Raiding force questions and ideas

[Elmoth]

If you want speed, then it sewems that you want 3 6/9 (or better) mechs + 1 infantry in speedy vehicles (vtols or hovers) and 2 ASF interceptors or dogfighters to protect the dropship and your ground forces form air attack. If you do not plan on taking stuff you can drop the infantry (unless you want to bring demolitions experts with stuff that goes "boom")

Let's see....
- Phoenix Hawk
- Phoenix Hawk or Jenner
- Jenner. I like this one over the Javelin.
- Infantry jump or demolitions platoon & 3 Cavalry VTOLS (1 infantry, 2 normal), and a pair of trucks. That is your suppression force and insertion team. Or use a Hover APC Saracens and a hover APC for the infantry.
- 2 ASF of your choice. I would take Corsairs for the looks. Something tough and faster than conventional air in any case.

It might be older style over what you are asking for, though. This force can be designed with veryu small changes for 2900 and it would look the same.

I still am unconvinced that 5/8 is not enough speed, but probably is not enough in the time period that you are looking at. In the Succession wars it should be enough IMHO. There are several 50-60 ton mechs that fit the bill there (55 toners, trebuchet, dervish, dragon...)

Or you could consider that the removal of LAM is not of your liking and go with a pair of Stinger LAMs for your light elements. Their hybrid mode is very fast. They are not very though, bnut it is difficult to beat them in mech tactical speed.

[Elmoth]

Another thing to consider is that BT is full of raids performed using Orions, Battlemasters, Warhammers, Awesomes and the like. Militarily correct? No. But it makes for a more interesting story than "we went there, and we were so efficient that we smashed a pair of Striker vehicles and took what we wanted. We were airborne again by the time the enemy knew we wrrew rthere; Raid completed successfully an din the same was as the previous 825." ;) So depend son what you want to tell or play with your raiding force, really.

[Hellraiser]

I think the Seeker &/or the Union are great options if your looking for a Spheroid design.

The Seeker has plenty of space for cargo, passengers, & support units & is FAST at 5/8.

The Union could convert a single Mech lance over to Tanks/Infantry space the way an Overlord converts 1 company over to 12 Heavy Vee bays & Cargo.
   It also helps that its one of the most common military DS in the IS.
  And it gives room to expand your force with a 2nd lance at some point.
  You also wouldn't have to give up your Aero fighters with that option.
  Though, I think it is the fighters that are dropped in the canon fluff combined arms model.
  But maybe yours is an unusual variant.

Or like I said before, use the LeoPWS for Aero cover & the Seeker and stick w/ canon designs.

[Colt Ward]

Another thing to consider is that BT is full of raids performed using Orions, Battlemasters, Warhammers, Awesomes and the like. Militarily correct? No. But it makes for a more interesting story than "we went there, and we were so efficient that we smashed a pair of Striker vehicles and took what we wanted. We were airborne again by the time the enemy knew we wrrew rthere; Raid completed successfully an din the same was as the previous 825." ;) So depend son what you want to tell or play with your raiding force, really.

The difference comes down to strategic mobility.  A Awesome, Warhammer and Orion can be strategically mobile . . . if they have a DS lifting them and you do not mind everyone for miles around knowing you are in the area hitting a target.  Lennox Lighthorse's experience in TC employ on Bromstead? or wherever they were abandoned is a good example.  They went raiding with a heavy company behind FedSuns lines using a DS to play air mobile.  Such a tactic encourages your enemy to increase their rear area security b/c they are afraid you can swamp them to hit a target without worrying about getting caught on the ground.  This type of raid you can hit heavier defended targets behind a frontline.

