous. The Kuritans blasted a rather loud argument with another student regarding
make it effective in all manner of exercises, including coun- the six Ferrets out of the sky, and the Fifty-fourth broke the Ferret’s maneuverability. Seeking to give the student
terinsurgency operations, reconnaissance missions, rear- and ran. a practical demonstration, Hatashi finished off the last of
area insertions and extractions, battlefield pilot recovery, his drink, grabbed the offending student by the scruff of
infantry squad transport, and spotting. Five months later, the Fifty-fourth once again faced the the neck, and proceeded down to the airfield. Strapping
Hussars on Tamar. The Kurita force attempted a flanking ma- himself and his unwilling passenger into the tiny craft,
neuver to encircle the capital, Tamar City. The Fifty-fourth’s Hatashi proceeded to demonstrate the full capabilities of a
new commander, Hauptmann-Kommandant Jennifer Miller rotor wing aircraft. While flying over, between, and under
(who replaced Colonel Gunston when he was killed the some of the Institute buildings, Hatashi calmly delivered a
month before), knew she would have to make a stand in lecture on combat flying. Needless to say, the student was
the Remanny Hills to prevent this. Instead of meeting the greatly impressed, but the Institute authorities were not.
Hussars head on, she ordered her Ferrets and a company One court-martial later, Hatashi and DragonFly were reas-
of infantry to raid the Kurita rear areas, making it clear that signed to a combat unit.
the Ferrets were not to engage directly in combat. Their
mission was to locate convoys, supply dumps, and mainte- In mid-3039 the Fortieth Dieron Regulars attacked
nance points, and then ferry the infantry in to attack these Quentin. Hatashi and DragonFly remained busy ferry-
targets. The Ferrets and infantry did their job superbly. They ing troops around the Steel Valley region. When the
scattered remote sensors all along roads and trails, then Independence Weaponry plant fell to the Kurita forces,
lifted the infantry into ambush positions after spotting vul- Hatashi’s skill was called on to run the gauntlet of Combine
nerable targets. In this way the infantry was able to destroy air cover several times to evacuate top Independence ex-
several maintenance units and re-arming points. ecutives and technicians.

Believing that a battalion of commandos was oper- Hatashi and DragonFly were on the last Davion
ating in their rear area, the Fortieth slowed its advance DropShip to boost from Quentin.

FERRET LIGHT SCOUT VTOL LIGHT VEHICLES 9

Type: Ferret Light Scout VTOL Equipment 8 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Power Amplifier: Armor 0
Movement Type: VTOL Turret: Value 0
Tonnage: 5 Armor Factor: .5
Battle Value: 55 2
Front 1/1 Tonnage
Equipment 25 Mass R/L Side 2 .5
Internal Structure: ICE .5 Rear 2 .5
Engine: 15 1 Rotor 1
23 Location
Type: 0 0 Weapons and Ammo Front
Cruising MP: .5 Machine Gun Body
Flank MP: .5 Ammo (MG) 100 Body
Heat Sinks: Infantry Bay
Control Equipment:
Rotor:

SAVANNAH MASTER HOVERCRAFT 10

Mass: 5 tons Capabilities training exercise, but Lewis has always responded to these
Movement Type: Hover The heart of the Savannah Master’s appeal is its rumors with replies containing considerably more style
Power Plant: Edasich Omni 25 Fusion than substance.
Cruising Speed: 140 kph phenomenal ground speed—more than 200 kilometers
Flank Speed: 216 kph per hour at flank speed—coupled with its extreme sim- The craft’s combat reputation was cemented dur-
Armor: Durallex Light plicity of design. Lewis, when designing it, ensured that ing the Fourth Succession War, however. In almost every
Armament: it would be easily maintained and repaired, using com- instance of its use, the Savannah Master accomplished its
monly-available components. The vehicle’s electronics mission objectives with little or no difficulty. Many attri-
1 Defiance B3M Medium Laser are manufactured on the Lyran capital Tharkad, while the bute its successes to the AFFS advisors present in many
Manufacturer: S.L. Lewis, Inc. hovercraft’s sole weapon is the readily available Defiance Lyran cavalry units; for too long the average Steiner com-
B3M Medium Laser. mander’s orders would have been simply “charge!” Many
Primary Factory: Carlisle Savannah Master units came to excel at the tactic of the
Communications System: TharHes Hm 10 Although 2,000 engines seemed like enough, the lightning raid, and small units of them were used to spring
Targeting and Tracking System: TharHes Alpha-2a devastation of the Fourth Succession War quickly showed behind enemy lines to destroy targets of opportunity.
Lewis two things: that the demand for the Savannah McCarron’s Armored Cavalry acquired a shipment of the
Overview Master would only increase as reports of its value in com- small vehicles and also made good use of them against
First conceived out of the bounty from a recovered bat emerged, and that he would quickly need a substitute the AFFS during the Fourth Succession War.
for the Omni if he was going to continue to produce his
Star League storage facility, the Savannah Master hovercraft flagship creation. Variants
has become the preeminent cavalry and pursuit vehicle of The basic simplicity of the Savannah Master does not
almost every Lyran regiment. In a military known for the In late 3035 Lewis offered the last ten Omni 25s to
preponderance of massive and slow-moving BattleMechs, any Lyran fusion engine producer willing to reverse-en- lend itself to a plethora of design alternatives, and so varia-
the nimble Savannah Master’s incredible speed is often gineer its secrets. By 3037 Edasich Motors had succeeded tions on the S.L. Lewis, Inc. chassis are rare. A test-bed ver-
overshadowed. in getting the Omni into standard production, and the as- sion mounting a pair of light lasers in place of the Defiance
sembly lines at S.L. Lewis, Incorporated were retooled to B3M was tested in 3033 but quickly discarded once it was
S.L. Lewis, an officer on the JumpShip Winnetka, accept the Edasich Omni 25. The original Lyran order for determined that even the Savannah Master’s supreme
claimed more than 2,000 25-rated Omni fusion engines— 1,000 Savannah Masters has been repeated every decade, speed advantage was not enough to overcome the light
rumored to be the most efficient ever designed—as his and the merger of the LCAF with the Armed Forces of the lasers’ lack of range.
share of the bounty and used them to help build the Federated Suns doubled the annual invoice. After the Civil
Savannah Master. After a legendary procurement exercise War, S.L. Lewis, Inc. continued to support service contracts Notable Crews
against a Locust, the LCAF ordered more than a thousand in the Federated Suns but has not made any new sales to
of the nimble craft, and the AFFS soon followed suit. the AFFS. Sergeant Richard Goodman: Sergeant Goodman leads an
independent company of scout hovercraft attached to the
Deployment cavalry battalion of Halsten’s Brigade, a mercenary armored
The Savannah Master’s first combat action was its now- brigade in the service of House Steiner. While the lion’s
share of media attention is paid to the heavier tanks (and
famous procurement exercise, where Lewis himself piloted media darling “Sniper” Jones and his Schrek), Goodman’s
the vehicle against MechWarrior Savannah Johnson. After Savannah Masters are often found leading Halsten’s flanks,
repeatedly being defeated in simulation, Johnson overrode sniping and searching for any advantage. While Colonel
her controls and brought her full weapons to bear, turn- Halsten is adamant that it’s his heavy armor that smashes
ing the exercise into a grudge match. Lewis responded in its way through the enemy—conventional or BattleMech—
kind, eventually bringing the Locust down by touching off he has been known to admit that his “scooters,” as he calls
its ammunition. In recent years some have begun spread- them, are key to finding his panzer’s victims.
ing the rumor that the story must have been staged; LCAF
training regulations prohibit carrying live ammunition in a

SAVANNAH MASTER HOVERCRAFT LIGHT VEHICLES 11

Type: Savannah Master Hovercraft Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Medium Laser Front 1
Movement Type: Hover
Tonnage: 5
Battle Value: 215

Equipment 25 Mass
Internal Structure: Fusion .5
Engine: 1
13
Type: 20 0
Cruising MP: 10 .5
Flank MP: .5
Heat Sinks: 24 0
Control Equipment: Armor 0
Lift Equipment: Value 1.5
Power Amplifier:
Turret: 10
Armor Factor: 6/6
2
Front
R/L Side
Rear

SWIFT WIND SCOUT CAR 12

Mass: 8 tons Capabilities Variants
Movement Type: Wheeled Six Tablar-lined radial tires provide durable locomo- The Swift Wind is a modern scout vehicle with a mod-
Power Plant: GM 60 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 108 kph tion over a variety of terrains, from rough to smooth roads. ern price tag. For customers on a tighter budget, Ceres has
Flank Speed: 162 kph As long as three tires are operational, the Swift Wind can a version with a Confederated Motors 60 Ethanol/Flex. This
Armor: StarSlab/1 live up to its name and maintain a top speed of over 160 internal combustion engine is a very reliable power plant
Armament: kph. This velocity can often tax the most experienced of but eliminates the standard cargo capacity. Some older
drivers, so Swift Winds are equipped with a scaled-down Swift Winds use lighter ICE engines that provide cargo at
None neurohelmet, allowing minor changes based on the pilot’s the expense of speed, while others use larger engines that
Manufacturer: Ceres Metals sense of balance. With speed like that, the Swift Wind can necessitate removal of some of the armor.
escape almost any land-bound opponent. A ton and a half
Primary Factory: Indicass of StarSlab/1 armor allows it to shrug off moderate fire- Notable Crews
Communications System: CeresCom Recon Model 12k power while fleeing to friendlier areas.
Targeting and Tracking System: I-Bal Mark 3 Scout Mick Lewis: A pilot of a rare non-Capellan Swift
While lacking a traditional weapon, commanders Wind, Mick provides the First Brigade of the Fusiliers of
Overview often find that the two tons of advanced communica- Oriente with the best recon reports in the League. Lewis is
Since the automobile replaced the horse as the pri- tion equipment in the Swift Wind is more powerful than a so quiet and stealthy that he stole his Swift Wind out from
Buster autocannon. Enemy units caught in an artillery bar- under the nose of its Capellan driver. That success has not
mary means of personal transportation, the scout car has rage called in from a Swift Wind can testify to the scout car’s dampened his aggressive nature. He will actually sneak
been serving militaries everywhere. The Swift Wind is an- capability. Powerful enough to transmit coherent data and into enemy camps and get detailed information on sup-
other iteration in this long line of vehicles. Ceres Metals’ messages as far out as JumpShips at standard jump points, plies from ammunition to fuel to sundries. This had allowed
proposed scout car blew away competing bids for a recon the Swift Wind can keep in contact from deep in enemy the Fusiliers not only to determine the size of the opposing
vehicle to serve the Capellan Military. Where other manu- territory. On planets with a functional satellite system, the force but also the type and duration of the mission. Officers
facturers submitted designs that were inexpensive, Ceres Swift Wind can stay in touch with units on the other side of can often recognize Mick’s report even with his name re-
went for state-of-the-art technology. As the components the planet. dacted due to the thoroughness of his efforts.
of the Swift Wind have advanced, Ceres has kept pace, but
the overall design has changed little. Deployment Saint Ivan: No one knows the pilot’s real name, but he
Only a few dozen Swift Winds can be found outside drives a specialized Swift Wind that roams the more remote
Capellan planets, broadcasting the Free Capella Network.
the Capellan Confederation (or the short-lived St. Ives Citizens and non-citizens alike can be found gather-
Compact), with most of those “foreign” Swift Winds operat- ing around radio, video, and trideo receivers when Saint
ed by mercenary units that served House Liao well. With the Ivan is in the vicinity, hoping for a glimpse of the better
secession of St. Ives, Swift Winds actually competed against life and perhaps what they can do to help achieve it. The
one another as the Confederation mounts raids against its Maskirovka attempts to crack down on people listening to
former state. On Milos, the Compact used Swift Winds to the FCN as well as hunting down Saint Ivan, but the clos-
keep tabs on Capellan scout units, tracking the signals to est they have come was a brief glimpse on Holloway. The
the main body of troops. House Liao troops quickly caught bounty on Saint Ivan is now at over three million L-Bills.
on, and it became a dangerous game of hide and seek.
Swift Winds would call in combat units on enemy Swift
Winds who in turn would call in their own support while
both units tried to elude the combat troops. Outside the
town of Peking, two Swift Winds finally took the fight into
their own hands, turning a wheat field into a demolition
derby arena.

