Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 9

LONGBOW

Overview Variants:
The LGB-OW Longbow is a popular design used by all the The two models of Longbows shown in this article are the
houses of the inner sphere. The exact number of those pro- most common, but there are several other variants built on
duced is unknown, but they are found in the regiments of this chassis. Some of these variants trade off armor for
nearly all armies. Limited production of the two models medium-range weapons while others have been modified to
shown here continues to this day in most of the Successor incorporate more heat sinks and provide greater maneuvera-
States. bility. Such variants are very limited in number and therefore
The Longbow was designed to act as a heavy support unit are not covered here in detail.
for assault groups. With its long range missiles it is capable of
standing off at long range and launching a devastating pre-
paratory attack against enemy positions and cities. Notable MechWarriors:
Capabilities: MechWarriors Muzakka and Smallberry
The Longbow is a late model BattleMech that utilizes the One of the most famous hunter-killer teams of all time
O/P 1560 Laser Directed Missile Targeting and Tracking consisted of a Locust and a Longbow serving with the regular
System. Using a Locust or Flea equipped with the targeting army forces of House Marik. The Locust, piloted by Oshira
system as a spotter, the Longbow is capable of acquiring a Muzakka, operated as the target acquisition scout for a
target that it cannot see and delivering a barrage of missiles Longbow piloted by Jon Smallberry. When Muzakka would
with the same accuracy as if it had sighted the target visually. find his prey, he would `paint' the target with his laser target-
This ability has made the Longbow a dreaded opponent. ing system so that Smallberry could acquire it and unleash a
The Longbow does not usually suffer from heat buildup due swift missile barrage against the unsuspecting fce. For twelve
to its battlefield mission. When used in a support role where years they worked together destroying their enemies and
movement is not required, it can fire consecutive barrages of finally became so infamous that many regiments put a bounty
missiles while accumulating very little heat. on their h~;ads. They had certainly become one of the most
Even though the OW model has no short-range armament, respected. fighting teams in all the inner sphere.
its weight (85 tons) makes a punch or kick a potent defense. They met their demise in a most uncomplimentary fashion
The later 8C model has medium lasers forward and aft which on the world of Sakhalin. They were attacked while both of
improve the Longbow's close-in defense capabilities. them were out of their 'Meths repairing a foot servo on the
Locust. Taken completely by surprise, Muzakka was severely
Battle History: wounded in the initial burst of fire and Smallberry just barely
The Longbow is half of a very effective `hunter-killer' team, managed to escape back to his Longbow, only to find that he
with specially equipped Fleas or Locusts as the hunters and was confronted by four'Mechs: an Awesome, an Orion and two
the Longbow as the killer. In tactical usage the light 'Meth Thunderbolts. Hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, he
searches out enemy units and pinpoints their location with its launched a full barrage of missiles at the leading 'Meth, a
laser-directed targeting system. The Longbow then strikes, Thunderbolt, and backed away. Over 30 missiles struck the
its long-range missiles guided to the target by the unseen T-bolt and penetrated the cockpit, killing the pilot.
laser beam. As Smallberry fired a second round of missiles at the Orion,
The true value of this tactic is being able to engage an he was charged by the Awesome. Muzakka entered the fray in
enemy unit without exposing 'Meths. In most cases, the his Locust, engaging the second Thunderbolt in his damaged
`hunter-killer' teams are able to surprise their foes and set the machine though wounded himself. The battle turned into a
balance of power in their favor. It is in this role that the metallic brawl of swirling, spitting machines fighting to the
Longbow is most commonly used, and MechWarriors who death. When the Awesome impacted Smallberry's'Mech,bcth
seek to avoid being hammered by them are advised to be on machines stumbled backwards, towards the lip of a 150-meter
the lookout for hidden light 'Meths. deep crevasse less than 100 meters away, and became locked
The Longbow is also found in regular army units and is in an unequal hand-to-hand combat. In the confusion, a stray
operated in normal BattleMech fashion. Its most common round hit the Awesome in its engine compartment; the crip-
battlefield mission, when used in this manner, is as long- pled larger 'Meth collapsed into the overborne Longbow and
range support unit, much like that performed by the Archer. Smallberry and his machine fell backwards, into the abyss.

