BattleTech technology
Encyclopedia
This article is an overview of technology
found in the fictional universe
of BattleTech
, a wargaming
and science fiction
franchise created by FASA and owned by WizKids
. Technology, particularly military technology and its application on the battlefield, is central to the BattleTech series and is one of its most ubiquitous elements.
concepts—much of technology used is either similar in advancement to that of the present day, or based on technology considered plausible in the near-future, such as the railgun
. A handful of exceptions, notably faster-than-light
interstellar travel
and superluminal communication, depend on purely fictional or speculative principles.
The frequent appearance of apparent technological anachronisms is another distinctive aspect of BattleTech technology. Attrition
resulting from protracted wars are said to have slowed and in some cases reversed the flow of technological development during the third millennium, most notably following the collapse of the Star League
in the late 28th century. The result is an uneven blend of technologies, in which the highly advanced (interstellar travel) mixes with the contemporary (machine guns, internal combustion engines) and even primitive.
One of the earliest and most significant events in BattleTech technology was the advent of faster-than-light
travel, the principles of which were first described by Stanford University
physicists Thomas Kearny and Takayoshi Fuchida in 2018. Scientists first successfully tested an FTL engine based on Kearny and Fuchida's work on 3 September 2107, and late the following year mounted the first long-range manned voyage, a 12-light year jump to the Tau Ceti
star system
. Though based on similar principles, faster-than-light communication in the form of Hyperpulse Generators wouldn't be developed until 2630.
Technological advancements continued slowly but steadily through the third millennium, notably including the development of the first BattleMech by Terran Hegemony engineers in 2439. This advancement reached its zenith during the latter years of the Star League
with computing, communications, sensors, power and motor systems, medical sciences and other technologies reaching high levels of refinement.
Following the collapse of the Star League in 2781, the league's constituent states fell into a protracted struggle for supremacy known as the Succession Wars
. The conflict saw the widespread destruction of factories, ship yards and research facilities, resulting in a slow but steady degradation of scientific and technological expertise. By the dawn of the fourth millennium, few sites in the Inner Sphere
retained the ability to construct or even repair the more sophisticated Star League-era devices, and lost or hidden caches of such lost technology, or "lostech", became highly sought after. A mercenary unit, the Gray Death Legion, discovered one such cache, including a Star League memory core, on the planet Helm in 3026, a discovery that sparked a minor technological renaissance.
The exodus of much of the Star League Defense Force after the league's collapse was also a significant blow to technological development in the Inner Sphere since it included many of the most advanced vessels and pieces of hardware. Later to become known as the Clans
, these forces, unlike those in the Inner Sphere, generally retained a Star League level of technology, and though not advancing considerably beyond it over the following centuries, did make many refinements and enhancements that set them ahead of their Successor States
counterparts. The return of the Clans to the Inner Sphere in 3048 prompted a flurry of technological development on both sides of the front, with numerous weapons and military systems quickly developed and deployed.
In August 3132, a mysterious calamity collapsed the Hyperpulse Generator Network, inhibiting interstellar communication and heralding a slow-down of technological development.
-powered dropships and various smaller aerospace
craft.
energy field jumped almost instantaneously between two points. Though originally dismissed, the effect was confirmed in the early 22nd century and a drive subsequently developed by the Terran Alliance to exploit the principle.
In a K-F jump, an initiator produces a hyperspace field which is then magnified and focused by a large, superconductive mass of titanium
/germanium
. The amplified field envelopes the ship and pushes it through a hole in normal space called a "jump point", through which it enters hyperspace. Depending on the distance to be traversed, the ship spends up to 15 seconds in hyperspace before reemerging into normal space through another jump point at the destination. The opening and closing of jump points destroys large numbers of subatomic particles and produces a pulse of electromagnetic energy that can be detected at considerable range.
Jumps are normally made to and from points far above a solar system's ecliptic
, usually where the gravitational influence in the system is most stable; however, so-called "pirate points" exist where local gravitational pull is stable enough to used; though quicker, using such points is also more dangerous due the random appearance of so-called "Lagrange points". Most Jumpship crews are left stranded in most cases of an emergency.
