Nighthawk Mk XXI PA(L) - Technical Readout 3075 page 13
Although the Elemental was the first Battle Armor to be published in usable form, this is the real genesis, the alpha, the one, the only, the Nighthawk PA(L), or Powered Armor (Light). With a name like Nighthawk, the suit sounds like a professional wrestler or superhero - or perhaps a men's cologne from the 1970s - and it's all that and more, being the powered armor fielded by the SLDF's elite special operations teams, the Blackhearts. State of the art in its time, with incomparable performance, it was the best that equipped the best of the best, and until recent years its existence was just a shadow of a rumor for most of the Inner Sphere.
The Nighthawk, and specifically the Mk XXI model, was mentioned long before we had any stats or any real details about the design, appearing in the novel Tactics of Duty, part of the series about the Gray Death Legion. Although the novel's depiction of the background of Battle Armor and PA(L)s is somewhat inconsistent when compared to other publications, we could at least infer some characteristics of the Nighthawk. The suit was apparently stealthy, relied upon standard handheld infantry weapons and possessed jump jets, although details such as the actual effects of the stealth, the level of armor and the jump range were all uncertain. Given the only designs that were available at the time, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to assume that the Nighthawk was akin to the Gray Death Scout Suit, especially due to the novel incorrectly claiming that the Nighthawk was used to develop the Scout Suit, but with the stealth capabilities of the Infiltrator Mk I, or simply Infiltrator as it was known then.
The Tornado PA(L), published in the Fall of Terra scenario pack the year after Tactics of Duty, provided the first hint that the Nighthawk could be even lighter than the Gray Death Scout. We had to wait until the 2005 publication of Combat Equipment to get the first complete look at the powered armor that equipped the SLDF's elite Special Armed Services - the name undoubtedly a salute to the real world Special Air Service of the British Army. The SAS, or Blackhearts, were just one arm of the Special Forces Command alongside the All-Weather Armor Corps or Foul Weather Fiends, BattleMech battalions trained to operate in the most hostile environments, and the Special Forces Aero Wing or Flying Lions, an aerospace unit that not only undertook the most dangerous missions but also had a precision flying display team. With the Blackhearts known to possess a hundred battalion-sized teams towards the end of the Star League, they potentially fielded thousands of Nighthawks, and it's an unspoken testament to their skills at black ops that the PA(L) was not more widely known.
The Nighthawk has a similar background to the Elemental, being based upon exoskeletons that were used only for non-combat purposes. The MK XXI has the notable distinction of possessing the longest known Battle Armor development project lasting from 2703 to 2718, that resulted in the Mk I to MK XX prototypes being in turn replaced by successive models as the design was refined until it was eventually perfected, with another two years of field tests with the SLDF until finally signed off for full production in 2720. Technical Readout 3075 currently states the 2718 date, implying that it's the service date, but according to Combat Equipment that's actually when the SLDF was presented with a model ready for trials, with the Master Unit List recognizing the later date.
The Word of Blake, with access to all the facilities of Terra, was the first to put the Nighthawk back into production after finally duplicating the design in 3065, with ComStar following their achievement two years later. It was ComStar that once more returned the Nighthawk to SLDF service, albeit that of the second Star League, with the suit again finding itself in a special operations role with the Fury Teams assigned to the Star League Intelligence Command. ComStar did temporarily lose production of the Nighthawk after the loss of the facility on Tukayyid, but they eventually put the suit back into production on Arc-Royal, resulting in its adoption by Clan Wolf-In-Exile. Many ex-Blakist Mk XXIs can be found in mercenary hands, while others were supplied to the Free Worlds League, with the RAF another major user thanks to the possession of the factories on Terra.
Both Combat Equipment and the Technical Readout note that a combat orientated version, the Mk XXII, which was intended for general deployment across the SLDF's Royal divisions, was under development and presumably was undertaking field trials until the Amaris Coup halted all progress at the time, until almost bizarrely eventually entering production with the Niops Association. Later publications give us another prototype that eventually sees service, including use by perhaps the most infamous and visible operator of the Nighthawk, the mysterious Bounty Hunter.
The fall of the Star League almost spelled the end of the Nighthawk's story. Amazingly, at least one Nighthawk Mk XXII survived in private hands, as well as the modified Mk XXX used by the Bounty Hunter, but it was those few that left with the Exodus or found their way into ComStar's hands after the capture of Terra in 2788 that had the greatest impact. Both the Clans and ComStar used their copies as inspiration for new designs, leading to the whole Battle Armor revolution in the case of Clan Wolf's development of the Elemental, while a simpler, less capable form of the Nighthawk appeared as the Tornado PA(L). The Nighthawk was also instrumental in the development of the Infiltrator Mk II, after the Gray Death Legion found some Mk XXIs in a lost SLDF bunker, subsequently turning over some of the suits to NAIS, although they kept at least two, as shown in the novel Tactics of Duty.