57
His luck run out, Smallberry did not live to see what his last 'Meth toppled heavily to the ground. The T-bolt, recovered
missile barrage had done. The Orion he fired at took over 30 from the stun, stepped up to the fallen hunter and fired one
hits in its legs, blowing one off completely and disjointing the last aimed shot to the head. Muzakka never felt it; the crush-
other at the knee. As it fell, still firing, one of its shots may ing fall had already killed him.
have been the one that hit the Awesome. Moments after the final shot, the Awesome suffered an
Muzakka, in the meantime, had escaped the fire of the internal ammunition explosion that destroyed it and dam-
second Thunderbolt and was dealing out some punishment of aged the remaining T-bolt, which fled, conceding the field.
his own. The first shot from his medium laser blasted off the After the battle the damaged Thunderbolt, Orion, and Locust
T-bolt's left hand and the second struck the cockpit. The were recovered, and the Awesome and Smallberry's Longbow
stunned pilot wavered, and this allowed Muzakka to break scavenged for a few still-usable parts. There were not many.
away and move towards Smallberry's position. Stepping over Muzakka's Locust is reportedly being used by one of Liao's
an obstacle, the Locust's damaged foot servo went out and the regiments and still carries a bounty for its destruction.

STATS

ass: $5 tons Mass: 85 tons


hagsis: Starcorp 100 Chassis: Starcorp 100
over plant: Strand 255 Pawer Plant: VOA: 34fl
raising Speed: 33.6 kpir~ +Cruising Speed: 43.7 kph
aximuna Speed: 53.2 kph Maximum Speed: f3.7 kph
rmor: Leviathan Plus Armor: Valiant LamAllor
r. xanament: Armament:
2 Sian/Ceres Tiger LRl~[ Systems (20s) 2 Sian/Ceres Tiger LRM Systems (20s}
2 Sian/Ceres Lynx LR1V1. Systems (5s} 2 SianlCeres Lynx LRM Systems (5s}
4 Martell Medium Lasers Manufacturer: Starcorp Industries
Manufacturer. Starcorp industries Corrimunications System: t71I' 3000 Coms
:~ornmunications System: O1P 3000 Comset Ta : e *,~„ ~ :and Trs~cl ~. , stream. ~11,P 164
et' ~ ~ ~.d,'T~rack~. _ S -.stern: O/P ,1580 IMT

`WType: ~.GB-8C LQNGBCI W '~`ons ~pe LG►~=t)'GV ~C~~FG~3 an


:>Tonnage: 85 Tonnage; 85
'~' Internal Structure: 8.5 Internal Structure: 8.5
;;,.Engine: 255 Strand 13 Engine: VOX 340
Walking MPs: Walking MPs:
Running MPs: Running MPs:
"' Heat Sinks: 22 12 Heat Sinks:
Gyro: 3 Gyro:
Cockpit: 3 Cockpit:
Armor Fa~tt~rs': 232. .._ 14..5 Armor. Factors:

Internal Armor Internal Armor


Structure Value Structure Value'`'
Head: 3 9 Head: 3 9
Center Torso: 27 35114 Center Torso: 27 23110
Rt./Lt. Torso: 18 25114 Rt.1Lt. Torso: 18 2018
RtJLt. Arm: 14 28 Rt./Lt. Arm: 14 15
Rt./Lt. Leg: 18 20 Rt.1Lt. Leg. 18 2

.Weapons and Ammo:

Z`YPe Lac. Critics.