Jumping requires copious amounts of energy, usually gathered from the nearby star over the course of approximately a week by large solar collectors similar to solar sails and stored in giant capacitors. Recent advances have dropped this to around 14 hours. A quicker but less common technique is to draw the energy from a fusion reactor, or to take advantage of recharge stations in the vicinity of major jump points. Jump failures can result from charging the drive too quickly, poor drive maintenance or spatial anomalies.
Vessels equipped with K-F drives are known as jumpships and range in mass up to 500,000 tonnes, though warships, a subclass of jumpship hardened against attack and fitted with naval weapons, may mass up to 2.5 million tonnes. The size and delicacy of a jumpship's K-F drive and the danger of jumping while in a gravitational well
limits such vessels to deep space and precludes planetary landings. Jumpships often use sail-like collectors to gather solar energy and fusion engines for sub-light maneuvers, and normally travel with a small retinue of dropships.
Dropships are fusion-powered craft built to transport people and cargo between space-bound jumpships and planetary surfaces, or between jumpships. Dropships lack faster-than-light engines and instead use fusion motors for covering short interplanetary distances, for orbital and atmospheric maneuvers, and for takeoffs and landings. They mass anywhere between 400 and 100,000 tonnes, and are usually of either aerodyne (aerodynamic) or spheroidal configuration. Dropships in the BattleTech universe are used for both military and civilian/commercial transportation.
The smallest vessels capable of space travel are known simply as "small craft", or as aerospace craft if capable of planetary landings. They may serve military functions (as fighters or bombers) or civilian purposes (e.g., transportation).
Developed by professor Cassie DeBurke, HPGs operate on a similar principal as the Kearny-Fuchida jump drive, sending a directional radio transmission instantaneously from one station to another over a distance of up to 50 light years. Though the nature of the technology allows only unidirectional broadcasts, paired HPGs can provide simultaneous bidirectional communication. HPG stations are generally categorized as A, B, C or D: A stations, located on some 50 worlds throughout the Inner Sphere, have high volume capacity and transmit messages regularly, usually every 12 to 24 hours; B stations are present on most other Inner Sphere worlds and transmit every few days; C and D stations, more common on backwater worlds or in the Periphery, transmit less frequently. Given the demand and expense of hyperpulse communication, messages are frequently bundled into batches of hundreds, sent simultaneously. While the transmission itself is nearly instantaneous, it may be days, weeks, or months before a message is sent, though one can pay a higher fee for "priority service". A message can reach any station in the Inner Sphere in approximately six months, with transit times of as little as a few days possible at great expense.
The first successful hyperpulse broadcast occurred on New Year's Day, 2630. Over the next 150 years the Star League constructed a network of generators that extended hyperpulse communications to numerous worlds throughout the Inner Sphere. During the Succession Wars ComStar assumed the operation and maintenance of the network, shrouding the system's operation in mystical trappings. Though ostensibly neutral, ComStar leveraged its communications monopoly for political purposes, occasionally imposing "interdictions" (denials of service) on opposing organizations. Following the schism of the Word of Blake from ComStar after the battle of Tukayyid in 3052, hyperpulse technology slowly began to disseminate to the states of the Inner Sphere, with ComStar and the Word of Blake accepting money to fund the creation and operation of new stations. A mysterious calamity collapsed the Hyperpulse Generator Network in August 3132, effectively ending practical interstellar communication over much of inhabited space. In the wake of the collapse, jumpships served as a kind of "pony express
", ferrying messages from world to world.
known as 'Mechs. Those tailored for combat are known as BattleMechs and, with other less common forms such as WorkMechs and ProtoMechs, are central to BattleTech wargaming and feature prominently in most spinoffs and related fiction.
deal damage by directing a concentrated beam of particles or radiation against a target, and are common in many forms in the BattleTech universe:
Warships often mount up-sized versions of such energy weapons, including three sizes of capital PPCs and three of capital lasers. Energy weapons also exist in numerous smaller forms suitable for use by individuals and range from handheld laser pistols to semi-portable man-sized PPCs.
fire high-speed, unguided projectiles designed to inflict kinetic and/or explosive damage. In BattleTech these weapons fall broadly into the three classes:
Gauss rifles and autocannons are both manufactured in large-scale form for use on warships and can mass from 2000 to 7000 tons.
