Author Topic: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)  (Read 14552 times)

sillybrit

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Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« on: 04 February 2012, 12:37:22 »
Aerie PA(L) - Technical Readout 3075 page 117



     The Aerie PA(L) is the long-standing record holder for the lightest Clan Battle Armor design intended for frontline combat, only apparently finally due to share that distinction when we get the Resgate variants that are implied by the new RATs in Field Manual 3085. It is without a doubt the best Elemental killer in Clan service, but unfortunately for the Snow Ravens, the Elementals it typically kills are their own.

     First seen with the publication of Combat Equipment in 2005, the Aerie's appearance was a mix of high and low, an otherwise sleek and cool-looking design somewhat marred by the blocky thruster pods mounted on the hips. The exposed myomers also give the Aerie's appearance something of the flavor of the Tornado, although there's no link between the two designs. Between the thruster pods and the starfield background, the artwork was also a clear indicator just what the design was intended for, having been developed by Clan Snow Raven as a marine suit for space operations.

     As noted in Combat Equipment, and later repeated in Technical Readout 3075, the Aerie was the first purpose-built design intended for zero-G and marine duties, with earlier suits, such as the far more capable Elemental (Space), only being variants of existing terrestrial designs. Assisted by scientists from the Outworlds Alliance, a faction that also shares the Snow Ravens love of the vacuum sea, the Aerie is apparently only one of many prototypes that were developed and tested, although no others have progressed to widespread deployment.

     Just why the Ravens needed Inner Sphere expertise is rather curious and I'm at a loss to come up with any reasonable and unambiguous explanation. Even the use of Stealth armor, a first for any known Clan design, doesn't require outside help, given that the Clans had access to the SLDF's Nighthawk Mk XXI, which was used during the development of the Elemental. The Clans never lost the technology for Basic and Standard Stealth, even if they never cared to use it, but it represents perhaps the only area that could explain just why Alliance scientists had any worthwhile role to play. For some Clan players, the Aerie's use of Stealth was seen as a hopeful sign that their Battle Armor were about to join the Inner Sphere in the hard-to-hit club, but so far The Powers That Be have apparently decided that stealthy Elementals would be too overpowering, leaving the Aerie as the sole canon suit of this type.

     In addition to the curious claim of technological assistance, the Alliance also provided resources and their own experiences of marine combat, which together were perhaps far more useful, and I have to wonder whether it was the latter that led to the Aerie being so lightweight compared to the Ravens staple Elemental (Space). The pair of specialist designs does offer different capabilities, even if heavily slanted towards the older heavier suit, with the Aerie providing little more than a Marine Environment Suit equipped with a thruster pack.

     The Aerie obviously shares a numbers of features with the similar-sized Nighthawk, being sheathed with Standard Stealth armor and possessing jump jets that can propel the suit ninety meters while on a planetary surface or provide the equivalent of a single Thrust point in zero-G operations. The Clan suit's ground mobility is halfway between that of the Nighthawk Mk XXI and the prototype Mk XXX, and does actually give the Aerie a use outside of its specialization, proving useful during urban combat.

     Like the Nighthawk, the Aerie has a pair of Armored Gloves that are the source of its limited combat capabilities, allowing the suit to wield infantry weapons or to conduct Anti-'Mech attacks. The suit is also able to ride upon friendly Omnis, although this is probably not a common occurrence, except for those times when Aeries are deployed on planets. It technically would be possible for Aeries to hitch a ride on a appropriately equipped zero-G capable OmniMech, saving their limited fuel supply for independent maneuvers, but really Small Craft would provide a much superior taxi service.

     Without a doubt, the primary weapon choice for those Elementals operating Aeries would be the Mauser IIC, and this presumably is intended to be the rifle in the Aerie's artwork, based upon the resemblance to the Mauser 960 from Technical Readout 2750. If it is, then it appears to be massively oversized given the height and bulk of the typical Elemental, and thus the size of the Aerie itself, but there isn't really another candidate available in the Clan arsenal, so perhaps the wielder is just a little short for an Elemental, to paraphrase Princess Leia. Joking aside, it's also possible that the suit in the artwork is being worn by a trooper from the Outworlds Alliance's First Air Wing, who was also reported as fielding the design, but even then it still seems too large in my opinion.

