Overview In 2536, it became obvious to the military leaders of the old Star League that there would be a need in the future for a light 'Mech that could screen units from the probing and scouting of enemy recon lances largely composed of Wasp, Stinger, and Locust 'Mechs. What was needed was a 'Mech design that could chase them down and be more than a match for them in combat. Thus was born the "Bugkiller"--the FLC-4N Falcon. The Falcon was used by most commanders to keep away the enemy scouts and, in so doing, keep their intentions secret for a longer period of time. Unfortunately, these 'Mechs were never produced in great numbers; at the present writing, barely 200 are known to be still operational. Capabilities The Falcon uses its 30-ton mass to good advantage in the role for which it was designed. With a maximum speed of some 98.2 kph over open terrain, it can overtake both the Wasp and the Stinger, slowly but surely. The Locust's speed advantage, however, proved too great; Falcon operational doctrine provides that the Locust is always the first engaged, in the hope that a lucky hit might slow it down. The Falcon also possess PRS-60 jump jet units, which allow it to "get the jump" on the Locust from time to time. Even with the Falcon's heavy laser armament, heat buildup is rarely a problem with the installation of two additional heat sinks. The Falcon's main advantage over all other light 'Mechs is the amount of armor that she carries--fully twice as much armor as either the Wasp or Stinger has. Only the UrbanMech and the Valkyrie among light 'Mechs carry as much armor; of these, one specializes in city fighting, while the other is limited to production by House Davion. The armor on the Falcon allows it to fight reasonably well against two-to-one odds or better. And rarely will any Wasp or Stinger pilot stay around for a drawn-out engagement with a Falcon. The Falconis armed with a Sunglow Type 1 Medium Laser along with two Omicron 1000 Light Lasers. All are arm mounted. A more unusual weapons placement is the two shoulder-mounted Reginald Mark VI machine guns facing the rear arc of the machine. This provides the capability for all round fire and is especially useful against bypassed infantry. No major defects have come to light within the Falcon design as of this date. However, because of the small number of Falcons in the field, spare parts are becoming harder and harder to come by. Many battle-worn Falcons sport exotic "jury-rigs" that can and do impede their performance. Unless production is restarted on this design in the near future at some facility, the problem can only get worse. Battle History During a raid on Korrion in early 3002, a defending lance of House Liao 'Mechs engaged the rearguard of the House Davion raiding force, now falling back to their DropShips. The Liao Falcons charged ahead at the retreating Davion lance, which unfortunately contained some Valkyries. The long-range missile fire by the Davion 'Mechs slowed the pursuing Falcons to such an extent that the raiding force was able to withdraw with little damage. The Falcons could not compete with the long range fire of the Valkyries. During an attack on Murcheson by bandit king raiders in 3010, the raiding force was cut off from its DropShip by reinforcing Kurita units. Running from the counterattack, the bandits tried to lose themselves in the hills and mountains of the area. The Kurita commander let loose his special Falcon tracking lance, which, after some ten days of pursuit, was able to run down five of the bandit light 'Mechs and force them to surrender or be destroyed. None of the four Falcons suffered major damage. Variants Because of the dearth of spare parts, the variations on the Falcon increase every time one has a major overhaul. Some of the more common variants include the elimination of the rear machine guns and the addition of another two tons of armor. Dropping the two light lasers in favor of increased jump capability has also been tried. This does cause some heat build-up problems however, and the greater jumping ability rarely proves essential. The most prevalent Falcon variant is now the hybrid. It is not unusual to see Falcons with the legs or arms of other 'Mechs. Most common are Falcons fitted with limbs from the "Ost" series of 'Mechs (Ostscout, Ostsol, Ostroc). These 'Mechs seem more adaptable to the Falcon structure. Notable 'Mechs and MechWarriors MechWarrior Marcus Bellisaurius Bellisaurius is a noted Falcon pilot in the 12th Tau Ceti Rangers. He started his military career as an officer in an elite guards infantry regiment of House Liao. He earned his MechWarrior status by capturing his 'Mech during an attack against Hsien in late 3013. Armed with only a shoulder SRM unit, Bellisaurius sat on a crumbling edge of a 10-story building in the shattered city of Westmoreland, waiting for a target. When one walked past, he fired pointblank into the cockpit, killing the pilot. Now, his Falcon is fitted with a new head assembly from a disabled Commando 'Mech, and Bellisaunus is gaining quite a reputation as an unstoppable killing machine. Lieutenant Jeremy "Bushwacker" McNee Currently commanding the Tracking Lance of the 10th Sword of Light Regiment, "Bushwacker" McNee is renowned for never giving up a pursuit unless ordered to do so. In addition to his screening and scout-killing prowess, McNee has the instincts of a born hunter, tracking enemy 'Mechs through trackless ground, sniffing out ambushes before they can be sprung and setting his own traps with ease. Aboard his Falcon "Gutstomper II," McNee is a one-of-a-kind MechWarrior in the service of House Kurita--a Successor State that rarely rewards unique behavior.  Specs Mass: 30 tons Chassis: Duralyte 296 Power Plant: GM 180 Cruising Speed: 65.6 kph Maximum Speed: 98.2 kph Jump Jets: PRS-60 Jump Capacity: 180 rn Armor: Star Guard Type II Armament: 1 SunGlow Type 1 Medium Laser 2 Omicron 1000 Light Lasers 2 Reginald Mark VI Machine Guns Manufacturer: Stormvanger Assemblies, Light Division Communications System: Garret T20C Targeting and Tracking System: Dynatec 150A Type: FLC-4N Falcon Tonnage: 30 Tons Internal Structure: 3 Engine: GM 180 7 Walking MPs: 6 Running MPs: 9 Jumping MPs: 6 Heat Sinks: 12 2 Gyro: 2 Cockpit: 3 Armor Factor: 96 6 Internal Armor Structure Value Head 3 9 Center Torso: 10 14/3 Rt./Lt. Torso: 7 12/2 Rt./Lt. Arm: 5 8 Rt./Lt. Leg: 7 13 Weapons and Ammo: Type Loc. Critical Tons Medium Laser RA 1 1 Light Laser RA 1 .5 Light Laser LA 1 .5 Machine Gun RT (rear) 1 .5 Machine Gun LT (rear) 1 .5 Ammo (MG) 200 CT 1 1 Jump Jets RT 3 1.5 Jump Jets LT 3 1.5 Back to BattleTechnology Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1987 by Pacific Rim Publishing. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com