Various accompanying technologies improve the accuracy and efficiency of missiles, including the Artemis Fire Control System, NARC Missile Beacons and Streak. Most launchers also support varied munitions, including missiles designed to light fires, lay down mine fields, etc., as well as torpedo
variants.
Space-borne warships often field much larger capital missile systems for ship-to-ship combat, with ranges of hundreds of kilometers.
(WMDs) exist in BattleTech but are seldom deployed because of their highly unbalancing effect within the BattleTech universe.
In the fictional universe, the absence of such devices is credited to the Ares Conventions. Proposed by Chancellor Aleisha Liao of the Capellan Confederation in 2412, this document contained specific prohibitions and rules for "civilized warfare" to limit future use of WMDs, as well as to reduce or avoid collateral damage to civilians or civilian structures.
Though little-used on the battlefield, sonic weaponry
is not uncommon in civilian and law enforcement applications where non-lethal force is required, with handheld sonic stun guns being the most prevalent. Electrical stun devices, including electric whips, are also widely available.
, particularly in the form brain-computer interfaces, is not uncommon in the BattleTech universe. Its principal application is the "neurohelmet", a device used in nearly all BattleMechs that gives the 'Mech's pilot the ability to control some aspects of the machine's behavior simply by thought. The neurohelmet provides balance information to the 'Mech to assist in walking and maneuvering. It also acts as a security device, limiting access to authorized users via alpha brain wave
pattern recognition (many BattleMechs mentioned in the novels also incorporate more conventional security measures such as voice-recognition and personalised codes). Enhanced Imaging (EI) technology developed by the Clans uses a subdermal skein of wiring to grant better control over a machine.
More advanced neural engineering technologies include the experimental Direct Neural Interface (DNI), a system that provides a MechWarrior fuller mental control over a 'Mech than offered by a standard neurohelmet. The system's potential for serious neurological damage to the MechWarrior prevented the technology from advancing beyond the prototype stage, though Vehicular Direct Neural Interface (VDNI) was later successfully deployed by the Word of Blake
to create the "cyber-soldiers" of the Manei Domini.
Other applications of bionics range from prosthetic limbs, such as the hand of Justin Xiang, to elective implants intended to improve strength or enhance the senses. An extreme example of bionic augmentation was Captain-General Gerald Marik who in 2667 received extensive implants following a life-threatening injury.
Terraforming
, the process of adapting an inhospitable planetary environment into one suitable for human occupation, occurs with varying degrees of success through BattleTech history. Terran engineers mounted repeated attempts over the course of centuries to moderate the dense and acidic atmosphere of Venus
, succeeding enough to allow limited surface colonization under protective domes.
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
found in the fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
of BattleTech
BattleTech
BattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
, a wargaming
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
franchise created by FASA and owned by WizKids
WizKids
WizKids, Inc. is an American New Jersey-based company that first made its mark in the game industry producing collectible miniatures wargames. WizKids was purchased by and is a subsidiary of National Entertainment Collectibles Association. The company was founded in 2000 by Jordan Weisman, a...
. Technology, particularly military technology and its application on the battlefield, is central to the BattleTech series and is one of its most ubiquitous elements.
Science and technology
BattleTech is largely based in hard science fictionHard science fiction
Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Islands of Space in Astounding Science...
concepts—much of technology used is either similar in advancement to that of the present day, or based on technology considered plausible in the near-future, such as the railgun
Railgun
A railgun is an entirely electrical gun that accelerates a conductive projectile along a pair of metal rails using the same principles as the homopolar motor. Railguns use two sliding or rolling contacts that permit a large electric current to pass through the projectile. This current interacts...
