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CALCULATING AEROSPACE BV
The procedure for calculating the Battle Value (BV) of fi ghters,
Small Craft and DropShips, as well as Airships and Fixed-Wing
Support Vehicles, is similar to that for ’Mechs and vehicles. First
determine the Defensive and Offensive battle ratings of the
aerospace unit and then combine them to produce the fi nal BV.
Retain fractions until reaching the fi nal BV, then round to the
nearest whole number (.5 rounds up). As you read each step, refer
to pp. 313–314 for an example of calculating BV for a ’Mechbuster
conventional fi ghter and Nekohono’o-class DropShip.
STEP 1: CALCULATE DEFENSIVE BATTLE RATING
First, ADD the following numbers.
Total Armor Factor x 2.5 (Fighters, DropShips, Small Craft)
(Support Vehicles: multiply by BAR ÷ 10)
Structural Integrity x 2.0
Total BV of all Defensive Equipment
Defensive equipment includes screen launchers and anti-missile
systems. All other weapons and equipment are considered off ensive.
Next, MULTIPLY the resulting Defensive Battle Rating by the
unit type multiplier from the Unit Type Modifi ers Table (p. 316) to
give the aerospace unit’s fi nal Defensive Battle Rating (DBR).
STEP 2: CALCULATE OFFENSIVE BATTLE RATING
To calculate the Off ensive Battle Rating, fi nd the Base Weapon
Battle Rating and then adjust it by the aerospace unit’s Heat Effi -
ciency and Speed Factor.
Calculate Base Weapon Battle Rating
For aerospace fi ghters, Small Craft and DropShips, the Weapon
Battle Rating is adjusted to take into consideration the aerospace
unit’s heat effi ciency. The Heat Effi ciency of a design is equal to
its Heat Sink Capacity. Aerospace fi ghters and Small Craft add 6
to this value.
DropShip Heat Effi ciency = Heat Sink Capacity
Aerospace Unit Heat Effi ciency = 6 + Heat Sink Capacity
Heat Sink Capacity: Heat Sink Capacity denotes the maximum
number of Heat Points an aerospace unit can dissipate in a single
turn. Each single heat sink can dissipate 1 point of heat. Double
heat sinks can dissipate 2 points of heat.
After finding the Aerospace Unit Heat Efficiency, find the
total heat that the unit would generate if it fi red all its off ensive
weapons in a single turn. If this value is less than or equal to the
Aerospace Unit Heat Effi ciency then add up the BV of all weapons
and ammunition. Multiply by 2 the heat points generated by Ultra
autocannon, multiply by 6 the heat points generated by rotary
autocannon, reduce by half the heat points generated by Streak
SRMs, and reduce to one-quarter the heat points generated by
one-shot weapons.
If the total heat generated by all offensive weapons fire is
greater than the Aerospace Unit Heat Effi ciency, then the player
must adjust the BV of some weapons to refl ect the design’s ineffi
ciency. Follow the steps listed below:
• Consult the appropriate Weapon and Equipment Battle Value
table (see pp. 317–319) to fi nd the weapon that generates
heat when fi red and has the highest Battle Value.
• If more than one weapon has the same BV, choose the one
which generates the least heat. If multiple weapons of the
same type are mounted, just choose one. Always choose aftmounted
weapons over forward-fi ring ones of the same type
(see Rear-Firing Weapons, below).
• Add the full BV of the weapon, and add its Heat Value to the
running heat total, beginning at zero.
• If this new heat is less than or equal to the Aerospace Unit
Heat Effi ciency, repeat the above steps. Otherwise, add half
the BV for the fi rst weapon that exceeds the unit’s Heat Effi -
ciency and half the BV for all remaining weapons to the Base
Weapon Battle Rating, then continue to the next step.
• Always include the BV of weapons and equipment which
produce no heat and ammunition at full value (except for the
Excessive Ammunition rule described below).
Add Other Weapons and Equipment
Add the BV of all other weapons and equipment.
Regardless of whether any individual BV requires adjustment,
certain special circumstances can further modify individual
weapon BV values. These modifi ers are cumulative.
Rear-Firing Weapons: Aft-mounted weapons (but not their
ammunition) count as half their normal BV value (aft-side arcs are
not considered). If the unmodifi ed BV of nose-mounted weapons
is less than the unmodifi ed BV of aft-mounted weapons, halve the
value of the nose-mounted weapons instead. When selecting a
weapon for calculating heat-adjusted BV, treat nose-arc weapons
as aft-arc weapons.
Excessive Ammunition: To prevent excessive ammo from
distorting the Battle Value, the BV added for ammunition cannot
exceed the unmodifi ed BV of the weapon itself. If the BV of the
ammo exceeds the weapon BV, reduce the ammo BV to match the
unmodifi ed weapon BV. When an aerospace unit carries several
weapons of the same model, total the BV for that model and the
ammunition carried before comparing the two BVs.
Combat Targeting Computer: All weapons linked to a combat-grade
targeting computer multiply their BVs by 1.25. Do not
include ammunition when adjusting linked weapon BVs.
Multiply Total Off ensive Battle Rating by Speed Factor
A unit’s Speed Factor refl ects its ability to maneuver on the
battlefi eld. To fi nd the Speed Factor of a fi ghter, cross-reference
the Maximum Thrust Value with the Speed Factor Table (p. 315).
For DropShips, use the Safe Thrust Value rather than Maximum
Thrust. Multiply the Total Battle Rating by the Speed Factor to fi nd
the unit’s Off ensive Battle Rating.
Airships: Use the Maximum Thrust rating for airships, but
round up to the next whole number for vehicles with fractional
thrust ratings.
STEP 3: CALCULATE FINAL BATTLE VALUE
An aerospace unit’s fi nal BV is calculated by adding its Defensive
and Off ensive battle ratings. Round any remaining fractions
to the nearest whole number (.5 rounds up).