Editing ECM Suite

An '''electronic countermeasures suite''' (or '''ECM''') covers the area around the unit on which it is employed, disrupting sensors and communications.  ECM suites exist for [[BattleMechs]], [[battle armor]], [[Combat Vehicles]], and [[aerospace fighter]]s.

While this article deals with specific ECM suites, all combat units, from 'Mechs to tanks to aircraft, are equipped with a basic level electronic warfare capability designed to make them harder to track and hit (especially by those not using with a modern [[Targeting-Tracking System]]).<ref>''TechManual'', pp. 217–218</ref>  These systems are also relatively easy to update to deal with unexpected threats: within months of the deployment of the [[Listen-Kill Missile]] during the [[War of 3039]], the [[Draconis Combine]] had developed and distributed to their front-line units a software plug-in which rendered the missile ineffectual.<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 144</ref><ref>''20 Year Update'', p. 73</ref>

[[File:ECM Suite.jpg|right|thumb|'Mech ECM Suite]]

[[File:BA - ECM suite.png|right|thumb|Battle armor ECM]]

== History ==
Though electronic countermeasures systems had been in use for centuries in the [[Inner Sphere]], towards the end of the [[Age of War]] these systems had become ubiquitous: active camouflage, laser spoofers, and other countermeasures had made it so that many combat units were having difficulty finding and targeting each other until it was too late.  In an effort to combat this fog of war, the [[Star League]] developed the [[Beagle Active Probe]] to cut through the haze of electronic jamming and locate units quicker and sooner than before.  However the League soon became concerned that its [[Great Houses|Member States]] would acquire the Beagle and use it against them, leading to the development of the [[Guardian ECM Suite]].<ref name="ER:2750p101+>''Era Report: 2750'', pp. 101–103: "Museum Technica - ECM Suite"</ref>

The Guardian ECM Suite proved to be a powerful electronic warfare device, jamming the Beagle and other advanced electronic systems, but maintaining the system proved too hard for the Great Houses after the fall of the Star League.  The system went extinct in the Inner Sphere in [[2845]] in the midst of the [[Succession Wars (History)|Succession Wars]].<ref name="TMp213">''TechManual'', p. 213: "ECM Suite"</ref>  The Successor States were still able to maintain and produce ECM suites, but these were more primitive, less discerning systems, like those found on the ''[[Packrat]]''.  These jammers were powerful enough, for example, to block out all communications within a given area, but both friendly and enemy forces were equally affected by it.  Commanders operating under such conditions would either have to lay down fiber optic landlines to maintain communication, or conduct their battles based on prearranged plans which might fall apart under ever-fluid battlefield conditions.<ref>''The Price of Glory'', ch. 6, 9</ref>

Towards the end of the Succession Wars, the [[Capellan Confederation]] made a concerted effort to recreate the advanced ECM gear available during the Star League years in an effort to shore up their weakening position.  While the resulting [[Electronic Warfare Equipment]] was a technical success, it fell far short of their expectations and failed to provide the edge they needed.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3039'', p. 224</ref>  It would not be until after the discovery and decoding of the [[Helm Memory Core]], and the renaissance in rediscovered [[lostech]] it created, that the Confederation succeeded in reintroducing the Guardian ECM in [[3045]].<ref name="TMp213"/>  In the years since, newer and more powerful ECM suites have been developed,<ref name="TOp279"/> and new technology like [[Stealth Armor]] was designed to work in conjunction with these suites for even greater benefit.<ref>''Field Manual: Capellan Confederation'', p. 143</ref>

== Inner Sphere Systems ==
=== Guardian ECM ===
The [[Guardian ECM Suite]], originally introduced in [[2597]], is a powerful electronic warfare device able to disrupt a wide variety of sensors and detection equipment while leaving friendly units unaffected.  Unfortunately the complex system was too difficult for the Great Houses to maintain during the Succession Wars, and it went extinct in the Inner Sphere in the year [[2845]], until it was eventually recovered by the [[Capellan Confederation]] in [[3045]].<ref name="ER:2750p101+ /><ref name="TMp213"/>

=== Electronic Warfare Equipment ===
Before the Helm Memory Core was decoded, the Capellan Confederation tried to recreate the Star League-era Guardian ECM suites. The resulting electronics package was known only as [[Electronic Warfare Equipment|ECM Equipment]] when it appeared on the ''[[Raven]]'' in [[3025]].<ref name="TOp310+">''Tactical Operations'', pp. 310–311: "Electronic Warfare (EW) Equipment"</ref> Given the technology level of the Succession Wars era, it isn't surprising that this equipment was heavier and bulkier than the systems that inspired it. Interestingly, it could operate in either an offensive or defensive capability: It could seek targets like a Beagle, or hide the unit mounting it like a Guardian. As it weighed as much as a standard [[PPC]], took up as much room as an [[Autocannon/5]], and had only half the range of the Guardian, production halted when the Confederation began production of their own Guardian systems in 3045.<ref name="TMp213"/>

=== Angel ECM ===
The [[Experimental Technology|experimental]] [[Angel ECM Suite]] was based on the early Guardian suite by the [[Draconis Combine]] during the [[Clan Invasion]].  More powerful than the Guardian, the Angel ECM proved difficult to develop and saw only limited deployment at first.<ref name="TOp279">''Tactical Operations'', p. 279: "Angel ECM Suite"</ref>

=== Battle Armor ECM ===
An [[ECM Suite (Battle Armor)|ECM suite]] for battle armor was first developed for the [[Nighthawk]] power armor suit during the Star League era.  The suite was later adapted for use on other battle armor designs.

== Clan Systems ==
In the [[Clans]], the Guardian ECM suite never went extinct, and was used as the basis for an improved ECM Suite introduced by [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] in [[2832]]. This more advanced version of the Guardian, found mounted on machines in every Clan's ''[[touman]]'', has the same capabilities as the original but is lighter and takes up less space.<ref name="TMp213"/>

== Rules ==
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=== Game Rules ===
* In tournament-level gameplay, the use of an ECM suite is to nullify the effects of other electronics, such as [[Narc Missile Beacon|missile beacons]], active probes, and [[Artemis IV FCS|fire control systems]].  It can also cut a unit off from a [[C3 network]].
* In ''[[Tactical Operations]]'', additional uses for an ECM suite are shown as optional rules, including defeating other ECM and generating ghost targets.
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== Apocryphal Content ==
{{ApocryphalContentStart}}
* In [[MechWarrior IV: Mercenaries]], the ECM is a selectable component for certain [['Mech]]s. It increases missile lock time for enemies and reduces the range at which the 'Mech can be detected.
* In [[MechCommander 2]], the ECM is also a component for certain 'Mechs. It makes the 'Mech in question undetectable by sensors. It appears to have no effect on missiles, due to the way in which the game handles weapons fire.
* [[MechForce Germany]] created rules for the tonnage, crits and bare-bones description of ''ECM equipment'' in the ''[[Raven]]'' TRO that was published in ''[[House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)]]''. [[Fantasy Productions GmbH]] then published these rules in [[Arena-Planet Solaris VII]] (the expanded German edition of the Solaris VII boxed set) as "[[ECM 3025]]".
{{ApocryphalContentEnd}}

== References ==
<references />

== Bibliography ==
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
* ''[[BattleTech Master Rules]]''
* ''[[Classic BattleTech Companion]]''
* ''[[Era Report: 2750]]''
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
* ''[[The Price of Glory]]''
* ''[[Tactical Operations]]''
* ''[[TechManual]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3039]]''


[[Category: Technology]]