Although the Nighthawk would have offered astounding capabilities at the time of its deployment with the SLDF, in general Battle Armor terms it's actually not all that great in heavy combat due to the one flaw shared by all PA(L)s - and to a lesser degree, Light suits - namely, their weak armor protection. Of course, this is an artifact of the game mechanism, that limits Battle Armor and PA(L)s to deployment in squads of six or less, and in real world terms, or within the RPG, the improvement in protection over unpowered infantry is significant. Outside of RPG scenarios, we are stuck with the game mechanisms that limit powered infantry unit sizes and given that PA(L)s can be equipped with no more than two points of armor, this means that they can quickly and easily be swept away on the battlefield, even having to be cautious around conventional infantry platoons.
The Nighthawk itself possess the maximum two points of armor available to PA(L)s, but it is its stealth effect that provides the greatest protection against non-infantry opponents. Encased in Standard Stealth composites, the Nighthawk would be a difficult target for BattleMechs and vehicles, especially at longer ranges, and in the original rules the Stealth armor also prevented the suit from being detected by Active Probes when hidden, although this ability was lost under Total War. The suit was also equipped with an ECM Suite to further befuddle enemy sensors, and when using the Ghost Target rules from Tactical Operations this system can make even short range fire incredibly inaccurate.
For armament, the Nighthawk relied upon infantry weapons wielded in the pair of Armored Gloves, which also allowed the suit to conduct Anti-'Mech attacks. Obviously, they also enable the PA(L) to hitch a ride on Omnis, but those weren't available in the Star League Defense Force, being an ability that would only be seen once the Nighthawk was resurrected in 3065. As a special operations unit, the Blackhearts would have had access to any weapons the Star League could provide, but the most common choice was the Mauser 960 Assault System - or as I call it the Mauser 960 Hardware Store System, given the survival kit, first aid kit and entrenching tool that the SLDF bizarrely felt should be carried in and on the weapon.
Other likely armament choices would have been SRM launchers, machine guns, and other such support weapons, taking advantage of the strength enhancement provided by the suit, that would allow a Blackheart team to punch well above their weight if a mission turned hot. The Infantry TAG support weapon would have proven very useful and, just like real world Special Forces examples, would allow troops to designate for Arrow IVs and laser guided bombs, plus Semi-Guided LRMs when the Nighthawk is revived in the modern era. In RPG scenarios, the flexibility provided by the Armored Gloves enables the trooper to operate anything an unarmored person can, while the relatively small size of the Nighthawk eases concerns about operating Battle Armor in tight spaces or in fragile structures.
The Nighthawk's mobility is what would be considered the standard for Medium or less Battle Armor, also matching that of conventional jump infantry. The integrated jets provide a ninety meter jump capability, or 3 Movement Points, that make the suit a much harder target when fully exploited, although the ground movement is much more modest at a single Movement Point. During covert operations, it's the latter movement mode that would probably be used the most and it's somewhat surprising that the SLDF did not initially develop the suit with higher ground speed, although such a model was eventually produced in the form of the Mk XXX.
Rounding out the MK XXI's systems is Extended Life Support, an addition that adds only fluff capability to the design. It's worthwhile making clear at this point that the requirement for Exoskeleton units to be equipped with Extended Life Support and at least one point of armor if they are to be used in a vacuum or other hostile environment does not apply to Power Armor (Light) units. Although they share most characteristics, PA(L)s and Exoskeletons are two separate types of unit, with the latter effectively being the non-combat version of the pair. When designing a suit in game terms, it's a simple matter of declaring which type is being created, without any specific equipment being required.
First mentioned in Combat Equipment and then finally given stats in Technical Readout 3075, the Mk XXII was the intended frontline combat variant of the Nighthawk series. By removing the ECM Suite enough mass was freed up to install a Micro Grenade Launcher. A questionable weapon, one that would be better exchanged for a Machine Gun, its choice was due to the little noticed powered armor suit that appeared in the Royalty and Rogues adventure pack. The Mk XXII was intended to be a rules compliant version of that suit, although it was not produced just for that sole example, with Technical Readout 3075 also noting that the Niops Association have begun production, using blueprints contained in their Star League-era archives. The Mk XXII proved to be an unwelcome surprise for marauding troops from the Marian Hegemony, although judging by the suit's appearance in the Hegemony's RATs in Field Manual 3085, the MHAF have captured or salvage enough examples to be able to put them into service.
