’Mech of the Week: Phoenix Hawk IIc
Phoenix Hawk IIc. Clan upgrade of the venerable
Phoenix Hawk design. 77.7777(ad infinitum)% larger than its forebear. A ’Mech whose original miniature bears a strange resemblance to Starscream.
At least the one I’ve seen, which may not have been put together right…
The tale of this second-line BattleMech starts during the reign of Steel Viper Khan Jacob Masters. Apparently, though his reign was known for not being the most innovative, his Clan’s Scientist caste decided to try and be innovative by creating an Assault chassis based on the venerable
Phoenix Hawk. The result is widely panned as an under-gunned oddball.
Weighing in at 80 tons, the original
Phoenix Hawk IIc entered service in 2851. The design is built around an endo-steel skeleton, mounts five jump jets, and is powered by a 400-rated extralight engine, bringing its ground speed as close as possible to that of the original
Phoenix Hawk (a 480-rated superlight [XXL] engine weighs 96 tons). Ten and a half tons of ferro-fibrous armor provides 81% of maximum protection in a 9, 26/14, 20/10, 20, 26 pattern (head, center front/rear, side front/rear, arms, legs respectively). A Class-10 Ultra autocannon is mounted in each side torso, and a machine gun is placed in the head and centerline. Six tons of ammunition feed the autocannons, while half a ton feeds the machine guns. Ten double heat sinks are sufficient to moderate normal heat output.
In 2852, the
Phoenix Hawk IIc
2 showed up. This machine swaps the weaponry of the original for two 20-rack LRM launchers in each side torso. Four tons of ammunition for the missile launchers is placed in each arm. Finally, a ton of armor was removed, leaving protection in a 9, 21/10, 20/10, 20, 21 pattern. The heat loads from this variant are much more extreme.
Both of the above variants were almost exclusive to the Steel Vipers. For one reason, they were considered undergunned. Perhaps more importantly, in 2854 the OmniMech arrived, relegating these machines to second-line and solahma formations. This is how the design soldiered forth through the rest of the Golden Century all the way into Operation: Revival and back out when the Vipers were thrown out of the Inner Sphere leading to several actions that eventually destroyed them.
In the aftermath of being thrown out, Khan Perigard Zalman needed more machines for his new freebirth soldiers to pilot. It was decided to turn to the Diamond Sharks. For a time, it seemed as if the Vipers got the better end of the deal. The
3 variant arrived in 3062. Using the same armor profile as the original, though reworked to look a bit more vicious, this design mounted two heavy large lasers, two small pulse lasers, and one medium pulse laser, all tied to a targeting computer. Twenty-two heat sinks can take a standing Alpha.
In 3065, the first hints of what the Sharks got out of the deal showed up. The
4 variant mounted two 9-pack ATM launchers in each side torso. Three tons of ammunition was stored in each arm, with an additional ton stored in the center torso. The original ten heat sinks give it the same heat issues as the
2. Alongside this development, the Diamond Sharks also began selling the earlier two variants, and perhaps a few of these to Clan sources, and some Inner Sphere groups.
As the Jihad began to rage, the Sharks produced new variants. The first, the
5 showed up in 3069 and mounted one Class-20 Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifle in each side torso, and two anti-personnel Gauss Rifles in each arm. This may be the last variant to reach the Homeworlds, as the RATs in the Wars of Reaving Supplemental contain it.
In 3070, the
6 arrived, and is the variant with the farthest jump range, with eight improved jump jets. A ton of armor was added, with protection now laid out in a 9, 34/11, 22/8, 23, 30 pattern. Eleven heat sinks struggle with the heat output of the two heavy medium lasers and two plasma cannons. A targeting computer helps with accuracy, and the four tons of ammunition feed the plasma weapons. I do wonder if this might not be a proof-of-concept design with both the improved jump jets and the plasma cannons (3070 being about when they became full-production weapons).
In 3078, the
7 showed itself. The first thing to note is that the engine has been downgraded to a 320-rated extralight. Six improved jump jets give the machine the same jump profile as its ancient predecessor. Fourteen and a half tons of standard plate gives protection in a 9, 36/9, 26/7, 25, 31 pattern. Weaponry consists of a Class-10 LB-X autocannon in each side torso, a medium laser in each arm, and two 4-pack Streak SRM launchers in the centerline. Two tons of autocannon ammunition is stored in each arm, while the one ton of Streak ammunition is stored in the head. Heat is still an issue with only ten heat sinks.
In 3086, the final variant (to this point), the
8 entered service. This model uses a 400-rated superlight engine to regain the original’s speed. Seven improved jump jets provide increased mobility. Sixteen double-strength heat sinks struggle with the heat load produced by the weaponry. Which consists of a PPC and two small pulse lasers in each side torso. An ECM suite in the head rounds out the composition of the design.
Using one of these machines is a battle against frustration. Many look at any assault design and expect something that can take a beating and dish one out as well. The
Phoenix Hawk IIc is somewhat underwhelming for the latter, and barely sufficient at the former. The first four variants also suffer from having all their weaponry in the torsos and head. Under
zellbrigen, you will have some issues with anyone that is mobile enough to get to your rear. This becomes less of an issue as time goes by, as zell seems to go away from any fight outside of Clan combat, and even then rare. My view is to use these by jumping around, hitting hard, and fading away when necessary. Keep an eye on your heat, as most of the variants are rather hot-running. Also keep an eye on your ammunition. In a sustained fight, you can easily run out.
Fighting one is not much easier. It is still a Clan machine, so quite dangerous. Frankly, I can only fall back on my stand-bys of heavy weapons, heat-inducing weapons, precision ammunition, and targeting if you can (center torso seems best to me, simply because more engine crits). It has been some time since I’ve faced one of these in combat (heck, any Clan machines in combat). I’d probably still go forward with the hack-and-slash method (i.e. take a TSM
Berserker and dance the dance of death).
Part of me is troubled by the fact no new models have entered service in the years from the Founding of the Republic. But then I remember several of these machines were in the Age of Destruction game, so they have to still be in service and hopefully being produced. While I also wonder if there shouldn’t be a variant of the
4 that uses the improved ATMs, I do not recall that technology spreading to the Inner Sphere Clans. Maybe we’ll see it if the Homeworlders finally come again.
As one of the designs hit by the Unseen crisis, the
Phoenix Hawk IIc first appeared in TRO 3055, and later in Project Phoenix and 3085.
Phoenix Hawk IIc
