Tornado PA(L) - Technical Readout 3075 page 15
The Tornado Powered Armor (Light) was ComStar's entry into the world of powered infantry, that unbeknown to the majority of the Inner Sphere prowled their midst long before the Elemental burst in on the scene. The contrast between the Elemental and the Tornado could not be more extreme, one the paragon of frontline combat and the other from the world of covert operations.
The Tornado was developed not long after the Elemental, in the latter half of the 30th century, and is actually known as the Hurricane in ComStar service, with the Tornado moniker properly applying only to the later Word of Blake versions, although the Hurricane name wasn't known until Technical Readout 3075. ComStar, and in particular ROM, wanted to be able to field special forces units with powered armor, just like those once used by the SLDF's Special Armed Services. Unable at the time to simply duplicate the Nighthawk Mk XXI, ComStar scientists began research in 2892 into what would eventually become only the second powered combat suit of any class in the Inner Sphere. By later standards progress was initially slow, with the first prototypes only becoming available in 2903, although ROM obviously liked what they saw, with the Hurricane entering full production in 2905.
It should be noted that the full production status wasn't quite as good as it might sound, due to the problem of the design needing to be tailor made for each operator. In effect, this made every single Hurricane a hand-built custom suit, which furthermore required the operator to keep to a strict regime of exercise and diet, lest they stray too far from their original measurements. For a century and a half, Hurricanes provided ROM with an unmatched ability in special operations, mimicking the shadowy history of the Blackhearts, unseen and unsuspected, and outperforming even the vaunted DEST infiltration suit. Only when Word engineers assisted the Free Worlds League with the development of the Achileus Light Battle Armor would the truth of ComStar's technological achievement be known outside of their secretive ranks.
The design was first seen in the Fall of Terra scenario pack, where it was used by a Word of Blake ROM strike team that was HALO dropped before the main invasion to capture and neutralize the SDS laser battery at Santo Tomás in the Andes. The specific version of the suit used by those special forces troops was the Tornado G12 and it was from then on that the Tornado designation has stuck within the game, with it only being noted that ComStar used the designator P12, without any mention of the name Hurricane. Later publications would note that the only difference between the G12 and the P12 is in the software, initially implemented by the Blakists in 3058 as a precaution to prevent ComStar infiltration, with similar changes soon performed by ComStar as well. In addition to these security measures, the user interface was modified to reduce operator tendencies to remove the helmet to improve situational awareness, an act that reduced the stealthiness of the suit.
The Fall of Terra scenario pack only provided MechWarrior 2nd Edition RPG stats, detailing features such as its stealthiness and its lack of integral weaponry or jump capability, plus it was also noted that ComStar fielded an effectively identical version. The artwork emphasized that the Tornado lacked complete armor coverage, with exposed myomers particularly noticeable on the legs and to a lesser degree on the arms too. Although a little less apparent in the artwork for Technical Readout 3075, this lack of complete protection is noted in the write-up for the Achileus.
Next mentioned in Lostech, for the third edition of the RPG, the Tornado still lacked BattleTech scale stats, and it was not until the publication of Combat Equipment that we first received those, along with the updated - and much improved, in my opinion - artwork that we still have today. Post-dating the construction rules from Classic BattleTech Companion, the Tornado's main RPG characteristics had remained unchanged, and its newly introduced BattleTech stats have equally remained unaltered since its Combat Equipment appearance, barring the loss of ability to remain hidden from Active Probes, a situation shared by all stealthy Battle Armor under the Total War family of rules.
Like the Nighthawk MK XXI upon which is was based, the Tornado PA(L) has just two points of armor, making it vulnerable to one-shot kills from the vast majority of weapons on the BattleTech scale. Some might argue that you might as well just use a single point, thus saving an appreciable fraction of the suit's total mass for other uses, but that would mean that an infantry platoon could easily slaughter an entire squad with a single attack, making it too risky in my opinion. As a side note, the Tornado's squad size denoted in Combat Equipment was just four suits, and it was not until later that we saw the Level I increased to six suits. At least with six-suit units, Tornados can survive a little longer on the battlefield when under fire by weapons such as SRMs and LB-X cannon, but those weapons are the exception that prove the rule that really no PA(L) has any real business being on the battlefield and going up against 'Mechs, tanks and other heavy combatants.