. A handful of exceptions, notably faster-than-light
Faster-than-light
Faster-than-light communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light....
interstellar travel
Interstellar travel
Interstellar space travel is manned or unmanned travel between stars. The concept of interstellar travel in starships is a staple of science fiction. Interstellar travel is much more difficult than interplanetary travel. Intergalactic travel, or travel between different galaxies, is even more...
and superluminal communication, depend on purely fictional or speculative principles.
The frequent appearance of apparent technological anachronisms is another distinctive aspect of BattleTech technology. Attrition
Attrition warfare
Attrition warfare is a military strategy in which a belligerent side attempts to win a war by wearing down its enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and matériel....
resulting from protracted wars are said to have slowed and in some cases reversed the flow of technological development during the third millennium, most notably following the collapse of the Star League
Star League
Within the fictional BattleTech universe, the Star League was an interstellar empire that united the various states of the Inner Sphere into a single alliance of nations.-The Terran Hegemony:...
in the late 28th century. The result is an uneven blend of technologies, in which the highly advanced (interstellar travel) mixes with the contemporary (machine guns, internal combustion engines) and even primitive.
History
Technological advancements occur throughout the history of the fictional BattleTech universe, which extends from the late 20th to mid-32nd centuries. The earliest published technical readout dates from the year 2750, but the majority of such publications describe technologies as they exist in the 31st century. It's largely around this latter period that BattleTech centers.One of the earliest and most significant events in BattleTech technology was the advent of faster-than-light
Faster-than-light
Faster-than-light communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light....
travel, the principles of which were first described by Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
physicists Thomas Kearny and Takayoshi Fuchida in 2018. Scientists first successfully tested an FTL engine based on Kearny and Fuchida's work on 3 September 2107, and late the following year mounted the first long-range manned voyage, a 12-light year jump to the Tau Ceti
Tau Ceti
Tau Ceti is a star in the constellation Cetus that is spectrally similar to the Sun, although it has only about 78% of the Sun's mass. At a distance of just under 12 light-years from the Solar System, it is a relatively close star. Tau Ceti is metal-deficient and so is thought to be less likely to...
star system
Star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems.-Binary star systems:A stellar...
. Though based on similar principles, faster-than-light communication in the form of Hyperpulse Generators wouldn't be developed until 2630.
Technological advancements continued slowly but steadily through the third millennium, notably including the development of the first BattleMech by Terran Hegemony engineers in 2439. This advancement reached its zenith during the latter years of the Star League
Star League
Within the fictional BattleTech universe, the Star League was an interstellar empire that united the various states of the Inner Sphere into a single alliance of nations.-The Terran Hegemony:...
with computing, communications, sensors, power and motor systems, medical sciences and other technologies reaching high levels of refinement.
Following the collapse of the Star League in 2781, the league's constituent states fell into a protracted struggle for supremacy known as the Succession Wars
Succession Wars
Wars of succession are prompted by two or more individuals' claim as successor to a deceased or deposed monarch. The individuals are supported by competing factions within the royal court and foreign powers might also intervene through allying themselves with a faction.* The Anarchy * War of...
. The conflict saw the widespread destruction of factories, ship yards and research facilities, resulting in a slow but steady degradation of scientific and technological expertise. By the dawn of the fourth millennium, few sites in the Inner Sphere
Inner Sphere
Inner Sphere can refer to:*A region of space in the BattleTech universe*Inner sphere electron transfer, a chemical reaction involving closely associated atoms*Inner sphere complex, a type of ion-surface binding...
retained the ability to construct or even repair the more sophisticated Star League-era devices, and lost or hidden caches of such lost technology, or "lostech", became highly sought after. A mercenary unit, the Gray Death Legion, discovered one such cache, including a Star League memory core, on the planet Helm in 3026, a discovery that sparked a minor technological renaissance.
The exodus of much of the Star League Defense Force after the league's collapse was also a significant blow to technological development in the Inner Sphere since it included many of the most advanced vessels and pieces of hardware. Later to become known as the Clans
Clans (BattleTech)
In the BattleTech universe, Clans are fictional peoples.-History:The background fictional story of the Clans begins with the build-up to the 1st Succession War...