LRM 20 L/A 5 10
``Ammo (LRM 20} 12 LIT 1 1 Weapons and Ammo:
LRIV.~ 20 IVA ~ 10
Ammo (LRM 20} 12 R1T 1 1 T3'Pe Loc. critical
LRM 5 I.JT 1 2 LRM 20 R./A 5 i0
LRM ~~ R,r`lC 1 2 Ammo {LRM 20} i2 RJT 1 1
Ammo { IsRM 5} 45 C1T 1 1 LRM 20 LdA 5 10
Med. Laser R1T 1 1 Ammo (LRM 20} 12 L1T 1
Med. Laser R/T(r) 1 I LRM 5 R1T 1
Med. Laser L/T 1 1 LRM 5 LIT 1
M L1T. r},_ ono (LRM 5},45 C!T

59
t3~1~lEMECH
TECH

Forest G. Brawn and L.R. "Butch" Leeper

Over~*iew: Battle Flisto~ry:


The Flea was probably the most produced BattleMech of the The changing of the 'Nfechs name from Trooper to Flea is
fallen Star League. It is believed by many historians that it attributed tr, a st~~ry about Str'u° League General Henry N1ono-
was actually the first battle-tested ':viech. hans and his assault on tl~e city Indian Ridge, capital of
When it was first designed, this: model was designated Phalan. V4'Faen his 'Mechs attacked the city they were rrset bbl a
TRP-1, Trooper. Conceived at a time when the tank was still large number of Troopers which delayed. his *.,ak ng of the c:~~;
king of the battlefield, the Trooper at only 20 tons was a for two weeks. After the battle, C-eneral Monohars v,-cis q~lf~ti~ec'y
formidable fighting machine. Fiowe~•er, today it is considered as saying that the battle for Indian Ridge was like fighting :;ff
a light 'Mech and the few that are left are mostly° used as fleas in a doghouse. The name Flea was then given to these
Police Security units in populated areas. 'Mechs by other ?viechV~'arriors and sc:or: became so widely
The Trooper wars originally produced. by the now defunct used that Earthwerks char;.god it;s :~ffi :ial iesignation.
Toddlette Industries. At the beginning of the First Succession The Flea has prc:vF~~n itself hundreds of time in battle. V~rrsen
S'Var, T.I. experienced excessive losses to its holdings and was used as a defensive unit in confining terrain such as :.~ities.
forced ifito bankruptcy. It. w as then purchased by Earthwerks, mountainous, and heavily wocxled ~a.reas, the Flea will gave a
Incorporated who discovered while trying to restructure the goad account of itself. In those situations, the mere inexpen-
~:•ompany that almost all records concerning the BattleMech sive Flea can afford to be used morE recklessly.
production facilities had been destroyed. This has made it
virtually im,ossible to gain accurate production numbers, Variants:
specifications on variants and to whom they had F~een sold. This report shows both the FLE-4 formerly TRP-1) and the
FLE-15. Although the "4" is the older of the tFvo, the "3~i" is
now more common. There are reports of variants where
weapons were saerifsced for. jump jets, but it is believed that
Capabilities these are used by the Bandit Kings as no ofI"icial data on them
C)riginally designed. as a tank support vehicle, the Trooper is available.
became the first of the light scout and recon 'Mechs. As the
years went by and jump capable 'Mechs were produced the
1lTotable'Mechs and 1ViechV6'arriars:
Trooper was slowly removed from scouting missions and
given over to rear area and garrison duties. Today it is found
in most major urban. population centers in use by local au- ?1~ecFsWarrior James Bc,nlxam
thorities as both a police unit and city defense 'Mech. In its while defending the city of Lewisburg, Bonham disp=aged
role as a police unit it is quite effective during public distur- tenacity and cunning seen only in a handfisl of Mech~Varriors.
bances for crowd control. As city defense units, their speed, On the eigl',th day of the battle Bonham's ''Mech, "The Lone
maneuverability, firepower, and numbers employed make Star Express," v~•as engaged by several larger 'Mecl~~ and
them a formidable opponent. forced to fight. He dam¢ged all of them and escaped., un-
The Trooper, now known as the Flea, has a minor heat scathed, into the bowels of the city. The next day Bonham
buildup problem. This problem generally slows them dowrn learned his was Ilse only active defending'Mech left. Through
during prolonged combat missions. It is because of this ten- stealth and luck he managed to hold off the invaders for
dency to overheat while running anal using its weapons that another six days, don-caging a reported 14'Mech{~ and scoring
have made it u more than adequate 'Mech employing 4 kills. So tenacious and skillful wa.s his defense that the
CityTech. invaders finally offered him extraordinarily generous terms:
The major drawback to the Flea is the lack of a cockpit If he agreed to ease resistance, he could leave unharmed,
ejection system for the Mech r~arrior. The so-called pilaf ejec- unransomed, and could even bear away ail the spare parts his
tion system consists of'a trap-doer located in the bottom of the 'Mach could hold. Bonhatr's family's holdings were on the
upper structure which, when aetivat.ed, opens and drops the planet, and he knew that it was a matter of accepting these
pilot cage t~o the ground. To soften the impact a number of terms or becoming dispossessed. Fie opted to go home and
different cushioning devices have been used and none of them leave the fighting, and was later recruited to become Defense
appear to be of a standard design. This system is not very- Minister of Grynchfyn, Colonel Names Bonharr~ was killed
useful when the ':Mech has been knocked down or has col- several years later in an unfortunate hunting accident, and
lapsed on its legs. In this event the pilot may crawl out of his 'Mech has been enshrined in the city where he made his
either the top or rear hatch. stand.

