"Don't eject, don't eject, don't eject, don't EVER eject, don't eject..."When it comes to getting rid of enemy airpower, there's no shortage of good reasons to clear the skies. Even a light aerospace fighter can cause untold calamities to an enemy army, and a few fighters from a Leopard CV can absolutely end a planetary defense before it even has a chance to begin. So mobile AA is an important thing to have, and few weapons excel at the job more than the classic LB-10X. Some may argue that the LB-5X or even the LB-2X are superior for the job (and I'd at least allow for the 5 to be a great tool for the job), but the 10 is the benchmark for telling enemy aircraft to go away. Many Mechs and vehicles pack one, and some- like the Inner Sphere's Bandersnatch- even pack two, for double the lawn-darting fun. The Clans' Omnimechs allow for easy creation of an AA platform like this (try it with a Hellbringer!), but rear-echelon units like provisional garrison clusters don't always have easy access to that kind of gear- and certainly are in no less danger of raiders with air support. Interestingly, it was a non-invading Clan that came up with a... unique... solution to the issue. Let's explore the Predator.
...and yes, we'll get to the cockpit, hang on.
A rare situation in which the many and assorted Kindraas of the Fire Mandrill Clan got along enough for something tangible to result, the Predator excels at its job thanks to some very smart design choices. Out of universe, we know that a 60-ton chassis is rarely as effective as one would find a 55 or 65-ton chassis, but it still makes for a low-end heavy in the vein of the old Rifleman in many ways. The Predator's engine is pretty Clan-standard stuff, a 300XL allowing it to move at a 5/8 clip. That's plenty enough to keep up with most Clan heavies, and that's important- your mobile AA isn't much use if it isn't mobile enough to keep up with the rest of your army (see: Oro tank). It's interesting that by TRO:3060's debut, a 5/8 heavy has become almost ho-hum boring, where ten years earlier this Mech would have felt like witchcraft. The relentless march of progress, right? The engine has the standard ten double-strength heat sinks. Interestingly, the engine is the only area we see the usual Clan weight-saving tricks- the armor and structure are both bog-standard stuff, likely an effort to keep those resources available for frontline units. (Remember, this isn't a Clan that has access to the bounties of the Inner Sphere)
Your mobile AA doesn't do much good if it drops dead after the enemy's fighter makes a pass or two either, of course. Predators need to be a bit rugged to take the abuse an enemy bird can cause, as well as in their other role as a brawler/tank valet. We find a remarkably tough little Mech as a result- while the armor is only standard plating, it carries a surprising eleven tons of it. That makes it remarkably tough for its size, outperforming similar-sized Clanners like the Hellfire and even the famously-tough Cauldron-Born. That's great news for Predator users- it won't wilt after a few hits. As usual for a Clan Mech, CASE is built in, making it even tougher to put down.
OK, so we discussed the cannons earlier, twin LB-10X in what we can agree are very unusual-shaped mountings in the shoulders. Really, LBX guns rarely are shown with multiple barrels (more on this later), making for what is almost certainly the most unusual aspect of the Predator's looks, right?... OK, ok, no getting around the elephant in the room here. Due to the cannons' vibration making life hell on the pilot in the usual cockpit location, the pilot now sits in an unfortunate crotch position on the Predator. This isn't as weird as it might seem at a glance- after all, we've seen a similar cockpit location from other Mechs in the past, like the Black Hawk and Catapult- they're just not as humanoid and vertical to make it look as weird. On an AA-oriented Mech it's probably not the BEST decision, but luckily it doesn't have any effect in-game. (Nor does this qualify, as per standard game rules, as a torso-mounted cockpit!). The cannons are fed by two tons of amo in each side torso, a pretty standard loadout that probably should lean 75/25 in favor of cluster rounds. Two arm-mounted ER medium lasers in Warhammer-esque mountings provide some extra muscle at mid-ranges, and a pair of uniquely hip-mounted ER small lasers give a slight boost in close as well. Overheating can be a problem- don't overdo it.
A single variant exists, a pretty basic weapon swap from the Jihad era that puts in a pair of HAG-20s in place of the LBX guns. The small lasers remain where they were (as, presumably, does the pilot!), but the arms now contain medium pulse lasers in place of the old ER models. This is a fun one, giving the same great 'your airplane sucks' potential of the original with better backup weapons to boot, at the risk of the HAGs' little exploding problem when hit. The author also likes this version for another reason- the LBX guns on the original looked odd for LBX weapons, as noted earlier, but look about right for HAGs, allowing one to simply say the art shows a Predator 2 (despite not existing for a while yet- hey, work with what you have!).
Using a Predator is simple- target aircraft and kill them. If there's no aircraft, target vehicles and park them. Target Mechs with open wounds from things like PPC hits and find yummy crits. Repeat as needed. You're quick enough to deploy to good positions as needed, tough enough to take a few spare hits if needed, and nasty enough that enemies can't ignore you safely. If zellbrigen isn't a factor, they make excellent bodyguards for LRM boats and the like, forcing an enemy to deal with the Predator and its guns before being able to safely engage other targets. And of course, against vehicles, a Predator is just wrong- heavy and expensive tanks simply cease to operate after a turn or two of being pummeled.
Facing one... suuuuucks. The damn things don't die easy, and when they do it tends to be by being torn limb from limb over time rather than 'find this weakness and exploit it!' as you might with other units. They don't react well to being sneaked up on- with the big guns torso-mounted and the arms not being flippable, a sneaky Dragonfly or Pack Hunter can find themselves facing weaker armor and a single arm laser as their only threat in reply, an excellent situation to be in! Otherwise there's not much to be happy about when fighting one- tough, powerful, surprisingly agile, and a general pain. The Mandrills may not have liked each other much, but in this case they got their idea down perfectly.