SWIFT WIND SCOUT CAR LIGHT VEHICLES 13

Type: Swift Wind Scout Car
Technology Base: Inner Sphere
Movement Type: Wheeled
Tonnage: 8
Battle Value: N/A

Equipment 60 Mass
Internal Structure: Fusion 1
Engine: 2.5
10
Type: 15 0
Cruising MP: 10 .5
Flank MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 24 0
Control Equipment: Armor 0
Lift Equipment: Value 1.5
Power Amplifier:
Turret: 6 Tonnage
Armor Factor: 6/6 2
6 .5
Front
R/L Side
Rear

Weapons and Ammo Location

Communications Equipment Body

Cargo Body

ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIERS 14

Mass: 10 tons occasion. And infantry’s impact depends on their ability to improved sensors on such a fast, light vehicle makes some
Movement Type: Tracked, Hover, Wheeled get where they need to be when they need to be there. sense, in the minds of most tacticians the APC’s inability
Power Plant: 60 (Tracked, Hover) or 40 (Wheeled) to defend itself presents an unacceptable risk of losing a
Armored personnel carriers are the vehicles charged hard-to-replace sensor array.
ICE, various manufacturers with getting the troops in and out of the combat zone.
Cruising Speed: 64 kph (Tracked, Wheeled) The three basic designs currently in use date from the Star Infantrymen are sometimes considered the craziest
League and have been in continuous production, virtually of all combat troops. To enhance this image and strike
or 108 kph (Hover) unchanged, for centuries. fear into their opponents, they often paint their carriers
Flank Speed: 97 kph (Tracked, Wheeled) in bright, garish colors that clearly reveal their position to
Capabilities anyone within sighting distance.
or 162 kph (Hover) The most robust and dependable APCs rely on tracks
Armor: Various Notable Crews
Armament: to carry them across any terrain. Though they mount only
half the firepower of their wheel and hover cousins, tracked Överste-Löjtnant Illya Stroncek: The KungsArmé had
2 Machine Guns, various manufacturers APCs are the vehicle of choice when battle is being joined hardly been formed when the battered remnant of a ronin
(Hover, Wheeled) on unfamiliar ground. Wheeled APCs require more predict- Draconis Combine regiment fleeing the heavy fighting on
able terrain, but within that limitation are more maneu- Jezersko took refuge on Last Frontier in late 3034. The Last
1 Machine Gun, various manufacturers (Tracked) verable. They are the APC of choice in urban or industrial Frontier Infantry—essentially the planet’s former freedom
Manufacturer: Various combat. Hover APCs are much faster than the others, ideal fighters in new uniforms—could do little to stop the ren-
for quick insertions, extractions, or moving troops rapidly egade force and sensibly dug in to wait for reinforcements.
Primary Factory: Various over great distances. However, they require nearly flat land The regular DCMS force that answered was in even worse
Communications System: LongCom or water on which to maneuver. A wall that a tracked APC shape than the Ronin troops. Tai-sa Bruce Morganstern or-
Targeting and Tracking System: OptiTrack Techniques would roll right over, for example, must be physically re- dered the local infantry to provide logistical support for the
moved by a hover APC’s passengers. beleaguered force as they sought to contain and destroy
Overview the outlaws.
Infantry is the backbone of any military. Aerospace Deployment
Every military in the Inner Sphere employs each type The fighting was savage, with neither Draconis force
fighters may dominate the sky and BattleMechs may caring what collateral damage they did in their efforts to
mount more firepower than any other weapons platform of APC. Utilization of infantry varies from House to House, eradicate the other. On the evening of 14 November 3034,
in history, but for taking an objective, holding territory, res- though, and thus APCs may only be found in second-line two BattleMech companies clashed in the foothills of the
cuing fallen comrades, making precision strikes, providing garrison duties in the Draconis Combine, but they serve in Belville Mountains. Överste-Löjtnant Illya Stroncek of the
relief for noncombatant refugees, or any of the hundreds frontline units with House Steiner. Last Frontier Infantry warned both the DCMS and ronin
of jobs a campaign requires, nothing compares to the ef- forces that Navassa, a farming community of some two
ficiency and effectiveness of ground pounders. Though un- Variants thousand souls, was in the center of the proposed battle-
dervalued by neophyte cadets and armchair generals far The ubiquitous vehicles are found in many factory field. The Draconis commanders, however, refused to break
from the front lines, every working military knows defeat or off the engagement, and Stroncek ordered his APCs to
victory can depend on how well their infantry rises to the variants and are frequently modified by individual units in evacuate Navassa. Though no BattleMech specifically tar-
the field. Some militaries—notably planetary militias lack- geted an APC, neither did they pause as the vehicles rushed
ing in financial resources—convert them into weapons back and forth beneath the guns. The last ronin BattleMech
platforms to support deployed ground troops with vary- on Last Frontier fell in the predawn hours of 15 November.
ing degrees of success. The simplest method replaces the Only charred earth marked where the hamlet of Navassa
personnel weight allotment with additional machine guns had stood, but thanks to the Last Frontier Infantry’s brave
and ammo, but other variants are more extensive. Small rescue under fire, not a single civilian life was lost.
SRM or LRM launchers are known to be used in APCs, as
are documented instances of hover APCs equipped with
advanced sensors and used as scouts by the Taurian
Concordant and the Marian Hegemony. Though mounting

ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIERS LIGHT VEHICLES 15

Type: APC (Tracked) Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Machine Gun Turret .5
Movement Type: Tracked Ammo (MG) 200 Body 1
Tonnage: 10 Cargo (Infantry) Body 1
Battle Value: 142

Equipment 60 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 1
Engine: 6 3
9
Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: .5
Flank MP: 40 0
Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value .5
Lift Equipment: 2.5
Power Amplifier: 10
Turret: 8/8
Armor Factor: 10
4
Front
R/L Side
Rear
Turret

ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIERS 16

Type: APC (Hover) Equipment 24 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Turret: Armor .5
Movement Type: Hover Armor Factor: Value 1.5
Tonnage: 10
Battle Value: 102 Front 5 Tonnage
R/L Side 5/5 1
Equipment 60 Mass Rear 4 .5
Internal Structure: ICE 1 Turret 5 1
Engine: 10 3
15 Weapons and Ammo Location
Type: 0 0 2 Machine Guns Turret
Cruising MP: .5 Ammo (MG) 100 Body
Flank MP: 1 Cargo (Infantry) Body
Heat Sinks: 0
Control Equipment:
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:

ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIERS LIGHT VEHICLES 17

Type: APC (Wheeled) Equipment 48 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Turret: Armor .5
Movement Type: Wheeled Armor Factor: Value 3
Tonnage: 10
Battle Value: 157 Front 12 Tonnage
R/L Side 10/10 1
Equipment 40 Mass Rear 1
Internal Structure: ICE 1 Turret 10 1
Engine: 6 2 6
9 Weapons and Ammo
Type: 0 0 2 Machine Guns Location
Cruising MP: .5 Ammo (MG) 200 Turret
Flank MP: 0 Cargo (Infantry) Body
Heat Sinks: 0 Body
Control Equipment:
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:

J-27 ORDNANCE TRANSPORT 18

Mass: 10 tons typical lance of ’Mechs. A half-ton of armor protects the and lawless lands, the J-27 can be a rare commodity, well
Movement Type: Tracked unit from small-arms fire and the weakest battlefield worth stealing.
Power Plant: 50 ICE (various) weapons. The fact that the trailer has twice as much
Cruising Speed: 54 kph armor does not win any compliments from J-27 crews. Ever since the Free Worlds League began using the
Flank Speed: 86 kph The engine allows the unit to reach 86 kph, though most J-27 as a penal option, this practice has been emulated
Armor: StarSlab/1 forces have installed governors to keep the speed to a by all but Houses Steiner and Davion as the primary
Armament: safe cruising speed of around 50 kph. Special authoriza- source of J-27 crews. Houses Steiner and Davion feel
tion from a commander is needed to deactivate these that munitions handlers should be more reliable than
1 SperryBrowning Machine Gun governors. criminals, but still use J-27 duty as a punishment for
Manufacturer: Acme Widgets, Various soldiers.
Crews of the J-27 tend to be the dregs of infantry.
Primary Factory: Zollikofen (discontinued 2763), The Draconis Combine in particular is noted for using The most famous of the penal units is undoubt-
Various criminals in penal units to man the transport. Given the edly the 125th Deadman Ordnance Carriers serving the
choice between a death sentence and J-27 duty, many Capellan Confederation. During fighting for New Hessen,
Communications System: Tandy A-100 choose the death sentence. At first this claim was dis- the unit carried over a thousand times their own mass in
Targeting and Tracking System: None missed as hyperbole, but studies have shown it to be munitions to keep Capellan forces in a defensible posi-
true. Ordnance transport is grueling work, and the crews tion. The unit actually found some of its convoys under
Overview are nearly always on edge, with stress levels causing a fire from a pair of Davion ’Mechs. Rather than flee, they
The J-27, which has yet to illicit a flattering (or even myriad of illnesses. Illness won’t get a criminal out of actually removed some of their missiles and made make-
duty, and the mortality rate for J-27 crews is over triple shift firing positions, driving the attackers from the field
printable) nickname, is one of the backbones of large- that of any other military vehicle. after a few hours of combat. The crews were given par-
formation warfare. Primarily used to transport ammuni- dons and promotions to other units, but some elected
tion from secure areas or spaceports to forward bases In a nod to self-defense, the transport is equipped to stay.
in secure rear areas, the J-27 is built to withstand at- with a turret-mounted machine gun. Some critics sug-
tacks from criminals or guerrilla infantry, not frontline gest adding a second machine gun in exchange for re- Variants
units. The Star League used the J-27 as its primary muni- duced ammo. This would add little to the J-27’s surviv- A few crews have been able to modify their trans-
tions transport unit, purchasing tens of thousands from ability, as crews tend to be very aggressive in using the
Acme. gun. The second gun (or the first) would not help against ports with more armor at the expense of some of the
most military vehicles, but extra ammunition can be machine gun ammunition. Even rarer are those with
Capabilities used to keep enemy infantry behind cover longer while scavenged fusion engines allowing faster movement,
Between the tractor and trailer, the J-27 can trans- the vehicle retreats. Frontline units may also scavenge which tend to be original Star League J-27s. The only
the J-27’s machine gun ammo, a practice that J-27 own- combat variant is the K-27 “Killjoy,” a version modified to
port eleven tons of munitions, enough to resupply a ers (not J-27 crews) consider useful enough to maintain look like a typical J-27 but mounting a missile launcher
the ammo bin at a full ton rather than sacrificing any for and more armor. The Federated Suns makes a few dozen
a second machine gun. of these each year to make enemies think twice about
attacking their transports.
Deployment
The J-27 can be found everywhere in the Inner Notable Crews

Sphere. All Houses have manufacturers who make the Captain “Jumpin’ Jake” Jackson III: The commander
J-27, as do even the larger Periphery nations. Acme’s of the 125th Deadman, he elected to stay with his unit.
licensing fees are so low that none feel the need to re- Despite his murder conviction and dislike of officers, he
design the transport even cosmetically outside of the has advanced after New Hessen. He still commands from
name plates and logos. Among smaller Periphery realms a J-27, carrying ammo for his crews.

J-27 ORDNANCE TRANSPORT LIGHT VEHICLES 19

Type: J-27 Ordnance Transport Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage Trailer
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Machine Gun Turret .5 Technology Base: Inner Sphere
Movement Type: Tracked Ammo (MG) 200 Body 1 Movement Type: Wheeled
Tonnage: 10 Cargo Body 3 Tonnage: 10
Battle Value: 47 Trailer Hitch Rear 0 Battle Value: 39

Equipment 50 Mass Equipment N/A Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 1 Internal Structure: N/A 1
Engine: 5 3 Engine: N/A 0
8
Type: 0 0 Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: .5 Cruising MP: 0
Flank MP: 8 0 Flank MP: 16 0
Heat Sinks: Armor 0 Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value .5 Control Equipment: Value 0
Lift Equipment: .5 Lift Equipment: 1
Power Amplifier: 2 Power Amplifier: 4
Turret: 1/1 Turret: 4/4 Tonnage
Armor Factor: 2 Armor Factor: 4 8
2 0
Front Front
R/L Side R/L Side
Rear Rear
Turret