, these forces, unlike those in the Inner Sphere, generally retained a Star League level of technology, and though not advancing considerably beyond it over the following centuries, did make many refinements and enhancements that set them ahead of their Successor States
Successor States
In the fictional BattleTech universe, the Successor States are the major military powers of the Inner Sphere, each governed by one of the Great Houses...
counterparts. The return of the Clans to the Inner Sphere in 3048 prompted a flurry of technological development on both sides of the front, with numerous weapons and military systems quickly developed and deployed.
In August 3132, a mysterious calamity collapsed the Hyperpulse Generator Network, inhibiting interstellar communication and heralding a slow-down of technological development.
Space travel
Faster-than-light travel across interstellar distances is common in the BattleTech universe and depends on an advanced space-warping technology known as the Kearny-Fuchida Drive. Interplanetary and orbital space travel is also common practice, generally conducted by fusionNuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
-powered dropships and various smaller aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
craft.
Principles
The theoretical underpinnings of the Kearny-Fuchida (or K-F) hyperspace drive originated in the early 21 century with Stanford physicists Thomas Kearny and Takayoshi Fuchida, whose experiments revealed that particles exposed to a hyperspaceHyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
energy field jumped almost instantaneously between two points. Though originally dismissed, the effect was confirmed in the early 22nd century and a drive subsequently developed by the Terran Alliance to exploit the principle.
In a K-F jump, an initiator produces a hyperspace field which is then magnified and focused by a large, superconductive mass of titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
/germanium
Germanium
Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is a lustrous, hard, grayish-white metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbors tin and silicon. The isolated element is a semiconductor, with an appearance most similar to elemental silicon....
. The amplified field envelopes the ship and pushes it through a hole in normal space called a "jump point", through which it enters hyperspace. Depending on the distance to be traversed, the ship spends up to 15 seconds in hyperspace before reemerging into normal space through another jump point at the destination. The opening and closing of jump points destroys large numbers of subatomic particles and produces a pulse of electromagnetic energy that can be detected at considerable range.
Jumps are normally made to and from points far above a solar system's ecliptic
Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...
, usually where the gravitational influence in the system is most stable; however, so-called "pirate points" exist where local gravitational pull is stable enough to used; though quicker, using such points is also more dangerous due the random appearance of so-called "Lagrange points". Most Jumpship crews are left stranded in most cases of an emergency.
Jumping requires copious amounts of energy, usually gathered from the nearby star over the course of approximately a week by large solar collectors similar to solar sails and stored in giant capacitors. Recent advances have dropped this to around 14 hours. A quicker but less common technique is to draw the energy from a fusion reactor, or to take advantage of recharge stations in the vicinity of major jump points. Jump failures can result from charging the drive too quickly, poor drive maintenance or spatial anomalies.
Spacecraft
BattleTech spacecraft range considerably in size and function, but generally fall into three broad categories – jumpships, dropships and small craft.Vessels equipped with K-F drives are known as jumpships and range in mass up to 500,000 tonnes, though warships, a subclass of jumpship hardened against attack and fitted with naval weapons, may mass up to 2.5 million tonnes. The size and delicacy of a jumpship's K-F drive and the danger of jumping while in a gravitational well
Gravity well
A gravity well or gravitational well is a conceptual model of the gravitational field surrounding a body in space. The more massive the body the deeper and more extensive the gravity well associated with it. The Sun has a far-reaching and deep gravity well. Asteroids and small moons have much...
limits such vessels to deep space and precludes planetary landings. Jumpships often use sail-like collectors to gather solar energy and fusion engines for sub-light maneuvers, and normally travel with a small retinue of dropships.
Dropships are fusion-powered craft built to transport people and cargo between space-bound jumpships and planetary surfaces, or between jumpships. Dropships lack faster-than-light engines and instead use fusion motors for covering short interplanetary distances, for orbital and atmospheric maneuvers, and for takeoffs and landings. They mass anywhere between 400 and 100,000 tonnes, and are usually of either aerodyne (aerodynamic) or spheroidal configuration. Dropships in the BattleTech universe are used for both military and civilian/commercial transportation.
