the shape of things to come

orbit. But even when working for short bursts, they still have
great use. They can help a BattleMech clear diffi cult terrain or
quickly maneuver around enemies.
Now, jump jets have a lot of similarities to the fusion rockets
of aerospace fi ghters. They use a magnetically shielded
reaction chamber to superheat some material, the reaction
mass, and squirt it out a rocket nozzle. Like fi ghter engines,
an electron beam, an electrical arc, is used to superheat the
reaction mass.
However, jump jets do not add plasma vented from the fusion
engine, unlike fi ghters. Aerospace fi ghters are interested
in maximizing their engine effi ciency because they have to
carry all their reaction mass onboard, and thus want the exhaust
as hot as possible. On the other hand, jump jets usually
have an endless supply of reaction mass and don’t need all
the complexity of venting their fusion engine’s plasma. These
jets thus usually capture air as their reaction mass through a
system of turbo-compressors.
This use of atmosphere also contributes to jump jets’ short
burns. Remember what I said about outside air getting inside
an operating fusion engine and causing an explosion? Jump
jets can be eaten alive by hot oxygen if they keep running
too long on air. This—as well as the possibility that the ’Mech
might be called to action in vacuum—is why most jump jetequipped
BattleMechs also carry a small reserve of reaction
mass, like hydrogen, water or mercury, for jumps. No, it’s still
not enough to get them into orbit.
It’s also worth noting that jump jets can’t handle operating
underwater. Lighting up a jet when it’s fi lled with incompressible
water generates high pressures that rupture even
the toughened jump jet’s casing. Even jump jets trying to
operate on stored reaction mass don’t work right with water
plugging their nozzles.
SENSORS AND TARGETING SYSTEMS
In its entirety, a BattleMech’s targeting and tracking (T&T)
system includes a sophisticated set of sensors and computers
to process data. These systems are getting ever more sophisticated
as technology is recovered and expanded…a fact that
might explain the Blakists’ recent interest in targeting electronics
manufacturers throughout the Inner Sphere.
Thermal imaging, light amplifi cation, radar and magnetic
anomaly sensors are all among the primary sensors used by
BattleMechs, supplemented by seismic sensors, motion detectors,
chemical analyzers and a multitude of others. Despite
this broad range of sensor types, MechWarriors are not deluged
with raw data. Sophisticated computers streamline,
interpret and prioritize this information, so that by the time
the warrior gets the info, it appears as simple visual cues on
the usual cockpit displays or the warrior’s own neurohelmet
heads-up display (HUD).
The powers of a BattleMech’s sensory processors stand
out most strongly in their ability to recognize other units and
classify them by type and as friend or foe. Any T&T suite today
can inform a MechWarrior of the type of unit it detects, and
can even speculate on what variant it is, and the system is surprisingly
intuitive. Sometimes, this can present an interesting
eff ect, such as the famous example of the Inner Sphere naming
of the Clan Timber Wolf OmniMech. Upon an Inner Sphere
BattleMech’s fi rst encounter with that ’Mech—which looked
like a cross between the familiar Marauder and Catapult designs,
the name “Mad Cat” was born. The ability to tell friend
from foe—another key ability of the T&T suite—eases the
burden of target identifi cation for MechWarriors in the heat
of battle, particularly under poor visibility conditions.
BattleMechs are also not islands unto themselves. They can
share sensor data to some extent, allowing greater sensory
performance than a single ’Mech can achieve. The specialized
equipment of a C 3 system takes this to new heights with direct
battlefi eld applications, but all BattleMechs can at least
receive basic sensory data from a unit mate.
And that data is recorded. BattleMechs have capable “black
box” systems, the so-called battleROM that stores hundreds
of hours of all sensor data from a ’Mech, from its internal and
external sensors and communications. The armored battleROM
recorder is located in the cockpit and will survive virtually
any catastrophe, from an ammo explosion to a failed
orbital drop.
COCKPIT
While it is technically a ground vehicle, a BattleMech’s
cockpit is more akin to that of an aerospace fi ghter than the
crew station of a normal armored vehicle. More than a control
center, however, BattleMech cockpits can become homes for
MechWarriors operating on extended campaigns, with sleeping
and sanitary facilities available to minimize the need for
egress in hostile territory. Clan cockpits—which refl ect the
Clan perspective on warfare as a series of short Trials—are
something of an exception to this latter point. Much more
compact and narrow than Inner Sphere cockpits, Clan cockpits
are more like those of conventional fi ghters—ill-suited to
longer campaigns, but capturing the Clan ideal of effi ciency.
As every BattleMech manufacturer has its own opinion of
an ergonomic cockpit design, there is virtually no such thing
as a “standard” ’Mech cockpit. However, they do share a lot of
common features, and there are enough similarities from design
to design that MechWarriors can usually master the controls
of a new BattleMech in a short period of time. A decent
analogy would be automobile controls: they’re always a bit
diff erent in layout, but you’ll rarely get confused in a new car.
Today, one of the raging debates among cockpit designers
is confi gurability. In the Inner Sphere, there has been a cycle of
cockpit layouts that alternate between sets of multi-function
displays and programmable controls, and fi xed displays with
single-function switches. Each of these approaches has its proponents.
Fixed cockpits have minor advantages in damage tolerance,
since one blown control won’t take out a suite of functions,
and—supposedly—refl ex speed for the MechWarriors. There’s
no hesitation in fi nding the switch to activate punching mode
if you (and your father before you, and your grandfather before
him) have been using the same switch for years.
Adjustable cockpits also claim refl ex advantages by allowing
a MechWarrior to customize the controls and displays to
suit his preferences, and are favored especially in these days
of OmniMech design, where confi gurable and customizable
controls are practically a necessity. Still, MechWarriors have
so much to learn just to qualify as “green” today that few care
to alter the defaults on any programmable controls they do
have, resulting in confi gurations that remain strikingly similar
to those used across known space. In fact, the standard train-
INTRODUCTION
CONSTRUCTION
BASICS
BATTLEMECH
CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRIALMECH
CONSTRUCTION
PROTOMECH
CONSTRUCTION
COMBAT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
SUPPORT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
CONV. INFANTRY
CONSTRUCTION
BATTLE ARMOR
CONSTRUCTION
AEROSPACE UNIT
CONSTRUCTION
WEAPONS AND
HEAVY EQUIPMENT
INFANTRY WEAPONS
AND EQUIPMENT
COSTS AND
AVAILABILITY
BATTLE VALUE
INDEX
RECORD SHEETS
39