Aerie PA(L) - Technical Readout 3075 page 117
The Aerie PA(L) is the long-standing record holder for the lightest Clan Battle Armor design intended for frontline combat, only apparently finally due to share that distinction when we get the Resgate variants that are implied by the new RATs in Field Manual 3085. It is without a doubt the best Elemental killer in Clan service, but unfortunately for the Snow Ravens, the Elementals it typically kills are their own.
First seen with the publication of Combat Equipment in 2005, the Aerie's appearance was a mix of high and low, an otherwise sleek and cool-looking design somewhat marred by the blocky thruster pods mounted on the hips. The exposed myomers also give the Aerie's appearance something of the flavor of the Tornado, although there's no link between the two designs. Between the thruster pods and the starfield background, the artwork was also a clear indicator just what the design was intended for, having been developed by Clan Snow Raven as a marine suit for space operations.
As noted in Combat Equipment, and later repeated in Technical Readout 3075, the Aerie was the first purpose-built design intended for zero-G and marine duties, with earlier suits, such as the far more capable Elemental (Space), only being variants of existing terrestrial designs. Assisted by scientists from the Outworlds Alliance, a faction that also shares the Snow Ravens love of the vacuum sea, the Aerie is apparently only one of many prototypes that were developed and tested, although no others have progressed to widespread deployment.
Just why the Ravens needed Inner Sphere expertise is rather curious and I'm at a loss to come up with any reasonable and unambiguous explanation. Even the use of Stealth armor, a first for any known Clan design, doesn't require outside help, given that the Clans had access to the SLDF's Nighthawk Mk XXI, which was used during the development of the Elemental. The Clans never lost the technology for Basic and Standard Stealth, even if they never cared to use it, but it represents perhaps the only area that could explain just why Alliance scientists had any worthwhile role to play. For some Clan players, the Aerie's use of Stealth was seen as a hopeful sign that their Battle Armor were about to join the Inner Sphere in the hard-to-hit club, but so far The Powers That Be have apparently decided that stealthy Elementals would be too overpowering, leaving the Aerie as the sole canon suit of this type.
In addition to the curious claim of technological assistance, the Alliance also provided resources and their own experiences of marine combat, which together were perhaps far more useful, and I have to wonder whether it was the latter that led to the Aerie being so lightweight compared to the Ravens staple Elemental (Space). The pair of specialist designs does offer different capabilities, even if heavily slanted towards the older heavier suit, with the Aerie providing little more than a Marine Environment Suit equipped with a thruster pack.
The Aerie obviously shares a numbers of features with the similar-sized Nighthawk, being sheathed with Standard Stealth armor and possessing jump jets that can propel the suit ninety meters while on a planetary surface or provide the equivalent of a single Thrust point in zero-G operations. The Clan suit's ground mobility is halfway between that of the Nighthawk Mk XXI and the prototype Mk XXX, and does actually give the Aerie a use outside of its specialization, proving useful during urban combat.
Like the Nighthawk, the Aerie has a pair of Armored Gloves that are the source of its limited combat capabilities, allowing the suit to wield infantry weapons or to conduct Anti-'Mech attacks. The suit is also able to ride upon friendly Omnis, although this is probably not a common occurrence, except for those times when Aeries are deployed on planets. It technically would be possible for Aeries to hitch a ride on a appropriately equipped zero-G capable OmniMech, saving their limited fuel supply for independent maneuvers, but really Small Craft would provide a much superior taxi service.
Without a doubt, the primary weapon choice for those Elementals operating Aeries would be the Mauser IIC, and this presumably is intended to be the rifle in the Aerie's artwork, based upon the resemblance to the Mauser 960 from Technical Readout 2750. If it is, then it appears to be massively oversized given the height and bulk of the typical Elemental, and thus the size of the Aerie itself, but there isn't really another candidate available in the Clan arsenal, so perhaps the wielder is just a little short for an Elemental, to paraphrase Princess Leia. Joking aside, it's also possible that the suit in the artwork is being worn by a trooper from the Outworlds Alliance's First Air Wing, who was also reported as fielding the design, but even then it still seems too large in my opinion.
Other weapon options either reduce firepower or forgo the range of the Mauser IIC, although some are still useful in the right circumstances. The Portable Machine Gun offers extra damage against conventional infantry and the Standard Two-Shot SRM Launcher can be used to fire Infernos, while both the Bearhunter and Heavy Auto Grenade Launcher pack a heavier punch, all at the cost of range. The most useful and dangerous alternative in my opinion is the infantry TAG, although some Clan Warriors may feel its use to be dishonorable. None of these weapons allow the Aerie to inflict damage while Swarming, so without the possibility of a Homing Arrow or three, the only real threat to 'Mechs would be a Leg Attack, which should be enough to give pause to most Mechwarriors if they find themselves close to a Point of Aeries.
