ECM 3025

At the end of the Third Succession War when Lostech was rampant, House Liao managed the unlikely feat to develop the RVN-1X Raven, an entirely new BattleMech design that was to serve as an electronic warfare and countermeasures support on company or battailon level. It was a testbed for new electronic warfare components which later became known as the ECM 3025, although at the time it was usually only referred to as "ECM Equipment". Summarily, it could be described as a combination of a prototype ECM Suite and a prototype Active Probe.

In its envisioned role the lightly armed and armoured Raven was to stand off in engagements and identify targets for artillery and indirect fire at longer than usual ranges, and to degrade enemy electronic warfare techniques by means of the ECM 3035. However, revolutionary as it may have been in its time, the experimental ECM 3025 proved to be too heavy and not sophisticated enough and did not live up to expectations when it was prematurely rushed into service in the Fourth Succession War.

As the Raven evolved, its electronic warfare equitment evolved as well and the ECM 3025 was eventually phased out in favour of more efficient modern systems. As of 3050, the line model RVN-3L mounts a Guardian ECM Suite and a Beagle Active Probe in the former place of the ECM 3025, plus a TAG and Narc Missile Beacon.

The ECM 3025 weigths 7.5 tons and costs approximately 120,000 C-bills. It can theoretically be installed on any 'Mech, although the only 'Mech that was ever designed to carry the equipment was the early Raven.

Associated Rules

In game terms, the ECM 3025 occupies 4 critical hit slots. Units equipped in this way have the following advantages/abilities:

• Detect hidden enemy units (but not infantry) if passing by them at a distance of less than 4 hexes (16 under Solaris VII rules) or ending movement within that range (similar to a Beagle Active Probe).
• When hitting an enemy with a missile volley, add +1 to the roll that determines how many missiles hit the target.
• Can call indirect LRM fire without the usual +1 to-hit modifier applying to friendly units.
• When used as forward artillery spotter, a -2 to-hit modifier applies to indirect artillery fire.
• According to descriptions the ECM 3025 also has some jamming and ECM capabilities, but no game rules are given.

The original RVN-1X Raven specified the ECM 3025 to be mounted in the Center Torso section. Since this section only provides 2 critical hit slots (while 4 are required for the equipment), it is apparently possible to split the slots for ECM 3025 over two adjacent locations.

References

• Solaris VII: The Game World