The other type discussed is the stealth/quick raid . . . you send out a lance or more of force that is quick, low maintenance/support, and low profile.  Fast, mostly energy equipped or with deep ammo bins (for alternate munition force multipliers), hands and IMO jump capable preferred . . . BA instead of infantry if possible.  So a pair of Jenners, Cicada, and Spider with a fusion powered APC to haul some infantry, food and limited munitions for example is pretty solid since at least in 3025 they can outrun anything they cannot kill.  They would also be able to take down any light armor lances assigned to defend various targets.  Initiation to War's final battle where Tybalt Kelly led his lance (Lineholder, Raven, Javelin, & 2 Commandos) through and deep behind the lines, part of it depended on not being noticed as they went through enemy lines with a follow on force of infantry to hold.  But generally this type of raid force relies on the actual raider's speed to avoid being caught which means they lack the firepower to actually hit hard targets- it also gives weaker units a strategically significant role since they are not the type of unit you generally stand in the battle line trading body blows.

[Elmoth]

So, as long as he can land near the target with a dropship he can use 4 Awesomes and all should be good, then? Strategic mobility provided by the DS as you say. No need for that much speed of he can land near the target

[Colt Ward]

Sure, that sounds almost like a ideal Lyran raiding force- just missing the Atlas.

But part of the reason for mentioning strategic mobility in regards to DS vs high ground speed is that you can also make a DS mobile force more mission adaptable.  A high ground speed raiding force has a different emphasis on what units you use.

FREX, in the 3050s say I was a FedCom'er sending a raid against Capellan, League or Mercs during Operation Guerrero to try to put them off balance I would send mechs like a Stealth 1D (inferno options), Dart 4S, Centurion D3, Jenner, Spider, or Cicada 3F/3G.  Main guns are energy, has infernos to quickly set a area on fire, hands and most have JJ.  They will not have a resupply and you want to give such a force the freedom to maneuver so they can avoid what they cannot outfight.

Ground speed still helps the air mobile force- the biggest point source failure and strategic weakness is their dropship which is vulnerable sitting on the ground.  So going fast that short distance to the target still has some importance (no Annihilators please), and jumpjets lets the dropship perhaps ground where it is harder to access by anyone trying to trap the raiders . . . but if you can still retreat to the DS for dust off, with a moderate speed, then it works.

[Daryk]

With regard to 'mech speed, it really just increases the radius from the drop zone under threat.  The mobility provided by the DropShip is the real factor overall...

[Hellraiser]

So, as long as he can land near the target with a dropship he can use 4 Awesomes and all should be good, then? Strategic mobility provided by the DS as you say. No need for that much speed of he can land near the target

I can see it now.

"Sir, sir, your not going to believe this.

The 63rd Motorized Infantry Battalion over at the Tank Factory is reporting they have captured a full lance of Assault Mechs & a Dropship.

They will not be needing those reinforcements we were sending.

They do regret to inform us that the Vedette company that was also there is a smoking ruin, but they provided enough of a distraction for the battalion to kill the mechs,  apparently those Mech Jocks didn't think to bring anything that moves fast or has weapons capable of killing more than 1 soldier at a time."

[Elmoth]

Because using straw men instead of thinking about the real question being asked might be too challenging. :/ Use a mix of slow 3/5 mechs of your own design if you want.

Thanks for all the various answers.

[Hellraiser]

Fine, since this wasn't already clear to you.

Dropships in atmosphere are just asking to get shot & crash.

Using them is required.

Using them every single time you have to go anywhere & then landing them inside range of enemy artillery fire or fast response from generic conventional fighters is just asking to get them blown out of the sky & loose your entire force.

There is a reason why many raids have a fast force go out & hit targets & then meet for a pick up point well away from everyone.

Its so any unexpected resistance or fast reacting reinforcements aren't able to just pounce on a nearby transport but instead have to chase you down when your in the faster mech & you get to the DS with time to load up & fly away.

Dropships are best kept in 1 of 2 areas.

Well behind lines w/ security forces or in orbit w/ security ASF.

If you HAVE to leave those areas then you want to be miles away from any inhabited area so they don't know you landed there.

You DON'T want go landing right next to the enemy so your 3/5 assault lance doesn't have to walk far.