~T~~iDp►TE 4
Mass: :?0 tons Mass: 20 tons
Chassis: Earthwork Trooper Chassis: Earthwerk Trooper
Power Plant: GM 120 Power Plant: GM 120
Cruising Speed: 63. i kph Cruising Speed: 62.9 kph
Ma~cimum Speed: 98.3 kph Maximum Speed: 97.6 kph
Armor: Livingston Ceramics Armor: Livingston ;eramics
Arm a xr~ en t: Armament:
2 Martell Medium Lasers 1 114art.ell Large ;user
2 SperryBroK-ning 141aehine Guns 1 Olympian Flamer
1 Ulyml.ian Flamer 2 A4arte]1 Small Lasers
2 Martell Small Lasers Manufacturer: Earthwork Inc.
Manufacturer: Earthwork Inc. Communications S,y-stem: 1~'eil 2000
Com~rnux~ications System: Neil 2000 Targeting And Tracking System: Dalban Hi-Rez-B
Targeting and Tracking Systems: Type: FLE-4 FLEA Formerly TRP-1 TROUPER
I3a l ban HiR.ez-B Tons
Tonnage: 55 tons55
Type: FI1E-15 FLEA ]rbrmerly TRP-1 TROUPER Tons
Internal Structure: 2
Tannage: 20 tons 2U
Engine: GM 120 4
Internal Structure: 2 Walking :VIPs 6
Engine: GM 120 4
Running MPs 9
Walking MPs: 6
Jumping IVPs 0
Running MPs: 9 Heat. Sinks: 30 0
Jum ing MPs: 00
Heat Sinks: Gym:
Gyro: 2 Cockpit: 3
Cxkpit: 3 ArrrYor Factor: 32 2
Arar►or Factor: 48 3 Zna ternal Armor
Structure Value
Internal Ar*nor
Head: 3 5
Sti^scture V:~lue
Center Torso: 6 5~'2
Head: 3 5 3~`1
Rt.rZt. Torso: 5
Center Torso: 6 5
Rt.~~Lt. Arm: 3 3
Rt.,n~.t. Torso: 5 813
Rt.,'Lt. Leg: 4 3
Rt.~Zt. Arm: 3 6i3
Rt.!Lt. Leg: 4 4 Weapons:
~Neapons and Ammo: ~'Pe Loc. Criti~ca1 Tans
Type Loc. Critical Tons Large Laser F.A 2 5
Small Laser LA 1 .5
Medium Laser RA 1 1
Medium Laser LA 1 1 Small Laser LA 1 .5
Flamer CT(R) I 1
Machine Gun RA 1 .5
Machine Gun LA 1 .5
~'iamer CT 1 1
$m.al] Laser FiT(R) 1
Small Laser LT(R) 1 .5 ~I~i~AL ~►R14A
ammo (MG) 200 CT 1 1 Spiral Arm is our latest pray-by-mai! game of
strategic galactic conquest. uesigrsed by The
Australian ~tJizard, Spiral Arm feats;res a map
of over 650 stars, up to 50 players per game,
econor:iic prod~:ction, 7 ship classes, 8 racial
types, 4 modes of space movAment, space
and planetary combat, colonization, and
iechnoaogical devr~lopment. You can name
your Empire and new stars. The customized
;urr:sheet is in a convenient "fill-in-the-blank
forr*at" for aasy ut~e in submitting orders.
Cants: F7ules52.50
Turn tees: $4.50 per turn
Came Enter: $15.00
(Set-up ar'd 3 (urns)