     Other weapon options either reduce firepower or forgo the range of the Mauser IIC, although some are still useful in the right circumstances. The Portable Machine Gun offers extra damage against conventional infantry and the Standard Two-Shot SRM Launcher can be used to fire Infernos, while both the Bearhunter and Heavy Auto Grenade Launcher pack a heavier punch, all at the cost of range. The most useful and dangerous alternative in my opinion is the infantry TAG, although some Clan Warriors may feel its use to be dishonorable. None of these weapons allow the Aerie to inflict damage while Swarming, so without the possibility of a Homing Arrow or three, the only real threat to 'Mechs would be a Leg Attack, which should be enough to give pause to most Mechwarriors if they find themselves close to a Point of Aeries.

     The targeting penalties provided by the Standard Stealth armor can perhaps make it easier for Aeries to get into melee range with a target 'Mech, combining with the movement modifiers from maximum jump to reduce the accuracy of incoming fire. Unfortunately that's where the good news ends, with the Aerie possessing the absolute worst armor of any powered suit, having just a single point of armor, in other words little different than the more advanced infantry armor kits. Notably, infantry are unaffected by the Stealth effect, and together with the two point damage clusters inflicted by conventional infantry, that makes them a major threat to Aerie Points. The best course of action for any such Point that encounters a platoon of PBIs is to keep well away or keep hidden, else risk a total party kill in just a single Turn.

     jymset: The Aerie isn't the only *combat* PA(L) to be worthless enough to only carry 1 pt of armour: the Smoothdavid II is another. The Aerie is just the only Clan Edsel in this regard.

     This execrable level of protection makes the Aerie all but worthless on the BattleTech battlefield despite its other qualities. Even the lack of 'Mech-scale armament is forgivable, still allowing a suit to act as a spotter or other supporting role, but the inability to survive anything heavier than a single LB-X cluster is too much to overlook in the tactical game. If used in the RPG, the Aerie shares the same flexibility as other Armored Glove-equipped PA(L)s, although its ability to protect its wearer is still a concern when compared to the tougher unpowered armor types. Still, the Aerie does offer a useful alternative for Elementals in roleplaying scenarios, particularly those that take place in space or urban areas.

     The mass saved by excusing thicker armor or more powerful weaponry was used to install two pieces of equipment that enhance the Aerie's operations in its intended environment. The Extended Life Support has no real use outside of RPG play, but the Space Operations Adaptation does boost the suit's Marine Point Value when using the boarding operation rules from Tactical Operations. Unfortunately for the Aerie, even within its specialization it's still not that impressive a design. At three Marine Points, it's only a single point more than an unarmored Elemental or one wearing a simple spacesuit, which notably would still allow a Mauser IIC to be wielded. In comparison, a standard Elemental suit with a burst-fire capable weapon, such as a Flamer or AP Gauss Rifle, is also worth three Marine Points, while an Elemental (Space) in all its canon configurations is worth six.

     When deployed offensively via boarding shuttles, every ton of cargo space allows ten unaugmented Elementals to be delivered to the target, or alternatively just four Aeries and only then if using the optional rules that account for the actual size of Battle Armor to determine cargo requirements, otherwise it's just one suit per ton. That makes the unaugmented force stronger in firepower and Marine Point Value, leaving the Aerie the sole advantage of offering more points per unsuited Elemental at an individual level, which can be important for ships with limited quarters, but then the Elemental (Space) gives even greater bang for the buck. Given all that, you really have to ask yourself why the Ravens even bothered with the Aerie.

     As a side note, you might wonder why four Aeries per ton in the above example, when taking into account that PA(L)s mass up to 400kg each. That's due to a quirk of the Advanced Battle Armor Weights from Tactical Operations, that for the sake of simplicity treats Lights and PA(L)s as being less than their heaviest potential mass, whereas the other three weight categories all require their actual maximum mass.

     Published in Technical Readout 3075, the sole variant of the Aerie is even more of a RPG suit than the standard model. As its name might suggest, the Aerie (Salvage) is intended for use in salvage operations, although it has also proven its worth assisting with repairs and maintenance, where it can deploy the tools in its Salvage Arm to perform technical tasks. Although one Armored Glove is retained, thus allowing the wearer to still wield an infantry weapon, the Salvage variant is incapable of Anti-'Mech attacks and Mechanized Battle Armor operations. Despite these losses and the removal of the Extended Life Support to provide the mass for the Salvage Arm, the variant is now more common than the original in Snow Raven service, often found in Salvage Binaries that contain a mix of aerospace units together with a Star of Aeries.

