compiled overview of the 40
ton Watchman 'Mech, from various
BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:
During
the invasion, many
Inner Sphere commanders concluded that the best way to fight
the Clans was to assign front-line troops advanced equipment and to place them in front of the incoming
juggernaut.
This method, used by both the
Federated Commonwealth and the
Draconis Combine, left many borders
short-changed in manpower and equipment. Local governments everywhere raised their concerns. One of the loudest in the
Federated Commonwealth was
Duke Aaron Sandoval, leader of the
Draconis March. Unable and unwilling to return front-line units, Prince Hanse
Davion quieted the Old Duke by sending him older equipment and training units.
Hanse Davion also invited Duke Sandoval to share the cost of
retooling a factory to produce the
Watchman, an inexpensiv
BattleMech suited for defense and training.
Hanse Davion required the design of the new
'Mech be based on a current model to reduce the
capital investment. In no time, the old
Enforcer was chosen as the basis for the design. As most factories that built
Enforcers had already been upgraded to the new technology, huge stores of older parts were available.
The
Watchman design dropped the
autocannon because of weight considerations and the expense of
ammunition for a training environment. This left the
'Mech a little
under-gunned, so the designers added a pair of
ChisComp 39 medium lasers, found prominently on the early
Dervishes. The two
SperryBrowning machine guns were added as an afterthought, when anti-
infantry weapons were appended to the specifications.
The
cockpit controls were simplified, to facilitate instruction of inexperienced
MechWarriors. The
Enforcer's armor was replaced with
Starshield A armor with
CASE and the old
McCloud Special jump jets were replaced by the more popular and less costly
HildCo Model 12 jump jets, which permit the
'Mech to jump 150 meters. These changes lowered the weight of the completed design to 40 tons.
The
Watchman showed its true colors when compared to light
'Mechs such as the
Wasp and the
Valkyrie, both plentiful in militia units. It carried more than twice the armor of a
Wasp, and effectively paced the
Valkyrie in fieled tests. Reliance on older, surplus beam weapons assures the
Watchman a long life in
garrison and training units.
The initial production of the new
Watchman was delivered to the
Second Robinson Rangers stationed on
Phact. Although still quite rare, the
'Mech promises to become the backbone of the
Federated Commonwealth's militia system, even if the Old Duke would prefer to keep them all to himself.
Since the introduction of the
Watchman, an increase in militia recruits was recorded for both the
Crucis and
Draconis Marches. Neither the
Lyran Commonwealth State Command nor the
Capellean March have shown any interest in the
Watchman, content with the
'Mechs and the equipment they possess.
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