FE~a~AL LORDS
FE~udal Lords is our original, and most
popular, play-by-.mai! game of medieval
power poiiP:~'cs. Fifteor players sirus~gle to
become King of Errglartd after the depth of
King Arthur dY means of medieval economic
cleveio,~ment, military conquest, and
diplomatic intrigue. Feudal Lords. features
agriculture, trade, knights, mercenaries,
ships, ribas, spies, anr~ mucr~ more.
~,osts: Rules $2.50
Turn t$es: $3.D0 per turn,
Cams Entry: $'0.00
(Rules, set-up, and 3 turns)
For further info►-rnation on our gart~es,
evr=te to:
CFtAAF 5!MU~.ATIOt'1S
27530 HarRer
St. Clair Shores, Pool
48081-19'~ 4
BATTLEMECHANICS

Technical Readout it is put out of action. Placed about the


vehicle's surface in such a way as to make
offensive assault-type actions feasible, the
Battleax can be considered one of the
heavier armored 'Mechs within the Succes-
sor States.
Over the centuries, the Battleax has

BTX-7K Battleax developed a reputation as a pilot killer,


something that is hard to live down. There
have been numerous instances of cockpit
fires or electrical system shorts that have
killed Battleax pilots while on maneuvers or
Overview: In spring of the year 2513 AD, commonplace to the point that Earthwerks during actual combat. The Battleax 'Mech
General Olaf Sternson of the Star League and StarCorp were almost on the edge of type has not aged as gracefully as many
Military Procurement Division put out a call economic warfare. By 2520, sales of the other'Mech classes, and little repairwork is
to bid on a new design of BattleMech. The Battleax were outpacing those of the being done on those Battleaxesthat are dis-
performance characteristics of this hew Warhammer to many League households, abled. It is to be assume;d that the Battleax
design describe it as "a mobile 'Mech with aithough the Star League still bought only type 'Mech will no longer be operational
enough firepower to destroy or severely Warhammers. Earthwerks had produced within the next 50 years.
damage any 'Mech of the same class or an additional 6000 Battleaxes.
lower." A number of different armament The situation came to a head during Variants: Differently equipped Battleaxes
manufacturers went after the lucrative con- Star League maneuvers with forces of are quite common in the Successor States
tract, including Earthwerks, Inc., the creator House Marik in early 2528. A Battleax had today, although there are no official variants
of the much vaunted and feared ARC-2R broken away from a wargaming engage- of the vehicle. Usually, these variations
Archer'Mech design. ment and was trying an end run to get involve the removal of the jump jets and the
Earthwerks' answer to General behind its opponents. It was more than fate upgrade of the LRM packs or some other
Sternson's requirements was the BTX-7K that a Warhammer intercepted it. The con- changing of the weapons systems. Battleax
Battleax. It incorporated a heavy weapons frontation got serious rapidly, and no one PPCs have also been used to replace PPCs
array as well as substantial maneuverability has proven which MechWarrior activated destroyed on Warhammers. The Battleax
and defensive protection. In addition, it was his weapons controls first. But in the end, limb is then repaired using whatever is
at that time the largest 'Mech with jump jets. the Battleaxwas defeated, and the pilot was available. including simple grasping hand
The Battleax prototypes were field forced to eject when his fusion pile went mechanisms.
tested extensively with other'Mech designs critical.
that had been developed by other firms. Little interest remained in the Battleax Notable 'Mechs and MechWarriors
