Overview House Steiner's variant on the old Terran Hegemony Banshee has recently completed a year of LCAP field trials. The project fielded a carefully selected group of elite Commonwealth MechWarriors headed by Kommandant Laurine White. The Banshee-S is a highly modified version intended to modernize the BattleMech in order to enable it to perform its role as a close assault vehicle. While still one of the heaviest 'Mechs ever fielded, the Banshee has held a reputation as a poor battle machine since its introduction in the late 2400s. The complaints focused primarily on the 'Mech's armament, citing inadequate secondary weapons systems. Earlier variants focussed on increasing the BattleMech's punch, often resulting in severe heat overloads. The Steiner variant has addressed the problem at a more basic level. Defiance Industries, under special commission from the LCAF Quartermaster Corps, has created a prototype series of the Banshee-S for extensive field tests. The project was conducted with several House Davion scientists on the planning committee. The extant design is based on plans discovered in the files of the Defiance Industries factory complex on Hesperus II. The fact that modifications have used components currently manufactured in the Lyran Commonwealth wherever possible has fueled speculation that the Lyran Commonwealth is considering full scale production of the Banshee-S. The acknowledged existence of vintage Terran Hegemony plans has only contributed to the defense industry rumor mills. Capabilities The first step in revitalizing the Banshee taken by the Steiner commission was in reducing the size of the power plant. A Pitban 285 fusion unit now powers the BattleMech. This has caused a significant reduction in speed from its original cruising speed of 43.2 kph to its current rating of 32.3 kph. This reduction is less significant than it first appears. The Banshee-S would be expected to operate in Steiner assault lances either in conjunction with or as a replacement for the already common AS7-D Atlas. The speed rating is entirely field compatible with the Atlas. The smaller power plant frees significant additional space for weaponry and other systems. These space savings have allowed the Banshee's autocannon to be upgraded from an Imperator-A to an Imperator-B Class 10. This significantly increases the 'Mech's low heat generation firepower with a minimal reduction in effective range. The first addition to the Banshee's armament is a second PPC. The second particle cannon is a Donal PPC, rather than the Magna Hellstar which is increasingly rare in the Commonwealth. Examination of publicity photos would indicate that the arm assembly, as well as the cannon itself, is of the style manufactured for WHM-6R Warharnmer BattleMechs. The arm mounting of the particle cannon is expected to provide a greater tactical flexibility for the Banshee-S's heavy energy punch. Riding the right shoulder of the Banshee-S is a Harpoon 6-rack missile launcher. The 'Mech carries a full ton of short-range missiles in its torso. While the rigid Starshield armor retained on the design inhibits installation of the blow out ammo storage bins recently developed at the New Avalon Institute of Science, the heavy armor of the Banshee's torso is expected to provide sufficient protection. An entire suite of laser weaponry has been added to the Banshee-S. Two Magna Mark II medium class lasers are carried in a dual fore-arm mount on the right arm. This arrangement retains the 'Mech's battlefist for manipulative work. An additional two medium class lasers are mounted in the center torso to provide rear coverage. This feature has received praise from many Steiner generals as overdue acknowledgement of the realities of heavy 'Mech combat. Finally, a second Magna Mark I small laser has been added to the right torso for additional close-in firepower. All this additional weaponry has significantly increased the Banshee's heat burden. The Steiner design, however, incorporates six more heat sinks than does the basic Star League design. While this does not allow full utilization of all available weaponry, it does provide a viable selection at acceptable heat levels. Retention of the highly respected Star shield armor while increasing the Banshee's offensive power has gone a long way to silencing critics. Indeed, Hauptmann-General Karl von Overmeyer, a vociferous opponent of the Banshee-S program, was recently interviewed on the DBC's foreFRONT News and said, "We may have a new Warhammer here. This BattleMech has all the options and is as big as a proper Steiner machine should be." Battle History The evaluation plan for the Steiner variant called for regular frontline deployment of the S model. The twelve BattleMechs assembled under the program were parcelled out among LCAF units expected to see action in the near future. The units initially assigned the machines were reported to be less than enthusiastic over the honor. The selection of well-known and respected MechWarriors as pilots for the test vehicles soothed many a commander's ruffled nerves. This shrewd ploy, as well as the knowledge that Kommanclant Laurine White, the program head, answered directly to Katrina Steiner, avoided the delays and accidental mishaps that could have plagued the program due to the established prejudice against the Banshee design. As expected, Kommandant White was the first to pilot a Banshee-S in combat in a spoiling raid on New Hope in early 3026. White, while cut off from her assault lance, stumbled