Weapons and Ammo Location
Cargo Body
Trailer Hitch Front

MOBILE ARMY SURGICAL HOSPITAL 20

Mass: 20 tons Capabilities Variants
Movement Type: Wheeled The MASH unit is quite capable of providing the high- MASH trucks vary only in an operational capacity:
Power Plant: VOX 80 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 54 kph est quality medical care for injured soldiers. Depending on there are ones for triage, operation theaters, temporary
Flank Speed: 86 kph the military, they can be manned by civilian or military sur- post-op recovery, and medical/pharmaceutical storage.
Armor: StarSlab/Sheet geons as its facilities permit even the most delicate of op- Basic MASH units consist of at least a triage and theater
Armament: erations, provided enough medical supplies are present. truck. The White Whales of the FWL consist of long con-
voys of white MASH units, usually mostly theater and
2 ChisComp 32 Small Lasers The interior of a MASH truck is a high-tech affair once supply units.
Manufacturer: Various unfolded and unpacked. When a wounded patient has been
prepped, he is placed on an automated table that provides After the Succession Wars, some MASH trucks were
Primary Factory: Various the surgeon with everything necessary for the operation. converted to ICE engines due to the dwindling supply of
Communications System: Achernar Electronics Robotic arms administer anesthesia, dispense instruments, fusion engines. However, the power requirements proved
and provide continuous reports on the patient’s condition to be high enough that the swap was deemed unfeasi-
HICK-4 via several nearby monitors and through a small earphone ble—too many surgeons were reporting system outages in
Targeting and Tracking System: Mercy Industries worn by the surgeon. The system can even provide a “quick the middle of critical procedures. No ICE-equipped MASH
freeze” via a sealed container that is flooded with a clear, ox- trucks have been in service since 2815.
of Talon ygen-rich liquid. The surgeon can then continue vital proce-
dures through sleeves leading into the isolated area with the Notable Crews
Overview table providing instruments from underneath the cover.
Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals—MASH for short— Major Kaplan Bowes: Former commander of the Third
All care is computerized, from triage to post-op care, Crucis Lancer’s MASH arm in the late 28th century, Bowes
have been in existence since the mid-twentieth century. and recorded to the soldier’s personal identifier. That data received the Caducean Sunburst for “medical bravery in
Designed to patch up military personnel in the midst of a is then transmitted via satlink to command and control so the face of enemy fire.” Refusing to relocate his MASH com-
battlefield, the MASH system began as a conglomeration that when the patient is transferred to a field hospital or mand during a concentrated Kuritan push, his ten-truck
of buildings the size of a small town. “Mobile”in name only, DropShip, the data is already available for continued care. MASH unit was overrun while performing critical surgery
these hospitals often required several days to fully pack on several wounded tankers. As the Kurita commander ap-
up and change locations. As warfare progressed through In emergency situations, the MASH can partially fold proached the major’s theater, Bowes quickly stepped out of
the centuries, the MASH concept remained a vital part of up and then transport a surgeon and his patient while the unit, bowed to the commander, and told him he would
the support and logistical chain but only slowly evolved procedures continue. The computerized transmission and surrender the entire unit after all the men were cared for.
into the current configurations seen in today’s modern wheelbase adjust for rough terrain and provide as stable an He then instructed his orderlies to gather up the DCMS
war zone. environment for the surgeon as possible. wounded for treatment as well. Seven hours later—while
still caring for the wounded that kept rolling in (Davion
The MASH is lightly armed, more to discourage thieves and Kuritan alike)—the battle lines shifted again, and the
than to inflict damage. Some doctors have had the weapons Lancers regained control of the area around the MASH
removed and additional storage or backup generators in- command. Bowes insisted the DCMS soldiers under his
stalled, due to their convictions as healers. Most MASH units care be released to the enemy and sent three loaded post-
within the Confederation still retain their small laser batteries op units to the Kuritan lines the next day. When the Kurita
or have swapped them out for a one-shot missile package. forces lifted from the system, the MASH trucks were found
at the edge of the DMZ, with the commander’s sword and a
Deployment personal note “to the gaijin doctor” on the driver’s seat.
MASH units can be found in every army’s support

structure on every world, though the design presented
here is the Davion version. Even basic planetary militias
have at least one operational MASH truck available. Larger
House units have fleets of them; the Davion Brigade of
Guards is known to have over 250 units assigned to them.

MOBILE ARMY SURGICAL HOSPITAL LIGHT VEHICLES 21

Type: MASH Truck Equipment 64 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 4
Movement Type: Wheeled Value
Tonnage: 20 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 220 R/L Side 12 1
Rear 16/16 7.5
Equipment 80 Mass Turret
Internal Structure: Fusion 2 10
Engine: 4 Weapons and Ammo 10
5 2 Small Lasers
Type: 8 0 MASH Equipment Location
Cruising MP: 10 1 (5 Theaters) Turret
Flank MP: 0 Body
Heat Sinks: 0
Control Equipment: .5
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

PACKRAT LONG RANGE PATROL VEHICLE 22

Mass: 20 tons Capabilities Variants
Movement Type: Wheeled A Doorman 140-rated fusion engine frees the Packrat As with any combat vehicle, there are more reported
Power Plant: Doorman 120 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 75 kph from reliance on fuel, giving it both exceptional speed and variants and modifications of the Packrat than there is space
Flank Speed: 118 kph an almost-unmatched mobility. Its wheeled chassis is well- to list. Several models attempt the same goals by different
Armor: StarSlab/1 suited to long-range travel. Eight solid-rubber tires cannot means, with the exact technologies varying by military
Armament: be deflated and provide superior traction on a variety of establishment. In the Capellan Confederation many units
surfaces, both on-road and off. Four tons of StarSlab armor replace the Harvester six-rack with the commonly available
1 Harvester 20K Six-Rack Short-Range Missile provide fantastic protection for a vehicle of its class, while Hovertec twin-tube launcher, allowing the Packrat to carry
1 HS Flamer a six-tube Harvester short-range missile system give the a full platoon of leg infantry. Planetary militias on several
Manufacturer: Bowie Industries, Gienah Packrat a respectable barrage capability. Although not in- Free Worlds League worlds have stripped the flamers and
Combat Vehicles tended for frontline combat, the Packrat can hold its own passenger space for a pair of medium lasers.
Primary Factory: Carlisle, Gienah during limited engagements.
Communications System: O/P COMTES A large number of ICE-equipped Packrats are spread
Targeting and Tracking System: O/P 2000JSA Although not a dedicated infantry transport, the across the Inner Sphere, but early maintenance records are
Packrat provides space for up to ten passengers. These already showing these vehicles the first to be judged ir-
Overview spaces are most often filled with mission specialists like in- reparable so they can be scrapped in favor of now-available
The Packrat Long Range Patrol Vehicle was originally telligence analysts or infiltrators. An HS flamer mounted on fusion-powered replacements.
the rear and fed from the Doorman provides an excellent
designed by Robertson Technologies as an independent concealment method if the Packrat is discovered. Notable Crews
raiding and reconnaissance vehicle that could operate
and survive away from established supply lines for a large The true marvel of this vehicle, however, is the power- Leutnant Gerhardt Bernhard: Bernhard and his Packrat
period of time. Well-armored, fusion-powered, and lavishly- ful O/P COMTES communications system, one of the most “Missy” are attached to the Second Battalion of House
appointed, the Packrat accomplished its mission objectives powerful for its size ever mounted on a combat vehicle. Steiner’s Twenty-Sixth Lyran Guards. Missy and then-
time and time again throughout the Succession Wars. Although not as powerful as the Star League-era systems sergeant Bernhard first came to prominence during the
beginning to reappear in Successor State militaries, the O/P Fourth Succession War, when they were instrumental in
The resurgence of military industry profited the Packrat can provide local signals and ECM capabilities. securing a number of tactical successes against House
as much as any other vehicle. Now in standard production Kurita. Bernhard would often sneak his Packrat far around
in two facilities in the Lyran Commonwealth, the Packrat is Deployment the Kuritan flanks and then race inward, scouting the rear
spreading across the Inner Sphere as House militaries re- Although both modern production facilities are locat- positions and radioing the information back to the Lyran
cover from the ravages of the Fourth Succession War. ’Mech forces. Rumors continue to circulate that he deliv-
ed in the Lyran Commonwealth, the Packrat can be found ered a number of Loki teams behind the DCMS lines as
in every House military and in several larger Periphery well, but Bernhard has never admitted to the deed.
states. Its reputation as the preeminent long-range recon
vehicle is well deserved and respected. The Packrat is espe- Kashira Takeshi Onaki: A recon specialist with the Second
cially popular in the Federated Suns’ March Militias, where Legion of Vega, Onaki is currently driving his fourth
its durability and versatility are greatly prized. consecutive Packrat. The previous three have been lost
in combat against various units of House Davion while
Although the ravages of the Succession Wars man- raiding Federated Suns worlds. Onaki is supremely skilled
dated the replacement of the Doorman fusion engine with at maneuvering his vehicle around Davion patrols, but once
a less-efficient ICE, the technological recovery of the 3030s he has broadcast his information to waiting Kurita units, he
allowed Bowie Industries to begin manufacturing the stops trying to hide his position and instead engages the
Packrat to its original specifications. After the Bowie pro- nearest enemy unit in combat as a true samurai should.
duction lines had been building the original model barely To date, he has successfully destroyed ten Davion light
a year, Gienah converted its ICE-model production line to vehicles and two Wasps.
the fusion model in 3040.

PACKRAT LONG RANGE PATROL VEHICLE LIGHT VEHICLES 23

Type: Packrat Long Range Patrol Vehicle Equipment 64 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 4
Movement Type: Wheeled Value
Tonnage: 20 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 344 R/L Side 16 3
Rear 16/16 2
Equipment 120 Mass 1
Internal Structure: Fusion 2 Weapons and Ammo 16 1
Engine: 6 SRM 6
7 Ammo (SRM) 30 Location
Type: 11 0 Flamer Front
Cruising MP: 10 1 Infantry Bay Body
Flank MP: 0 Rear
Heat Sinks: 0 Body
Control Equipment: 0
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

SKULKER WHEELED SCOUT TANK 24

Mass: 20 tons that wasn’t enough, four-and-a-half tons of armor is more food, fuel, and ammo. Despite their battlefield success, the
Movement Type: Wheeled than many combat vehicles its size. For offense, the Skulker Strikers had to retreat off planet with their tails between
Power Plant: GM 120 Classic ICE mounts a medium laser, ideal for long-range missions with their legs.
Cruising Speed: 75 kph minimal resupplying. To accomplish its main mission, an
Flank Speed: 118 kph advanced sensor suit has been tied into both the targeting Variants
Armor: ProtecTech Light and communication systems. Software allows the driver to Most variants are mainly cosmetic in design, altering
Armament: navigate using the sensor system.
the Skulker for different environments. A few Skulkers
1 Standard Systems Medium Laser Very hot environments often wreak havoc on ad- attached to planetary militia units swap out the laser and
Manufacturer: Joint Equipment Systems vanced electronics like those the Skulker mounts, but by associated heat sinks for a missile system or machine guns
allowing the heat sinks to cool the sensors when the laser for anti-infantry defense. The crew quarters were designed
Primary Factory: Alshain is not in use, the Skulker can operate on the hottest planets for easy modification, so crews frequently optimize their
Communications System: Communique Equipment without worrying about damage to the electronics. Since Skulker for their needs and habits.
Targeting and Tracking System: Targeting System 2.3 the Skulker’s missions can often last up to a week at a time,
designers allowed for a very roomy crew area complete Notable Crews
Overview with an entertainment system. Alarms tied into the sensor
While there are many different scout units manu- system trigger if the sensors detect threats, allowing the Matahari: Probably the most technologically advanced
crew to relax some without being entirely off guard. Skulker ever, the Matahari has been modified by the
factured, most are small, quick vehicles. Joint Equipment Capellan Confederation with baffles and insulation to make
Systems decided to go a different route by making a larger Deployment it quieter. Even heat emissions are distributed better, and
and roomier vehicle. While somewhat slower, the Skulker The primary scouting vehicle for the Draconis it can often drive slowly past enemy sensors. While the so-
does its job well and crews actually request assignment to called “Stealth Skulker” is no more effective in combat, it
the Skulker, unlike many other scouting units. While the Combine, almost all Combine conventional units possess has kept House Liao aware of enemy action for almost half
Skulker only requires two crew, it has quarters for four. This at least one Skulker. The roomy, comfortable interior makes a century.
often allows extended hours of operation as the crew ro- the Skulker popular among scouting crews who can get
tates throughout the mission, vital for scouting missions them in other nations. The secondhand market for Skulkers Justin and Elizabeth Baughman: Where the grueling
that can involve a lot of hurry up and wait. is very lively, as are JES’s sales when the Combine permits demands of long range recon can test some partner-
export of the tank. Sales to the Capellan Confederation and ships, this married couple actually enjoys traveling behind
Capabilities Free Worlds League have increased since the cessation of enemy lines together. Originally from Terra, people often
With a cruising speed of 75 kph, the Skulker can out- the Fourth Succession War. ask Elizabeth about her past in England, but she prefers
to focus on the future. The Baughmans were instrumen-
pace most military formations and in combat situations can In the late 30th century, Spicher’s Strikers invaded tal in taking the planet Liao during the Fourth Succession
accelerate to nearly 120 kph, allowing it to elude pursuit. If Dieron for the Federated Suns. They established a good War. Capellan forces were mounting a counterattack after
beachhead and set up a defensive perimeter around a successful Davion landing, so the Baughmans befriended
the town of Arlington Grove. Their picket forces noticed some locals who were sick of the crippling shipping taxes
Skulkers around the edges, but Major Spicher ignored Sian had imposed and the cruel machinations of Capellan
them. He moved his entire force out in a tight formation Colonel Manuel. Using these contacts, the Baughmans
and drove the Combine forces back despite the advanced kept the Federated forces up to date on almost all of the
warning from the Skulkers. In control of the battlefield, Capellan forces.
Spicher’s recovery and transport units went to the battle-
field under cover of their reserve units. After recovering all
that was worth recovering, they returned to their base of
operations, only to find it ravaged. The support staff with
small arms was no match for the Skulkers’ armor and lasers.
While the Strikers had battlefield salvage, they were out of

SKULKER WHEELED SCOUT TANK LIGHT VEHICLES 25

Type: Skulker Wheeled Scout Tank Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Medium Laser Front 1
Movement Type: Wheeled Cargo Body .4
Tonnage: 20
Battle Value: 314

Equipment 120 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 2
Engine: 7 8
11
Type: 3 3
Cruising MP: 1
Flank MP: 72 0
Heat Sinks: Armor .1
Control Equipment: Value 0
Lift Equipment: 4.5
Power Amplifier: 18
Turret: 18/18
Armor Factor:
18
Front
R/L Side
Rear

