Wolf's Dragoon JumpShip Doomgiver
Unnamed System, In-Route to the Draconis Combine
July 18th, 3138
Major John Rider
Begin Recording:
Okay everyone, during the many weeks that we will be en-route to the Draconis Combine, each one of you will be receiving technical and tactical briefs on the latest and greatest intel on the Federated Suns. Whether that means profiles of current Davion commanders or their latest 'Mechs coming down the lines, you lousy mucks will be sitting your asses down for an hour a day listening to one of your commanding officers getting you up to speed.
Don't like lectures? Then quit, there's nothing stopping you. Anybody? That's what I thought...
With that, today, we are going to discuss one of the most common 'Mechs employed by the forces of House Davion. The Legionnaire. This 50 ton Mike Foxtrot is nothing to scoff at. The most common variant you will encounter is the LGN-2D. It sports one weapon, and one weapon alone. A single Mydron Model RC Large Bore Rotary Autocannon. That's a RAC-5 for those of you who don't speak astech.
And now, you think to yourself, 'I've faced off with RAC-5 armed 'Mechs before, that thing can't be a big deal'. And I will tell you that you are wrong. Very wrong. In two very big ways.
First up, the targeting computer. That means that foxtrot autocannon, which is already spewing three times the lead of an ultra cannon, is spewing that lead accurately. When you get hit with a wall of lead at nearly half a click, I bet my lousy salary that it was a it was a Legionnaire that hit you.
Secondly, those buggers are fast. Very fast. 120km/h fast. So when you spot a Legionnaire on the horizon, expect it to be spewing lead in your face very soon. And don't forget those weaponless arms. That means those nasty little claw-like actuators will be tearing the armor right off your 'Mech while spewing lead in your face.
The next person who giggles at my use of the word "spewing" will be cleaning the head for the rest of the voyage. I know I use it a lot, but I happen to like the word.
On top of all of this, the 'Mech is coated in 9.5 tons of good old fashion Star Guard II armor, not shabby at all for a medium 'Mech, and that represents 90% of the theoretical maximums. The center torso can survive an AC-20 blast while the side torsos can handle gauss rifles and still have a thin layer of armor left. The legs have even more armor than the center torso, while the arms have just a little less than enough to survive that aforementioned gauss shot.
All of this rounds out to make a very solid trooper that will be a thorn in our sides for the majority of our battles. And this is just the 2D variant.
The next variant available, though extremely uncommon, is the 1X scout variant. It drops the RAC down to a RAC-2 and adds a Beagle Active Probe, two ER Medium Lasers, and a half ton of armor. Less damage but still an equal threat. The extra armor has been spread pretty evenly throughout the 'Mech, adding just enough to handle an LBX pellet in almost every location. Though not actively in production, this variant will appear in scout lances, providing a long range threat in addition to scouting your position.
And now you 'Mech jocks are thinking, okay, well, as soon as those RACs jam, I am home free. And that may be true on occasion, but the FedSuns isn't known for honor duals, and they will likely not be alone. Even if one steps aside to unjam that cannon, you know there are going to be 3 more 'Mechs waiting near by to pound you down. And we haven't even gotten to the problem child variants yet.
The next two variants were introduced around the same time. One is more of the same, the other is Sierra your pants bad.
First, we have the 2XU. It is a straight swap of the Rotary Autocannon for a Class 10 Ultra Autocannon. It may have an overall lower damage potential than the 2D, it hits harder and, given the average use of RACs, has a similar average damage output. The 2D is going to sand off your armor while the 2XU will just blow holes in it. Both will make you equally dead. The real downfall of the 2XU is the removal of 3 tons of armor, reducing the amount to a measly 6.5 tons, or about 55% of maximum. Only the center torso and legs can surive a gauss round while the arms will lose all of their armor with a PPC hit.
The second variant is an ultra-mobile artillery platform. That right ladies and gents, the 2XA variants mounts an Arrow IV system. Though it escews a ton of armor, it can lay down artillery fire for nearly two minutes before running back to the supply base for a battlefield reload. Put 4 of them in a lance and you have missile hell for a long, long time. And if you happen to find them, they will likely run away and start dropping missiles on your head again. Their speed combined with those launchers is what nightmares are made of. The armor change isn't a big deal given that the XA wants to stay away from direct combat. Armor is down on the arms and legs while the center torso get a bit more.
So now we come to a one off and a "final form". The one off is an amazing feat of engineering only made with the help of the Clans. Luckily, only a few of these were made. The "final form" is a full realization of the Legionnaire, and likely the hardest to kill.