During the final selection process in late design after that, and Earthwerks ceased
2515, the WHM-6R Warhammerdesign of production, having completed 9700 units. MechWarrior "Strider" McGee
StarCorp Industries was selected over the The 'Mech received the reputation of being Currently in the Assault Lance of
Battleax and three other prototypes. a "poor man's Warhammer," and this desig- Hammon's Company of House Davion's
Earthwerks acknowledged that the nation has stuck to this day. It is estimated Chisholm Raiders, "Strider" McGee has earned
Warhammer design did have a somewhat that perhaps 500 'Mechs of this type still his fame through the use of his Battleax
more substantial offensive and defensive "JackBoots." Although repeatedly reprimanded
survive on the battlefields on the Succes- for his unusual tactics, Strider continues to
capability than the Battleax, but they sion wars today. successfully use his jump-capable heavy 'Mech
pointed out that it was less maneuverable in numerous "death from above" encounters. He
and that the differences in both offensive Capabilities: The BTX-7K Battleax is a has had the Battleax's legs replaced three times
and defensive systems were negligible. In heavy 'Mech with increased maneuverabil- now, but he continues to subject his 'Mech to
fact, there had been some talk about the ity. The VOX-280 engine powers its PPC damage of this nature. The only reason his
similarity of the two designs and the pos- weapons as well as the Rawlings 58 jump superiors allow him to continue is his success at
sible reasons for it. In the end, most officials jets. Additional ETW Ceramic Heat Sinks disabling enemy 'Mechs with the tactic, allowing
chalked it up to parallel creativity. allow the excess heat from weapons dis- capture of those 'Mechs fairly intact (except for
Even though StarCorp received the the head assemblies). Opinions lean toward
charge to be rapidly diminished. McGee's luck running out eventually, however, if
Star League contract, Earthwerks refused The Battleax is armed with two Donal he insists on keeping up these tactics
to give up the Battleax design and started Type II PPCs similar to those of the indefinitely.
limited production at their construction facil- Warhammer design. In addition, one Holly
ity on Hyperion. Production continued to Short Range Missile Six-Pack is located on Lieutenant Akura Simchawa
1250 units as the Earthwerks Promotions the 'Mech's right shoulder. Instead of a Currently assigned to the Sun Zhiang
Department began aLeague-wide adver- heavy laserarmament, the Battleaxhouses Academy of House Kurita, Lieutenant
tisingcampaign. Ads and holos appeared in two Doombud Long Range Missile Five- Simchawa has piloted a Battleax all of his career.
all the major military and arms industry Even though his 'Mech is quite maneuverable for
Packs on its chest, giving it an extended
journals and briefing holos, promoting the a heavy type, he is as cautious with it as Strider
range support capability lacking in many McGee is incautious. His tactics are meticulous,
Battleax as an opponent to the Warham- other heavy 'Mechs. and he only uses his jump jets to get out of con-
mer. Such slogans as "Why blunt your at- The Battleax is protected with standard centratedfire orinto cover. Even though his style
tackwith a Warhammerwhenyou could use Kemplar 5000 armor that allows the unit to is not flamboyant, it has led him to considerable
the fine, clean edge of a Battleax' became take a heavy amount of punishment before success and a post as instructor at Sun Zhiang.