     Overall, like all PA(L)s in my opinion, the Aerie is a design with more character than it has actual worth. It is usable in non-combat situations, but for those that don't play A Time Of War, that is of little use, leaving the Aerie a unit that is unlikely to a high priority when building a force. It has features that, in a heavier suit, with commensurately heavier armor and firepower, could result in an impressive design, but sadly the Aerie is just a lowly PA(L), doomed forever to be a mere also ran.

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« Last Edit: 04 February 2012, 13:38:10 by sillybrit »

Maelwys

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #1 on: 04 February 2012, 13:11:11 »
Maybe the technological "help" was simply politics making it seem like the Ravens and the Outworlds were doing things together, rather than the Clan taking the lead in everything. Or the Alliance wanting to "Help" so their scientists could get some practical experience.

sillybrit

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #2 on: 04 February 2012, 13:26:40 »
It's possible, but the phrase in question reads "... the Ravens gained access to new resources and areas of expertise from leading scientists in the Outworlds Alliance, which progressed to the development of wholly new battle suits." Although perhaps unintentional, the implication is that it's only thanks to the Alliance's resources and the expertise of their scientists, that the Ravens were able to develop new suits. I don't have any problem with the resources, and I do agree with your idea about politics or as a way to pass on knowledge to the Alliance would both make a huge amount of sense, but the entry doesn't hint at either, or anything else for that matter.

There's worse headscratchers in the canon material and it's only a peripheral issue (heh) to the whole design, so it's not really that bothersome, just a mild curiousity that I felt worth mentioning.

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #3 on: 04 February 2012, 15:12:43 »
Regarding the advantage of Aeries of Elementals(Space), at least a few ships in TRO 3057 are fluffed as being too cramped for their Elementals to wear their armor in all but the largest corridors. In that situation, Aeries might fit and thus be preferable, while the Toad(S) would be used for situations where combat outside the hull seems more likely. If I were tasked with boarding a vessel with door and bulkheads much like those on real-world ships, I'd much rather take the lesser armored Aerie over  an armored brick that would leave me tightly wedged in the first door I come across.
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sillybrit

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #4 on: 04 February 2012, 15:30:56 »
True, but as the article notes, there's the Marine Environment Suit (or the Clan Armor Kit, if for some mad reason your Elementals weren't worried about Mr Vacuum) that provides the same protection and can squeeze into places where even the Aerie couldn't go thanks to those thruster pods. I could even picture the the bulk of those pods causing an Aerie to get stuck in a narrow passage, whereas an Elemental (Space) could perhaps waltz right through, assuming it isn't similarly encumbered.

Sure, there's the strength augmentation, which will at least be partially neutralized in some zero-G situations, and when not facing infantry the stealth can help, but that seems small compensation for the effort and cost its design would have required, and to me it just seems the Aerie is an answer to a question that never needed to be asked.

Nikas_Zekeval

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #5 on: 04 February 2012, 16:32:32 »
The SmoothDavid comparison isn't exactly fair IMHO.  That suit is designed for civilian law enforcement, a SWAT PA(L).  You hardly expect a gang to pull out crew served infantry weapons and man portable rocket launchers, more like pistols, SMGs, and maybe the odd (ballistic) assault rifle.  It isn't expected to face battlefield grade firepower.

sillybrit

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #6 on: 04 February 2012, 16:59:55 »
While originally intended for a paramilitary role - I hesitate to call it just police given its capabilities against even armed civilians - the Smoothie has found itself on the battlefield, as shown by the appearance of the Vehicle variant (and doesn't that name get you thinking?  :) ) on the Lyran RATs. Yes, it is a variant & not the original, but the original's role is still one of a combative nature rather than being used by a regular beat officer, even if the normal intention is to try to arrest rather than kill, so I think it fair to agree with jymset's view that the Smoothie is a combat suit.

Although I shudder at the prospect, I could see such deployments becoming more common as everybody falls under the sway of the Word of Stone, and begin to view war machines as Bad ThingsTM.