WARRIOR H-7 ATTACK HELICOPTER 26

Mass: 21 tons Capabilities the Warrior, as do the Free Worlds Guards and the Capellan
Movement Type: VTOL The Warrior’s main weapon is a centerline-mounted Home Guard. A number of smaller mercenary units also
Power Plant: Omni 50 ICE employ the craft, including one or two helicopter-only units
Cruising Speed: 97 kph automatic cannon, the venerable SarLon Autocannon/2. such as Laws Flight, famous for their defense of Kimball II in
Flank Speed: 151 kph The phenomenal range profile of this weapon allows the 3021. More recently, during the Fourth Succession War, sev-
Armor: Longanecker PlastiSteel Warrior to engage while remaining far out of range of the eral units of airmobile troops supported by Warrior attack
Armament: enemies’weapons. Although it’s not a powerful cannon, the helicopters played vital roles in Hanse Davion’s invasion of
SarLon is reliable and packs enough punch that not even the Capellan Confederation.
1 SarLon Autocannon/2 a BattleMech can afford to ignore it for long. Supporting
1 TharHes 4 Pack SRM 4 the SarLon is a locally-produced TharHes four-tube short- Variants
Manufacturer: Lockheed/CBM Corporation range missile system, which gives the Warrior a respectable The main complaint of commanders and pilots is the
Primary Factory: Furillo bombardment capability during high-speed strafing runs.
Communications System: Xilex-2000 SarLon’s lack of punch. Lockheed/CBM introduced two vari-
Targeting and Tracking System: N&D Handsfree The innovative N&D Handsfree targeting and track- ant to address this concern. The H-7A replaces the short-
ing system is unique to the Warrior. This system uses a range missiles with a machine gun and upgrades the au-
Overview high-tech helmet to mate the reticle-mounted targeting tocannon to a larger SarLon Maxicannon 5. The H-7C takes
The Warrior has spent the last ninety years rebuilding crosshairs to the pilot’s vision. Instead of having to take a different approach, replacing the SarLon entirely with a
his hands off the controls to manipulate a complex fir- long-range missile battery.
the combat reputation of the helicopter. Produced by the ing panel, the pilot simply maneuvers the helicopter until
Lockheed/CBM Corporation on the Commonwealth world his crosshairs line up with the projected target and fires. Notable Crews
of Furillo, the Warrior is a single-person attack helicopter Although the technology is relatively simple and pales in
often found in mercenary and Periphery air cavalry units. comparison with the complexity of a ’Mech’s neurohelmet, Leftenant Bianca Graymond: Recently declassified re-
Its combination of high speed and long-range weaponry the N&D is still an impressive piece of work. ports of an action on Palos during the Fourth Succession
make it an ideal platform for maintaining contact with an War paint then-Sergeant Bianca Graymond as one of the
enemy while the main body maneuvers into position. Unlike most helicopters, the Warrior does not have an premier Warrior pilots of the modern age. Detached from
anti-torque tail rotor. Instead, it mounts two sets of rotors her parent unit, along with a full company of Warriors and
Although the initial production figures were low due on its mast, each rotating in opposite directions to cancel two battalions of airmobile infantry, Sergeant Graymond
to the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces’ arrogance the engine’s torque. The tail still finds a use with ducted fan, led the diversionary attack on a ’Mech lance while the in-
when it came to “flying toys,” the Warrior eventually found which provides additional thrust to propel the Warrior at fantry battalions assaulted their target, a suspected nerve
its way into the LCAF’s armored forces and quickly spread truly impressive (and hard-to-target) speeds. gas depot.
across the Inner Sphere.
Despite these advantages, however, the inherent fra- Sergeant Graymond and her flight of four Warriors
gility of all vertical-take-off-and-landing craft remains the chose a Capellan Commando BattleMech as their target.
Warrior’s greatest flaw. Pilots who realize their danger and Using high-speed strafing runs combined with bouts of
fly the craft the way it was designed find it to be an asset long-range sniping, Sergeant Graymond and her Warriors
on any mission, but many careless commanders, unfamil- held the ’Mech’s attention for almost forty minutes, lead-
iar with the mobile nature of helicopter warfare, send the ing it on a ten-kilometer chase away from the depot. While
Warrior to battle in the same manner they would a tank, she and all her pilots were eventually brought down and
which usually results in the destruction of the helicopter killed by laser and missile fire, her heroism allowed the in-
and the death of the pilot. fantry battalions to capture the depot. While no weapons
of mass destruction were found, Sergeant Graymond re-
Deployment ceived (posthumously) the Diamond Sunburst for bravery
Since its initial deployment in 2957, the Warrior has and a promotion to leftenant.

spread to every Successor State and several Periphery
realms. House Davion’s Ceti Hussars make extensive use of

WARRIOR H-7 ATTACK HELICOPTER LIGHT VEHICLES 27

Type: Warrior H-7 Attack Helicopter Equipment 24 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 1.5
Movement Type: VTOL Value
Tonnage: 21 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 289 R/L Side 6 6
Rear 5/5 1
Equipment 50 Mass Rotor 6 2
Internal Structure: ICE 2.5 2 1
Engine: 9 3 Weapons and Ammo
14 AC/2 Location
Type: 0 0 Ammo (AC) 45 Front
Cruising MP: 1.5 SRM 4 Body
Flank MP: 2.5 Ammo (SRM) 25 Front
Heat Sinks: 0 Body
Control Equipment: 0
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

HARASSER MISSILE PLATFORM 28

Mass: 25 tons The speed and firepower come at a price. Only a ton Variants
Movement Type: Hover and a half of armor protects the entire machine, allowing The constant tinkering of the Harasser/Galleon com-
Power Plant: GM 120 Classic II ICE a single medium laser hit to strip or penetrate any location
Cruising Speed: 108 kph on the hover tank. This often led to many quickly destroyed bination has led to a number of variants for the small
Flank Speed: 162 kph Harassers, as the first heavy weapons hit would push hover tank. One version uses a long-range missile rack to
Armor: StarSlab/2 through to the engine or the large ammunition bin, lead- provide swift fire support, while another uses lasers origi-
Armament: ing to a spectacular explosion. Many Harasser commanders nally mounted on scrapped Galleons to further streamline
force their vehicles to spread out and move at top speed, logistics and extend a Harasser’s endurance time. Some
2 SureShot Mk VI SRM 6 as artillery and bottlenecks will often lead to the graveyard others use flamers, or advanced sensors (nick-named
Manufacturer: Brooks Incorporated for the light craft. “Mini-Peggies”), but those are rare and used for special
operations.
Primary Factory: Suzano, Irian, Andurien Brooks attempted to install a back-up fire control for
Communications System: Maxell 500 the commander, allowing the commander to re-align and Notable Crews
Targeting and Tracking System: Maxell TA 55 fire the turret mounted weapons, but a string of accidents
and misfirings by commanders simply trying to realign the Force Commander Bill Gorhum: Commander of the plan-
Overview turret forced Brooks to do a recall, disabling and removing etary militia of Nestor, a force composed mainly of Harassers,
Looking to compliment the sizeable force of Galleon the back-up control from the Harassers. Only a few hun- Force Commander Gorhum re-organized his tank corps back
dred outside of the Free-Worlds League borders still have to the Star League standard, allowing him to keep several ad-
light tanks acquired during the fall of the Star League, the this feature. ditional platoons in reserve. Lyran commanders familiar with
Free Worlds League commissioned Brooks Incorporated the Free Worlds League policy of enlarged tank platoons be-
to create a companion vehicle for their tracked vehicle. Deployment lieve upon first contact that Gorhum’s tank corps is operat-
Deciding against doing a more traditional companion, a Though developed to be teamed with the Galleon, ing merely under-strength until the raiding group finds their
similar motive system with longer-range capabilities for rear guard swarmed with the reserve of Harassers.
support, designers instead opted for a swifter hover tank the massive casualties received during the outbreak of
with equally short-ranged firepower. the Second Succession War forced the League Military to Leaping Lisa: A experiment that followed a League
employ the Harasser throughout many local militias, as battle with a group of Kanga jump tanks during the First
Capabilities the regular military units were spread too thin to conduct Succession War, Leaping Lisa was a Harasser modified by
The Harasser’s speed combined with its formidable effective defensive operations. This propagation would reducing the SRM packs in size and adding on several jump
continue until the Inner Sphere nearly exhausted itself mili- jets on the sides to increase its mobility in pent-up loca-
pair of SRM 6 racks have garnered Harasser units the nick- tarily and ended the Third Succession War, giving the Free tions. The League did not, unfortunately, know about the
name “Poor man’s artillery,” as the lightweight hovercraft Worlds League enough breathing room to finally employ advanced stabilization systems used by the Kanga, and
could deliver concentrated firepower quickly across a rag- the Harasser as intended. Leaping Lisa’s first test run was a spectacular failure, as it
ing battlefield. flipped over and crashed on its rear during its first attempt
Originally, the theory was that the Harassers would at leaping, detonating the ammunition bay and killing its
surge ahead of the main formation, softening up an enemy crew. The Free Worlds League banned any informal at-
force and drawing them to the incoming Galleons, who tempts of similar experiments after that incident.
would do a swift pass and encircle the group. However,
the few times this was attempted, the enemy force would
refuse to take the bait, forcing a second attempt and in-
creased casualties among the lightly armored hover tanks.

Instead, commanders began switching roles between
the two vehicles, leaving the Harassers behind hidden,
while the Galleons engaged the enemy. With the focus
entirely on the better-armored tanks, the Harassers would
then spring out of hiding and flank the force, using their
devastating firepower to quickly end the fight.

HARASSER MISSILE PLATFORM LIGHT VEHICLES 29

Type: Harasser Missile Platform
Technology Base: Inner Sphere
Movement Type: Hover
Tonnage: 25
Battle Value: 413

Equipment 120 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 2.5
Engine: 10 8
15
Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: 1.5
Flank MP: 24 2.5
Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value 1
Lift Equipment: 1.5
Power Amplifier: 5
Turret: 5/5 Tonnage
Armor Factor: 4 6
5 2
Front
R/L Side
Rear
Turret

Weapons and Ammo Location
2 SRM 6 Turret
Ammo (SRM) 30 Body

J. EDGAR LIGHT HOVER TANK 30

Mass: 25 tons expected the J. Edgar to quietly disappear, but Pinard Old J. Edgars still occasionally appear with planetary
Movement Type: Hover Protectorates Ltd. licensed the design and began to manu- militia and mercenary commands. The Com Guards also
Power Plant: 145 Leenex Fusion facture it for the Taurian Concordat in 2755. In 3006, the field a limited number drawn from their vast stockpiles of
Cruising Speed: 118 kph newly created Olivetti Weaponry also began to manufac- mothballed Star League-era equipment on Terra.
Flank Speed: 183 kph ture the vehicle, though they neglected to license the de-
Armor: StarSlab/7 sign from ATC; that fact embroiled both parties in litigation The Federated Suns gained access to new J. Edgars
Armament: that has dragged on for decades (later complicated by the through the alliance with the Lyran Commonwealth that
Jade Falcon conquest of Sudeten). created the formidable Federated Commonwealth. While
1 Diverse Optics Type 18 Medium Laser the Lyrans parcel out their vehicles piecemeal to fill gaps in
2 Harvester SRM 2 Missile Racks Capabilities their scout and light armor companies, the Davions prefer
Manufacturer: Olivetti Weaponry, The J. Edgar is a fast and sturdy lightweight hovercraft. to concentrate the vehicle in companies attached to the
Pinard Protectorates Limited Avalon Hussars and Deneb Light Cavalry.
Primary Factory: Sudeten (Olivetti), Thanks to the 145 Leenex power plant, it can reach an im-
pressive 183 kph—a speed few ground vehicles can match. Variants
Perdition (Pinard) This speed and the unlimited endurance bestowed by a fu- The Alphard Trading Company never produced any
Communications System: Alphard Original Two sion engine make the J. Edgar perfect for reconnaissance
and raiding operations. variants, but a number of field modifications have appeared.
(Olivetti), Neil 5000 (Pinard) Common variants of the J. Edgar replace the missile systems
Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Instatrac The Succession Wars have taken their toll on the J. with quad machine guns or two vehicle flamers.
Edgar. Both Olivetti and Pinard Protectorates have replaced
Mk. II (Olivetti), TracTex Alpha-1 (Pinard) the original Diverse Optics Type 2 medium laser with the During the Second and Third Succession Wars, fusion
more readily available (but less accurate) Type 18 model. engines became increasingly difficult to acquire, and those
Overview The TracTex Alpha-1 Targeting and Tracking System in- that were available were usually reserved for BattleMechs.
The J. Edgar is one of the few vehicles produced by stalled by ATC is obsolete, and replacement parts are dif- Many J. Edgars that received engine damage were repaired
ficult to find. The Neil 5000 has become the standard com- using readily available internal combustion engines. This
the Alphard Trading Corporation. To expand its market and munications replacement unit. substitution resulted in a significant degradation of per-
increase profits, ATC decided to make a number of both formance, reducing the top speed to 129 kph. Structural
military and civilian vehicles to sell to any world, govern- Unlike the laser weaponry and targeting systems, the modifications required to fit the new power plant also ne-
ment, or person willing to buy them. Although the vehicles Harvester Corporation’s SRM 2 rack were part of the original cessitated the removal of one ton of armor.
sold fairly well initially, the diversification failed as the years specifications and remains a popular missile system. They
passed, and ATC closed down all vehicle manufacturing fa- are fairly effective against vehicles and infantry but pose Notable Crews
cilities in 2732. little threat to a ’Mech.
Stan Finch and Al Bielaski: Finch and Bielaski are the crew
The J. Edgar was the last military vehicle that the Deployment of a venerable J. Edgar attached to the Seventeenth Armored
Alphard Trading Corporation produced. Designed as a The J. Edgar was used extensively by the reconstituted Recon company of the elite Twenty-first Centauri Lancers
cheap, fast, and effective fighter, the J. Edgar was only a mercenary command. The pair made a name for themselves
marginal success during its ten-year production run. Many Taurian Defense Force during the New Vandenburg Revolt. in operations along the Marik-Liao border after the Marik
The vehicle subsequently became a core unit in Taurian Civil War (also known as the Anton Revolt). They used the
light armor formations. exceptional speed of their vehicle to run rings around the
Capellan Reserves. Armed with the information gathered
The Draconis Combine bought many of ATC’s original by the pair, Colonel Thaddeus Kusaka executed a string of
run of production, but two centuries of attrition reduced devastating raids. With so many of its troops now pinned in
their numbers significantly. Increasingly difficult to main- position to guard against further attacks, the Confederation
tain, most of the survivors were relegated to armor units lost the opportunity to capitalize on the weakened condi-
supporting the Legion of Vega and the Ghost Regiments. tion of the Free Worlds League military.
Both commands used the speedy J. Edgar to great effect as
swift raiders during the 3039 counter-offensive against the
Federated Suns.