40 BattleTechnology June 3028


STATS

Mass: 70 tons
Chassis: Earthwerks BTX
Power Plant: VOX 280
Cruising Speed: 42.9 kph
Maximum Speed: 64.3 kph
Jump Jets: Rawlings 58
Jump Capacity: 120 meters
Armor: Kemplar 5000
Armament:
2 Donal Type II PPCs
2 Doombud Long Range Missile Five-Packs
1 Holly Short Range Missile Six-Packs
Manufacturer: Earthwerks, Incorporated
Communications System: Neil 9500
Targeting and Tracking System: RCA Instatrac Mark SV

Type: BTX-7K Battleax Tons


Tonnage: 70 Tons 70
Internal Structure: 7
Engine: VOX 280 16
Walking MPs: 4
Running MPs: 6
Jumping MPs: 4
Heat Sinks: 15 5
Gyro: 3
Cockpit: 3
Armor Factor: 128 8
Internal Armor
Structure Value
Head 3 9
Center Torso: 22 20/7
Rt./Lt. Torso: 15 18/6
Rt.~`Lt. Arm: 11 14
Rt./L~. Leg: 15 16

Weapons and Ammo:


Type Loc. Critical ~R
I
PPC RA 3 7
PPC LA 3 7
SRM 6 RT 2 3
Ammo (SRM) 15 RT 1 1
LRM 5 RT 1 2
LRM 5 LT 1 2
Ammo (LRM) 24 RT 1 1
Ammo (LRM) 24 LT 1 1
Jump Jets RL 2 2
Jump Jets LL 2 2

June 3028 BattleTechnology 41


BATTLEMECHANICS

Technical Readout close combat without creating a heat prob-


lemfor the pilot. The Defiance B3M Medium
Lasers are an excellent choice for the Wo~f-
hound because of their durability and relia-
bility.
The Setanta Heavy Laser is a unique
design manufactured at Eire. It is built into
WLF-1 Wolfhound the 'Meth's right arm, with the laser's
muzzle replacing the 'Meth's right hand.
Engineers note the large laser is meant to
be used against distant targets, damaging
Overview: the 'Mach design, and that Dr. B. Banzai them enough so that the Wolfhound can
The Wolfhound is the first original consulted on the design. The Kell family is easily finish them off when it moves in
design produced by Eire Mech Co. of Arc- a majority stockholder in the Eire Mech Co. closer.
Royal, District of Donegal. Until the Wolf- and Arc-Royal is a family holding. The'Mech's left hand is fully articulated
houndappeared early this year, Eire Mech and functional. The Wolfhound reportedly
was only known for refurbishing old service Capabilities: uses the ejection system originally created
'Meths for militia or training academy use. Designed as a swift yet sturdy 'Mech for the Hatchetman. If a pilot is forced to
Development of the Wolfhound began capable of facing Kurita Panthers, the Wolf- eject, the whole head assembly detaches
about a dozen years before its unveiling, hound carries an incredible amount of itself from the 'Mech body and jets off. As
though operational models were apparently armor for a light 'Mech. The armor allows with the Hatchetman, the guidance rockets
available as early as 3024. this light 'Mech to stand toe-to-toe with only have 30 seconds of burn, but it is
The design was meant to be specifi- some heavier 'Meths and survive. Compu- enough to carry a pilot clear of most battle-
cally achallenge to the Kurita Panther, but terized simulations have shown the de- fields. In a modification of the Hatchetman
it turned out to be far more useful. Analysts fenses to be viable in battles against even a design, the Wolfhound head is equipped
point out that the Wolfhound has the fire- Dragon, though Eire officials have noted with a para-foil that allows maneuverability
power and armor of a 'Mech normally only a fool would engage a heavy 'Mech in when descending. (The Hatchetman's
classed as medium at a weight accepted as a Wolfhound. cockpit is a bit too heavy to allow for this.)
light. While, on paper, the design seems The weaponry on the Wolfhound is
prone to overheating, the use of weapons at entirely made up of energy weapons. The Battle History:
proper ranges means it actually runs rather proliferation of heavy autocannons, like the As of this writing, the Wolfhound has
cool. Pontiac 100 (found in the Victor, has made not been battletested in a genuine firelight.
The design ran into bureaucratic diffi- it exceedingly dangerous for a small 'Mech It has, however, undergone a harsh series
culties because the prototypes had not to load itself up with autocannon ammo or of exercises as part of becoming worked
been inspected or licensed by the Lyran missiles. A light 'Meth's restricted carrying into the newly formed Kell Hound Regiment.
Commonwealth. Archon Katrina Steiner capacity also makes it difficult to keep a In computer-adjudicated skirmishes
granted the design an "experimental" li- projectile weapon in full supply during an against a lance of Panthers, a single Wolf-
cense early in 3028. It is imagined she did extended campaign. hound proved elusive and deadly.
this in preparation for t~;~ summer's Ga- Reliance on energy weapons means While details of the battles are sketchy,
lahad '28 exercises, but the fact that the first the Wolfhoundbecomes a viable vehicle for obser•rers remarked that the Wolfhound
Wolfhounds appeared in the Kell Hound extended operations behind enemy lines. often ambushed the Panthers and used the
Regiment has not been ignored as an addi- The light 'Mech is fast enough to elude large laser in his initial attack—hitting the
tional reason for her action. It has been many large pursuers and is armed well targeted Panther from behind and often
reported, in fact, that Colonel Morgan Kell enough to fight off smaller hunters. The incapacitating. it. The remaining Panthers
financed the research and development of quartet of medium lasers can all be fired in then ran afoul of the Wolfhound at its opti-
mumrange. Afterthe Wolfhoundhad hitthe
Panthers with medium laser fire, it "would
then run off and let the Panthers chase it
until it wanted to be caught." The dejected
Panther pilots later described the Wolf-
hound pilot as "lucky."
The pilot, Captain Daniel Allard, report-
edly liked the Wolfhound design, but
mourned the lack of jumpjets. Still this vet-
eran of several Panther battles in the field
(including the June 3027 rescue of the hi-
jacked DropShip Silver Eagle) appreciated
the rnobility and armor on the Wolfhound.