And as for alternate 3/5............
Awesome, Longbow, Stalker, Banshee-S, Atlas, Marauder-II, Imp.

Not a MG or Flamer among them.  At best some SRMs are so-so.
3/5 Assault Mechs are designed to blow up other mechs & heavy tanks.  Not splatter Grunts.

[Elmoth]

Now, that is a very good answer. Thanks a lot for the clarity.
As usual, this seems very sensible and also has canon examples contradicting it, with some dropdhips supposedly securing their own landing areas. It is a very good exposition on raiding and distance in any case so thank you.  :thumbsup:

[Colt Ward]

Now, that is a very good answer. Thanks a lot for the clarity.
As usual, this seems very sensible and also has canon examples contradicting it, with some dropdhips supposedly securing their own landing areas. It is a very good exposition on raiding and distance in any case so thank you.  :thumbsup:

Operational planning is about trade offs and most importantly knowing when to 'break' the rules.

FREX, he talked about placing the DS in orbit . . . which makes sense, but has a built in window for when it will be available to land.  But part of his reasoning- about being gunned down by conventionals as it lands/lifts- is a valid concern . . . but also part of the reason why aero forces are artificially restricted as part of the universe settings so its not something you should run into often based on the 'common' perception of the setting.

[Elmoth]

Yes. But it is a comprehensive and elaborated answer. One you can or cannot agree with, but it is well constructed :)
I do not agree with everything he says, but see his point, and that is what I asked for :)

[Colt Ward]

I understand, I was just addressing your bit about how we have canon examples contradicting it.

I mean, I can think of one canon example where having the DS grounded was part of the plan and that going for orbit caused a defeat- Crusader Wolves' offensive after Op Hammerfall break up.  Jasek grounded his DS safely in the backfield so they could repair, provide a fall back point, and provide aero overwatch.  Alaric got a force into position to flush the DS who boosted for orbit . . . and once they were no longer in position for overwatch, brought in his own gun heavy dropship to fly over heavy magnetic canyon maze the Stormhammers were fighting the Crusaders in.  The DS rained down fire and helped guide Wolf forces through the maze . . . Jasek Kelswa Steiner conceded the battle was lost the moment the Wolf dropship took the 'high ground' for fire support & observation.

[Cannonshop]

I understand, I was just addressing your bit about how we have canon examples contradicting it.

I mean, I can think of one canon example where having the DS grounded was part of the plan and that going for orbit caused a defeat- Crusader Wolves' offensive after Op Hammerfall break up.  Jasek grounded his DS safely in the backfield so they could repair, provide a fall back point, and provide aero overwatch.  Alaric got a force into position to flush the DS who boosted for orbit . . . and once they were no longer in position for overwatch, brought in his own gun heavy dropship to fly over heavy magnetic canyon maze the Stormhammers were fighting the Crusaders in.  The DS rained down fire and helped guide Wolf forces through the maze . . . Jasek Kelswa Steiner conceded the battle was lost the moment the Wolf dropship took the 'high ground' for fire support & observation.

you have to admit though, that scenario was vastly improved by the simple fact that the Lyrans had spent several decades getting stupid under Stone's Peace, and a look at the map shows exactly how stupid they'd gotten.  Is it brilliance if your enemy has a sub-90 IQ?

[Colt Ward]

 . . . Jasek's force was Stormhammers, a mix of Loki, mercenaries and Lyran leaning Republic residents/citizens initially who had been fighting for over 10 years with a lot of that time against the Falcons.

The current Lyran position has very little to do with 'losing' their edge during the post-Jihad era.  The problem is Melissa thought she was buying mercenaries and tried to hold dependents/support as hostages against 'her' shock troops while engineering a internal politics set up.  While its insulting to Hannibal, the closest I can think of is the political crap Hannibal had to deal with behind him as he fought the Romans- and Vedet Brewer is no where that capable.

It was politics and not capabilities that landed the Lyrans, for all the social general jokes, in their current position.