J. EDGAR LIGHT HOVER TANK LIGHT VEHICLES 31

Type: J. Edgar Light Hover Tank Equipment 104 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 6.5
Movement Type: Hover Value
Tonnage: 25 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 546 R/L Side 30 1
Rear 19/19 2
Equipment 145 Mass Turret 1
Internal Structure: Fusion 2.5 12
Engine: 7.5 Weapons and Ammo 24
11 Medium Laser
Type: 17 0 2 SRM 2 Location
Cruising MP: 10 1.5 Ammo (SRM) 50 Turret
Flank MP: 2.5 Turret
Heat Sinks: 0 Body
Control Equipment: .5
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

MOBILE HQ Capabilities 32
A typical Mobile HQ is divided into two parts—the
Mass: 25 tons Variants
Movement Type: Wheeled communications room and the control cab. The main com- Variants are minor, consisting mainly of different tur-
Power Plant: Omni 130 Fusion munications room can seat up to six people and has room
Cruising Speed: 64 kph for up to twelve standing. Dominating the center of the ret weapons. Combine and Confederation forces typically
Flank Speed: 97 kph floor is a TriHolo table, capable of showing the surround- mounted a long-range system, such as a large laser or LRM
Armor: StarSlab/4 ing terrain and individual troop members, including known 10 rack, which usually required a redesign of the crew cab.
Armament: enemy positions. The sophisticated battle computer can These modifications are often made to those trucks that
also display various projections of the battle’s future and are already partially disabled due to disrepair. Most other
1 Defiance B3M Medium Laser possible avenues to follow based on whatever variables the militaries prefer to leave the medium laser.
Manufacturer: Star League Defense Industries commander entered into the system.
Finding a Mobile HQ in a mercenary unit is a rare thing
Primary Factory: Mars (destroyed 2767) Three communications stations allow a commander indeed; if one is present, a House will usually consider the
Communications System: TharHes HQ CommSet and his staff of seven commtechs to maintain constant Mobile HQ to be a strong mark in favor of hiring. These
Targeting and Tracking System: Diplan-IX contact with their forces. The powerful transmitters are mercenary Mobile HQ trucks usually have an ICE engine in-
capable of piercing most jamming systems and can even stalled for the missing fusion engine (usually stripped and
SideSweeper connect to distant JumpShips using the collapsible main sold for weapons or light BattleMechs). Such a radical sal-
array on the roof. The interior of the communications room vage job requires power amplifiers for the laser system and
Overview is kept stable by a complex and dynamic suspension sys- extra generators to handle the capacity necessary for the
Mobile headquarters have been the nerve center of tem that allows normal activity within despite the speed of communications and computer systems. During the early
the truck. part of the 31st century, only Wolf’s Dragoons possessed
large-scale planetary operations since man stepped into fusion-powered Mobile HQ units, though recovered tech-
space. They gather information from the various partici- Deployment nology has helped the Mobile HQs proliferate once more.
pants and then use sophisticated command-and-control Once a common sight among most House forces, the
computer systems to present data to the commander Notable Crews
for analysis. Mobile HQ has slowly vanished from general use due to
two factors: the highly technical electronics and battle Battle Wagon Deuce: One of the original five Wolf’s
The standard Mobile HQ has changed little since its computers are beyond the current know-how of most Dragoons Mobile HQ trucks in service, the Deuce became
introduction into the Star League Defense Force; while repair technicians today, and the HQs have become a le- a sort of “holy grail” for the First Chisholm Raiders when
the cosmetic look may vary from military to military, the gitimate target for headhunting missions ever since the they hit Thestria during the last year of the Third Succession
core systems on the inside remain the same, save for Succession Wars. Those Mobile HQs still in service are usu- War. Realizing that such a prize was a major lynchpin in
minor upgrades in technology—or, after the ravages of ally assigned to larger, prestigious units such as the Sword the Dragoons defense, the Raiders spent the better part
the Succession Wars, the failure of technology due to poor of Light regiments in the Combine or the Lyran Guard in of a week tracking down the Deuce through severe terrain
maintenance and lack of available repair methods. the Commonwealth. While still in service, however, most and managed to locate it only when a random air patrol
of these units are only partially functional—some no lon- caught it in the open attempting to ford the McConnell
ger have working computers or TriHolo tables, others have River. Despite only having a light escort of a lone Griffin
lost the use of their multi-functional communication suites. and three Pegasus scout tanks, the Deuce and its entou-
Still, many commanders make do and have used the trucks rage held out against two medium lances of Raiders until
to some success. Dragoon reinforcements arrived. A lucky shot by a Raider
Quickdraw snapped the front axle in half, immobilizing it,
though the Dragoon command staff still managed to es-
cape the Raider’s grasp. The Deuce is still in service and is
maintained in as pristine condition as possible—a point of
pride for the unit all these years later.

MOBILE HQ LIGHT VEHICLES 33

Type: Mobile HQ Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere 1
Movement Type: Wheeled Medium Laser Turret 7
Tonnage: 25 0.5
Battle Value: N/A Communications Equipment Body

Cargo Body

Equipment 130 Mass
Internal Structure: Fusion 2.5
Engine: 7
6
Type: 9 0
Cruising MP: 10 1.5
Flank MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 80 0
Control Equipment: Armor .5
Lift Equipment: Value 5
Power Amplifier:
Turret: 16
Armor Factor: 19/19

Front 16
R/L Side 10
Rear
Turret

SCORPION LIGHT TANK 34

Mass: 25 tons dangerous combination in a light armor unit. Its main weap- him not to attack their worlds—for the time being. This
Movement Type: Tracked on, the Deleon Autocannon, can inflict marginal damage battle became known as the “Scorpions Nest,” and it is now
Power Plant: SitiCide 100 ICE against targets at fairly long range, but it suffers from track- a popular training exercise for new Kurita MechWarriors,
Cruising Speed: 43 kph ing problems typical of an autocannon at ranges of less teaching them how to deal with swarms of small vehicles
Flank Speed: 64 kph than ninety meters. The 20mm Gatling gun is a time-proven and remain cool in combat.
Armor: ProtecTech Light weapon, but it is somewhat lacking when compared to the
Armament: secondary weapons, like missile racks, commonly carried by The Free Rasalhague Republic inherited the Quikscell
other tanks of this weight class. factory on Spittal from the Draconis Combine. As one of
1 Deleon 5 Autocannon/5 the few native-built armor designs available, the Scorpion
1 20mm Gatling Gun Machine Gun To compound these shortcomings, the Quikscell was used extensively by the young KungsArmé until the
Manufacturer: Quikscell Company, Joint Equipment Company is notorious for poor quality control. Many new Ghost Bears overran Spittal. The Scorpion’s weaknesses
Systems, Benson and Bjorn, Hellespont Industries Scorpions suffer a host of minor problems that can be time were graphically demonstrated on Radstadt when the
Primary Factory: Pandora, Layover, Kalidasa, consuming to identify and correct. ronin 603rd Tank Regiment ambushed the First Kavalleri’s
armor support. The lack of effective anti-vehicle weap-
Ares (Quikscell), Alshain (JES), Spittal Deployment ons put the Rasalhague armor at a distinct disadvantage
(Benson and Bjorn), Sian (Hellespont) Manufactured across the Inner Sphere since its intro- against the ronin’s heavier medium tanks. Out of a battalion
Communications System: Basix 200 (predominantly Scorpions), less than a company escaped
Targeting and Tracking System: OptiSight-12 duction in 2807, the Scorpion remains a common sight in the carnage.
most armies, planetary militia, mercenary commands, and
Overview even bandits and pirates. Variants
The Scorpion Light Tank is another vehicle from the A popular variant replaces the autocannon with two
Bandit kings sometimes become more than a minor
successful Quikscell Company. As is typical with all their nuisance to the Inner Sphere. Whenever one of them be- SRM 6 launchers and a ton of ammunition. Another version
products, it is very inexpensive, a fact that has earned the comes too great a threat, House militaries pry loose fire- mounts an LRM 10 and LRM 5 launcher, each with a ton of
Scorpion the nickname “Budget Tank.”This low cost makes power from duty on other fronts and send an assault force ammunition. A third variant, often pressed into service as
it attractive to buyers from poorer worlds, and field com- to chastise the self-styled king and persuade them to focus a scout or courier, replaces the autocannon with two me-
manders often use the tank in large groups to compensate their attention elsewhere (at least for a while). In one such dium lasers, six heat sinks, power amplifiers, and a ton of
for its relative weakness in relation to other vehicles. instance, the DCMS mobilized a small ’Mech force to raid cargo space.
the Santander V system, home of the infamous bandit king
Capabilities Helmar Valasek. Notable Crews
The Scorpion is not a particularly effective vehicle,
When word of the approaching Kurita force reached Jalex Schenker and Parson Smith: These two men are
though it can fight well enough against other light armor Valasek, he devised a plan to deal with the invaders with- owners of the largest independent Scorpion suppliers
units. The tank is neither particularly fast or well armored—a out requiring the sacrifice of any of his own precious and repair services in the Inner Sphere. Operating in the
’Mechs. Valasek had recently “borrowed” several pla- Federated Suns near Terra, Schenker and Smith have won
toons of Scorpion light tanks, which he set up in a sup- all their Scorpions through various games of chance.
ply area he (correctly) anticipated would be the Kuritan
target. The moment the Kurita troops touched down, the Sergeant Klaus Engelberktsson and Korpral Olof Lindh:
Scorpions opened fire at close range, dealing heavy dam- Like the rest of the Free Rasalhague Republic, the crew of
age to the invading ’Mechs. Because the Kurita ’Mechs the Scorpion tank “Rosalind” are a cacophonous mix. Klaus
were outnumbered more than three to one and there Engelberktsson is a former leader of a Mimir resistance cell,
was nowhere to retreat, the Combine troops went into while Olof Lindh previously served in the DCMS. Attached
hand-to-hand (or more accurately, foot-to-turret) combat to the First Kavalleri regiment, Engelberktsson and Lindh
against the tanks. were amongst the handful of tank crews to survive the
ronin ambush on Radstadt.
Casualties were high on both sides, but when the
dust settled, Valasek was able to scavenge some desper-
ately needed ’Mech parts, and the Kuritans had persuaded

SCORPION LIGHT TANK LIGHT VEHICLES 35

Type: Scorpion Light Tank Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere AC/5 Turret 8
Movement Type: Tracked Ammo (AC) 20 Body 1
Tonnage: 25 Machine Gun Front .5
Battle Value: 306 Ammo (MG) 100 Body .5

Equipment 100 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 2.5
Engine: 4 6
6
Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: 1.5
Flank MP: 64 0
Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value 1
Lift Equipment: 4
Power Amplifier: 16
Turret: 11/11
Armor Factor:
10
Front 16
R/L Side
Rear
Turret

