Technical readout 2866 Rise of the Scavengers

PXH-1x Phoenix Hawk
History:
The Phoenix Hawk owes its existence to its much lighter
cousin, the 20-ton Stinger. Orguss Industries, based on
Marcus and a long time military sub-contractor for
Earthwerks Incorporated, discovered that the Earthwerks
STG chassis could be strengthened enough that it could
support over twice the weight of the original.
Engineers at Orguss then proceeded to re-engineer the
chassis, giving it the Orguss Stinger designation, and
began work on a new BattleMech. After extensive
testing, they discovered the reinforced skeleton could
effectively support up to 45 tons.
Given the long term success of the Stinger, it was quickly
decided the new 45-ton ‘Mech should emulate both the
speed and jump capacity of its little brother. Having
been an integral part of the extensive supply chain that
fed the massive Earthwerks Incorporated interstellar
empire, Orguss had little trouble sourcing the
components needed to build a new ‘Mech.
They first turned to General Motors, commissioning a
270 rated fusion engine for use in their BattleMech. The
GM 270 would go on to become a successful engine for
General Motors, ultimately serving in the Highlander,
Hussar, and Hermes. Next, they turned to Lang
Industries for assistance in the design and manufacture
of the jump jets. The Pitban LFT-50 jump jets found on
their Shadow Hawk had proven themselves reliable, if
unremarkable, for over 100 years at this point, making
them one of the oldest models on the market. This
partnership resulted in the development of the 9000
series, which would go on to continue Pitban’s unbroken
chain of successful jump jet development, eventually
culminating in 2650 with the directional LFT-10 series
used on the SDR-5V Spider.
For electronics, Orguss turned to Apple Computers
Interstellar, headquartered on Macintosh in the
Federated Suns. Originally a manufacturer of high
quality personal electronics on Terra, the company had
grown so fabulously wealthy they simply bought an entire
planet to serve as their new home base. Producing the
widely used and respected Dalban line of
communications and targeting and tracking systems,
Apple Computers was surprised when Orguss asked
them to design new systems for their exclusive use. The
engineers at Apple Computers quickly rose to the
challenge, however, providing Orguss with the Tek
BattleCom communications suite and Tru-Trak targeting
and tracking system.
For weapons, Orguss Industries looked inward,
developing a full line of Harmon lasers. It is believed
these borrow heavily from the Omicron line produced by
Fusigon Heavy Weaponry on Campbelton. Much like the
Stinger’s Omicron 3000 medium laser, the Harmon
heavy laser is one of the few handheld models produced.
Energy hookups are located in both arms so the ‘Mech
may carry the heavy laser in which ever arm the
MechWarrior prefers. The M100 machine guns are
provided by Brigadier Corporation on Oliver, which uses
them to build the 65-ton Crusader.
Seeing an entirely new BattleMech rise from the ashes of
an old one, the engineers at Orguss Industries dubbed
the new 45-ton design the “Phoenix Hawk.” Production
began in earnest in 2568, just three years before the
official creation of the Star League.
The Star League would adopt it immediately, and the
Phoenix Hawk would quickly become the SLDF
reconnaissance ‘Mech of choice due to its heavy armor,
substantial firepower, and ability to keep up with other
much lighter scout ‘Mechs. However, once it became
widely deployed, its true value as a command ‘Mech
became quickly apparent.
The sophisticated multi-channel Tek BattleCom was
easily capable of coordinating company and even
battalion level communications but just as importantly it
was heavily shielded against interference and
incorporated advanced encryption algorithms to ensure
secure battlefield transmission. The BattleCom was so
successful, in fact, that less than 10 years later, Kallon
Industries would contract with Apple Interstellar for use
with its 55-ton Wolverine, which would itself go onto
become a highly sought after command ‘Mech for
medium class units.
Apple Interstellar would go to develop a number of
specialized expansion modules for the Tek BattleCom,
109
including a highly prized lostech Electronic Counter
Measures module as well as a ground-to-space
uplink/downlink module for communication with orbiting
satellites and naval vessels.
Orguss Industries’ headquarters on Marucs would fall
victim to the border fights between the Lyran
Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League during the
Second Succession War, their facility being destroyed in
2837 when the planet was successfully taken by House
Steiner.
By this point, however, the Phoenix Hawk had become
such a popular design that Earthwerks Incorporated,
upon whose chassis the Phoenix Hawk was originally
based, was already producing the ‘Mech out of their
Keystone facility. Both Coventry Metal Works, who
ironically also produced the Stinger, and Achernar
BattleMechs also obtained licenses from Orguss during
the time of the Star League.
Notable ‘Mechs and MechWarriors:
First Lieutenant Angel “Redemption” Salazaar
Much like its namesake, Salazaar’s Phoenix Hawk,
“Bennu,” died in fire only to reborn again. Heavily
damaged, Northwind Highlander technicians replaced
the GM 270 with a much lighter GM 180 from a
Vindicator. This freed up sufficient space to install a pair
of Arrowlite SRM-6s from a salvaged Javelin in the chest
of “Bennu,” fed by the modified center torso ammunition
bin formerly used by the machine guns. Also added was
another half-ton of armor to provide additional protection
for the head, arms, and legs.
What makes it particularly remarkable is that “Bennu”
retains the full 180 meter jump capacity, although due to
the less powerful engine, two additional exhaust ports
were added, giving it a total of eight exhaust ports. It
also retains the three-ton free gyro of the original. The
additional weapons have resulted in many a surprised,
and subsequently defeated MechWarrior.
Alpha Strike Statistics
TP: BM SZ: 2 TMM: +3
MV: 12j” Role: Striker
Damage S: 2 M: 2 L: 0
OV: 2
Armor: O O O O O
Sructure: O O O O
Special: SRM 2/2/0