the shape of things to come

Introduced: 2600 (Terran Hegemony)
Extinct: 2835 (Inner Sphere)
Recovered: 3033 (Federated Suns)
Though it built on techniques already centuries old in 2600, Grumman
Industries’ Alloran In-Line target acquisition gear became the model for
the artillery-spotting laser communications system today known simply
by the acronym TAG. More than a simple infrared laser-based target designation
system, the TAG system tied into the user’s on-board targeting and
tracking systems and used its own integral tight-beam laser communications
array to link into the receptive guidance systems of certain friendly
artillery warheads and guided bombs.
When initially fi elded, the Alloran In-Line worked in tandem with the
AIL Arrow IV homing missile (also developed by Grumman Industries).
Lost during the early Succession Wars, this technology was fi nally recovered
in the early 3030s by the Federated Suns, which began fi elding the
resurrected TAGs to assist in the targeting of laser-guided bombs. By the
mid-3040s, the Capellan Confederation had returned the TAG to ‘Mech use
with their enhanced Raven design, which served as a spotter for the more
TARGET ACQUISITION GEAR (TAG)
Tech Base: Inner Sphere (TAG only) and Clan (TAG and light TAG)
Unit Restrictions: No restrictions
Game Rules: TAG and light TAG may not be used if the unit is shut down or if its pilot/crew is otherwise prevented from acting.
Construction Rules: TAG and light TAG may be mounted on any applicable unit in accordance with the unit’s standard core construction rules.
Table Reference: Weapons and Equipment (Inner Sphere and Clan, pp. 341–343) Game Rules: Total Warfare, p. 142
Introduced: 2860 (Clan Mongoose), 3062 (Federated Suns)
The Clans prize the enhanced range and accuracy of their weapons,
seen by Clan warriors as an extension of themselves. With close-quarters
combat considered anathema (unless outside the cockpit), all Clan
technological advancements focus on making ranged combat deadlier.
Their “waste-not, want-not” philosophy also screams for more precision, to
minimize collateral damage even when the weapons are live.
It therefore comes as no surprise that, in addition to the enhanced
variations of Star League-era missile targeting systems, the Clans also
developed advanced targeting systems to aid their direct-fi re weaponry.
Only recently matched by our own engineers at the NAIS, the targeting
computer is a sophisticated “smart” system that enhances the accuracy of
lasers, particle cannons, gauss rifl es and autocannons. More than just a
basic sensor tracking and targeting array, the targeting computer actually
helps its gunner aim physically. This is accomplished through a series of
TARGETING COMPUTER
TARGET ACQUISITION GEAR (TAG)
recently recovered Arrow IV guided artillery on their Catapult refi ts. The
Capellans’ decade-long alliance with the Free Worlds League in the 3050s
later brought about the advent of the semi-guided missiles that also use
TAG as an eff ective target designator, further expanding the utility of this
venerable equipment.
LIGHT TAG
Introduced: 3054 (Clan Wolf)
That the Clans maintained the use of TAG at all came as a bit of a shock
to Inner Sphere commanders who had thought Kerensky’s children universally
shunned the use of artillery. Nevertheless, certain Clans—such
as the Wolves—proved more tactically fl exible than Spheroids tended to
give them credit for. It came as less of a surprise, then, when supporting
units—including vehicles and battle armored infantry—began deploying
among such Clans with smaller versions of the TAG system. Half the weight
of the standard TAG models used by the Inner Sphere and the Clans, the
so-called light TAG has an eff ective targeting range roughly 20 percent
shorter than the standard model.
TARGETING COMPUTER
recoil compensators and gyroscopic stabilizers that combine to counter
much of the routine weapon drift caused by the shooter’s own lurching
motions, muzzle recoil and other environmental conditions. All of this is
mated to core computing elements that help the pilot adjust more quickly
for atmospheric conditions and such, providing a more accurate “lead” for
almost every shot.
The resulting increase in accuracy is light-years ahead of standard targeting
through sensors alone. Not only can it make direct-fi re shots more
accurate, but experienced gunners using this system can even narrow
their targeting focus to particular body areas on many targets for more
surgical precision. Understandably, this ability works best with more precise
weaponry; cluster-shot LB-X autocannons, rapid-cycling pulse lasers
and Ultra or rotary ACs fi ring in their faster modes lose the acuity necessary
for this kind of fi nesse.
Tech Base: Inner Sphere and Clan
Unit Restrictions: ProtoMechs, Small Craft and DropShips may not mount targeting computers.
Construction Rules: IndustrialMechs and Support Vehicles that do not feature an advanced fire-control system may not mount a targeting
computer.
The weight of a targeting computer is based on the weight of all direct-fi re, non-missile heavy weapons (not counting machine guns, fl amers or
TAG systems) used by the unit. Ammunition, power amplifi ers, heat sinks and turret/pintle mechanisms are not counted in this weight. Inner Sphere
units compute this weight as equal to the tonnage of such weapons, divided by 4. Clan units compute targeting computer weight by dividing the
total weight of all applicable weapons by 5. This weight is rounded up to the nearest full ton.
For BattleMechs and IndustrialMechs, the targeting computer occupies as many critical slots as its tonnage (for example, a 4-ton targeting computer
takes up 4 critical slots), which must be allocated contiguously and may not be divided among multiple locations (per standard equipment
rules). Combat and Support Vehicles allocate targeting computers to a single slot, regardless of weight (placed in the Body location). Fighters also
treat the targeting computer as a single item located in the Body (Fuselage), with no loss in weapon slots.
Table Reference: Weapons and Equipment (Industrial, pp. 344–345) Game Rules: Total Warfare, p. 143
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