SEA SKIMMER HYDROFOIL 36

Mass: 25 tons In 2867, a group of young Lyrans of military age ap- After a battalion of Kuritan ’Mechs broke through the
Movement Type: Naval (Hydrofoil) proached the LCAF with a proposal: what if they formed lines and advanced over the floodplains and threatened
Power Plant: Skye Engines 150 Naval ICE their own reserve military unit that was equipped, main- Inverness, the Skye defenders had nothing left to stop
Cruising Speed: 129 kph tained, and paid for by their own resources? As the Archon them. The commander of the Inverness garrison made an
Flank Speed: 194 kph had invoked the Military Disaster Act and they expected to unorthodox decision that contradicted the unwritten rules
Armor: Glasgow Limited Standard be drafted, they sought to avoid becoming cannon fodder of warfare of the time. He decided to use one-kiloton nu-
Armament: by incorporating the unit into the Skye militia, equipped as clear “demolition” devices to bring down the Mantty River
they saw fit. With pressure from notable Skye families, the Dam behind the Combine lines. He sent the lone two Sea
1 Coventry 4 Tube Missile System SRM 4 LCAF relented and formed the 348th Reserve Detachment. Skimmers, each with a nuclear device, from the 348th to
3 Sperry Browning Machine Guns Expecting a lightly armed infantry unit, the LCAF was rath- carry out what was obviously a suicide mission.
Manufacturer: Skye Pleasure Craft, Ltd. er surprised to find the group form themselves around a
Primary Factory: Skye new vessel design commissioned by the young reservists. The crews of both vessels embraced their Lyran duty
Communications System: TharHes Seaweed PG-2 Within three months, the 348th could be seen “patrolling” wholeheartedly. Racing past most Kuritan forces, the last
Targeting and Tracking System: TharHes Nav Shark the lakes and rivers around New Glasgow, “escorting” vari- of the 348th were intercepted by a pair of scout mechs
ous civilian craft on pleasure trips. and the Kuritan infantry on the dam. The two Skimmers
Overview toppled a Wasp with SRM salvos and sought to bypass the
The usefulness of the wet navy all but vanished from Capabilities other, only to have the Wasp sit up as one of the Skimmers
The Sea Skimmer was faster and more heavily armored raced over the submerged ’Mech. The collision crippled
the Inner Sphere after the Exodus era. Some military mis- that Skimmer, but the remaining Sea Skimmer reached
sions still remained, however, in systems that had large than the LCAF’s standard Silverfin cutters. Because the ini- the dam and detonated the device, flooding the Combine
bodies of water, such as counter-insurgency operations tial development and production was limited to the 348th, lines. The Kuritans withdrew less than a week later.
along waterways and the control of civilian shipping on the design did not spread to other LCAF units until after
those worlds whose populations were rebellious. To carry the Kuritan invasion in 2895. Due to the heroic actions of Variants
out such operations, the military often turned to conven- the reserve unit’s Skimmers, the LCAF formally contracted Though no official variants exist through Skye Pleasure
tional land hovercraft supplemented by armed commercial the design from Skye Pleasure Craft and delivered many to
vessels rather than expensive, specially designed military Lyran border worlds. Craft, some militias have done some unofficial modifica-
ships. In some cases, however, money and titles are thrown tions due to technology breakdowns and a lack of spare
around to get “upgraded” technology for less-than-military Armed with a turret-mounted SRM 4 and powerful parts. Some of these modifications include stripping out the
purposes. On Skye, such “social generalism” actually ended Sperry-Browning machine guns covering the sides and machine guns and replacing them either with an additional
up turning the tide of a Kuritan invasion. rear, the Sea Skimmer can outrun most other armed naval SRM 2 launcher, or upgrading the SRM 4 to a SRM 6.
vessels in production. The LCAF has, from time to time, re-
searched possibilities in modifying a DropShip design to Notable Crews
combat-load and -offload swarms of Skimmers, but noth-
ing has come to fruition. Tiger Lily: The lone Sea Skimmer assigned to the Kandis
Militia, the Tiger Lily was responsible for maintaining Duke
Deployment Kelswa Steiner’s unauthorized rebellion during the forma-
After its inception, the 348th kept Skye “free from tion of the Free Rasalhague Republic. The crew assisted the
Dragonslayers mercenary unit for several weeks, pinpoint-
Combine oppression” despite the fact that the Combine ing coastal targets along the Tiberian River until the craft
was nowhere near Skye at the time. Though the unit would was destroyed by a scout lance from the First Shin Legion.
assemble at a local yacht club, appropriate “supplies” and The wreck remains at the bottom of the river surprisingly
“civilian observers” to execute “maneuvers” several times a intact and has become a popular dive spot for vacationers.
month, the unit saw no action until the Combine invaded
in 2895.

SEA SKIMMER HYDROFOIL LIGHT VEHICLES 37

Type: Sea Skimmer Hydrofoil
Technology Base: Inner Sphere
Movement Type: Naval (Hydrofoil)
Tonnage: 25
Battle Value: 281

Equipment 150 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 2.5
Engine: 12 11
18
Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: 1.5
Flank MP: 32 2.5
Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value .5
Lift Equipment: 2
Power Amplifier: 9
Turret: 7/7 Tonnage
Armor Factor: 4 2
5 1
Front .5
R/L Side .5
Rear .5
Turret .5

Weapons and Ammo Location
SRM 4 Turret
Ammo (SRM) 25 Body
Machine Gun Left
Machine Gun Right
Machine Gun Rear
Ammo (MG) 100 Body

COOLANT TRUCK 38

Mass: 30 tons Capabilities the battle swirls around them. Coolant trucks are valued
Movement Type: Wheeled Coolant trucks, better known as “coolers” among as prizes (as well as important strategic targets). If a cooler
Power Plant: Tamia 100 ICE and its team are captured intact, it is not unusual for them
Cruising Speed: 43 kph MechWarriors, station themselves close to the battlefield to be offered a chance to work for their captors. Mercenary
Flank Speed: 64 kph and at field repair areas, where they can be hooked up to units are always on the lookout for seasoned cooler teams
Armor: StarSlab/3 overheated ’Mechs and flush away excess heat with chilled and have been known to offer them a share of the unit’s
Armament: coolants. The Lifesaver uses armored cryogenic tanks to booty equal to what two Techs would earn.
carry over five tons of liquid nitrogen and two tons of liq-
2 Dragon’s Breath Flamers uid oxygen, taking advantage of the high heat capacity of ’Mechs are especially vulnerable when hooked up to
Manufacturer: Buda Imperial Vehicles water-based coolants for super-cold temperatures. Motors a cooler. During the Succession Wars a battlefield etiquette
stir the contents to prevent dangerous temperature gradi- evolved, which extended special ‘courtesy’ to a cooler-
Primary Factory: Luthien ents that might rupture the tanks. hooked ’Mech. The enemy would usually ignore a ’Mech
Communications System: Sipher CommSys 1 that was hooked to a cooler, as long as it did not shoot.
Targeting and Tracking System: Matabushi Sentinel The vehicle is armed with two turret-mounted Dragon’s Once the ’Mech had disconnected and moved a few me-
Breath flamers. These weapons have a unique feature; when ters away from the trucks, it became fair game once more.
Overview approached by a friendly ’Mech that has been targeted by Recently, however, there have been signs that such battle-
The first coolant trucks appeared on the battlefield in inferno rounds or is overheating dangerously, the flamers field courtesies are falling by the wayside.
can discharge liquid nitrogen. This douses the flames and
2583 during the Reunification War. The siege of Cerberus, cools the ’Mech off in a cloud of supercool mist. Variants
a desert world in the Outworlds Alliance, was proving dif- Many types of coolant trucks exist. Some are hover-
ficult. The SLDF lost several battles simply because the The liquid oxygen is used to replenish a ’Mech’s en-
Periphery armies were able to force the superior Terran vironmental systems and cool a BattleMech if the liquid craft and others are tracked vehicles. Most variations are a
Hegemony-built ’Mechs to shut down through overheat- nitrogen is exhausted. The Lifesaver also uses the liquid matter of alternate coolants, often selected to match the
ing with unrelenting attacks. The introduction of coolant oxygen to enrich its flamer fuel, making it burn hotter. coolant used by the heat sinks of friendly BattleMechs.
trucks extended the endurance of the SLDF BattleMech
forces, and Cerberus fell at last. The Lifesaver has five receptacles for the long hoses Notable Crews
used for attachment to overheating ’Mechs. The first four
Built for the Draconis Combine by Buda Imperial dispense liquid nitrogen, while the fifth contains liquid oxy- Cooler Team Five: Commanded by Gunsho Jerry Nakamua,
Vehicles, the Class 135-K coolant truck (code-named “The gen. Light and medium ’Mechs have just one hook-up point, the “ice men”of Cooler Team Five serve with the Fourteenth
Lifesaver”) is a typical example of such a unit. but heavy and assault ’Mechs require two for cooling. Legion of Vega. As is to be expected for troops serving
in the command once referred to as “the armpit of the
Deployment Dragon,” they are a motley collection of troublemakers,
Today, coolant trucks form part of the maintenance crooks, and misfits.

and support echelon, where they fall under the command When overwhelming Lyran forces attacked Vega in 3039,
of the Master Tech. A single, well-maintained regimental the Fourteenth relied heavily on its cooler teams to hold on
battle group will usually field about six coolers. until the Second Legion could arrive and eject the invad-
ers. Time and again, Cooler Team Five braved enemy fire in
Deployed to slowly follow an advance or move just the searing Vega summer to keep the Legion’s Dragons and
behind a defensive line, coolant trucks and their six-man Panthers in the battle.
crews (consisting of a driver, a gunner, and four hose-men)
sometimes face enemy fire. Assignment to a cooler team
is not particularly popular, yet the better teams take a cer-
tain pride in their work. MechWarriors often call them “ice
men” for their stoical behavior in carrying out their work as

COOLANT TRUCK LIGHT VEHICLES 39

Type: Class 135-K “Lifesaver” Coolant Truck Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere 2 Flamers (Vehicle) Turret 1
Movement Type: Wheeled Ammo (Flamer) 40 Body 2
Tonnage: 30 Cargo, Insulated Body 6.5
Battle Value: 321
(5.655 tons LN ) Body 2.5
2
Equipment Mass
Internal Structure: 3 Cargo, Insulated
Engine: 6 (2.175 tons LOX)

Type: 100 0
Cruising MP: ICE 1.5
Flank MP: 4 0
Heat Sinks: 6 0
Control Equipment: 0 .5
Lift Equipment: 7
Power Amplifier: 112
Turret: Armor
Armor Factor: Value

Front 24
R/L Side 28/28
Rear
Turret 20
12

KARNOV UR TRANSPORT 40

Mass: 30 tons The Karnov has proven to be a reliable and hardy ma- Variants
Movement Type: VTOL chine, whatever its origin. It is not uncommon to find several NETC does not offer variant models of the Karnov. In
Power Plant: DAV 190 ICE in service to both military and corporate concerns on nearly
Cruising Speed: 119 kph every civilized planet within the Inner Sphere. It is equally fact, the basic design of the VTOL has not changed in any
Flank Speed: 184 kph versatile in roles as a cargo carrier and a flying crane. detail since NETC started supplying the Karnov over 120
Armor: StarSlab/1.5 years ago. In most cases, variants are made in the field as
Armament: Capabilities battlefield conditions and owners dictate. A common up-
The central wing spar and struts are built around the grade that made the rounds during the War of 3039 is a
None “gunship” version that mounted two Sperry-Browning ma-
Manufacturer: New Earth Trading Company DAV 190 ICE aircraft engine, known for its reliability and chine guns in each arc. Rumors periodically circulate of a
ruggedness. The DAV connects by drive shafts that ex- variant mounting a single heavy weapon such as an auto-
Primary Factory: Terra tend down the wing pylons to the twin rotor assemblies. cannon/20 or artillery gun in the side of a Karnov; however,
Communications System: Johnston Q-Rotor The pylons are capable of a ninety-degree tilt, which al- no confirmed sighting exists.
Targeting and Tracking System: None lows the Karnov UR horizontal speeds over 180 kph. The
speed comes with cost, however; the blades are so large A rare version mounts special baffles on the rotors and
Overview they have to be rotated to a vertical position upon landing engine nacelles, creating an ultra-quiet stealth version. This
The Karnov UR Transport is a heavy lift VTOL. It is no or they will strike the ground. Many new pilots forget this variant has been known to be in use with the DEST and
simple but important rule, leaving not only a wreckage of Loki, as it was reported to be used by both groups in vari-
longer known when the Karnov first entered service, but the expensive VTOL but also the remains of their career. ous Ronin War incidents.
most experts believe it is a Terran design hundreds of years
old. Equally puzzling is the fact that though the Karnov is The Karnov also mounts variable landing gear; when Notable Crews
currently sold by the New Earth Trading Company, NETC at full extension it can straddle a load up to 3 3 meters tall.
has no known VTOL production facilities, and no other firm When completely collapsed, the interior cargo bay ramp Dagger-T: The only publicly acknowledged stealth Karnov
has admitted to producing the Karnov on a sub-contractu- can be fully extended to allow cargo loading and unload- in use with Loki forces, the Dagger-T holds a special place in
al basis. It is now well over a century since New Earth first ing. The StarSlab armor forged specifically for the Karnov the history of Blackjack in the Lyran Commonwealth. During
began to offer new Karnovs for sale. Regardless of how the gives it decent protection against infantry and small-arms a hostile corporate takeover that went horribly wrong, the
manufacturing process works, NETC sales representatives fire for hot LZs; however, the overly large rotors make ex- locally assigned Loki team made a high-atmosphere inser-
diligently take orders, and Karnovs reliably arrive on the cellent targets for better-armed opponents. Many crashed tion using the modified Karnov. Launched from a suborbital
next NETC DropShip. Karnovs can be seen on a battlefield with fuselage and DropShip (the terrorists were monitoring all local air traffic
wing struts intact but the delicate rotors completely shot and had demanded all craft be grounded at the time), the
away. Dagger-T and her crew managed to not only survive the
high atmospheric release in a controlled dive but also man-
Deployment aged to deliver the Fast Response Team on target. With the
Because its primary role is as a transport vehicle advantage of total surprise, the Loki FRT managed to save
all 173 of the hostages and eliminate the eight terrorists
(though armored for fast battlefield insertions and fitted hired by a rival company. The Dagger-T now sits on tempo-
with independent cargo handling features typical of mili- rary display on the Blackjack SWAT Academy grounds.
tary transports), the Karnov UR is not designed for frontline
combat duties. It is slow when fully laden and lacks weap-
onry for defense. With its vulnerable rotors, the Karnov is a
sitting duck for any decently armed combat unit. Despite
this, however, some mercenary and “kamikaze” combat
logistic groups have managed to make a name for them-
selves using the Karnov.

