Armor (BattleMechs & Combat Vehicles)

Description

Modern BattleMech and vehicle armor plating was originally introduced in 2470 by the Terran Hegemony[1]. In the BattleTech universe, armor is ablative in nature. This means that it is generally destroyed or blown off when hit, but in the process of doing so, it absorbs enormous energies, protecting the unit it is mounted on. While powerful blows will still rock a vehicle, there will be little, if any, internal damage as long as armor plating still remains. Armor-piercing rounds do exist for certain weapons, but they require a higher technology level and cost more. As a result, destroying a 'Mech requires either immense firepower, concentrated fire on a vulnerable location, or a lucky hit.

Standard BattleMech armor is composed of several layers providing various degrees of protection and support. The first layer is extremely strong titanium alloyed with steel, the result of crystal alignment and radiation treatment, which is also very brittle. The second layer is a ceramic, cubic boron nitride, which combined with a web of artificial diamond fibers acts as a backstop to the steel layer. These two layers rest atop a titanium alloy honeycomb structure which provides support, and a layer of self-sealing polymer sealant which allows for space and underwater operations.[2]

Noting the ablative nature of the armor, most vehicle designers have designed the armor for quick repairs on most units. In game terms, armor is repaired at the rate of 15 minutes per point of armor[3]. Players familiar with BattleTech video games —like MechWarrior 3 and 4— might be used to even faster repairs by mobile field bases (where a damaged 'Mech is apparently repaired in moments), but the computer games represent repairs differently than the tabletop game.

Manufacturing

Armor for BattleMechs & vehicles is manufactured on the following planets:

