This is a continuation of Paradise LLC's attempts to generate a competent Battle Armor:
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=36126.0Named for a famous pilot from Terra’s past, the Ilmari Battle Armor was the second generation of Battle Armor of the 32nd Century. Unlike the Clement which was a compromise hodge-podge of three different attempts at creating Battle Armor, the Ilmari was generated as a single suit meant to be used as a multipurpose armor. Still unable to replicate the more sophisticated stealth armors of its competitors, Paradise LLC focused its efforts on improving the Detachable Weapon Pack they had developed.
The design team chose to try to offset the weight of the Pack through enhanced myomers though that avenue failed brilliantly with similar results as the Amaris’s Folly. Exasperated, the lead developer chose to try experimental jump jets that would fire like retro-thrusters to stabilize the design. Those too would fail launching the Battle Armor airborne and achieving a large crater upon impact killing the test pilot. The result would garner the attention of Allison Steiner, the head of R&D who had been working on creating a partial wing design meant to achieve greater distance than another.
Together, the two lines of development were successfully mated with extra computer equipment added for stability and flight monitoring. The extra weight was worth the effort as the Ilmari was granted true VTOL capabilities without many of the flight problems or issues with concentration that the similarly designed Slyph was plagued by. The sophisticated programming system, in fact, allowed even novice pilots to excel in the design.
While the machine was both impressive and revolutionary within the Inner Sphere, few House militaries were willing to purchase the strange design. Most of the components were incompatible with existing Inner Sphere Battle Armor and even Clan designs requiring whole no supply chains to be created to ensure adequate stockpiles of spare parts. The design also suffered from a general lack of role in the current Inner Sphere market with other more proven designs having dominated for so long as to shape the direction of warfare away from areas that the Ilmari would have excelled.
Relegated to the dust bin, the production of Ilmari Battle Armor was relegated to mercenary forces who valued the novelty more than then its effectiveness and Solaris arena fights before the Wolf Empire captured the world. The majority of the early production models were pressed into service for the defense of Paradise itself as Jade Falcon forces have begun cautionary incursions onto the planet where the odd armor is now deployed with the Clement Battle Armor to limited success.
Ilmari Battle Armor
1000 KG
Tech base: Mixed
Chassis (175 KG)
Movement = 1 MP
VTOL <Clan> = 5 MP (300 KG)
Basic Manipulators
Standard Armor [Advanced] (280 KG) {7 pts} - 5 Slots [3 Body, 2 Left Arm]
Magshot Gauss Rifle (175 KG) - 3 Slots [3 Right Arm]
Light TAG (35 KG) - 1 Slot [1 Left Arm]
Extended Life Support (25 KG) - 1 Slot [1 Body]
Extra Ammunition (10 KG) [200 Shots]
Quirks: Easy to Pilot, Non-Standard Parts