The smallest vessels capable of space travel are known simply as "small craft", or as aerospace craft if capable of planetary landings. They may serve military functions (as fighters or bombers) or civilian purposes (e.g., transportation).
Hyperpulse technology
HyperPulse Generator (HPG) arrays serve as the primary means of interstellar communication in the BattleTech universe and operate on worlds throughout inhabited space.Developed by professor Cassie DeBurke, HPGs operate on a similar principal as the Kearny-Fuchida jump drive, sending a directional radio transmission instantaneously from one station to another over a distance of up to 50 light years. Though the nature of the technology allows only unidirectional broadcasts, paired HPGs can provide simultaneous bidirectional communication. HPG stations are generally categorized as A, B, C or D: A stations, located on some 50 worlds throughout the Inner Sphere, have high volume capacity and transmit messages regularly, usually every 12 to 24 hours; B stations are present on most other Inner Sphere worlds and transmit every few days; C and D stations, more common on backwater worlds or in the Periphery, transmit less frequently. Given the demand and expense of hyperpulse communication, messages are frequently bundled into batches of hundreds, sent simultaneously. While the transmission itself is nearly instantaneous, it may be days, weeks, or months before a message is sent, though one can pay a higher fee for "priority service". A message can reach any station in the Inner Sphere in approximately six months, with transit times of as little as a few days possible at great expense.
The first successful hyperpulse broadcast occurred on New Year's Day, 2630. Over the next 150 years the Star League constructed a network of generators that extended hyperpulse communications to numerous worlds throughout the Inner Sphere. During the Succession Wars ComStar assumed the operation and maintenance of the network, shrouding the system's operation in mystical trappings. Though ostensibly neutral, ComStar leveraged its communications monopoly for political purposes, occasionally imposing "interdictions" (denials of service) on opposing organizations. Following the schism of the Word of Blake from ComStar after the battle of Tukayyid in 3052, hyperpulse technology slowly began to disseminate to the states of the Inner Sphere, with ComStar and the Word of Blake accepting money to fund the creation and operation of new stations. A mysterious calamity collapsed the Hyperpulse Generator Network in August 3132, effectively ending practical interstellar communication over much of inhabited space. In the wake of the collapse, jumpships served as a kind of "pony express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
", ferrying messages from world to world.
'Mechs
The most visible and distinctive machinery in the BattleTech franchise are the mechaMecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
known as 'Mechs. Those tailored for combat are known as BattleMechs and, with other less common forms such as WorkMechs and ProtoMechs, are central to BattleTech wargaming and feature prominently in most spinoffs and related fiction.
Weaponry
BattleTechs wargaming core and the prevalence of warfare in the franchise's fictional universe makes weaponry a key technology. The numerous models of weapons fielded in BattleTech fall into a few distinct categories.Energy weapons
Energy weaponsDirected-energy weapon
A directed-energy weapon emits energy in an aimed direction without the means of a projectile. It transfers energy to a target for a desired effect. Intended effects may be non-lethal or lethal...
deal damage by directing a concentrated beam of particles or radiation against a target, and are common in many forms in the BattleTech universe:
- Lasers which direct beams of coherent radiation. These vary considerably in size (micro, small, medium or large), range (regular and extended-range), power (regular and heavy) and firing pattern (regular and pulsed).
- Particle Projection CannonsParticle beam weaponA particle beam weapon uses an ultra-high-energy beam of atoms or electrons to damage a material target by hitting it, and thus disrupting its atomic and molecular structure. A particle beam weapon is a type of directed-energy weapon, which directs energy in a particular direction by a means of...
(PPCs) which release lightning-like beams of charged particles that inflict kinetic, thermal and electrical damage. The iconic PPC, usually depicted as emitting a bluish-white beam, is fielded on many of the strongest and best-known units. - Flamers which project plumes of plasma vented from a fusion reactor.
