While it is widely said BattleMechs are the kings of the battlefield in the 31st century, the support of combat vehicles is also very helpful for those who cannot afford or cannot find BattleMechs to field. Four weight classes of combat vehicles exist, varying on motive type. Hovercraft are able to skim over rough terrain or water without any detriment to their speed, but it takes good driving to make turns at full speed. Failure to control a hovercraft means sliding out of position, possibly into something hazardous. Hovercraft are no heavier than fifty tons. Wheeled combat vehicles are easier to control at full speed, and the motive system handles more mass, but it cannot handle rough terrain or forest well enough to be viable entering them. Tracked vehicles only may not enter shallow water, as they do not react well to being submerged any more than wheeled vehicles.
Below are short descriptions of the various combat vehicles which are verified to have been deployed during the White Reach campaign.
Light Combat Vehicles
Savannah Master
A fusion engine-powered hovercraft, built as a scout and fast raider. It has a single Medium Laser for its armament, and that is about all there is to say about it.
Packrat Long Range Patrol Vehicle
The Packrat LRPV is designed to be capable of long missions away from a base of operations, carrying up to ten passengers along for the ride. For its defense it has a six-missile Short-Range launcher and a Flamer.
Skulker Wheeled Scout Tank
This wheeled vehicle is armed with only a Medium Laser, built specifically to scout ahead of a larger force.
Harasser Missile Platform
A light hovercraft, the Harasser is devoted to being able to fire up to twelve Short-Range missiles at a time, and to both engage and disengage quickly.
J. Edgar
Designed to be a hovercraft raider which would be fast and cheap, the J. Edgar can be armed with a great many different loadouts. Primarily it is armed with a Medium Laser, and either Short-Range missiles or Machine Guns.
Scorpion Light Tank
The Scorpion Light Tank is an inexpensive, decently-effective tank which is often found in militia or armed forces as the lightest dedicated combat vehicle. Using a Class Five Autocannon, the Scorpion is a surprisingly effective tank when deployed in large numbers. Other modifications have been made to arm it with missiles (either Long-Range or Short-Range).
Galleon GAL-100 Light Tank
A lightly-armored, lightly-armed, but very fast tank, the Galleon is a venerable design dating to the Star League. It is armed with two Small Lasers and a Medium Laser, which its speed allows to bring to bear quickly.
Hunter Light Support Tank
Found in various small outfits and forces, the Hunter is a tank built to be a cheap and effective fire-support platform, normally carrying a twenty-tube Long-Range launcher. Some variants of this tank exist with smaller launcher sizes, but its role remains the same.
Pegasus Scout Hovertank
Much like the lighter Harasser, this hovercraft can very quickly bring a spread of twelve Short-Range missiles to a fight.
Plainsman
A similar hovercraft to the Pegasus and Harasser, this is a modern and somewhat exclusive design which can fire up to fourteen Short-Range missiles in a single volley.
Saladin Assault Hover Tank
The Saladin is designed for exactly one purpose, and this is to get a Class Twenty Autocannon into position quickly and without being hindered by rough terrain. Notably it shares many parts of its design with the Saracen and Scimitar.
Saracen
Built on the same basic chassis as the Saladin and Scimitar, the Saracen is built to get its missile launchers into position quickly. This includes three paired-missile Short Range launchers, and a ten-missile Long Range launcher.
Scimitar Medium Hover Tank
The Scimitar is built on the same basic design as the Saracen and Saladin, and carries a Class Five Autocannon and two paired-missile Short Range launchers in a turret.
Striker Light Tank
The Striker has been designed as a wheeled light tank, carrying a six-missile Short Range launcher and a ten-missile Long Range launcher in its turret.
Medium Combat Vehicles
Hetzer
There are many variants of Hetzers, and they all exist solely as a wheeled weapons platform. They mount anything from Short-Range launchers, to Medium Lasers, to a Class 20 Autocannon.
Goblin Medium Tank
The Goblin is designed to assist with deploying infantry, able to carry a squad in its infantry bay. It is also armed with a Machine Gun and Large Laser to stop from being an easy target. Some variations replace the Large Laser with two ten-missile Long Range launchers, giving it a different potential support role.
Condor Heavy Hover Tank
The Condor is a fairly heavily-armored hovercraft armed with a Class Five Autocannon and two paired-missile launchers in the turret. One known variant popular in the Capellan Confederation is to replace the turret armaments with four Medium Lasers. Its speed allows it to deploy fairly quickly into a harassment position, but the fragile nature of its motive system makes it particularly vulnerable.
Drillson
A recent production of the Lyran Commonwealth, the Drillson heavy hovercraft is armed with a Large Laser and two paired-missile Short Range launchers, as well as a ten-missile Long Range launcher. Two Machine Guns give it some anti-infantry potential as well.
