compiled overview of the 45
ton Blackjack 'Mech, from various
BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:
General Motors' original contract called for the production of "a medium
BattleMech with insurgency suppression and
fire-support capabilities." The result was the
Blackjack, a 45-ton
'Mech armed with lasers and
autocannons.
The production model differed from early prototypes in replacing the twin, arm-mounted
GM Flashpoint flamers with heavier but more reliable
Whirlwind-L autocannons. This also required replacing the original
Vox 225 power plant with the lighter
GM 180, which reduced the
Blackjack's speed and endurance.
Whitworth jump jets were added to increase the
'Mech's mobility.
Because the
Blackjack fulfilled all its production requirements and was a good medium
'Mech,
GM was not prepared for the negative reaction it received. Despite a complete
lack of evidence to support any criticisms of the
'Mech, the
Blackjack was rejected by both the
Star League and its
MechWarriors, and so production was canceled after only a few years.
The
Blackjack's main function was to suppress and/or destroy non-
'Mech insurgent forces that began to appear as the
Star League's authority was eroding. The
'Mech fulfilled its secondary role of fire-support with only moderate success, as its twin light autocannons were barely effective at blasting away armor from
'Mechs. The medium
lasers, when used
en masse by an entire
lance or company of
Blackjacks, proved quite effective.
Despite its poor reception, records of the
Blackjack's performance show it to have been a reliable
'Mech. Its greatest weakness was extremely fragile joints, a fragility shared by the autocannon linkage on GM's other major
'Mech, the
Marauder.
The
Blackjack's only true drawback was the bad press it received, which claimed that the entire project was a
boondoggle because the
'Mech's basic design was flawed and unstable. Critics claimed that the
'Mech's narrow
footpads made it susceptible to falling and reduced its mobility, or that the
StarGard II armor was brittle and tended to fall off. Though none of these claims were ever substantiated, the rumors were enough to throw the
Blackjack into disfavor.
Used effectively but only sparingly by the
Star League, the
Blackjack continues in use among the
Successor States. It functions generally as
fire-support or faces off against
infantry and small armored vehicles.
Houses Liao and
Davion have most of the
Blackjacks now in existence, but use them only rarely. The
Blackjack can hold its own against comparable
'Mechs and is fully capable of winning in
one-on-one combat.
In fact, the
myth of the
Blackjack's inferiority received a blow in 3022 when the infamous
Kurita Tai-i Mercer Ravannion attempted to use his own brand of "horde" tactics against an under-strength
Davion garrison on the ice world of
Xhosha VII. Ravannion theorized that
'Mech warfare could be carried out by swarms of ultra-light
Stingers and
Wasps that would attack and overwhelm heavier, but numerically inferior, defending
'Mechs. Ravannion's attempts to prove his theories were uniformly disastrous, but he remained supremely confident in the basic soundness of his concept. The tiny
garrison on
Xhosha was one of many opposing forces to suffer for his
arrogance.
The
Xhosha defense consisted of two
companies of the
Draconis March Militia, equipped mostly with
Locusts and
Blackjacks. When swarms of
Stingers and
Wasps burst from their
DropShips in what Ravannion hoped was an irresistible wave, they caught the Militia by surprise. Freezing temperatures affected the performance of
'Mech equipment on both sides, particularly the defenders'
Locusts.
In the end,
Cadet Michael Ubodo's "out-moded and inferior" but heavier
Blackjacks took the brunt of the fierce
Kurita attack on the icy
Plain of
Swords. Driven by his obsession, Ravannion threw his
'Mechs into battle without regard for men or materiel.
Ubodo, a recent
NAIS Training Cadre graduate breveted to command of the
Xhosha garrison, was beset on all sides by the light, swift
Kurita 'Mechs. Remaining calm, he took advantage of every terrain feature on the windswept plain and met each Kurita thrust with a counter-thrust from his outnumbered
Blackjacks. He personally led the counterattack that broke the back of Ravannion's assault.
Ravannion withdrew his forces in disorder and returned home to "further refine" his theories. He was killed a year later in a fight with
McKinnon's Raiders on
Fallon II.
Hanse Davion personally decorated young
Ubodo. The sight of the much-maligned
Blackjack standing in line for
Davion honors alongside
Marauders and
Crusaders has forced some
critics to reconsider their opinion of the
'Mech.
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