KARNOV UR TRANSPORT LIGHT VEHICLES 41

Type: Karnov UR Transport Equipment 24 Mass
Technology Base: Inner Sphere Armor Factor: Armor 1.5
Movement Type: VTOL Value
Tonnage: 30 Front Tonnage
Battle Value: 120 R/L Side 6 6
Rear 5/5
Equipment 190 Mass Rotor 6
Internal Structure: ICE 3 2
Engine: 11 15 Weapons and Ammo
17 Cargo Location
Type: 0 0 Body
Cruising MP: 1.5
Flank MP: 3
Heat Sinks: 0
Control Equipment: 0
Lift Equipment:
Power Amplifier:
Turret:

HUNTER LIGHT SUPPORT TANK 42

Mass: 35 tons Capabilities Variants
Movement Type: Tracked With two tons of long-range missiles to feed its twen- The well-designed and executed Hunter does not lend
Power Plant: Magna 175 Fusion
Cruising Speed: 54 kph ty-tube launcher, the Hunter can be an extremely effective itself to modification. Any variants are locally produced and
Flank Speed: 86 kph support vehicle. Given the FarFire’s long history of reliability usually involve replacing the LRM 20 with a ten- or fifteen-
Armor: StarSlab/5.5 mounted on a variety of vehicles, this is hardly surprising. tube launcher and devoting the freed weight and space to
Armament: The rack is mounted toward the rear of the vehicle, facing close-defense weapons, thus reducing the Hunter’s effec-
forward, to enable the Hunter to fire over defensive barriers tiveness as a fire-support platform. None of these ad hoc
1 FarFire Maxi-Rack LRM 20 without exposing itself to enemy fire. variants have been subjected to thorough, independent
1 Zippo Flamer evaluation. Stripping the tank of the flamer and devoting
Manufacturer: Defiance Industries The Hunter’s second weapon is perhaps the only flaw the freed space to another ton of missiles makes a certain
Primary Factory: Hesperus II in the tank’s design. A rear-facing anti-personnel flamer, it sense, but transferring the missiles from the awkward lo-
Communications System: TharHes Mini-Talk is seldom used directly against attackers. More commonly, cation to the launcher presents problems that have never
Targeting and Tracking System: TharHes AGART tank crews start brush fires in hopes the resultant smoke been addressed to everyone’s satisfaction.
and heat will confuse pursuers. Stories of Hunter crews
Overview using the flamer as an outdoor barbeque are probably un- Notable Crews
Produced by Defiance Industries of Hesperus II, the true; the plasma weapon is ill suited for producing gentle
grilling heat. Given that the FarFire’s extreme range usually First Kittery Planetary Armored Militia: Contrary to ac-
Hunter Light Support Tank is both inexpensive and well- keeps Hunters far from the center of battle, some question cepted history, the last Capellan force to stand against the
suited to its battlefield role. This makes it very popular with the utility of a close-defense anti-personnel weapon. Davion conquest of Kittery in 3005 was not the Second St.
the planetary militias and under-funded second-line units Ives Lancers. Once the decision had been made to pull the
that have the support capabilities for fusion engines. As a The TharHes Mini-Talk communications system and “elastic defense” of the Confederation back to Vestallas and
support unit, the Hunter does not need high speed and the TharHes AGART targeting computer, both standards of Taga, the Lancers faced a tactical dilemma. The invaders
maneuverability, but it is still moderately swift by tracked Defiance Industries’ electronics division, are more robust were bent on destroying the Capellan military and could
standards. Its low profile and twenty-tube FarFire Maxi- than systems usually found in support tanks. The original not be trusted to honor a peaceful withdrawal should the
Rack long-range missile launcher allows the tank to exploit design called for the Hunter to be equipped with more eco- Lancers formally yield the planet.
sheltering terrain and supply indirect fire support. nomical systems, but technical problems convinced Defiance
engineers that the monetary savings of cutting corners did The eventual solution was suggested by the leader
not justify the degraded performance in combat. of the Kittery Planetary Militia. Because neither she nor
anyone in her command had any intention of leaving their
Deployment home world, they would delay the Davion forces and cover
The Hunter had a rocky introduction. Military think- the Lancer departure. Using the sniper tactic of “shoot and
scoot,” the Kittery tank corps—two companies of medium
ing of the period dictated that a tank be able to stand up and light tanks, nine of which were Hunters—engaged the
under heavy fire and deliver a wide variety of ordnance, enemy along a ragged and shifting front. Turned to meet
so customers were not expecting Defiance to produce a what they thought was a flanking assault, the Federated
specialized, light support tank—let alone put a fusion en- Suns force was out of position when the Lancers made
gine on a fire-support tank during the tech-starved days their break for freedom.
of the Succession Wars. On paper and in the proving trials,
there was little about the Hunter to attract the attention Since members of the Kittery Planetary Militia became
of procurement officers. It was not until planetary militias the backbone of the Kittery Tong resistance, all records of
demonstrated its effectiveness in combat that command- their names and whereabouts were purged to protect them
ers in the major militaries came to appreciate the Defiance and their families from potential reprisals by the Federated
design. Today examples of the Hunter Light Support Tank Suns occupation force.
can be found throughout the Inner Sphere.

HUNTER LIGHT SUPPORT TANK LIGHT VEHICLES 43

Type: Hunter Light Support Tank Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere LRM 20 Front 10
Movement Type: Tracked Ammo (LRM) 12 Body 2
Tonnage: 35 Flamer Rear 1
Battle Value: 648

Equipment 175 Mass
Internal Structure: Fusion 3.5
Engine: 10.5
5
Type: 8 0
Cruising MP: 10 2
Flank MP: 0
Heat Sinks: 96 0
Control Equipment: Armor 0
Lift Equipment: Value 6
Power Amplifier:
Turret: 32
Armor Factor: 24/24

Front 16
R/L Side
Rear

PEGASUS SCOUT HOVER TANK 44

Mass: 35 tons by virtually every major military organization. This prolif- Deployment
Movement Type: Hover eration is due to a successful licensing deal between the Exeter has attempted several times to serve cease-and-
Power Plant: GM 105 ICE original manufacturer, the Exeter Organization, and Red
Cruising Speed: 86 kph Devil Industries of Pandora, in which Red Devil traded a desist orders to Hellespont Industries on Sian for reproduc-
Flank Speed: 129 kph license to build the reliable Defiance B3M laser (and quite ing the Pegasus without permission, but both the current
Armor: ProtecTech 6 a bit of money) for the license to build the Pegasus. The il- and previous Chancellors have blocked diplomatic missives
Armament: legal copies produced by Hellespont Industries of Sian also and court actions alike. Hellespont has been selling to the
keep Pegasi plentiful. Capellan Confederation at cut rates (with the TransBoost),
2 StarStreak Heavy SRM 6 Racks which explains the blatant protectionism by a realm in des-
1 Defiance B3M Medium Laser (Exeter and Capabilities perate need of any and all military equipment.
Often described as a “Harasser on Steroids,” the
Red Devil), Diverse Optics Type 2 Red Devil’s production line continued to operate at full
Medium Laser (Hellespont) Pegasus carries much of the same armament in the form of capacity for the newly created Federated Commonwealth.
Manufacturer: Exeter Organization, a pair of turret-mounted SRM 6 racks for its main offensive However, lack of funds for upkeep or maintenance has
Red Devil Industries, Hellespont Industries and defensive armament. In its front is a single medium begun to take its toll on the production line. Red Devil
Primary Factory: Keystone (Exeter), laser that, though inefficient for its weight on this internal continued this jury-rigged maintenance policy in the face
Pandora (Red Devil), Sian (Hellespont) combustion vehicle, allows the Pegasus to operate behind of the Clan menace; ironically, Pandora would fall to the
Communications System: Exeter LongScan enemy lines even after its missiles run dry. Jade Falcons in 3064, a mere two years after the facility was
with ReconLock finally upgraded.
Targeting and Tracking System: Salamander The Pegasus is reasonably well armored for a hover
Systems CommPhase Unit tank of its size, with six-and-a-half tons of ProtecTech on its Scarborough Manufacturing of Al Na’ir also produces
frame. Though crews are trained to avoid enemy contact as a version of the Pegasus, though it lacks the sophisticated
Overview much as possible, the armor has allowed the tank to survive electronics—Exeter refused to license these in protest of
The Pegasus first made its appearance as an inex- several lucky large laser hits to any location. Unless hiding Scarborough’s avoidance of FWL import taxes.
from enemy patrols, the Pegasus moves at a respectable
pensive recon unit during the First Succession War, when top speed of nearly 130 kph. Variants
that vicious conflict forced the Houses to redirect scout Most Pegasi are modified solely to the crew’s tastes,
BattleMechs to frontline duty. The Pegasus is unusual The main feature of the Pegasus is not its combat
amongst scout vehicles for the breadth of its user base. systems but its electronics suite. It targeting system allows often expanding on the internal compartments for
Unlike many nation-specific designs, the Pegasus is used the computer to scan and select targets that are the easiest increased comfort or stripping out weaponry for better
to hit, automatically firing off its laser and missiles unless sensors. Those that remove the weapons believe they are
the human gunner overrides. This is the closest thing to less likely to be fired at since their vehicle is unarmed. A few
an artificial intelligence that the Inner Sphere has allowed crews have expressed interest in removing the medium
since the Amaris Civil War, as even in modern days many laser and heat sinks for more missiles, but none have been
still fear automated systems being turned against them. spotted to date.

Unlike most other reconnaissance units, the Pegasus Notable Crews
has no capability to communicate with units in orbit or
further away. Units must purchase and install an additional Kenneth Long: Despite losing six crewmembers and three
Exeter-built transmitter, called TransBoost, for such abilities. Pegasi in the last six years, Kenneth Long continues to be-
This is a tight-beam microwave system allowing for secure, lieve that his unarmed Pegasi, all nicknamed “The Dove,”
long-range communications. Many customers complained are safe havens because they are unarmed, and that arm-
of the need to purchase separate equipment to give the ing The Doves would draw even more attacks. His surviving
Pegasus the same capabilities as other scout tanks, to which crewmates, however, think this is folly, as they find them-
Exeter responded by offering pre-installed TransBoost units selves being attacked by vehicles that would otherwise be
in 3027 (for a nominal fee). scared to engage the scout tank, such as the Ferret VTOL
that was credited with the latest kill of one of the Doves.