Brand Planet Company Used by References
Alpha Compound Plate Barcella Barcella Alpha ??? [citation needed]
Arcadia Compound Delta VII Arcadia Arcadia BattleMech Plant CM-T15 ??? [citation needed]
ArcShield Heavy Skye Cyclops Incorporated ??? [citation needed]
ArcShield Heavy Type K Skye Cyclops Incorporated ??? [citation needed]
ArcShield Maxi I Betelgeuse
New Samarkand
Terra
Aldis Industries
New Samarkand Metals
Aldis Industries
??? [citation needed]
ArcShield Maxi II Betelgeuse
New Samarkand
Panpour
New Earth
Terra
Aldis Industries
New Samarkand Metals
Jalastar Aerospace
New Earth Trading Company
Aldis Industries
??? [citation needed]
ArcShield V Skye
Terra
Cyclops Incorporated
Aldis Industries
??? [citation needed]
ArcShield VII Mk 5 Betelgeuse
New Samarkand
New Earth
Terra
Aldis Industries
New Samarkand Metals
New Earth Trading Company
Aldis Industries
??? [citation needed]
Bruin Heavy Ferro-Aluminum Strana Mechty Bear's Den ??? [citation needed]
Bulldog Ingersoll<brProserpina Bulldog Enterprises ??? [citation needed]
Composition III Strana Mechty Bear's Den ??? [citation needed]
Compound Alpha Huntress Abysmal Manufacturing Complex ??? [citation needed]
Compound Beta Irece Barcella Beta ??? [citation needed]
Compound 2110 Ferro-Fibrous Irece Barcella Beta ??? [citation needed]
Compound CL20 Ferro-Fibrous Tamaron Ashton 'Mech Production Complex ??? [citation needed]
Compound H17 Ferro-Fibrous Arcadia
Irece
Arcadia BattleMech Plant CM-03
Barcella Beta
??? [citation needed]
Compound H18 Ferro-Fibrous Babylon Babylon MechWorks V ??? [citation needed]
Compound SJ6CW Ferro-Fibrous Arcadia Arcadia BattleMech Plant CM-03 ??? [citation needed]
Chobham Max-Tec Terra Matabushi Incorporated ??? [citation needed]
Durallex Heavy Corey
Quentin
Wallis
Hesperus II
Hellespont Industrials
Independence Weaponry
Ronin Incorporated
Defiance Industries
??? [citation needed]
Durallex Light Gibson
Carlisle
Gibson Federated BattleMechs - (Free Worlds Defense Industries)
S. L. Lewis Incorporated
??? [citation needed]
Durallex Medium Tharkad TharHes Industries ??? [citation needed]
Durallex Nova Quentin
Coventry
Independence Weaponry
Coventry Metal Works
??? [citation needed]
Durallex Special Heavy Quentin
Irian
Hesperus II
Independence Weaponry
Irian BattleMechs Unlimited
Defiance Industries
??? [citation needed]
Durallex Special Medium Quentin Independence Weaponry ??? [citation needed]
Forge 9 Flexweave Apollo Diplass Technologies ??? [citation needed]
Forging ZK11 Tamaron Ashton 'Mech Production Complex ??? [citation needed]
Glasgow Limited Hesperus II Defiance Industries ??? [citation needed]
Jolassa-325 Umka Kerr-McGinniss ??? [citation needed]
J-Seal Standard Terra Mitchell Vehicles ??? [citation needed]
Kallon Light Shield A Pandora Red Devil Industries ??? [citation needed]
Kallon Royalstar Nanking/Thermopolis
Tematagi
Pandora
Kallon Industries
Nimakachi Fusion Products Limited
Red Devil Industries
??? [citation needed]
Kallon Royalstar Heavy Wernke
Pandora
Kallon Industries
Red Devil Industries
??? [citation needed]
Kevlar 5000 Hesperus II Defiance Industries ??? [citation needed]
Kressly Stoneskin 30M Epsilon Eridani Kressly Warworks ??? [citation needed]
Kressly Stoneskin 40X Epsilon Eridani Kressly Warworks ??? [citation needed]
Leviathon Plus Pinard Vandenberg Mechanized Industries ??? [citation needed]
Lexington Limited Coventry Coventry Metal Works ??? [citation needed]
Livingston Ceramics Asuncion
Bernardo
Victoria
Earthwerks Incorporated FLE-4 Flea, FLE-15 Flea, & FLE-17 Flea [4][5]
Longanecker PlastiSteel Hesperus II Defiance Industries ??? [citation needed]
Marian Arms Standard Alphard Marian Arms Incorporated ??? [citation needed]
Maxmillian 42 Tok Do Alshain Weapons ??? [citation needed]
Maxmillian 43 Calloway VI
Dunianshire
Earthwerks Incorporated
Majesty Metals and Manufacturing
??? [citation needed]
Maxmillian 44 Calloway VI Earthwerks Incorporated ??? [citation needed]
Maxmillian 45 Gibson Gibson Federated BattleMechs - (Free Worlds Defense Industries) ??? [citation needed]
Maxmillian 60 Gibson Gibson Federated BattleMechs - (Free Worlds Defense Industries) ??? [citation needed]
Maxmillian 100 Calloway VI
Carlisle
Earthwerks Incorporated
Bergan Industries
??? [citation needed]
Maxmillian 300 Calloway VI Earthwerks Incorporated ??? [citation needed]
Mitchell Argon Nirasaki Maltex Corporation ??? [citation needed]
Omega Heavy Stellarguard Barcella Barcella Alpha ??? [citation needed]
Pribak 9000 New Earth Yankee Weapons Systems ??? [citation needed]
ProtecTech 4 Al Na'ir
Scarborough
Outreach
Scarborough Manufacturers
Scarborough Limited
Blackwell Heavy Industries
??? [citation needed]
ProtecTech 5 Outreach Blackwell Heavy Industries ??? [citation needed]
ProtecTech 6 Sian
Layover
Keystone
Pandora
Outreach
Hellespont Industrials
Quikscell Company
Exeter Organization
Red Devil Industries
Blackwell Heavy Industries
??? [citation needed]
ProtecTech 7 Al Na'ir
Scarborough
Scarborough Manufacturers
Scarborough Limited
??? [citation needed]
ProtecTech Light Ares/Layover/Kalidasa/Gallery
Sian
Belladonna
Quikscell Company
Hellespont Industrials
Cal-Boeing of Dorwinion
??? [citation needed]
Riese-100 Grand Base
Umka
Illiushin
Earthwerks Incorporated
Kerr-McGinniss
Vandenberg Mechanized Industries
??? [citation needed]
Riese-456 Umka Kerr-McGinniss ??? [citation needed]
Riese-500 Grand Base
Umka
Illiushin
Earthwerks Incorporated
Kerr-McGinniss
Vandenberg Mechanized Industries
??? [citation needed]
Ryerson 150 Pinard Vandenberg Mechanized Industries ??? [citation needed]
Series Ab Tamaron Ashton 'Mech Production Complex ??? [citation needed]
StarGuard CIV Ferro-Fibrous w/CASE Kallon Weapon Industries Wernke) HNT-171 Hornet [6]
StarGuard III New Avalon
New Earth
Corean Enterprises
New Earth Trading Company
??? [citation needed]
StarGuard Type HV New Earth New Earth Trading Company ??? [citation needed]
Starshield Capella/St. Ives
Marduk
Irian
Kalidasa
Steward
Ceres Metals Industries
Victory - (Norse BattleMech Works)
Irian BattleMechs Unlimited
Kali Yama Weapons Industries Incorporated
Corean Enterprises
??? [citation needed]
Starshield A Marduk
Wernke
Keystone
Hesperus II
Victory - (Norse BattleMech Works)
Kallon Industries
Earthwerks Incorporated
Defiance Industries
??? [citation needed]
Starshield Light Marduk
Hesperus II
Victory - (Norse BattleMech Works)
Defiance Industries
??? [citation needed]
Starshield Type V Menke Ceres Metals Industries ??? [citation needed]
StarSlab-1 Menke
Salem
Gienah
Indicass
Canopus IV
Sevon
Laconis
Menke Armor and Armament
General Motors
Gienah Combat Vehicles
Ceres Metals Industries
Majesty Metals and Manufacturing
Alliance Mining and Geology
Taurus Majoris Mining
??? [citation needed]
StarSlab-2 Luthien
Andurien/Irian
Buda Imperial Vehicles
Bergan Industries
??? [citation needed]
StarSlab-3 Luthien
Ruchbah
Salem

