Overview In spring of the year 2513 AD, General Olaf Sternson of the Star League Military Procurement Division put out a call to bid on a new design of BattleMech. The performance characteristics of this rliew design describe it as "a mobile 'Mech with enough firepower to destroy or severely damage any 'Mech of the same class or lower." A number of different armament manufacturers went after the lucrative contract, including Earthwerks, Inc., the creator of the much vaunted and feared ARC-2R Archer 'Mech design. Earthwerks' answer to General Sternson's requirements was the BTX-7K Battleax. It incorporated a heavy weapons array as well as substantial maneuverability and defensive protection. In addition, it was at that time the largest 'Mech with jump jets. The Battleax prototypes were field tested extensively with other 'Mech designs that had been developed by other firms. During the final selection process in late 2515, the WHM-6R Warhammer design of StarCorp, Industries was selected over the Battlesix and three other prototypes. Earthwerks acknowledged that the Warhammer design did have a somewhat more substantial offensive and defensive capability than the Battleax, but they pointed out that it was less maneuverable and that the differences in both offensive and defensive systems were negligible. In fact, there had been some talk about the similarity of the two designs and the possible reasons for it. In the end, most officials chalked it up to parallel creativity. Even though StarCorp received the Star League contract, Earthwerks refused to give up the Battleax design and started limited production at their construction facility on Hyperion. Production continued to 1250 units as the Earthwerks Promotions Department began a League-wide advertising campaign. Ads and holos appeared in all the major military and arms industry journals and briefing holos, promoting the Battleax as an opponent to the Warhammer. Such slogans as "Why blunt your attack with a Warhammer when you could use the fine, clean edge of a Battleax became commonplace to the point that Earthwerks and StarCorp were almost on the edge of economic warfare. By 2520, sales of the Battleax were outpacing those of the Warhammer to many League households, although the Star League still bought only Warhammers. Earthwerks had produced an additional 6000 Battleaxes. The situation came to a head during Star League maneuvers with forces of House Marik in early 2528. A Battleax had broken away from a wargaming engagement and was trying an end run to get behind its opponents. It was more than fate that a Warhammer intercepted it. The confrontation got serious rapidly, and no one has proven which MechWarrior activated his weapons controls first. But in the end, the Battleax was defeated, and the pilot was forced to eject when his fusion pile went critical. Little interest remained in the Battleax design after that, and Earthwerks ceased production, having completed 9700 units. The 'Mech received the reputation of being a "poor man's Warhammer," and this designation has stuck to this day. It is estimated that perhaps 500 'Mechs of this type still survive on the battlefields on the Succession wars today. Capabilities The BTX-7K Battleax is a heavy 'Mech with increased maneuverability. The VOX-280 engine powers its PPC weapons as well as the Rawlings 58 jump jets. Additional ETW Ceramic Heat Sinks allow the excess heat from weapons discharge to be rapidly diminished. The Battleax is armed with two Donal Type II PPCs similar to those of the Warhammer design. In addition, one Holly Short Range Missile Six-Pack is located on the 'Mech's right shoulder. Instead of a heavy laser armament, the Battleax houses two Doombud Long Range Missile FivePacks on its chest, giving it an extended range support capability lacking in many other heavy 'Mechs. The Battlesax is protected with standard Kemplar 5000 armor that allows the unit to take a heavy amount of punishment before it is put out of action. Placed about the vehicle's surface in such a way as to make offensive assault-type actions feasible, the Battleax can be considered one of the heavier armored 'Mechs within the Successor States. Over the centuries, the Battleax has developed a reputation as a pilot killer, something that is hard to live down. There have been numerous instances of cockpit fires or electrical system shorts that have killed Battleax pilots while on maneuvers or during actual combat. The Battleax 'Mech type has not aged as gracefully as many other'Mech classes, and little repair work is being done on those Battleaxes that are disabled. It is to be assumed that the Battleax type 'Mech will no longer be operational within the next 50 years. Variants Differently equipped Battleaxes are quite common in the Successor States today, although there are no official variants of the vehicle. Usually, these variations involve the removal of the jump jets and the upgrade of the LRM packs or some other changing of the weapons systems. Battleax PPCs have also been used to replace PPCs destroyed on Warhammers. The Battleax limb is then repaired using whatever is available, including simple grasping hand mechanisms. Notable 'Mechs and MechWarriors MechWarrior "Strider" McGee Currently in the Assault Lance of Hammon's Company of House Davion's Chisholm Raiders, "Strider" McGee has earned his fame through the use of his Battleax "JackBoots." Although repeatedly reprimanded for his unusual tactics, Strider continues to successfully use his jump-capable heavy 'Mech in numerous "death from above" encounters. He has had the Battleax's legs replaced three times now, but he continues to subject his 'Mech to damage of this nature. The only reason his superiors allow him to continue is his success at disabling enemy 'Mechs with the tactic, allowing capture of those 'Mechs fairly intact (except for the head assemblies). Opinions lean toward McGee's luck running out eventually, however, if he insists on keeping up these tactics indefinitely. Lieutenant Akura Simchawa Currently assigned to the Sun Zhiang Academy of House Kurita, Lieutenant Simchawa has piloted a Battleax all of his career. Even though his 'Mech is quite maneuverable for a heavy type, he is as cautious with it as Strider McGee is incautious. His tactics are meticulous, and he only uses his jump jets to get out of concentrated fire or into cover. Even though his style is not flamboyant, it has led him to considerable success and a post as instructor at Sun Zhiang. STATS Mass: 70 tons Chassis: Earthwerks BTX Power Plant: VOX 280 Cruising Speed: 42.9 kph Maximum Speed: 64.3 kph Jump Jets: Rawlings 58 Jump Capacity: 120 meters Armor: Kemplar 5000 Armament: 2 Donal Type II PPCs 2 Doombud Long Range Missile Five-Packs 1 Holly Short Range Missile Six-Packs Manufacturer: Earthwerks, Incorporated Communications System: Neil 9500 Targeting and Tracking System: FICA Instatrac Mark SV Type: BTX-7K Battleax Tonnage: 70 Tons Total Internal Structure: 7 tons Engine: VOX 280 16 tons Walking MPs: 4 Running MPs: 6 Jumping MPs: 4 Heat Sinks: 15 5 tons Gyro: 3 tons Cockpit: 3 tons Armor Factor: 128 8 tons Location Internal Structure Armor Value Head 3 9 Center Torso: 22 20/7 Rt./Lt. Torso: 15 18/6 Rt./Lt. Arm: 11 14 Rt./Lt. Leg: 15 16 Weapons and Ammo Type Location Critical Tons PPC RA 3 7 PPC LA 3 7 SRM 6 RT 2 3 Ammo (SRM) 15 RT 1 1 LRM 5 RT 1 2 LRM 5 LT 1 2 Ammo (LRM) 24 RT 1 1 Ammo (LRM) 24 LT 1 1 Jump Jets RL 2 2 Jump Jets LL 2 2 Back to BattleTechnology 5 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