on the rally point of the command lance of Duke Reginald's own Hussar Company. Her 'Mech's enhanced firepower caught the Marik forces by surprise. With a superb show of gunnery she killed two of the enemy courier 'Mechs and crippled the commander's BattleMaster before being forced to withdraw due to damage sustained in the firefight. The only Banshee-S to be destroyed during the field tests was piloted by Kommandant Corinn Scott. She was assigned to a bandit suppression force code named Highlander. During the transit course along which the components of the task force were to be gathered from worlds currently out of the mainstream of Succession War battles, the Steiner forces were ambushed in the La Grave system. Kommandant Scott and her 'Mech survived the destruction of the DropShip and joined the loyal Commonwealth forces on the planet. Scott, as senior LCAF officer, commanded the ground forces in their resistance to a Kurita-inspired coup. Scott and her Banshee-S performed admirably until both were destroyed in a treacherous assassination attempt in 3027. Such performances by the Banshee-S on the battlefield seem to be fulfilling the promise of a rebirth for this 'Mech design. Variants The early stages of the S program saw a variant wherein the second PPC was placed next to the first in an over-and-under mount. The extra protection afforded the weapon system by the heavy Starshield armor on the 'Mech's torso was more than offset by the serious heat caused by the close proximity of two such large energy weapons. The substandard performance of the heat dispersion systems resulted in the prototype 'Mech being broken up to be used in repairing systems in the machines built under the final design. A second variant was designed to complement the Banshee-S by providing a command and control vehicle on a compatible chassis. This version sacrifices armament in favor of specialized communications and computer capabilities. Known as Banshee-SC, it retains the original Banshee right arm which has a dual medium laser mount on the forearm. The original Magna Hellstar PPC and the rear-mounted lasers are not present. The liberated interior space is filled with sophisticated systems built by Nashan Computers. Details are classified by the LCAF, but the systems are said to be comparable to the Tacticon B-2000 battle computer with its planetwide communications capability. Notable 'Mechs and MechWarriors: Captain Loscale Ginn A noted tactician and technician, Captain Ginn was formerly associated with those enigmatic MechWarriors, Team Banzai. Ginn left his position with that mercenary unit, currently in the pay of House Davion, to join the staff of the S project. Reports say that his input was instrumental in the engineering of the SC variant, the prototype of which he piloted in the field test phase of the program. At the conclusion of the tests, he signed an individual contract with Nashan Diversified which lists the Vech he pilots, the "Screaming Skull," as his own. Leutnant Robin King Leutnant King was twice cited with the Lyran medal of honor during his service with the 12 1h Donegal Guards. His heroic record and demonstrated ability to pilot unfamiliar 'Mechs with astounding skill let to his selection as a pilot for the field test phase of the S program. King's Banshee-S, the "Banrigh," participated in the defense of New Earth against a surprise raid by House Liao forces. In the battle, King demonstrated outstanding courage and tactical flare. He has been credited with four'Mech kills in that baffle. Not one of those kills was rated at less than 55 tons. Leutnant Jeffery Kasurl Leutnant Kasuri is another young MechWarrior selected for the program due to his exceptional record and proven aggressiveness. This aggressiveness resulted in his BattleMech, the "Caliban," holding the record for the most repaired in the S program. Kasuri's aggressiveness has led to several altercations when he was outside his 'Mech. These fights were traced to conflicts between himself and various mercenary MechWarriors. His earnestness and combat record have led to criminal charges being dismissed in all of these cases. It is speculated that his assignment to an attack lance of 14th Lyran Guards is something of a disciplinary reprimand since the unit is in a quiet sector. STATS Mass: 95 tons Chassis: Star League XT Power Plant: Pitban 285 Cruising Speed: 32.3 kph Maximum Speed: 53.8 kph Jump Jets: None Jump Capacity: None Armor: Starshield Armament: 1 Imperator-B autocannon 1 Magna Hellstar PPC 1 Donal PPC 1 Harpoon SRM 6-rack 4 Magna Mark 11 Medium Lasers 2 Magna Mark I Small Lasers Manufacturer: Star League Weapons Research /Defiance Industries Communications System: Dalban Commline Targeting and Tracking System: Dalban HiRez-B Type: Banshee-S Tons Tonnage: 95 Tons Internal Structure: 9.5 tons Engine: Pitban 285 16.5 tons Walking MPs: 3 Running MPs: 5 Jumping MPs: 0 Heat Sinks: 22 12 tons Gyro: 3 tons Cockpit: 3 tons Armor Factor: 240 15 tons Location Internal Structure Armor Value Head 3 9 Center Torso 30 40/17 Rt./Lt. Torso 20 30/10 Rt./Lt. Arm 16 21 Rt./Lt. Leg 20 26 Weapons and Ammo Type Location Critical Tons AC/10 LT 8 12 Ammo (AC) 10 LT 1 1 PPC RT 3 7 PPC LA 3 7 SRM 6 RT 2 3 Ammo (SRM) 15 RT 1 1 Medium Laser RA 1 1 Medium Laser RA 1 1 Medium Laser CT(R) 1 1 Medium Laser CT(R) 1 1 Small Laser H 1 .5 Small Laser RT 1 .5 Back to BattleTechnology 4 Table of Contents Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1988 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