SWB-1A Swayback
While rarely seen in the modern-era, the Swayback was medium attack 'mech popular with Star League units stationed in the Periphery before the fall of Terra. A classic walker pod design, the vehicle was designed with removeable weapon-pods similar to the pre-existing Mercury scout 'mech. The torso weapons are matched sets--when installed they are slipped into place, bolted bown, and connected in three places to the power circuits, targeting systems, and cooling feeds. If the weapons are damaged or destroyed, the bolts can be removed and the entire system replaced, usually in minutes. This modular replacement system was was expected to revolutionize the logistical support and combat capability of field units, but the Exodus and First Succession War put an end to any radical departure from standard military procedure. It should also be noted that while placing most of the weapons in the torso restricted the movement of the arms (as a wide sweep could misalign the torso-mounted weaponry) it did allow for the 'mech to be equipped with hand actuators. This feature was a great boon for those pilots that found themselves going hand-to-hand against Periphery MechWarriors--who reveled in that sort of combat.

In 3028, the Swayback is currently fielded by only a few units in the Inner-Sphere: The Eridani Light Horse have 3, the 21st Centauri Lancers have 2, and the Wolf's Dragoons have an impressive 8. Nevertheless, all known Swaybacks have lost most or all of the advanced technology seen on the vehicles at Sherai--so where these two 'mechs came from is still a mystery. They also seem to have one major disadvantage, a flaw or a misallignment in their XL engines tends to emit a strange "scream" over a wide band of the EM-Spectrum. While this does not hamper the operation of the vehicle, it has allowed them to be tracked at great distance by some resourceful Capellan and Davion units. 




Pilots: unknown  (Morden's Associates)
'Mech Names: Shadow Walker 1 and 2
Color Scheme: Black with an organic-looking 
pattern of matte and glossy blacks designed 
so that "your eyes seem to slide right off it."  


Tonnage: 55
Weight Class: Medium
Engine: 275 XL
Walking Speed: 5 (54.0 kph)
Running Speed: 8 (86.4 kph)
Jumping Distance Config A: 5 (150m)
Jumping Distance Config B: 4 (120m) 

Maximum Heat Build-up: 34 units/10 sec
Standard Heat Dissipation Config A: 30 units/10 sec
Standard Heat Dissipation Config B: 32 units/10 sec
Maximum Heat Dissipation Config A (submerged): 36 units/10 sec
Maximum Heat Dissipation Config B (submerged): 38 units/10 sec


Weapons Load-out Config A:

  Type         Location
----------------------------
PPC               LT
PPC               RT
M Laser           LA
M Laser           RA
M Laser           CT
Cargo (3/4 ton)    H


Weapons Load-out Config B:

  Type         Location
----------------------------
L Laser           LT
L Laser           RT
L Laser           CT
M Laser           LA
M Laser           RA



Armor and Structure Layout: (10.5 tons ferro-fibrous armor)
--------------------------------------------

            Internal         External 

H               3               9
CT             18             29/6
LT/RT          13             20/6
LA/RA           9              18
LL/RL          13              26

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Last Updated: 6/14/00
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