NOTE: This article on external stores constitutes a rules variant, particularly in the area of single shot missiles. Use and enjoy these rules, but be aware that they are variants, not part of the official rules of the BattleTech and AeroTech simulator games.
External stores are fuel and weapons carried on racks mounted in pylons under aircraft and vehicles. The type and quantity of stores carried is dictated by the type of mission to be performed. All aircraft and vehicles can carry external stores (see the BattleTech Manual or AeroTech section on Ground Targets, Strafing, Dive Bombing, and for the rules of using external stores). Weapons mounted on pylons are restricted to only fire out of the forward firing arc of aircraft and vehicles (see the BattleTech Manual or AeroTech section on Firing Arcs).
Enemy fire targeted at an aircraft, aerospace craft, or VTOL's may hit external stores being carried (see the BattleTech Manual or AeroTech for the aircraft Hit Location Table, for VTOL's consult the VTOL Hit Location Table). The pilot controlling the damaged unit chooses what weapon or store is destroyed.
Damage to aircraft and aerospace craft: hits scored against bombs also include any external stores carried.
Damage to VTOL's: hits scored against the main weapon also include any external stores carried.
Thrust loss: 0.5 thrust points lost per ton of external stores carried. Round down.
For a variety of reasons a pilot may wish to drop some of a aircraft or vehicles external stores to increase its thrust performance. All or some of the stores carried on pylons can be dropped at the end of a game turn to regain lost thrust points. When dropped to regain thrust points (at no target), freefall bombs and missiles will scatter and explode on impact; all other stores will cause little damage when dropped.
MISSILE POD
The missile pod is a pre-loaded launcher for standard short and long range missiles. There is no internal ammunition stored on the aircraft or vehicle.
Once the missiles have been fired, the pod must be reloaded by ground crews.The missile pod comes in four sizes; 5,10,15, and 20 missiles per pod. The missiles may be fired singularly, in groups, or all at a time. An empty (completely fired) missile pod weighs only one tenth of a loaded pod. The loaded pod weighs as much as the equivalent weapon. The aircraft or vehicle regains lost thrust points when all missiles in a pod have been fired. SRM and LRM may not be mixed in the same pod.
FREEFALL BOMBS
Freefall bombs are powerful explosive weapons used against surface targets. Their size commonly range from the MK 1 (load/ damage rating of 5) to the MK 4 (load/damage rating of 25). Larger sizes have been produced in limited numbers.
CAUTION: VTOL's are restricted from using freefall bombs. The low altitude and speeds that VTOL's fly at would cause them to be within the blast radius of the freefall bomb explosion.
MACHINE GUN POD
The machine gun pod is a single self- contained standard machine gun with ammunition for 100 shots. The machine gun pod weighs 1 ton loaded (a load rating of 25 which causes a thrust loss of 0.5 point) and 1/2 ton when all ammunition has been expended (reducing its load rating to 15).
EXTERNAL FUEL (DROP) TANKS
External fuel tanks or drop tanks contain a 1/2 ton of fuel for aircraft and aerospace craft. A 1/2 ton of fuel provides 15 thrust points for conventional aircraft and 8 thrust points for aerospace craft. Drop tanks have a load rating of 15 which reduces the thrust points by 0.3.
Aircraft and vehicles use the fuel in the drop tanks first. When the drop tank is empty, the aircraft or vehicle will regain its lost thrust points.
INFERNO BOMBS
The inferno bomb is an extreme and dangerous weapon to all parties of a conflict. At the time of this writing, the inferno bomb has been outlawed from widespread use.
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