Warships often mount up-sized versions of such energy weapons, including three sizes of capital PPCs and three of capital lasers. Energy weapons also exist in numerous smaller forms suitable for use by individuals and range from handheld laser pistols to semi-portable man-sized PPCs.
Ballistic weapons
Ballistic weaponsBallistics
Ballistics is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.A ballistic body is a body which is...
fire high-speed, unguided projectiles designed to inflict kinetic and/or explosive damage. In BattleTech these weapons fall broadly into the three classes:
- Machine guns, small projectile weapons with high rates of fire.
- Gauss rifles, which use electromagnetic acceleration to project non-explosive metal slugs at extremely high speed.
- Autocannons, the most common ballistic weapon, which are auto-loading and fire a variety of explosive rounds over short, medium or long ranges. Variants include the shotgun-like LBX, quick-firing Ultra, multi-barreled Rotary, long-range Hyper Velocity and Light. Calibers range from 20mm to 200mm.
Gauss rifles and autocannons are both manufactured in large-scale form for use on warships and can mass from 2000 to 7000 tons.
Missile weapons
Missiles are explosives-laden rockets equipped with guidance systems and normally fired in flights. BattleTech categorizes most battlefield missile systems by their ranges:- Short-range missile (SRMs), limited to a range of approximately 270 meters and fired in flights of 2, 4 or 6
- Medium-range missiles (MRMs) with a range of 450 meters and fired in flights of 10, 20, 30 or 40
- Long-range missiles (LRMs) with a range of 630 meters and flights of 5, 10, 15 or 20
- Extended long-range missiles (ELRMs) with a range of 1140 meters and flights of 5, 10, 15 or 20
Various accompanying technologies improve the accuracy and efficiency of missiles, including the Artemis Fire Control System, NARC Missile Beacons and Streak. Most launchers also support varied munitions, including missiles designed to light fires, lay down mine fields, etc., as well as torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
variants.
Space-borne warships often field much larger capital missile systems for ship-to-ship combat, with ranges of hundreds of kilometers.
Physical weapons
Some BattleMechs field low-tech, physical weapons such as swords, hatchets, clubs and maces, usually integrated into the hand. Others mount industrial equipment that, though clumsy, can be used to inflict damage. Though relatively uncommon on the battlefield, these weapons appear more frequently in 'Mechs designed for arena or gladiatorial combat.Other weapons
Weapons of Mass DestructionWeapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
(WMDs) exist in BattleTech but are seldom deployed because of their highly unbalancing effect within the BattleTech universe.
In the fictional universe, the absence of such devices is credited to the Ares Conventions. Proposed by Chancellor Aleisha Liao of the Capellan Confederation in 2412, this document contained specific prohibitions and rules for "civilized warfare" to limit future use of WMDs, as well as to reduce or avoid collateral damage to civilians or civilian structures.
Though little-used on the battlefield, sonic weaponry
Sonic weaponry
Sonic and ultrasonic weapons are weapons of various types that use sound to injure, incapacitate, or kill an opponent. Some sonic weapons are currently in limited use or in research and development by military and police forces. Others exist only in the realm of science fiction...
is not uncommon in civilian and law enforcement applications where non-lethal force is required, with handheld sonic stun guns being the most prevalent. Electrical stun devices, including electric whips, are also widely available.
Bionics
Neural engineeringNeural engineering
Neural engineering is a discipline within biomedical engineering that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, enhance, or otherwise exploit the properties of neural systems...
, particularly in the form brain-computer interfaces, is not uncommon in the BattleTech universe. Its principal application is the "neurohelmet", a device used in nearly all BattleMechs that gives the 'Mech's pilot the ability to control some aspects of the machine's behavior simply by thought. The neurohelmet provides balance information to the 'Mech to assist in walking and maneuvering. It also acts as a security device, limiting access to authorized users via alpha brain wave
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain...
pattern recognition (many BattleMechs mentioned in the novels also incorporate more conventional security measures such as voice-recognition and personalised codes). Enhanced Imaging (EI) technology developed by the Clans uses a subdermal skein of wiring to grant better control over a machine.
