Vehicle of the Week: LTV-4 Hover Tank
Another one of those dreaded 'historical' articles, today we're going to take a look at the LTV-4 Hover Tank, a vehicle that deserves in BattleTech to be remembered alongside names like Dreadnought, Mark I, and Mackie. Not because it represented a departure from existing design paradigms the way they did but because of what its armor accomplished: Bringing battlefield-standard armor plate, that combination of compactness, light weight, durability, and just a pinch of handwavium that keeps BattleMechs and combat vehicles protected from hostile fire. Designed by Lucas Technologies, the LTV-4 was a followup to their earlier LTV-2, a large laser-armed unit that sold modestly but was unable to capture the interest of the Hegemony Armed Forces. While working on expanding its operations, Lucas Technologies acquired a few smaller firms, including one that had developed a new manufacturing process for EM and heat shielding for consumer electronics... a process that Harrison Lucas, CEO and President of Lucas Technologies, recognized as the key to a new generation of lighter armor that was every bit as tough as the Mackie's. Beyond just the revolutionary armor, the LTV-4 also introduced a few other improved manufacturing techniques for various subsystems according to XTRO: Primitives Volume 2, and it catapulted Harrison Lucas into being one of the richest men in the Hegemony in just two years and led to a merger of Lucas Technologies with General Mechanics, a precursor firm to one of the manufacturing juggernauts of the modern Federated Suns. The LTV-4 itself became so common that it was just called the “Hover Tank”... and that's the rest of the story of one of the oldest units in BattleTech, dating back to old FASA sheets but, until now, never picked up by the modern game.
That's a pity, since the LTV-4 actually a decent unit if a bit on the slow side for a hover. At 50 tons, this is the largest possivle hover combat vehicle, and a 115-rated ICE gives it a 7/11 speed that, while not really great, is still enough to give you a fair bit of zip at over 110 kph, especially in an era where the LB-X is a glimmer in the eye of an engineer that won't be born for decades. 5.5 tons isn't a lot of armor by modern standards but at the time, what Lucas Technologies was able to achieve with it would have been eye-opening, arranging it 24/16/16/16. Not really all that bad given the threat regime the Hover Tank was designed in. What really weighs the design down is the turret-mounted PPC, requiring a power amplifier and ten tons of heat sinks, along with an SRM 4 also mounted in the turret fed by a single ton of ammunition.
The general idea is to behave sort of like a zippy Gladiator, holding the range open and using your PPC fire to weaken the enemy's armor, then charging in to exploit any holes that have been opened. I suggest using these tanks in at least pairs, exploiting massed fire until you're ready to commit to a close-in attack pass. And if you've got the room or the drivers, use your flanking speed get your targeting modifier as high as you can. Your armor may be revolutionary but it's not that thick.
Although my usual suggestions for countering faster units aren't around for the Hover Tank's most notable eras, if they're available, LB-Xs and pulse lasers are going to be a serious menace. So are SRMs once it closes to engage with them. AC/2s, which have the range to let you potentially counter the PPC's relatively long range for the era and control the engagement, may be a good way to disable an LTV-4 at a distance before closing in for a kill or at least peppering them as they harass you. A few vehicles to consider for the role are the AC/2 carrier or its primitive forebear, the Augustus A3, or (in the Succession Wars) the Pike. JagerMechs are also decent choices.
References: This version of the Hover Tank has yet to enter the MUL and no miniature is available at this time from Iron Wind Metals.
