Black Hawk (BattleMech)

This article is about the 50-ton Clan BattleMech. For other uses, see Black Hawk.

Black Hawk
Production information
Manufacturer	Manufacturing Plant SFF-IT5 Manufacturing Site 3
Production Year	3073
Class	Medium
Cost	9,366,500 C-bills
Technical specifications
'Mech type	Clan BattleMech
Mass	50 tons
Chassis	Type 3 Standard endo steel
Armor	Standard YM17
Engine	250 XL Fusion
Communications System	Garret T11-A
Targeting Tracking System	Spar 3C Tight Band
Heat Sinks	14 double heat sinks
Speed	86.4 km/h
Armament	4x Streak SRM-4s 2x ER large lasers
BV (1.0)	2,047
BV (2.0)	2,183

Description

This non-OmniMech version of the Nova, named Black Hawk, was developed by Clan Hell's Horses to allow easy production within their occupation zone. The Black Hawk is also produced by Clan Diamond Shark, though with older, cheaper weapons and electronics, and mainly for sale on the Inner Sphere market. The Black Hawk didn't excel in any particular role, be it scouting, long-range fire, or brawling, but it was a solid, rugged, and inexpensive design, swiftly making it popular with forces such as mercenary units and the planetary militias of independent worlds. By the mid-thirty-second century the Black Hawk could be found in all of the Inner Sphere militaries, as well as many of the Clans - particularly the Hell's Horses, Sea Foxes and Clan Wolf-in-Exile.

Weapons and Equipment

The Black Hawk carries eight and a half tons of standard armor, a ton and a half less than the Nova, and uses an endo steel internal structure. The weight saved enables it to mount a pair of Series 7K ER large lasers for direct fire support and four Pattern J4 Streak SRM-4s for close range work. The Streak launchers were located in the 'Mech's arms, but the lasers were mounted in the left and right torso, while four tons of ammunition for the Streak launchers were split across the left and right torsos.

Variants

• Black Hawk 2 

  First produced in 3092, this variant carries the paired ER large lasers of the standard, but mounts dual ATM-6s, each fed by three tons of ammunition. It also adds a ton of armor protection. BV (1.0) = 1,964, BV (2.0) = 2,161

• Black Hawk 3 

  The 3 answers the demands from the market, first produced in 3092. Based on the 2 variant, engineers removed the ATM-6s, which free enough space to add two ER medium lasers in each arm. The number of double heat sinks was increased to 22 for continued fighting over a longer period of time. BV (2.0) = 2,317

Related BattleMechs

• Nova - The Black Hawk was developed as a standard BattleMech version of this OmniMech.

Notable Pilots

See: Category:Notable Black Hawk Pilots

Notes

• The Black Hawk was first created by WizKids' MechWarrior Dark Age Collectible Miniatures game as a part the game's original release of their "Dark Age", and was used for both regular units and the game's unique figures. Standard's weapons layout would first appear in then Classic BattleTech's first adaptation of figures from WizKids' figures in Record Sheets: MechWarrior Dark Age I authored by Randall Bills. Due to WizKids' game mechanics, it did not allow for Omni ability of the original Nova (Black Hawk). This is why, though it shares the same name, Black Hawk Standard is not the same 'Mech. It was later adapted by Catalyst Game Labs and redefined in the tabletop game once the company advanced the franchise's timeline to 3145, with early Record Sheets first appearing in Dark Age Turning Points: Liao (and in parallel on BattleCorps in the BattleCorps TRO Supplement: Black Hawk) and later fully adapted into Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries with full background information.

Gallery

• 

  DATP: Liao

• 

  Black Hawk from TRO: 3145 Mercs

Bibliography

• Dark Age Turning Points: Liao
• BattleCorps TRO Supplement: Black Hawk
• Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers
• Record Sheets: 3145 Unabridged
• Record Sheets: MechWarrior Dark Age I
• Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries
• Technical Readout: 3150