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #7 on: 04 February 2012, 18:06:40 »
The Aerie would at least drag OWA marines up to unaugmented Elemental standard points wise.

Nikas_Zekeval

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #8 on: 04 February 2012, 19:09:09 »
but the original's role is still one of a combative nature rather than being used by a regular beat officer, even if the normal intention is to try to arrest rather than kill, so I think it fair to agree with jymset's view that the Smoothie is a combat suit.

Not a beat officer, which is why I called it a SWAT PA(L).  Something to call in when busting a heavily armed gang, or someone gets the idea to reenact the North Hollywood Shootout.

sillybrit

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #9 on: 04 February 2012, 19:42:28 »
Yes, in that regard the Smoothie is very much like the Clans' new Constable.

The Aerie would at least drag OWA marines up to unaugmented Elemental standard points wise.

Agreed, which makes me wonder even more at that artwork, although I admit I'd be surprised if the art was intended to show a non-Elemental wearer considering its age.

Diablo48

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #10 on: 04 February 2012, 19:47:29 »
It's possible, but the phrase in question reads "... the Ravens gained access to new resources and areas of expertise from leading scientists in the Outworlds Alliance, which progressed to the development of wholly new battle suits." Although perhaps unintentional, the implication is that it's only thanks to the Alliance's resources and the expertise of their scientists, that the Ravens were able to develop new suits. I don't have any problem with the resources, and I do agree with your idea about politics or as a way to pass on knowledge to the Alliance would both make a huge amount of sense, but the entry doesn't hint at either, or anything else for that matter.

There's worse headscratchers in the canon material and it's only a peripheral issue (heh) to the whole design, so it's not really that bothersome, just a mild curiousity that I felt worth mentioning.

I suspect the expertise provided was centered around manufacturing rather than actual design because just manufacturing a complex war machine like a suit of powered armor can be a major engineering challenge.


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sillybrit

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #11 on: 04 February 2012, 20:06:19 »
Except that the Alliance had never built Inner Sphere Battle Armor, nevermind Clantech Battle Armor. The Clantech issue is perhaps even more important than the basic how to build Battle Armor issue, and it'd be something that'd surprise me if even the Suns or Combine helped out a Clan by showing them how to do it.

The Ravens built their own Elemental, Elemental (Space), Sylph and Enhanced Sylph production lines, which puts them ahead of the game with regard to actual hands-on experience, to go alongside their general superiority with respect to Clantech and Battle Armor technology.

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #12 on: 04 February 2012, 20:27:16 »
I'm with Weirdo on not wanting to get stuck in corridors while providing up armored security/boarding.  I'm a submariner, and even just wearing a helmet and vest makes getting around the boat a pain in the ass.  The size of an Elemental could make places really bad, and I shudder about how much space a full on battle suit would need.  Searching, say berthing, or an engine room, where the Bad Guys have places to hide things like suicide bombers or IEDs would make a smaller suit more valuable.
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Diablo48

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #13 on: 04 February 2012, 21:08:43 »
Except that the Alliance had never built Inner Sphere Battle Armor, nevermind Clantech Battle Armor. The Clantech issue is perhaps even more important than the basic how to build Battle Armor issue, and it'd be something that'd surprise me if even the Suns or Combine helped out a Clan by showing them how to do it.

The Ravens built their own Elemental, Elemental (Space), Sylph and Enhanced Sylph production lines, which puts them ahead of the game with regard to actual hands-on experience, to go alongside their general superiority with respect to Clantech and Battle Armor technology.

I was thinking of interfacing with the existing manufacturing capabilities.  Odds are there was an existing facility of some form (probably a civilian exoskeleton line) that had to be modified to produce the Arie, and it would greatly streamline the process to have someone who knows exactly what that facility is currently capable of.


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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #14 on: 04 February 2012, 22:17:34 »
The Outworlds Alliance "expertise" question is very simple. Think about it.

When was the last time a Raven Warrior, or any Clan Warrior, had to deal with boarding a hostile ship? Even in the rare clan-v-clan naval battles it never would degenerate into a boarding action, probably not even when the Burrocks were smacked around.

OWA, on the other hand, are going to have a lot of experience with boarding pirate Dropships & Jumpships, arguably more so than any other military that exists. Now that the Clanners are working the periphery inner sphere scum, and facing the Dragon's Navy, the likelyhood of boarding actions is a lot more likely. OWA Marine veterans can teach those clanners a thing or two.