The Legionnaire LGN-2X1 MUSE Fire takes the 2D to the extreme with some big changes. Part of the famous 'Project MUSE', the 2X1 was meant to showcase the best tech the FedSuns had to offer. First, we have the cockpit, which is now torso mounted. Ironically, this means placing the cockpit on the 'Mech's back, where a traditional head would go, but it provides a lot more protection compared to its standard placement. Next, it drops the targeting computer to account for the heavier cockpit and a pair of ER Medium lasers. Now we are onto the big changes. Clan made Reflective Armor and a Clan made RAC. Both of these make for one scary Mike Foxtrot. Take your favorite large lasers and PPCs and now make them half as effective. That is what reflective armor does to you. It neuters your lasers. And given that lasers tend to make up most of the firepower of the lighter machines that can keep up with these speedy buggers, it gives them a huge advantage. The armor coverage is the same 90% as the 2D, so it has a hell of a lot of laser killing plate on it. Now, the Clan made RAC is even scarier than the armor. Take that lead spewing monster of a gun and then extend the range by nearly 50%. That's right, it will reach out and touch you at the same range as LRMs. Think this is a powerful design? Well, Achernar BattleMechs also did, and with that, they introduced the final realization of the 2D, the 2F.
The 2F Legionnaire takes the 2X1, removes the Clantech, and makes that little demon a reality. Gone is the Clan made RAC, in is the standard Mydron from the 2D. Similarly, the Clan made Reflec armor is swapped for the same amount of locally grown plates. That's it. So it still will neuter your lasers and it is still damned fast, but it doesn't have the reach of the 2X1. The only reprieve you will ever get in this case.
The last variant you will see on the battlefield is the 2K. This takes the mobility of the Legionnaire to the extreme with adding both Jump Jets and MASC. That means this thing blows past the 150km/h mark while being able to jump over 200 meters. And though it follows the one big gun concept first laid down by the hollander, it is nothing to sneeze at. The 2K mounts a single tarcomp assisted ER PPC. This thing will hide, shoot you to hell, and then as soon as you spot it, jump away to a new sniper nest and repeat the process. 2K pilots don't like to get in brawling range, they rather just run circles around you and fill you with charged particles. Armor is the same as the 1X variant.
So now, you ask, how do a I kill it? That is a multi-sided question that requires some actual thinking. Normally, if you ask new recruit they will tell you to "shoot it until it dies". Well, that is true. It is always true. But how do you shoot it?
The Legionnaire is fast. And some of the best ways to kill fast units are pulse lasers and precision autocannon ammo. The autocannons are better suited to the 2F variants to counter their reflective armor, obviously. Use of thunder ammunition for your LRM launchers will also help restrict their mobility, and combined with proper use of terrain, will provide you with a solid advantage. RAC equipped Legionnaires will need to take breathers to unjam their cannons. And they have to slow down to do it. This is also a solid point in time to strike, and it is recommended that a lance join together to hit a jammed Legionnaire. Finally, the 2K sniper variant does not mount reflective armor, so it may be vulnerable to counter-sniping and fast, pulse equipped 'Mechs that can keep up with that bugger.
I know a few of you actually have a Legionnaire as your primary ride, and more of you may be taking them as battlefield salvage as this campaign with the FedSuns draws on. As such, we will also go about tactics to use while piloting these little abominations.
Almost all Legionnaires require similar tactics, with the exception of the 2K variant. Run fast, hit hard. Don't expect to be firing every chance you get, but rather when you can close yourself to within 90 meters of your enemy. It will keep you out of range of melee weapons (especially important for the reflec equipped 2F variant) but still provide you plenty of accuracy to drop the hammer on your enemy. Then, continue your dash to safety, and then pop out and repeat. There is plenty of ammo to run the autocannon with, 20 salvos at half rate and 10 salvos at full rate. The main differences are the 2K and 2XA variants, where you want to stay farther from the battle. The with a 2K, a MechWarrior should never get within 300 meters of an enemy mech. Snipers gotta snipe. The 2XA should never see what it is shooting at, and is nearly defenseless, so keep away from any enemies and run if needed.
And there you have it my lowly underlings. A complete overview of the nasty little bugger those Fedrats love to use. If you check your noteputers, you'll see all of the technical specs that the WolfNet spooks have cooked up for you. I expect you to review it, and I can guarantee you that you will see at least one Legionnaire in your next simulator runs.
Now, let's talk about the next most common 'Mechs in the FedSuns, the Centurion..."