[Cannonshop]

. . . Jasek's force was Stormhammers, a mix of Loki, mercenaries and Lyran leaning Republic residents/citizens initially who had been fighting for over 10 years with a lot of that time against the Falcons.

The current Lyran position has very little to do with 'losing' their edge during the post-Jihad era.  The problem is Melissa thought she was buying mercenaries and tried to hold dependents/support as hostages against 'her' shock troops while engineering a internal politics set up.  While its insulting to Hannibal, the closest I can think of is the political crap Hannibal had to deal with behind him as he fought the Romans- and Vedet Brewer is no where that capable.

It was politics and not capabilities that landed the Lyrans, for all the social general jokes, in their current position.

aka drinking DEEPLY of the stupid juice.  Given the shape of the map wrt the Falcons and not JUST the Wolves? yeah, ten years of 'fighting' in the stupidest and least capable way possible, while led by morons.  basically not merely 'losing their edge' (because they didn't have one to begin with) but also having decades of stupidity in training and doctrine, combined with playing deeply into the negative stereotypes.

[Colt Ward]

Not familiar with the setting at all at that point huh?

In 3138-ish or a bit later the Lyrans were in a good position- finished off the Marik Stewart Commonwealth, gobbled up a chunk of Tamarind to include the planet itself, and while Malvina had taken control of the Falcons she had not tried to connect the OZ with the desant at that point.

But the Lyrans were over-extended, though more of it was from political actions.  Melissa had been buying into ComStar nearly since Gray Monday using most of the treasury to try to leverage a hostile takeover of their assets.  She sent Loki & LIC advisors to Jasek Kelswa-Steiner to sway the Isle of Skye back into the LC (really they turned him to the LC) and even gave him use of a battlecruiser to help defend/retreat from Skye- he brought in a lot of those worlds as the Fortress happened and stalled the Falcons.  Under her command the LCAF prepared for Operation Hammerfall though she tried to gain both a foreign & domestic victory- the domestic being the reduction of Duke Vedet Brewer of Hesperus by engineering the halt of Hammerfall through mismanagement she could blame on him.  She sent Warden Wolves to talk to Crusaders about participating in Hammerfall, and because she could not really work as an ally betrayed the deal by manipulating the food supply to the Crusader Wolves' lower caste transports.  The Dragoons moved on and she did nothing to reinforce the Falcon border after having a man on Sudeten to observe Malvina come to power.

Melissa mismanaged her realm during the beginning of the Dark Ages, it had nothing to do with the LCAF's ability or inability to fight properly.  It is questionable if Trillian has done much better, but she has managed not to lose ground in the excrement show she was handed in '43.

Keep buying into the trope though . . .

[Cannonshop]

Not familiar with the setting at all at that point huh?

In 3138-ish or a bit later the Lyrans were in a good position- finished off the Marik Stewart Commonwealth, gobbled up a chunk of Tamarind to include the planet itself, and while Malvina had taken control of the Falcons she had not tried to connect the OZ with the desant at that point.

But the Lyrans were over-extended, though more of it was from political actions.  Melissa had been buying into ComStar nearly since Gray Monday using most of the treasury to try to leverage a hostile takeover of their assets.  She sent Loki & LIC advisors to Jasek Kelswa-Steiner to sway the Isle of Skye back into the LC (really they turned him to the LC) and even gave him use of a battlecruiser to help defend/retreat from Skye- he brought in a lot of those worlds as the Fortress happened and stalled the Falcons.  Under her command the LCAF prepared for Operation Hammerfall though she tried to gain both a foreign & domestic victory- the domestic being the reduction of Duke Vedet Brewer of Hesperus by engineering the halt of Hammerfall through mismanagement she could blame on him.  She sent Warden Wolves to talk to Crusaders about participating in Hammerfall, and because she could not really work as an ally betrayed the deal by manipulating the food supply to the Crusader Wolves' lower caste transports.  The Dragoons moved on and she did nothing to reinforce the Falcon border after having a man on Sudeten to observe Malvina come to power.