Equipped with stealthy armor like the Nighthawk, the Tornado uses the lower grade Basic Stealth, although it compensates for that with the installation of a Camo System. A ComStar invention that predates the Tornado by around a century, it was presumably originally trialed on modified versions of existing Nighthawks, assuming that it wasn't just an entirely theoretical project. Although Technical Readout 3075 says that ComStar did find intact Nighthawks on Terra, Era Report 3052 states that they only had fragmentary data and scattered components, however it's also possible that ComStar recovered Nighthawk suits when they secretly explored the Special Armed Service's headquarters on Sabik, or some other forgotten SLDF cache.
Whatever the background of the Camo System, when combined with the Basic Stealth it does reduce the odds of a Tornado taking an almost certainly fatal hit. Unlike Stealth armor, the camouflaging effect is not dependent upon range and can also mask the suit from conventional infantry, although its performance does rely upon the suit moving slowly for maximum effect. That isn't really a problem for the Tornado, considering that it lacks jump jets and can only move a single ground Movement Point per Turn. This low mobility can prove a hindrance in battlefield usage, and in some covert ops, but at least sneaking around on foot will likely attract less attention than the use of jump jets.
Armament consists purely of handheld infantry weapons, with the pair of Armored Gloves that allow the trooper to wield support-class weaponry such as Man-Portable Plasma Rifles, Portable Machine Guns, or the newly introduced Infantry TAG system. The level of firepower available to a Level I of Tornados is understandably going to be low compared to proper Battle Armor designs when used against 'Mechs and armored vehicles, and when a ROM strike team knows that they're possibly going to be confronting such foes, the TAG module can be an effective force multiplier if supporting troops are available to benefit from the targeting data.
The Armored Gloves also allow the Tornado to perform Anti-'Mech attacks, although the G12/P12 version's lack of 'Mech-scale armament means that the only effective type is the Leg Attack, with no ability to inflict damage while Swarming. The Tornado can also conduct Mechanized Battle Armor operations when Omni support is available. Where increased manual dexterity is required, the Armored Gloves can be removed, but this obviously makes the operator vulnerable to injury from enemy fire and, like removing the helmet, would be hazardous or perhaps even fatal in hostile environments.
As noted above, the Tornado - like all PA(L)s - is a relatively fragile unit on the battlefield. In real world terms, the armor plating would make a Tornado trooper far tougher and more effective than a conventional infantryman one-to-one, but the game mechanisms in BattleTech reduces this effectiveness, especially the units being limited to six or fewer suits instead of platoons of up to thirty like PBIs. Combining that with the stealthy characteristics and the custom-fitting required by every Tornado, with the inevitable restriction in numbers that would result, it's understandable that the Tornado was initially only used as a special operations suit.
This role began to change in 3065 once the Word of Blake started producing the Nighthawk Mk XXI, replacing the Tornado G12 as the suit of choice for its ROM strike teams. Rather than going to waste, the surplus G12s were reassigned to security detachments and to shipboard troops, with some even being passed on to the Word's Free Worlds League allies. In these less covert roles the stealthy features of the G12 were considered excessive, so in 3066 a new variant was designed that swapped the Camo System for a Modular Weapon Mount with a 200kg capacity. Dubbed the G13 it was initially thought to be based upon earlier P-series suits trialed by ComStar, but eventually it was recognized as an offshoot of the development of the Achileus.
The Tornado G13's standard configurations include the usual trio of Small Laser, Flamer and Machine Gun, together with the option of a David Light Gauss Rifle or the rather anemic Grenade Launcher. Due to the mount being located on the right forearm only single slot weapons and equipment can be used, so that precludes the possibility of using a Light Recoilless Rifle or some form of missile configuration, although certain electronics would be viable as custom options. Thanks to the 'Mech-scale armament, the G13 is capable of inflicting damage during a Swarm attack, and in BV terms it's an incredibly cheap way of providing a force with that capability. As already discussed, the Tornado isn't the ideal suit to take into heavy combat, and the removal of the Camo System has only made the G13 more vulnerable than the original, so despite its improved firepower this is still not really a unit you want to be using if you have a choice.