More advanced neural engineering technologies include the experimental Direct Neural Interface (DNI), a system that provides a MechWarrior fuller mental control over a 'Mech than offered by a standard neurohelmet. The system's potential for serious neurological damage to the MechWarrior prevented the technology from advancing beyond the prototype stage, though Vehicular Direct Neural Interface (VDNI) was later successfully deployed by the Word of Blake
Word of Blake
Word of Blake was once part of ComStar, part of the fictional BattleTech universe, but splintered from the order due to a difference in beliefs.-ComStar:...
to create the "cyber-soldiers" of the Manei Domini.
Other applications of bionics range from prosthetic limbs, such as the hand of Justin Xiang, to elective implants intended to improve strength or enhance the senses. An extreme example of bionic augmentation was Captain-General Gerald Marik who in 2667 received extensive implants following a life-threatening injury.
OmniTech
Created by Clan developers, OmniTech is a system of equipment modularization that allows key components of 'Mechs and vehicles to be easily mounted, swapped and replaced. "Omni units", as machines fielding the system are known, are built with standardized hardpoints and bays (called "pods") into which components are fitted. The system reduces repair time and allows units to be customized for varying missions.Computing
Little hard data exists on the nature and power of computer technology in the BattleTech universe, but what's been revealed suggests capabilities somewhat (but not radically) beyond that of today. The central DI computer of a 31st century BattleMech automates the majority of the unit's functions, but lacks autonomy of action. Other BattleMech-mounted computers, designed for targeting or command and control, are massive by modern standards (from 500 kg to 3 metric tons), though how much of that mass is shielding or other supporting systems is unclear. More independent computers are said to have been used to control some Star League vessels, but at least one source suggests that the power and autonomy of some computers may be limited to prevent the possibility of danger should anything go wrong.Materials engineering
Many technologies in BattleTech depend on advanced materials and products of materials engineering:- Myomer, similar to modern electroactive polymersElectroactive polymersElectroactive Polymers, or EAPs, are polymers that exhibit a change in size or shape when stimulated by an electric field. The most common applications of this type of material are in actuators and sensors. A typical characteristic property of an EAP is that they will undergo a large amount of...
, is a fibrous material consisting of microscopically thin tubes filled with a substance (acti-strandular fiber) that contracts when voltage is applied and serves as artificial muscle in applications ranging from BattleMechs to artificial limbs. - Armor materials such as ceramic boron nitride, honeycombed titanium alloy, and "ferro-fiber", a resilient armor infused with diamond fiber. Armor in BattleTech is ablative in nature. This means that it is generally destroyed or blown off when hit, but in the process of doing so, it absorbs enormous energies, protecting the unit it is mounted on.
- Structural materials such as endosteel, a form of endomorphicEndomorphismIn mathematics, an endomorphism is a morphism from a mathematical object to itself. For example, an endomorphism of a vector space V is a linear map ƒ: V → V, and an endomorphism of a group G is a group homomorphism ƒ: G → G. In general, we can talk about...
steel manufactured in zero-g with a foamed titanium core.
Environmental engineering
During prosperous eras of colonization, entrepreneurs employed jumpships to transport ice bergs from water-rich planets to arid colony worlds. Colonies dependent on this ice trade prospered while it continued, but little true terraforming was accomplished in this way and the colonies tended to wither when the trade was interrupted by wars. The practice was largely abandoned in the 27th century due to advances in water purification.Terraforming
Terraforming
Terraforming of a planet, moon, or other body is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying its atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology to be similar to those of Earth, in order to make it habitable by terrestrial organisms.The term is sometimes used more generally as a...
, the process of adapting an inhospitable planetary environment into one suitable for human occupation, occurs with varying degrees of success through BattleTech history. Terran engineers mounted repeated attempts over the course of centuries to moderate the dense and acidic atmosphere of Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, succeeding enough to allow limited surface colonization under protective domes.