Just imagine, a pirate captain and crew, prepping to make their last stand on the bridge, when they see a bunch of freaky-looking BA outside their ship's windows.
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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #15 on: 04 February 2012, 22:19:24 »
I imagine the thrusters can "fold up" over the unit's "arse" for moving ship-board, since you won't be moving in three dimensions anymore. Just to explain the picture anyway
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sillybrit

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #16 on: 05 February 2012, 01:10:14 »
The Outworlds Alliance "expertise" question is very simple. Think about it.

We don't have to think about it, it's stated exactly in the TRO just who provided the expertise, and leading scientists tend not to be the go to guys when you need to discuss boarding operations.

And, for a Clan that supposedly doesn't do much in the way of boarding operations like you suggest, the Ravens sure invested a lot into building marine suits before they even returned to the Inner Sphere. Just like trials between 'Mechs, etc can bid down to limit themselves to just certain weapons and other such restrictions, it's entirely possible for a trial to be determined by marines, then there's the dark caste to deal with, plus those naval trials that do devolve into boarding or use them as a spoiler mid battle.

Isanova

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #17 on: 05 February 2012, 01:30:48 »
We don't have to think about it, it's stated exactly in the TRO just who provided the expertise, and leading scientists tend not to be the go to guys when you need to discuss boarding operations.

And, for a Clan that supposedly doesn't do much in the way of boarding operations like you suggest, the Ravens sure invested a lot into building marine suits before they even returned to the Inner Sphere. Just like trials between 'Mechs, etc can bid down to limit themselves to just certain weapons and other such restrictions, it's entirely possible for a trial to be determined by marines, then there's the dark caste to deal with, plus those naval trials that do devolve into boarding or use them as a spoiler mid battle.

I was thinking more in the design and what's practical stage, rather than the "hey here's how you build incredibly advanced equipment" stage. Sure the clans had used elementals on-board ship and trained as such, and the Snow Ravens did adapt one variant tis true, but as bulky as it is it's still not ideal. They needed something to deal with pirates, and OWS had been doing it as a matter of course for over a century. Plus, dealing with pirates or spheroid warriors is a lot different than dealing with renegade clan dark caste failed-elementals. I'm not even sure most clanners would take the effort to capture dark caste ships, 9 times out of 10.

is all I'm sayin~
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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #18 on: 05 February 2012, 04:59:48 »
I'm guessing it can't hitch a ride on an OmniFighter? Yes I now it sounds stupid but it makes the hull defense tank look less stupid

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #19 on: 05 February 2012, 10:14:01 »
OmniFighters do not have handholds for BA, so no, it can't.

As for the Partisan, no, it doesn't make it look any less stupid and I can think of at least four significantly better alternatives.

1. If you are going to stick a unit out there like that, at least use something that might be able to get back on the hull if it falls off or can grab a handhold or something.  That means 'Mechs with hands and jump jets.  I'm not fond of the SpaceMech concept to begin with but if you're going to do something in that niche, they're the best answer.  For those of you who like the idea of SpaceMechs, this is the coolest answer.  Hypothetically, SpaceProtoMechs could also do this.
2. Or you can use fighters and intercept them (or the small craft carrying them) before they manage to get into the hex of whatever they're trying to board and thus don't have things like your own WarShip's antenna or weapons to use as cover.  This is your most flexible answer.
3. Or you can use heavier space-adapted BA with weapons powerful enough to rip Aeries apart in one shot.  This option has the advantage of being the easiest to fit to existing ships that don't already have a substantial fighter complement, either organically or via other units in its own organization, such as bringing along a carrier DropShip.
4. I'm not really any fonder of them than I am SpaceMechs, I suppose, but LAMs could do very credibly in this role since they can maneuver like fighters and also land on a hull like a 'Mech.