The G14, the next Word of Blake variant to be produced, is one of the most unusual and also one of the more interesting Battle Armor concepts in my opinion, although others tastes may vary, and as jymset reminded me, it's not wholely original, having been preceded by the publication of the Smoothdavid II in the Technical Readout Vehicle Annex two years prior. Developed in 3070, the G14 is the simplest Tornado model available, excusing both the Camo System of the G12/P12 and the Modular Weapon Mount of the G13 to instead enable the suit to carry up to 210kg of supplies in a Mission Equipment compartment. Intended to support G12s and G13s or even conventional infantry, the G14 is a simple pack mule that can go just about anywhere that unarmored personnel can go, while retaining a self-defense capability equal to that of the original model. Although less stealthy than the G12, the G14's capabilities could prove invaluable for special operations in the field, allowing them to conduct high endurance missions without the need for resupply that may result in detection.
Compared to the Word of Blake, ComStar have lagged behind with the development of new variants. This is not surprising given that they lost access to the original factory on Terra, and lacked the equivalent of the duplicate production line set up on Gibson by the Word's Free Worlds League allies. The Blakists are even rumored to have access to a mobile factory, with speculation for the identity of the vessel ranging from a DropShip or group of DropShips through to a modified Newgrange yardship, although the latter is probably the least likely. With no known manufacturing sites, ComStar have presumably been limited to theoretical designs and modifications of their existing Hurricane P12s.
Experimental Technical Readout: ComStar finally provided us with a new ComStar variant, although as the publication suggests, the new model is still experimental and thus may not ever see service. Because the Readout is a new publication, no further details can be discussed for now until the 30 day moratorium has passed.
The Tornado/Hurricane is a decent choice for RPG campaigns, offering a superior level of protection in comparison to unpowered body armor, even infantry kits. It does face stiff competition from the Nighthawk and has to tread warily around Light Battle Armor such as the Kage, which performs a similar special operations role for the Draconis Combine. Powered Armor (Light) suits do offer some advantages over Light Battle Armor, specifically when the GM is taking into account the bulk and increased ground pressure of the heavier suits.
jymset: By that rationale, when opting for as much realism as possible an unladen Tornado G14 or a G13 that omits its 'Mech-scale weapon would be quite brilliant, weighing around half as much as other PA(L)s. To reiterate once more, outside of RPG play, the Tornado is a poor choice for the BattleTech tactical game, with the only reason to select it being for flavor or to exploit its low BV cost to provide your force with a plentiful supply of spotters or sacrificial units for a double blind game. The Tornado isn't a particularly popular design with many players, being outperformed by most other units, and it's not unreasonable to assume that in-universe characters would hold a similar view. Like the Nighthawk, in its time the Tornado was an impressive combat system, offering unparalleled capabilities, but even before it had begun development its death knell had already been sounded in the far off Clan Homeworlds with the introduction of the Elemental. With no significant advantage to compensate for its light weight, like all other PA(L)s, the Tornado was effectively obsolete from day one.
jymset: Well, it was a pioneer in mounting the dual-stealth options that Battle Armor can access. Of course, 3085’s Angerona has dethroned the Tornado even on this last claim to fame. With the Jihad over and the Blakists defeated and driven from Terra - assuming you don't subscribe to the idea that Stone is part of a long con by the Word - the Tornado can now be seen in Republic service, while the various Free Worlds League states continue using their surviving suits. Salvaged and captured Tornados have also found their way into the Periphery, being operated by the Marians and Canopians, as well as appearing in various mercenary commands. Whether the Tornado will survive past the Dark Age is unknown given that the more advanced Nighthawk is also in production, while most factions using the Tornado have little or no source of replacements unless the Republic prove willing to sell, assuming that they continue manufacturing the design.
Perhaps the Tornado's time has indeed come and it's entering its last days before the Dark Age proper, with its spread across multiple factions being its last hurrah. Although jymset is an ardent fan of the design, I suspect that few would be sad to see it go; especially those operators who convert to the Nighthawk and can finally afford to slack on their diet and exercise regime without having to go through a complete refitting of their suit. Whether it sticks around or not, the Tornado is one of those designs with more character than performance, and that's about the best I can say for this particular old timer.
Next up:
- Afreet
- Rottweiler
- Aerie
- Resgate
Note: I realized while finishing this and the Nighthawk article that I'd accidentally skipped the Afreet and Rottweiler articles. My apologies to those players who were waiting for them.