Melissa mismanaged her realm during the beginning of the Dark Ages, it had nothing to do with the LCAF's ability or inability to fight properly.  It is questionable if Trillian has done much better, but she has managed not to lose ground in the excrement show she was handed in '43.

Keep buying into the trope though . . .

they were fighting a fragment of a fragment of a fragmented nation that wasn't operationally functional and hadn't been over the course of centuries.  When a full sized nation goes after the results of a national collapse, it should be able to do so effectively-without needing to recruit outside forces.

Notably, they were unable to do that without Wolf help.

this is highly suggestive of the condition of the LCAF as a fighting force, which is clearly hollowed out and largely poorly run-the usual stereotypes of Lyran Social Generalship in practice yet again-the stereotype being that they can't fight worth a damn if they don't have someone else running the show (and largely doing the fighting).

[Greatclub]

That gets into questions about whether the clans should have imploded sometime in the 2800s. Realistically, yes.

But since they didn't, they're a full fledged bunch of psudo-aliens in what is hand-waved to be a nation-state-equivilant capable of industrial-warfare levels of production. Somehow.

Not having the book, what's your problem with the terrain?

[Cannonshop]

That gets into questions about whether the clans should have imploded sometime in the 2800s. Realistically, yes.

But since they didn't, they're a full fledged bunch of psudo-aliens in what is hand-waved to be a nation-state-equivilant capable of industrial-warfare levels of production. Somehow.

Not having the book, what's your problem with the terrain?

consider the whole scenario as Colt Ward presented it, and ask yourself "Does this make any sort of logical sense?"

and keep in mind: using a dropship as close air support is a terrific way to lose your dropship, even if the enemy only has ground weapons, nobody has air cover because...'reasons', and the people with the lower tech are putting themselves in a shooting gallery running along the bottom of a canyon system that they don't have good maps of  without functional overwatch of any sort and no reconaissance assets out, the Lyran dropship rabbitted because site security was weak and again, 'why not?'

These hardened troops Colt described, acted like greenies from top to bottom.  this is largely due to writers being limited-if they're not themselves strategic geniuses, it's hard to show strategic or tactical genius except to make the losing side look...well...incompetent in at least three ways:

Leadership incompetence
Structural or Doctrinal incompetence
and
Incompetently trained troops.

this goes to meme/cliche territory when it gets overused on a fictional faction yet that faction continues to exist past the first book.

The Steiners/Lyrans have been consistently unable to get their shit together forever-their 'successes' in all previous eras being due to being in one way or another Davion sidekicks.  The fat, rich, dumb sidekicks you use for comedy relief as they pal with the designated Hero (tm), the bulk of the times this isn't true, they're the grasping, greedy, and somewhat dim villains.

narratively this is consistency in action-the setting doesn't really change much even if the map reshapes a few times, but it also establishes their 'destiny'.  Trillian gets to be 'kinda competent' but only as long as she's aligned with Stone and Davion.  Why? because she's just the sidekick. her entire faction is just the sidekicks.

either way, it's not a good example of either how to build a raid scenario, or a raiding force.

[Colt Ward]

consider the whole scenario as Colt Ward presented it, and ask yourself "Does this make any sort of logical sense?"

and keep in mind: using a dropship as close air support is a terrific way to lose your dropship, even if the enemy only has ground weapons, nobody has air cover because...'reasons', and the people with the lower tech are putting themselves in a shooting gallery running along the bottom of a canyon system that they don't have good maps of  without functional overwatch of any sort and no reconaissance assets out, the Lyran dropship rabbitted because site security was weak and again, 'why not?'

These hardened troops Colt described, acted like greenies from top to bottom.  this is largely due to writers being limited-if they're not themselves strategic geniuses, it's hard to show strategic or tactical genius except to make the losing side look...well...incompetent in at least three ways:

Leadership incompetence
Structural or Doctrinal incompetence
and
Incompetently trained troops.

this goes to meme/cliche territory when it gets overused on a fictional faction yet that faction continues to exist past the first book.