The targeting penalties provided by the Standard Stealth armor can perhaps make it easier for Aeries to get into melee range with a target 'Mech, combining with the movement modifiers from maximum jump to reduce the accuracy of incoming fire. Unfortunately that's where the good news ends, with the Aerie possessing the absolute worst armor of any powered suit, having just a single point of armor, in other words little different than the more advanced infantry armor kits. Notably, infantry are unaffected by the Stealth effect, and together with the two point damage clusters inflicted by conventional infantry, that makes them a major threat to Aerie Points. The best course of action for any such Point that encounters a platoon of PBIs is to keep well away or keep hidden, else risk a total party kill in just a single Turn.
jymset: The Aerie isn't the only *combat* PA(L) to be worthless enough to only carry 1 pt of armour: the Smoothdavid II is another. The Aerie is just the only Clan Edsel in this regard. This execrable level of protection makes the Aerie all but worthless on the BattleTech battlefield despite its other qualities. Even the lack of 'Mech-scale armament is forgivable, still allowing a suit to act as a spotter or other supporting role, but the inability to survive anything heavier than a single LB-X cluster is too much to overlook in the tactical game. If used in the RPG, the Aerie shares the same flexibility as other Armored Glove-equipped PA(L)s, although its ability to protect its wearer is still a concern when compared to the tougher unpowered armor types. Still, the Aerie does offer a useful alternative for Elementals in roleplaying scenarios, particularly those that take place in space or urban areas.
The mass saved by excusing thicker armor or more powerful weaponry was used to install two pieces of equipment that enhance the Aerie's operations in its intended environment. The Extended Life Support has no real use outside of RPG play, but the Space Operations Adaptation does boost the suit's Marine Point Value when using the boarding operation rules from Tactical Operations. Unfortunately for the Aerie, even within its specialization it's still not that impressive a design. At three Marine Points, it's only a single point more than an unarmored Elemental or one wearing a simple spacesuit, which notably would still allow a Mauser IIC to be wielded. In comparison, a standard Elemental suit with a burst-fire capable weapon, such as a Flamer or AP Gauss Rifle, is also worth three Marine Points, while an Elemental (Space) in all its canon configurations is worth six.
When deployed offensively via boarding shuttles, every ton of cargo space allows ten unaugmented Elementals to be delivered to the target, or alternatively just four Aeries and only then if using the optional rules that account for the actual size of Battle Armor to determine cargo requirements, otherwise it's just one suit per ton. That makes the unaugmented force stronger in firepower and Marine Point Value, leaving the Aerie the sole advantage of offering more points per unsuited Elemental at an individual level, which can be important for ships with limited quarters, but then the Elemental (Space) gives even greater bang for the buck. Given all that, you really have to ask yourself why the Ravens even bothered with the Aerie.
As a side note, you might wonder why four Aeries per ton in the above example, when taking into account that PA(L)s mass up to 400kg each. That's due to a quirk of the Advanced Battle Armor Weights from Tactical Operations, that for the sake of simplicity treats Lights and PA(L)s as being less than their heaviest potential mass, whereas the other three weight categories all require their actual maximum mass.
Published in Technical Readout 3075, the sole variant of the Aerie is even more of a RPG suit than the standard model. As its name might suggest, the Aerie (Salvage) is intended for use in salvage operations, although it has also proven its worth assisting with repairs and maintenance, where it can deploy the tools in its Salvage Arm to perform technical tasks. Although one Armored Glove is retained, thus allowing the wearer to still wield an infantry weapon, the Salvage variant is incapable of Anti-'Mech attacks and Mechanized Battle Armor operations. Despite these losses and the removal of the Extended Life Support to provide the mass for the Salvage Arm, the variant is now more common than the original in Snow Raven service, often found in Salvage Binaries that contain a mix of aerospace units together with a Star of Aeries.
Overall, like all PA(L)s in my opinion, the Aerie is a design with more character than it has actual worth. It is usable in non-combat situations, but for those that don't play A Time Of War, that is of little use, leaving the Aerie a unit that is unlikely to a high priority when building a force. It has features that, in a heavier suit, with commensurately heavier armor and firepower, could result in an impressive design, but sadly the Aerie is just a lowly PA(L), doomed forever to be a mere also ran.
Next up:
- Afreet
- Rottweiler
- Corona
- Grenadier