Andurien
Gienah
Dunianshire
Sevon
Indicass
Laconis
Epsilon Eridani
Buda Imperial Vehicles
Michaelson Heavy Industries
General Motors
Bergan Industries
Gienah Combat Vehicles
Canopus Industries Alpha
Alliance Mining and Geology
Ceres Metals Industries
Taurus Majoris Mining
Kressly Warworks
??? [citation needed]
StarSlab-5.5 Sevon
Laconis
Alliance Mining and Geology
Taurus Majoris Mining
??? [citation needed]
StarSlab-6 Andurien
Indicass
Bergan Industries
Ceres Metals Industries
??? [citation needed]
StarSlab-7 Laconis Taurus Majoris Mining ??? [citation needed]
StarSlab-9 Dunianshire Canopus Industries Alpha ??? [citation needed]
StarSlab-9.5 Mk II Salem
Pandora
General Motors
Red Devil Industries
??? [citation needed]
StarSlab-11.5 Type HVA Hesperus II
Laconis
Defiance Industries
Taurus Majoris Mining
??? [citation needed]
Type M Nanking Kallon Industries ??? [citation needed]
Valiant Chainmail Carlisle Bergan Industries ??? [citation needed]
Valiant Lamellor Robinson
Kalidasa/Kendall
Carlisle
Valiant Systems
Kali Yama Weapons Industries Incorporated
Bergan Industries
York Industries CTC-0 Keystone Earthwerks Incorporated ??? [citation needed]


References

  1. TechManual, p. 205, "Armor"
  2. TechManual, p. 33, "Armor"
  3. BattleTech Master Rules, p. 91, "Master Repair Table"
  4. Technical Readout: 3050, p.50-51, "FLE-17 Flea 'Mech Profile"
  5. Technical Readout: 3039, p. 242, "FLE-4 Flea 'Mech Profile"
  6. Technical Readout: 3050, pp. 50-51, "HNT-171 Hornet"

Bibliography