The Steiners/Lyrans have been consistently unable to get their shit together forever-their 'successes' in all previous eras being due to being in one way or another Davion sidekicks.  The fat, rich, dumb sidekicks you use for comedy relief as they pal with the designated Hero (tm), the bulk of the times this isn't true, they're the grasping, greedy, and somewhat dim villains.

narratively this is consistency in action-the setting doesn't really change much even if the map reshapes a few times, but it also establishes their 'destiny'.  Trillian gets to be 'kinda competent' but only as long as she's aligned with Stone and Davion.  Why? because she's just the sidekick. her entire faction is just the sidekicks.

either way, it's not a good example of either how to build a raid scenario, or a raiding force.

Actually your projecting and some of that was not said.  Jasek was drawing Alaric's Wolves into the canyons to contain them and let the slower but individually more powerful Lyran units fight against singletons.  The canyons blocked LOS, messed with sensors and communications but the Stormhammers knew that and expected the Wolves under Alaric not to be aware.  Jasek's dropship fleet- 5 or 6 IIRC- had settled down on a strip of highway a short distance away but their sensors were to keep watch over the battlefield and intercept/deter any Wolf aerospace interference in the battle.  Jasek's forces were outnumbered and their DS had taken a beating breaking through the Wolf aero blockade.  Alaric sent something, numbers & class never told, to flush the DS which boosted for orbit and were unable to counter the DS that came over head- it maybe a bad idea by the rules but Alaric has sacrificed such assets in the past for victory so it is not out of character for him.  But the narrative made a DS on high coordinating by direct LOS comms to Wolf forces while raining down fire support unbeatable so the Stormhammers withdrew from the world.

Its hilarious you are commenting on the state of the Lyran Commonwealth in 3150 without having read anything that came before- like the FWL arc of the MWDA novels or Bonfire of Worlds (where the battle is described) . . . and probably not FM3145.  If you had, you would know the 3050s IS= low tech & Clan = high tech paradigm no longer holds.  Alaric's Beta Galaxy is using armed mining mechs later in this campaign for example.

Lyran military power had nothing to do with the state of the of the 3145/3150 map.

But the Lyrans were over-extended, though more of it was from political actions.  Melissa had been buying into ComStar nearly since Gray Monday using most of the treasury to try to leverage a hostile takeover of their assets.  She sent Loki & LIC advisors to Jasek Kelswa-Steiner to sway the Isle of Skye back into the LC (really they turned him to the LC) and even gave him use of a battlecruiser to help defend/retreat from Skye- he brought in a lot of those worlds as the Fortress happened and stalled the Falcons.  Under her command the LCAF prepared for Operation Hammerfall though she tried to gain both a foreign & domestic victory- the domestic being the reduction of Duke Vedet Brewer of Hesperus by engineering the halt of Hammerfall through mismanagement she could blame on him.  She sent Warden Wolves to talk to Crusaders about participating in Hammerfall, and because she could not really work as an ally betrayed the deal by manipulating the food supply to the Crusader Wolves' lower caste transports.  The Dragoons moved on and she did nothing to reinforce the Falcon border after having a man on Sudeten to observe Malvina come to power.

ALL of that is the political posture that sets the stage for when things reversed.  Melissa had Trillian advising her not to take the actions with the Crusader Wolves that she did.  Hammerfall had the LCAF taking on the Duchy of Tamarind, Marik Stewart Commonwealth, and independent border worlds . . . and was successfully into Wave 2 I think before the Crusader Wolves sprung from the Republic zone against the MSC.

The Lyrans had nothing to do with the Davions or Republic at the point Hammerfall kicked off- the Fortress was up and Caleb was running the FedSuns.  Again a indication you do not know anything of the period- the FedCom has been over for over 80 years.