Maxim Hover Transport
Essentially a heavily-armored APC, the placement of weapons on the Maxim seems a little odd. It has two forward-mounted five-missile Long Range launchers, and another facing the rear. A paired-missile Short Range launcher is situated in either flank of the transport, while the turret carries a six-missile Short Range launcher and a trio of Machine Guns.
Vedette Medium Tank
This tank is essentially a heavier Scorpion, equiped with the same Class Five Autocannon and Machine Gun combination. However it can reach a slightly higher top speed and has a little more armor. It is not uncommon to find a Class Two Autocannon replacing the heavier main gun for a longer range.
Prowler Explorer Vehicle
The Prowler was designed to be an exploration vehicle for hostile environments, more than a war machine. The current version of the design is still armed fairly well, having a ten-missile Long Range launcher, two Medium Lasers, and a paired-missile Short Range launcher.
Heavy Combat Vehicles
Bulldog
The Bulldog Main Battle Tank is a simple machine, decently armored with a Large Laser and two four-missile Short Range launchers. Some variations remove the laser in favor of a massive twenty-missile Long Range launcher.
Manticore Heavy Tank
The Manticore is a solid battle tank, heavily armored and heavily armed. Its turret holds a PPC, a ten-missile Long Range launcher, a six-missile Short Range launcher, and a Medium Laser for good measure.
LRM Carrier
As the name implies, the LRM Carrier is designed for one purpose - being a simple and cost-efficient mobile platform to put sixty Long Range missiles into designated targets. It is very lightly armored and moves relatively slow, but it can pack a hard punch to the unwary.
SRM Carrier
Much like the LRM Carrier, the SRM Carrier delivers sixty missiles in a cost-effective package. However, this vehicle employs ten Short Range launchers instead. A full salvo from one of these can be hazardous to even Assault-class BattleMechs.
Laser Carrier
A third variation on a design, the Laser Carrier utilizes the same basic body design as the missile carriers and follows very much the same design principle. It gets eight Medium Lasers together in a simple, efficient mobile package.
Rommel Tank
Produced for the Lyran Commonwealth, the Rommel Tank is designed to be a replacement for BattleMechs should you not be able to afford one. It is simply armed, carrying a Class 20 Autocannon and a five-missile Long Range launcher. A single Small Laser is used as close-range defensive weaponry.
Von Luckner Heavy Tank
The Von Luckner is a very well-armed vehicle, carrying a Class Twenty Autocannon in the turret with the support of a four-missile and two six-missile Short Range launchers. A ten-missile Long Range launcher points backwards from the rear of the vehicle, and a Machine Gun and Flamer give it some ability to stave off infantry. The VNL-K70 model instead uses a Class Ten Autocannon, a PPC, and a single four-missile Short Range launcher in the turret.
Assault Combat Vehicles
Demolisher Heavy Tank
Fielding a Demolisher is a good way to prevent anyone from getting too close, as it is heavily armored and carries two Class Twenty Autocannons in its turret. It is not fast, but few can argue with its effect on tactical planning once it's deployed.
Devastator Heavy Tank
This more recently-produced generation of the Demolisher upgrades to a lighter fusion engine for the purposes of more weaponry to defend itself with. It mounts a forward-facing Flamer and six-missile Short Range launcher while the turret has an additional trio of Small Lasers installed.
Partisan Heavy Tank
An anti-aircraft design, the Partisan's turret carries four Class Five Autocannons which give it a fair amount of weaponry to shoot down aerospace assets. However, it is not as much of a threat to most BattleMechs. A variant design was produced which uses five Class Two Autocannons instead, which is a drop in firepower for a much greater range.
Schrek PPC Carrier
The Schrek is well-known for its ability to bring three PPCs to bear on a target without much worry, and having a fairly well-armored vehicle behind it. It is, however, rather slow despite its impressive armament and armor.
Sturmfeur Heavy Tank
Produced by the Lyran Commonwealth, the SturmFeur is currently the heaviest missile-support vehicle in the Inner Sphere. It holds two twenty-missile Long Range launchers (one in the turret, one fixed to fire forward) and is remarkably armored in comparison to most other vehicles. A pair of Machine Guns mounted on the turret allow it to deter infantry approach.
Behemoth Heavy Tank
The aptly-named Behemoth is a hundred-ton combat vehicle designed to be capable of engaging with nearly any target at variable ranges and be a credible threat. Despite its speed, it is a formidable defensive asset carrying two turret-mounted Class Ten Autocannons and two turret-mounted six-missile Short Range launchers. For infantry defense, it has Machine Guns and paired-missile Short Range launchers firing to all four of its sides. At long ranges, four five-missile Long Range launchers are fixed to fire ahead of it. One variant model removes the Machine Guns and paired-missile launchers from the sides and instead adds a great deal more armor.
Comments