Variants:
There are no known variants at this
3~
-J~~---_ ~~:~ ~..~,
time.

32 BattleTechnology September 3028


i
n
f_
STATS

Mass: 35 tons
~_ Chassis: Arc-Royal KH/3
Power Plant: 210 GM
e Cruising Speed: 64.8 kph
o Maximum Speed: 95.1 kph
s Jump Jets: None
~, Jump Capacity: None
~o Armor: Durallex Medium
,g Armament:
In ~ 1 Setanta Heavy Laser
in 4 Defiance B3M Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Eire Mech Co., Arc-Royal
~d Communications System: O/P COM-22/H47
ly Targeting and Tracking System: Digital Scanlok 347
'd
to Type: Wolfhound WLF-1 Tons
3s Tonnage: 35 Tons 35
as Internal Structure: 3.5
its Engine: 210 GM 9
is Walking MPs: 6
e- Running MPs: 9
an Jumping MPs: 0
ed Heat Sinks: 10 0
ity Gyro: 3
?'s Cockpit: 3
;,) Armor Factor: 120 7.5
Internal Armor
Structure Value
as Head 3 9
ht. Center Torso: 11 16/6
es Rt./Lt. Torso: 8 11/5
ed Rt./Lt. Arm: 6 12/12 R/L
~nt. Rt./Lt. Leg: 3 16
es
~If- Weapons and Ammo:
Type ~ Critical
hy, Large Laser RA 2 5
,nd Medium Laser CT 1 1
the Medium Laser CT(R) 1 1
the Medium Laser RT 1 1
ten Medium Laser LT 1 1
ers
pti-
the
Auld
e it
:ted
'olf-

ort- .~
but
vet-
ield
hi-
~ted
nd.

this

+28 September 3028 BattleTechnology

You might also like