But you missed the whole point- which was a canon example of when the DS were landed in proximity to a battlefield and what can happen.

[Cannonshop]

snp

But you missed the whole point- which was a canon example of when the DS were landed in proximity to a battlefield and what can happen.

did kinda digress a LOT didn't I?  sorry for the derail.

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

But you missed the whole point- which was a canon example of when the DS were landed in proximity to a battlefield and what can happen.

  From NAIS Fourth Succession War Atlas Vol 1: 3 Fortress DS cripple 6th Arkab Legion, with its accompanying 12 infantry and tank regiments...by landing in the MIDDLE of the formation...despite the presence of DCMS aero... The only question is, if this tactic was so brilliant, why not make it a battlefield mainstay?  ...but most of all: Why is the 6th Arkab Legion so huge?

[Failure16]

To make the Evidner's masterstroke more masterful, of course.

Now, the real irony is that the 4SW Atlases are BattleForce support books--and it is a frightfully bad idea to land DropShips near enemy forces under those rules. I saw an Overlord lost one day trying to save a regiment's bacon. They have a lot of firepower, sure, and they can soak up some damage, true. But they don't have the damage-prevention capability to keep either of the previous statements from mattering too much for very long.

[Hellraiser]

I'd have to go pull out my Atlas to reread that, but I thought they were used as Mobile Artillery & were not engaging the mechs directly but the using the Long Toms to harass the units as they moved through the mountains.

The 12 Regiments are probably Line DC units that are not actually part of the Arkab Legion, just under their command since "mech-ess is the best-ess"

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

I'd have to go pull out my Atlas to reread that, but I thought they were used as Mobile Artillery & were not engaging the mechs directly but the using the Long Toms to harass the units as they moved through the mountains.

The 12 Regiments are probably Line DC units that are not actually part of the Arkab Legion, just under their command since "mech-ess is the best-ess"

  It was Buckminister (pp 52-55) and the 2nd Sword of Light's retreat was literally blocked by the three Fortresses that caused two regiments of militia to break and run, destroyed four tank and infantry regiments and one battalion of battlemechs. They also state that the DSs weren't noticed until too late...an approaching DS is like a nuclear bomb in flight, and would be noticed long before it enters atmosphere...but managed to sneak up on DCMS units that also had aero support.

[idea weenie]

One fun raiding idea might be a contract for an objective raid, targeted at a spaceport, with some nice (but not too nice) cargo in a specific warehouse.

The raider objective is to land at that spaceport between two dates, steal the crates of goods, turn over a certain minimum to the hirer, keep the rest, keep the actual damage to a minimum (i.e. armor damage mainly), but if a unit keeps on fighting after their internal structure is damaged they can shoot it and keep that Mech/vehicle as salvage.

The catch.  The contract is from a noble, but that noble is the one that runs the planet.  They have been arguing that pirate raids have been attacking their spaceport, and as such cannot spare troops for the next round of raids.  So the noble hired the merc unit to raid themselves.  The material stolen in the crates can be written off via insurance, the damaged units are the spaceport militia who fall back per their standing orders, and the hotheads/locals who are trying to defend the goods get dispossessed.  The noble gets to keep more of their troops on-planet, the material brought back can be explained as paying a recovery fee (made up with next round of taxes), the local defense gets increased (more taxes), and the PCs get a bit of cash in the process.

[Col Toda]

I would use a Seeker reconfigurable bays and lose some bay space for better weapons . The seeker is a 5/8 spheriod drop ship . Add armor or change armor to heavy Ferro Aluminum. 

[Mohammed As`Zaman Bey]

One fun raiding idea might be a contract for an objective raid, targeted at a spaceport, with some nice (but not too nice) cargo in a specific warehouse.

  False flag missions are always fun but legally registered contracts is always acknowledged and recorded by a third party, who may or may not be inclined to sell or otherwise reveal the information, especially if the mission was a scam, which may not fly in an established hiring hall...but ACME Hiring Hall might be fine with it...