Vehicle of the Week: Yasha VTOLDescended from failed Luthien Armor Works efforts to develop an OmniVTOL in the OmniMania of the 3060s, the Yasha was picked up from LAW's wreckage by Wakizashi. After promptly failing to develop an OmniVTOL of their own (a project that's complicated by both the nature of being an Omni and the major question of pod space vs. speed that a VTOL's size and need for speed makes even more complicated), Wakizashi realized that they
did have a stable, capable airframe on their hands. Unwilling to write off the investment (why am I hearing the words sunk cost fallacy?), executives suggested three variants and Marketing named it after a class of Buddhist nature spirits, using the Japanese spelling.
The primary model is the reincarnation of the Yellow Jacket. When GWA reposted JadeHellbringer's article on that particular Gauss-armed sniper, oldfart3025 and Cannonshop were very eloquent on their problems with the design, most of them centering on the speed being too low. oldfart3025 did suggest that a faster model was somewhat more useful and Cannonshop made some excellent points on the value of range to the mission profile and that's what Wakizashi provided in this 30 ton VTOL. The engine is a 70-rated Indy Extralight, providing a 119 kph flank speed in a straight dash that sort of addresses the speed problem. 3.5 tons of heavy ferro-fibrous improves on the Yellow Jacket's protection with a 21/18/10/2 arrangement. The main gun isn't a Gauss rifle but an HPPC linked to a C3 module. I question whether or not a C3-linked HPPC is really an improvement given the way ECM has proliferated lately but it's certainly an interesting way to address the problem. This next part is where things like sharks and ramps get involved. Some genius decided to mount an LMG as a backup weapon, complete with CASE. That's 1.5 tons on a vehicle that's already invested half its tonnage into weapons and really needs to stay out of short range anyway. Investing a ton into a larger engine (speed
is life, after all...) and then maybe a rocket launcher or buffing the armor sounds like it would have been a wiser idea. Due to limited DCMS interest in VTOLs and considerable interest in export revenue, the Yasha is available to every Inner Sphere faction, every Inner Sphere Clan (including the Ravens and Bears - you know, those angry-looking genetic supermen
on their borders), and mercenaries in general.
The Yasha (Interdictor) is a different kettle of kittens. The CASE was retained but everything else - literally everything - was dropped. ECM and an active probe provide a solid electronic warfare package. Armament is now twin MML 7s with Artemis IV fed by three tons, a reasonable LRM throw weight and a serious SRM spread if someone gets close. Overall, this one is interesting but again really too slow.
The last model in production right now is the Yasha "Spectre" which is trying to reinvent the Hawk Moth. The catch is instead of being 8/12, it's 7/11 with vehicle stealth armor (and ECM, naturally) and a targeting computer. The combination of factors is intended to create a positive relative targeting modifier, even against flak, and should be more survivable even with the drop in armor to a 15/15/9/2 arrangement.
Using a Yasha requires you to keep moving. None of them are really anything the opponent's going to like seeing and the primary model's firepower and C3 slave are going to draw fire like a magnet. I heavily suggest employing C3 where you can, keeping at long range and pouring 15 point hits in. The Interdictors make decent snipers and will punish someone who closes. You can use them to interfere with a C3 network but are probably better suited to keeping Artemis off of your units. Use the Spectre as a sniper. Anyone with a flak weapon (LB-X, autocannons with certain ammo types, HAGs, SB Gauss) needs to be shot full of holes ASAP.
Killing them means having an accurate weapon, preferably a flak weapon, to punch out the VTOL. Reasonably powerful weapons will be useful, too. Probably the best are LB-X autocannons or SB Gauss rifles, which punch out a storm of 1 point hits that tends to do a number on rotors. High on the list of desirability are HAGs and Clan pulse lasers, either of which are excellent choices for swatting VTOLs. Bring ECM if you can to shut the C3 network down on a primary model.
Image Reference: No BattleTech miniature is available yet and while this is a Dark Age unit originally, I didn't find a dossier for the unit. The old Dark Age miniature is
viewable here. The
Master Unit List includes some information on availability well worth perusing.