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #20 on: 05 February 2012, 14:29:07 »
I'm guessing it can't hitch a ride on an OmniFighter? Yes I now it sounds stupid but it makes the hull defense tank look less stupid

That would be hilariously awesome.
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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #21 on: 05 February 2012, 17:27:13 »
What if you hook up Aerie's as bomb payload and release them at enemy ships? Say they're barreling along at 6 speed per turn, they can slow themselves down on the way to a space-station target.  O0
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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #22 on: 05 February 2012, 17:51:35 »
What I was actually thinking was if Omnifighters can conduct Mechanized BA operations (or a designer thinks they can) the idea to stick a tank to the hull of a warship is no longer as stupid as people thought it was, but I'm glad people got some good ideas from question

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #23 on: 05 February 2012, 19:38:02 »
The reason the hull defense tank is stupid is because there is nothing to hold it to the hull when the ship is maneuvering in 3 dimensions.

Even if there is some sort of magnetic attachment, the moment the ship changed course, flat ground would suddenly turn into a vertical wall, and the tanks would start sliding due to inertia.
i.e. you might be able to get a tank to stick to the hull, but it wouldn't be able to drive up the hull against the ship's acceleration.

Battlemechs on the other hand can climb, and can equip jump jets to counter said acceleration, and LAMs can conduct independant space operations.


The only actual usage for the "hull defense tank" is for patrolling airless planets.

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #24 on: 05 February 2012, 20:18:49 »
The reason the hull defense tank is stupid is because there is nothing to hold it to the hull when the ship is maneuvering in 3 dimensions.

Even if there is some sort of magnetic attachment, the moment the ship changed course, flat ground would suddenly turn into a vertical wall, and the tanks would start sliding due to inertia.
i.e. you might be able to get a tank to stick to the hull, but it wouldn't be able to drive up the hull against the ship's acceleration.

Battlemechs on the other hand can climb, and can equip jump jets to counter said acceleration, and LAMs can conduct independant space operations.


The only actual usage for the "hull defense tank" is for patrolling airless planets.

Well assuming it has the proper targeting software to let it fire beyond Point-Defense, it would work for defending jumpships (a dedicated dropship staying attached) or for space stations. It's still inferior to an AMS system or even integral MGs if all it can do is fire as a PD platform.
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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #25 on: 05 February 2012, 21:59:25 »
Well assuming it has the proper targeting software to let it fire beyond Point-Defense, it would work for defending jumpships (a dedicated dropship staying attached) or for space stations. It's still inferior to an AMS system or even integral MGs if all it can do is fire as a PD platform.
And weighs a whole lot more, you'd need to devote a 100-ton heavy vee bay to carry the sucker, but it might be a quicker re-fit then fitting weapons to the JS (you'd only have to change some doors)

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #26 on: 06 February 2012, 00:57:33 »
...
4. I'm not really any fonder of them than I am SpaceMechs, I suppose, but LAMs could do very credibly in this role since they can maneuver like fighters and also land on a hull like a 'Mech.

Honestly, I think you are probably better off going the other way with LAMs because a quick shell game or a heavy duty distraction can let you slip them in close enough to transform and board hostile vessels where they can do a lot more good than they could in a hull defense roll.  Of course, that is still a terrible use of these highly specialized machines because you should really be looking to get them to a planet where they can run commando raids rather than risking them in direct combat, but no plan survives contact with the enemy so they could be forced into direct combat if you are unlucky.

And weighs a whole lot more, you'd need to devote a 100-ton heavy vee bay to carry the sucker, but it might be a quicker re-fit then fitting weapons to the JS (you'd only have to change some doors)

For a JumpShip at least you have the advantage of being able to carry the vehicles in a DropShip and bringing them over as needed, but it is still a silly idea.


View my design musings or request your own custom ride here.

Demos

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #27 on: 06 February 2012, 01:17:18 »
]
[...], so perhaps the wielder is just a little short for an Elemental, to paraphrase Princess Leia.
This was a great line!
"WoB - Seekers of Serenity, Protectors of Human Purity, Enforcers of Blake's Will!"

Moonsword

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #28 on: 06 February 2012, 12:42:39 »
Honestly, I think you are probably better off going the other way with LAMs...

Oh, I agree it's a waste.  Don't take that as a suggestion of the one true way to use LAMs, just something they're better at because of their capabilities.

SCC

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Re: Battle Armor of the Week - Aerie PA(L)
« Reply #29 on: 19 February 2012, 03:01:59 »
Question (and I doubt you guys are going to be able to answer it): can LAMs in fighter mode conduct mechanized BA operations (via mag clamps)?
PS: someone may want to bring this question to Herbs attention 'cause it sounds broken

 

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