PEGASUS SCOUT HOVER TANK LIGHT VEHICLES 45

Type: Pegasus Scout Tank Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere 2 SRM 6 Turret 6
Movement Type: Hover Medium Laser Front 1
Tonnage: 35 Ammo (SRM) 15 Body 1
Battle Value: 640 Cargo Body .4

Equipment 105 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 3.5
Engine: 8 7
12
Type: 3 3
Cruising MP: 2
Flank MP: 104 3.5
Heat Sinks: Armor .1
Control Equipment: Value 1
Lift Equipment: 6.5
Power Amplifier: 21
Turret: 19/19
Armor Factor:
19
Front 21
R/L Side
Rear
Turret

SALADIN ASSAULT HOVER TANK 46

Mass: 35 tons Capabilities Variants
Movement Type: Hover To quote the vid sensation Azami Warriors IV, the With the limited size of the Saladin and its structure,
Power Plant: ConLee 105 ICE
Cruising Speed: 86 kph Saladin “moves fast and blows [things] up!” While a top there are very few variants and none from Scarborough.
Flank Speed: 129 kph speed of nearly 130 kph is somewhat average for a hover- Most buyers would be better off purchasing one of
Armor: ProtecTech 4 craft, it is probably the fastest thing without wings sporting Scarborough’s other tanks built on the same chassis.
Armament: a class 20 autocannon. Few ’Mechs can outrun the Saladin, Despite the glaring need for more armor, the Saladin has
nor can many wheeled or tracked armored units. A func- yet to see any attempts to use advanced forms of armor or
1 Scarborough Original 20 Autocannon/20 tional if not exceptional weapon, the Scarborough Original structure, nor is Scarborough high on the Combine’s prior-
Manufacturer: Scarborough, Ltd. 20 can destroy most combat units smaller than the Saladin ity list. Some crews, desperate for more protection, remove
in one shot and can cripple units much larger. In fact, the an ammo bin in exchange for more armor.
Primary Factory: Al Na’ir mere presence of the Saladin can influence the battle, as
Communications System: Scarborough Talky-2 smaller units look to stay out of the way of the craft’s vi- Notable Crews
Targeting and Tracking System: Scarborough cious gun. Designers also made sure that the Saladin could
afford to take some riskier shots at high speed by giving it El Cid: Part of Redjack Ryan’s and Maria Morgraine’s ma-
Assault-1 three tons of ammunition. rauders based out of the Greater Valkyrate world of Botany
Bay, El Cid is a terror to Inner Sphere defenses. El Cid can
Overview Despite its assets, the Saladin has some drawbacks. be a diversion or part of an assault, keeping forces on their
Successful sales of the Scimitar and Saracen led The most obvious is the lack of armor. Half of the vehicle’s toes. A number of pirate-hunting warriors have come to
weight is spent on its main gun and ammo, but less than five Botany Bay to tame El Cid, but none have succeeded, with
Scarborough to create a third hovertank off the same chassis. percent is used to protect the valuable craft. Scarborough twenty-three of them losing their lives. El Cid has two crews
Rather than adhere to the basic design as closely as they had understood the compromise required to mount the mas- who rotate combat time, allowing the vehicle to be far
with the other two, the Saladin removed the turret entirely sive weapon and spread the minimal armor accordingly: more active than it would normally be.
and was designed mainly for defensive operations where thick on the front and minimal elsewhere. Secondary con-
ammunition and repair facilities were near. Consumers were cerns (compared to the armor deficiency) were the lack of Johann Eggar, Stanislov Chernkov, and Joe Smith:
hoping for something to supersede rather than compliment a turret and supporting weapons, a situation forced by the Closing in on retirement age, these three warriors have man-
the other Scarborough offerings, but initial sales were slug- weight demands of the autocannon. aged to survive more vehicle destruction than any other
gish. Undaunted and knowing they had a good product, known group. Part of an advanced striker unit for an armor
the company offered free shipping and training for the Deployment regiment attached to the Third Royal Guards, they have
Saladin. These incentives and battlefield successes helped While produced in the Draconis Combine, the Saladin survived the death of over thirty-five tanks, two-thirds of
the Saladin sell almost as well as the Saracen. those Saladins. Where other crews would have been flagged
is frequently exported, often via a “shell company”licensing for incompetence, these men have won numerous awards
agreement with the Free Worlds League. A rather large for their skill and willingness to accept extremely danger-
percentage have been purchased by Periphery nations ous missions. Their last Saladin was destroyed after cutting
seeking a unit with a heavy punch but speed to deal with down a lance of Panthers and dueling a Grand Dragon to
fast-moving bandits or pirates. An anomaly in Saladin mutual destruction.
sales was the relatively high number of Scarborough
hovercraft that the Combine allowed to be sold to the Lyran
Commonwealth, a traditional enemy. Since the merger of
this realm with the Federated Suns, however, sales have
declined drastically. In the Combine, most of these units
can be found on the Azami worlds, where the oft-barren
terrain allows for ideal deployment of the Saladin, and the
name of the tank is venerated by the locals.

SALADIN ASSAULT HOVER TANK LIGHT VEHICLES 47

Type: Saladin Assault Hover Tank Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere AC/20 Front 14
Movement Type: Hover Ammo (AC) 15 Front 3
Tonnage: 35
Battle Value: 596

Equipment 105 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 3.5
Engine: 8 7
12
Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: 2
Flank MP: 32 3.5
Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value 0
Lift Equipment: 2
Power Amplifier: 17
Turret: 5/5
Armor Factor: 5

Front
R/L Side
Rear

SARACEN MEDIUM HOVER TANK 48

Mass: 35 tons Capabilities Any variants that exist mainly are swap-outs of weap-
Movement Type: Hover The Saracen mounts a variety of missile weapon sys- on components. The turret mounts are extremely versa-
Power Plant: ConLee 105 ICE tile, allowing other manufacturer’s parts to be installed
Cruising Speed: 86 kph tems. The Coventry StarLight LRM 10 is one of the most in a pinch. The exceptions are the Holly brand of missile
Flank Speed: 129 kph effective long-range combat systems available, and Guided launchers. With the wiring and cyclic arming switches
Armor: ProtecTech 7 Technologies’ SRM 2 packs have a reliable battlefield re- mounted to the side (as opposed to the rear), Holly missile
Armament: cord. Although an autocannon was originally intended for launchers can’t fit in the designated slots as the wires get
the Saracen (later mated to the Saladin), the designers de- pinched on weapon clamps. Experienced salvage crews
1 Coventry StarLight LRM 10 cided that the Coventry missile systems would make the can jury-rig such fixes, but with only a 50/50 chance of
3 Guided Technologies SRM 2 Packs tank more versatile. With the StarLight system, the Saracen success. Failure usually results in the launcher firing when
Manufacturer: Scarborough, Ltd. has the ability to indirectly engage targets without expos- the turret is jarred.
Primary Factory: Al Na’ir ing itself to return fire.
Communications System: Scarborough Talky-1 Notable Crews
Targeting and Tracking System: Scarborough Aside from the GT system’s track record, the SRM 2
Track-1-1 racks were also chosen for cost and survivability. At the Boris Marius, Anton Grant, Marta VanLeuven: Members
time, GT’s missile systems were among the cheapest on of the now-destroyed Insect Brigade mercenary command,
Overview the market. Adding three systems allowed a Saracen to these three piloted the Cockroach, the lead Saracen in the
The first of a line of medium hover tanks produced operate with a much higher degree of survivability if a Brigade’s recon lance. Distinctive due to its lengthy dual
system malfunctioned or was damaged; if the SRM 6 had whip antenna, the Cockroach and its crew were known for
by Scarborough, Ltd, the Saracen was built in the latter been installed, one hit would’ve effectively decreased the using ground cover to lob several salvos of LRMs on distant
part of the Third Succession War. Hoping that the simplic- Saracen’s firepower by half. targets, then speeding to cover and unloading all of its
ity of an internal combustion engine and the availability SRMs when the target reached close range. Though not a
of parts and supplies would interest prospective buyers, The Saracen’s speed allows it to move quickly from very novel tactic, the Cockroach’s twist was that its SRM
Scarborough executives hit the marketing jackpot with the one firing position to another. In a delaying action, this bin rarely went without a full load of inferno ammunition,
simple design. Within a decade, the company released two ability allows the tank to easily break off an engagement, which came as a shock and surprise to their target. The crew
other hover tank designs, the Scimitar and the Saladin. fall back to a new position, then engage the advancing died during the Ronin War on Kandis, when a machine gun
enemy afresh with both direct and indirect fire. fusillade from a Dragonslayers Locust penetrated the SRM
The Saracen is found throughout the Inner Sphere, ammo bin, and shrapnel ignited the infernos.
though the Free Worlds League uses the majority. Marik Deployment
issues the Saracen to units that have support or screen- The Saracen was an immediate hit with many mili- Loch Ness Monster: Crewed by members of the Marik
ing missions, such as cavalry and recon lances. Its mix of Militia during a raid on Pella II, the Monster was part of the
speed, armor, and armament allow it to perform well in tia and garrison troops, especially within the Free Worlds delaying force and is credited with killing a Stinger that was
both functions. League. The Marik Militia accounts for nearly forty percent threatening to turn the flank. The Monster was engaged in
of the yearly production of Scarborough’s three tank lines. combat for so long that only two missiles remained when
the Monster returned to the DropShip.
Because of its affordability and wide assortment of
spare parts available, the Saracen can also be found as a
staple of many combined-arms mercenary units. It is not
uncommon to find at least one lance of Saracens used as a
recon lance or flanker force.

Variants
There are no registered variants of the Saracen; in-

stead, Scarborough went a few steps further and devel-
oped two other hover tank platforms off the same chassis.
Despite its usefulness on the battlefield to strategic com-
manders, many crews dislike Saracen duty, believing the
tank to be too light a platform for such a tactical role.

SARACEN MEDIUM HOVER TANK LIGHT VEHICLES 49

Type: Saracen Medium Hover Tank Weapons and Ammo Location Tonnage
Technology Base: Inner Sphere LRM 10 Turret 5
Movement Type: Hover Ammo (LRM) 24 Body 2
Tonnage: 35 3 SRM 2 Turret 3
Battle Value: 673 Ammo (SRM) 50 Body 1

Equipment 105 Mass
Internal Structure: ICE 3.5
Engine: 8 7
12
Type: 0 0
Cruising MP: 2
Flank MP: 112 3.5
Heat Sinks: Armor 0
Control Equipment: Value 1
Lift Equipment: 7
Power Amplifier: 24
Turret: 20/20
Armor Factor:
24
Front 24
R/L Side
Rear
Turret

SCIMITAR MEDIUM HOVER TANK 50

Mass: 35 tons Capabilities Davion units have been seen exercising recently in the
Movement Type: Hover The Scimitar is a simple tank designed for one pur- Draconis March with reinforced platoons of four Scimitars
Power Plant: ConLee 105 ICE and two Saracens. In mock battle on Robinson they have
Cruising Speed: 86 kph pose: success in battle. It avoids advanced systems, like been observed as ’Mech hunter-killer teams, pairing with
Flank Speed: 129 kph a fusion power plant, in favor of economy of design and reinforced platoons of six Saladin Assault Hover Tanks to
Armor: ProtecTech 7 robust manufacture. Instead of racks of missile batteries isolate and attack single ’Mechs. Their opponents in these
Armament: and machine guns, the Scimitar mounts a tried-and-true exercises have always been Kurita ’Mechs, either Panthers
Armstrong autocannon as its main gun. A pair of twin-tube or Dragons.
1 Armstrong J11 Autocannon/5 short-range missiles mounted on either side of the turret
2 Guided Technologies SRM 2 supplement this gun as necessary, often firing the coup de Variants
Manufacturer: Scarborough, Ltd. grace as the Scimitar closes on an enemy. The majority of Scimitar crews realize they’ve got
Primary Factory: Al Na’ir
Communications System: Scarborough Talky-2 In order to make sure sales were strong, Scarborough a good thing going and don’t try to modify their tanks.
Targeting and Tracking System: Scarborough incorporated as many of the same components as the Battle-damaged vehicles have been jury-rigged with ad-
Tracky-2 Saracen to help make buyers’ logistical needs simpler. The hoc missile launchers in place of the Armstrong, but the
Scimitar uses the same armor, the same engine, and the availability of the Saracen to missile-minded commanders
Overview same brand of electronics as its predecessor, and for the first makes these modifications superfluous.
Scarborough released the Scimitar Medium Hover several years of its deployment Scarborough was offering
discounts on parts packages designed for both vehicles. Notable Crews
Tank five years after the successful deployment of the
Saracen. While the Saracen mounts missile weapons and Deployment Nicholas Barrett and Dexter Murphy: This driver and
functions primarily as a swift support vehicle, Scarborough A strong showing in the closing years of the Third gunner team was responsible for more kills during the
designed the Scimitar to supplement Saracen formations Andurien engagement than any other vehicle. They held
with direct-fire support. The original plan called for mobile Succession War ensured the Scimitar found a ready place in the line with the rest of the battalion during the initial as-
battalions comprising two companies of Saracens support- armored formations all across the Inner Sphere. Although sault but came to prominence during the pursuit. Teaming
ed by a company of Scimitars, but practice has shown few their primary factory on Al Na’ir was devoted almost solely with a pair of Saracen support tanks, Barrett and Murphy
Successor State militaries willing to place that much faith to DCMS production, supplemental runs were marketed to would force a trailing Andurien hovertank to slow down
in light tanks. all interested buyers, and a number of short-term licenses to deal with the missile barrage and then punch holes in
were granted to allow rapid production of the Scimitar. its skirts with their Armstrong. Seven Harassers fell prey to
these tactics before a Andurien Galleon team charged and
Scarborough marketing teams like to showcase an en- destroyed the Saracen missile boats. Barrett and Murphy
gagement between a Capellan Home Guard battalion and managed to disable two of the Galleons before combined
the invading Andurien regiments during the Canopian- laser fire froze the turret in place with armor debris, forcing
Andurien invasion of the Confederation just after the end them to retreat.
of the Fourth Succession War. In this battle, large numbers
of the Free Worlds light vehicles attempted to overwhelm Corporal Victoria Marks: Corporal Marks is a Scimitar
an entrenched battalion of Capellan armor. More than half gunner in House Marik’s Second Oriente Hussars. In 3038
the Capellan battalion was comprised of Scimitars, with her unit responded to a pirate raid in the Abbey District
several Saracens and an assault platoon of Saladins thrown and helped run the ’Mech-equipped bandits off-world.
into the mix. As the Andurien Harassers and Galleons raced Although they took heavy losses (including Marks’ driver)
in, the Saracens supplied supporting missile barrages while her service was specifically mentioned after the battle. Her
the Scimitars laid down precision bursts of cannon fire. The accurate gunnery hamstrung a pirate Assassin, allowing the
thin-skinned Andurien craft quickly fell prey to the superior slower Marik units to surround and capture the ’Mech.
firepower, and when they retreated the high speed of the
Scimitars and their sister craft allowed them to harass the
invaders all the way back to their DropShips.