While the 1st Federated Suns Armored Cavalry has not officially deployed any units across the Capellan border since the beginning of the Capellan-St. Ives Conflict, the truth of the matter is that General Rudolph Chapman does not plan to sit idly by while the Confederation invades an ostensible ally and threatens other AFFC commands such as the 7th FedCom. As word of the start of the war reached Ziliang, Chapman ordered multiple off-the-books raiding campaigns to commence. One such tasking has fallen to Major Knud Dapper, commanding Task Force Ranger. TF Ranger is a mixed battalion of mechs, hovercraft, and battle armor pulled from across the 1st FSAC. Additionally, a detachment of artillery and a combat aviation troop from Ziliang’s planetary garrison has been assigned to support TF Ranger’s operations.
Command Lance
The task force's command lance, with Major Dapper in his Nightstar is easily the heaviest lance in the task force, and generally heavy for a FSAC lance in general. Dapper is used to leading from the front, but the extra coordination required for TF Ranger's operations means he'll be spending more time in mobile HQ than the cockpit, so the mech's slow speed won't be as much of a detriment as it could be. In return, when he does take the field, it will be in one of the AFFC's newest top of the line command machines.
NSR-9J Nightstar (2/3)
WR-DG-02FC War Dog (4/5)
JM7-D JagerMech (4/5)
VLK-QD Valkyrie (4/5)
Mech Company
1st Lance serves as the anchor and anvil for the mech team, providing heavy mobile firepower. 2nd Lance excels in moving through dense or broken terrain, flanking around enemy units and pushing them towards 1st Lance. 3rd Lance is the tip of the spear, providing recon in force with the BAP-equipped Stealths . Of particular note is Leftenant Keshi Kikini's Hankyu, salvage from Operation BULLDOG.
1st Lance (Heavy Cavalry)
MDG-1B Rakshasa (2/3)
OSR-2D Ostroc (3/4)
MTR-5K Maelstrom (3/4)
CN9-D Centurion (4/5)
2nd Lance (Striker)
FLC-8R Falconer (2/3)
ENF-5D Enforcer (4/5)
NGS-4S Nightsky (3/4)
DV-7D Dervish (4/5)
3rd Lance (Recon)
Hankyu (2/3)
STH-1D Stealth (4/5)
STH-1D Stealth (4/5)
ZPH-1A Tarantula (4/5)
Armor Company
In the confusion following the Lyran Alliance breakaway, an order of Fulcrum hovertanks bound for LAAF units on the Marik border ended up on Ziliang. These have been provided to TF Ranger to form the core of their conventional assets. The heavy hover tanks are backed by smaller units that can exploit the damage the Fulcrum's heavy lasers cause.
1st Platoon
Fulcrum Heavy Hover Tank (3/4)
Fulcrum Heavy Hover Tank (4/5)
Fulcrum Heavy Hover Tank (3/5)
Fulcrum Heavy Hover Tank (2/5)
2nd Platoon
Harasser Laser Platform (4/4)
Harasser Laser Platform (4/5)
Harasser Missile Platform (4/4)
Harasser Missile Platform (4/4)
3rd Platoon
J. Edgar Light Hover Tank (3/5)
J. Edgar Light Hover Tank (3/4)
J. Edgar Light Hover Tank (2/4)
J. Edgar Light Hover Tank (2/3)
Battle Armor Platoon
Leftenant Zi-Ping Liao (no relation) leads an experienced and tough battle armor platoon. Heavily trained in mechanized assaults, Liao has expressed concerns about lack of transport for her troops in the task force's make-up. However, they have been training closely with the jump infantry company attached to aviation team, and are prepared to insert via Karnovs if called to do so or utilize the two NL-42 shuttles assigned to the unit.
Cavalier Battle Armor Squad (2/3)
Cavalier Battle Armor Squad (3/4)
Cavalier Battle Armor Squad (3/4)
Cavalier Battle Armor Squad (3/4)
Combat Aviation Troop
Pulled from volunteers from Ziliang's garrison, this combat aviation detachment provides security and fire support for the task force, and gives it capabilities not always enjoyed by the FSAC's normal conventional asset set up.
Attack Platoon
Cavalry Attack Helicopter (4/5)
Cavalry Attack Helicopter (2/3)
Cavalry Attack Helicopter (4/3)
Cavalry Attack Helicopter (4/4)
Fire Support Platoon
Yellow Jacket Gunship (3/3)
Yellow Jacket Gunship (4/5)
Yellow Jacket Gunship (3/4)
Yellow Jacket Gunship (3/5)
Air Assault Platoon
Karnov UR Transport (5/4)
Karnov UR Transport (4/4)
Karnov UR Transport (4/5)
Karnov UR Transport (4/3)
Infantry
Jump Platoon (Laser) (3)
Jump Platoon (Laser) (3)
Jump Platoon (SRM) (4)
Jump Platoon (MG) (3)
Artillery Support and SHORAD
Much like the combat aviation company, these tracked vehicles were pulled from Ziliang's garrison, providing additional battlefield functionality to the task force. Ranger is heavily stocked with homing Arrow IV rounds to take advantage of the TAG lasers mounted on the unit's Fulcrum hover tanks and some of the mechs.
Firing Platoon
Pilum Heavy Tank (Arrow) (4/5)
Pilum Heavy Tank (Arrow) (4/5)
Pilum Heavy Tank (Arrow) (4/5)
Pilum Heavy Tank (Arrow) (4/4)
Air Defense Platoon
Partisan Air Defense Tank (Lance Command) (4/5)
Partisan Air Defense Tank (4/4)
Partisan Air Defense Tank (4/5)
Partisan Air Defense Tank (4/5)
Aerospace Detachment
Avenger-class DropShip Cormorant (3/4)
STU-D6 Stuka (4/5)
STU-D6 Stuka (2/3)
CSR-V14 Corsair (2/3)
CSR-V14 Corsair (2/3)
Auxiliaries
Wayland Mobile Field Base x 2
Heavy BattleMech Recovery Vehicle x 2
BattleMech Recovery Vehicle x 2
MASH Truck
Mobile Headquarters (Standard)
Buffel Engineering Support Vehicle x 2
J-27 Ordance Transport w/ Trailer x 4
Transport
Union-class DropShip Happy Return (4/5)
Leopard-class DropShip Peregrine Galley (4/5)
Gazelle-class DropShip Quadrille (4/6)
Gazelle-class DropShip Chance (5/5)
Condor-class DropShip Juno's Ablation (4/5)
Star Lord-class JumpShip Damned Bard
NL-42 Battle Taxi x 2
K1 DropShuttle x 2