Jump-Kick

A Jump-Kick is a type of physical attack pioneered by BattleMechs like the Wasp during the Reunification War. As the war got underway, many light and medium 'Mech pilots often found themselves confronted by heavier opponents against whom their standard weapon payloads were insufficient. Searching for a way to inflict greater damage on their opponents, these pilots began using their jump jets to launch their 'Mechs into the air and smashing their legs into the enemy's head or chest. While gaining some popularity among light 'Mech pilots, the designers had never foreseen this use of their 'Mechs and so had never built the machines around this function. The end result was that, after just one or two good jump-kicks, a 'Mech's lower leg assemblies would actually be torn off from their bodies, leaving them dangerously immobilized. The problem was solved when the designers replaced the stress bars along the actuator paths with monomolecular stress-resistant material, and by 2610 nearly all light 'Mechs had been updated with this fix.

Bibliography

• Technical Readout: 3025