Inner Sphere Designation for Clan BattleMechs
Sarna News
When the Inner Sphere first encountered Clan OmniMechs (and later second-line BattleMechs) they were not privy to the designations each machine was known by among the Clans. They assigned reporting names, often based on the appearance or perceived capabilities, in order to define the units encountered. The practice of assigning reporting names was occasionally continued beyond the initial Clan Invasion. Even a century later, after the Inner Sphere had long since learned the proper name for these units, the initial designations remain in common use. Certain Inner Sphere designations were even adopted by the Clans; for example, Clan Diamond Shark would use the Mad Cat designation for their Inner Sphere-marketed Mad Cat Mk II and Mad Cat III 'Mechs, while Clan Ghost Bear would develop the Ryoken II. In some cases, as with the Cauldron-Born, Grendel or Roadrunner, the Clan designation would be abandoned entirely in favor of the Inner Sphere code name.
| Designation | Reporting name |
|---|---|
| Emerald Harrier | Roadrunner |
| Howler | Baboon |
| Ion Sparrow | Butcherbird |
| Fire Moth | Dasher |
| Mist Lynx | Koshi |
| Arctic Cheetah | Hankyu |
| Kit Fox | Uller |
| Incubus | Vixen |
| Horned Owl | Peregrine |
| Adder | Puma |
| Viper | Dragonfly |
| Ice Ferret | Fenris |
| Mongrel | Grendel |
| Nova | Black Hawk |
| Conjurer | Hellhound |
| Huntsman | Nobori-nin |
| Vapor Eagle | Goshawk |
| Stormcrow | Ryoken |
| Skinwalker | Ryoken III |
| Glass Spider | Galahad |
| Mad Dog | Vulture Hagetaka |
| Mad Dog Mk III | Vulture Mk III Hagetaka Mk III[citation needed] |
| Mad Dog Mk IV | Vulture Mk IV Hagetaka Mk IV[citation needed] |
| Ebon Jaguar | Cauldron-Born |
| Hellbringer | Loki |
| Hel | Loki Mk II |
| Summoner | Thor |
| Grand Summoner | Thor II |
| Timber Wolf | Mad Cat |
| Savage Wolf | Mad Cat Mk IV |
| Black Python | Viper |
| Gargoyle | Man O' War |
| Warhawk | Masakari |
| Executioner | Gladiator |
| Stone Rhino | Behemoth |
| Dire Wolf | Daishi |
| Bane | Kraken |
Notes[edit]
- The original idea to give Inner Sphere reporting names to the new, unknown 'Mechs (whose Clan designation would obviously not be known to the Inner Sphere) was formulated by Sam Lewis. His Army background taught him the NATO reporting names for Warsaw Pact equipment.[1]