’Mech of the Week 3145 Special: HVC-P6 Havoc
If you’re a startup ‘Mech design and production firm, you need a debut offering that will generate buzz and, most importantly, C-bills. Adam Tech Industries’ inaugural release, the thirty-five ton Havoc, managed this in spades. First entering service is the forces of the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth in 3112, the design’s brutal cocktail of mobility, durability and punishing firepower put the Havoc in high demand. By the Blackout it had found a home in House and mercenary forces alike across the Inner Sphere.
Adam Tech’s engineers made no secret of the fact that they drew inspiration from the JR7-K Jenner. While the pre-Clan Invasion BattleMech represents a timid experimentation with recovered Star League technology, such equipment is old hat to the men and women developing today’s war machines. Not surprisingly, they opted to install lighter weight versions of nearly all components. A Hermes 280 XL fusion engine is the Havoc’s heart enabling cruising speeds of 86 kph. Not only is this faster than the century-old Jenner it’s accomplished with an engine two-thirds the tonnage. While it does bring up the usual vulnerability concerns, the tradeoff is more than worth it in this instance. It’s also large enough to fit all eleven double heat sinks freeing chassis space for other gear. Enough jump jets are installed to give the Havoc a 150 meter leap, same as its progenitor. While more in line with modern medium and even heavy ‘Mechs, tis more than adequate to get you out of a tight spot or clear obstacles.
Near maximum protection is provided by the six and half tons of ferro-fibrous armor sheathing the ‘Mech. All forward sections are able to handle a point-blank hit from a large variable-speed laser. The legs and center torso will even weather a Gauss slug. The aft armor isn’t much to write home about. The armor will actually be breached if the MechWarrior has the misfortune of trying to stop a fall with the rear side torsos. The take away lesson being try not to fall backward if you can help it.
The offensive load out of the Havoc takes its cues from the older Jenner as well. The arm-mounted medium lasers have been updated to ER models. Thankfully the heat management systems are more than up to the task. Ripping across open ground at 129 kph while snapping off shots from the lasers won’t cause a bead of sweat to cross the pilot’s brow. At least from heat buildup. The SRM 4 launcher stays mounted in the centerline, though now below the cockpit as opposed to above and behind as in the JR7-K. Now supplied by two ammo bins, the new flexibility is certainly welcome on the field. You never know when having some tandem-charge warheads or inferno rounds may come in handy. Thankfully the ‘Mech is now shielded from its own munition stores thanks to the CASE II protection installed in the left torso.
As of now HVC-P6 is currently the only model to speak of. Apparently Adam Tech Industries opted not to mess with a good thing and, honestly, the current iteration of the Havoc is one of those machines that can’t be easily improved upon without replacing components with Clan-grade models. Certain gypsy-warriors and the Houses themselves are viable procurement sources. But it may not have been feasible at the time.
For those who dabble in quirks, the Octagon Tartrac System E TTS is the icing on the Havoc’s cake. Described as the best short-ranged system on the market, it provides the ‘Mech with superior targeting solutions at short ranges. Or at least that’s a solid explanation for the Improved Targeting: Short quirk. Having a to-hit bonus for all weapons, including the missile launcher, only adds to the Havoc’s ferocious capabilities.
The HVC-P6 arguable sets a new gold standard for Inner Sphere light strikers. At short ranges it’s capable of terrorizing anything its own size and make anything larger fear for its backside. Were I to grouse about anything it’s that the Havoc lacks for reach past 360 meters. But it does have hands. If you’re feeling like a bit of a dive into TacOps, three and a half tons is enough to put together some interesting longer ranged options with hand-held weapons. Even with its quick nature and relative hefty investment in armor, the Havoc has to fear many of the same threats as other lights. Pulse lasers, cluster munitions, targeting computers, the odd bit of splash damage from an artillery near miss will begin to be felt after just a hit or two to any location. Still, the Havoc makes a fantastic transition from MechWarrior: Age of Destruction figure sans stats to full-fledged BattleTech unit. It remains one of my favorites from TRO: 3145 and a near perfect ‘Mech for its role. My favorite? That one remains to be seen.
