compiled overview of the 35
ton Spector 'Mech, from various
BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:
Modeled on the
Exterminator BattleMech, the
Spector was developed to target command
'Mechs and HQ units attached to light
'Mech companies. As its secondary role, the
Spector was intended to act as a deep
scout and
raider. In June of 2639, the first
Spector rolled off the assembly line at
Norse-Storm Technologies Inc. and began six months of intensive testing. By April of 2640 the first combat-ready
Spectors were delivered to the
SLDF.
One of the fastest
'Mechs ever produced, the
Spector fulfilled all of its missions with great success. The
engineering team at
Norse Technologies used the Magna 245 XL
engine to give the
Spector a maximum speed of more than 118 kph and added
jump jets that allowed the
'Mech to jump a maximum distance of 210 meters.
To help the
Spector perform its deep
recon and raiding missions, the
Norse Technologies design team gave it the same advanced
stealth systems as the
Exterminator and added one other. The
Spector's design included a
Chameleon Light Polarization Shield and special heat baffles in the
'Mech's feet, makibg it nearly impossible to detect. For added protection, the design team added a
Guardian ECM suite that enables the
Spector to jam the sensors of enemy
'Mech.
The
Spector's armament is as impressive as its stealth systems. The
Nightwind Large Laser is the
'Mech's primary weapon, backed up by two
Defiance B3M Medium Lasers and a
Defiance B4S Small Laser. Though some
critics of the
Spector argued that the weapons mix was too light to be effective, simulated combat tests consistently showed that the
Spector's laser array was more than adequate to do the job for which the
'Mech had been designed. To compensate for the intense heat of multiple
laser weapons, eleven double
heat sinks keep the
Spector cool on the battlefield.
Once the
Spector joined the arsenal of the
SLDF, the covert nature of its missions denied it the usual press coverage afforded many other
SLDF 'Mechs. All records of the
Spector were believed lost with
the fall of the Star League until September of 3048, when rumors started spreading throughout the
Inner Sphere that the
mercenary unit
McCarron's Armored Calvalry had found a
Star League base and several
lostech 'Mechs on its home planet of
Menke. At about the same time, the mercenary unit
Storm's Metal Thunder began raiding
House Marik border worlds in
'Mechs that a few experts recognized
from
Star League-era books. Neither
McCarron's Armored Calvalry nor
Storm's Metal Thunder have admitted to deploying
vintage Star League
'Mechs, including the deadly
Spector.
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