Hermes

The Hermes BattleMech was first commissioned in 2632 by the SLDF. The ‘Mech reached units very quickly and were deployed immediately. Soon after they wee received though the Hermes became known as a 'Mech with problems in its electronics. The problems were eventually resolved but cost the SLDF a great deal of time in repairing the electronics systems in the field.

As for the Hermes intended mission the 'Mech was originally designed to be as fast as any 'Mech that existed at the time. The Hermes traded a great deal of its firepower for an incredible ground speed. While this makes the Hermes nearly untouchable at sustained speed, the 'Mechwarriors who pilot the Hermes usually have doubts about piloting such an under-armed scout 'Mech.

Armament

For its armament the Hermes carries two Hellion V Medium Lasers and a single Olympian Flamer. The Medium Lasers give the Hermes good medium to close range firepower if it is forced to engage an enemy 'Mech and will in most cases be the most firepower needed when facing other light 'Mechs. The Flamer gives the Hermes as second option though in that if faced with an enemy that outmatches the Hermes it can start fires to use as cover. In addition the flamer is also a good deterrent to any Anti-BattleMech infantry who may have ideas about attempting to swarm the 'Mech.

Variants

• HER-1A - The 1A Hermes is the downgraded version of the 1S Hermes. The primary changes that have taken place on the 1S are the removal of the Ferro-Fibrous armor and the substitution of a standard Internal structure for the Endo Steel structure on the 1S model. Due to these changes the armor has been reduced by half bit otherwise there were no sacrifices in either speed or weaponry.

• HER-3S - The HER-3S variant of the Hermes is the first of several upgraded versions of the Hermes that have been modified for use in electronic warfare. This variant of the Hermes drops the Flamer from the design, retains the Endo Steel structure and has half of the armor protection of the 1S model but carries an upgraded electronics suite that uses a Beagle Active Probe to allow it advanced detection capabilities. In addition there has been a MASC system added to the Hermes to allow it bursts of speed up to 194.4kph.

• HER-3S1 - the 3S1 is the second of the electronic warfare versions of the Hermes. This version has identical modifications to the 3s but instead of the Beagle Active Probe it carries a Guardian ECM Suite

• HER-3S2 - the 3S2 is the most rare and the most extreme of the electronic warfare versions of the Hermes. This version carries almost identical changes to the 3s except that one of the medium lasers have been sacrificed for a TAG laser designator to allow the 'Mech to spot for Arrow IV artillery rounds.

• HER-4S - The 4S Hermes is the most recent upgrade of this venerable 'Mech. The design caries over the MASC and chassis from the 3S1 model but has had a complete upgrade of its weapons and engine. The original standard engine has been replaced with an Extralight engine and also the Armor protection has been upgraded to five and a half tons, which is greater, then the original 1S model. The weapons on board the Hermes have also been upgraded to three Medium Pulse Lasers giving the Hermes an unprecedented amount of firepower in its long history.