Appearing in Record Sheets 3085 Old Is The New New, the Mk XXX is the latest addition to the Nighthawk stable. This version removes both the Extended Life Support and ECM Suite of the Mk XXI, investing some of that mass to triple the ground speed, which would be very useful for covert operations where troops need to quickly move without the signature of a jump. Developed, or most probably just entering field trials, in 2744 according to the Master Unit List, the Mk XXX also adds an extra power pack and fuel tank to extend the endurance in RPG scenarios, as well as also proving useful in zero-G operations, as per Strategic Operations. In BattleTech games, the Mk XXX's high ground speed make it a natural choice for urban combat in the role of spotter, where the effects of its low armor and lack of heavy weaponry can be minimized, although like all PA(L)s it shouldn't be expected to survive.
The Mk XXX was actually first seen in the guise of the Bounty Hunter's green body armor, that he's never seen without after its appearance in 2957. First fully described in Interstellar Players, although not named as a Nighthawk Mk XXX at the time, that version differs from the later stats in Record Sheets 3085 Old Is The New New. Prior to 3034 neither the Stealth armor nor the jump jets are functioning, limting the suit to the stats represented by the Bounty Hunter variant in the Record Sheets, but after that date he is wearing a fully capable Mk XXX.
Use of the Nighthawk in the BattleTech game can best be summed up with one word: don't. It's true that they're cheap in BV terms as far as Battle Armor goes, but they're cheap for good cause. No matter how hard you try, no matter how consistently you jump 90 meters from cover to cover, while trying to keep the enemy at a distance, sooner or later your Nighthawk squads are going to get hit and then they will simply melt away faster than ice under a blowtorch. Time and time again in Star League era games I've had to watch them fall, and in the far more dangerous battlefields of the modern era, their survivability is even worse. If you do chose - or are forced - to field Nighthawks, then they're best used as forward observers or as cheap throwaway scouts in double blind games. Their low cost does potentially allow you to use a lot of them, which can make them a danger to 'Mechs in confined terrain, where the prospect of Leg Attacks offer the best offensive prospects.
Depending upon whether the optional rules for infantry weapons are being used, then Man-Portable Plasma Rifles, David Light Gauss Rifles, Portable Machine Guns and Standard Two-Shot SRM Launchers offer the best offensive selections - the burst fire capability of the Machine Guns being particularly useful due to the bonus damage against infantry if even a single suit hits. Obviously, the Infantry TAG remains a powerful option for units with plentiful fire support that can benefit from the targeting data, but doing so invariably makes the Nighthawks a priority target. Thanks to its Grenade Launcher, the Mk XXII can inflict Swarming damage, but the actual damage is so minor that the squad will mostly be relying upon the possibility of a critical hit.
The Mk XXI's ECM offers the possibility of being used in an interdiction role, jamming enemy electronics such as C3 networks or Artemis IV systems, although the short range does limit the effect - this jamming capability is the only time a Mk XXI squad can perform an effective Swarm, particularly when used against a C3 Master-unit. The Ghost Target rules can allow the Mk XXI to act as an escort for other units, disrupting enemy attempts to shoot through the PA(L)'s hex, which can be a helpful bonus for Omnis that happen to be transporting a squad.
Overall, the Nighthawk in all its versions is best used as a RPG unit. The BAR value of even the two points of armor the design possesses makes it a tough target to crack for most small arms, while the suit's flexibility thanks to its Armored Gloves allows it to easily fit in with unpowered personnel. Although playing somewhat loose with physics, in my experience many players tend to ignore the 400kg mass, allowing Nighthawk operators to freely move around without the worry of floors or other structures collapsing under their weight or making any excessive noise as a trooper creeps up on a target. Other players prefer to play as realistically as possible, but at least in those circumstances a PA(L) is not as heavy footed as other RPG Battle Armor favorites, such as the even heavier Gray Death Scout and Kage.
Although its existence was revealed relatively late in the timeline of Battle Armor, for me the Nighthawk, despite its shortcomings, deserves all the respect and acknowledgement it's due as the progenitor of the entire family of powered infantry. Within the universe, without this suit it's entirely possible that those Wolf Scientists would have never thought to develop those underwater industrial exoskeletons into the Elemental, and without the Elemental all those wonderful designs that followed could not exist. For that, and that alone, the Nighthawk earns its place in the Battle Armor Hall of Fame, with a larger than life statue posed in a buffalo stance to greet all who visit to admire these incredible combatants.
Next up:
- Afreet
- Rottweiler
- Aerie
- Resgate
Note: I realized while finishing this and the Tornado article that I'd accidentally skipped the Afreet and Rottweiler articles. My apologies to those players who were waiting for them.
