Target Acquisition Gear
Sarna News
- HEXTECH Review - Wave 3 Brings More Urban Options To Your Battlefield
- Your BattleTech News Round-Up For March, 2024
- Crashing 'Mechs With Jennifer Brozek, Author Of The Rogue Academy Trilogy
- Getting The Word Out With Rem Alternis, Catalyst Community & Marketing Director
- Bad 'Mechs - Yeoman
- Read more →
| Target Acquisition Gear | |
| Production information | |
| Type | Equipment |
| Tech Base | Clan / Inner Sphere (IS)[1] |
| Year Availability | Clan = 2830 |
| Year Introduced | Clan = 2830 CHH |
| Year Extinction | IS = 2835 IS[2] |
| Year Reintroduced | IS = 3044 FC[2][3] |
| Technology Rating | E[4] |
| Availability Ratings | E[2]/F[2]/D[2] |
| Technical specifications | |
| Heat | 0[4] |
| Damage | N/A[4] |
| Minimum Range | 0[4] |
| Short Range | 1-5[4] |
| Medium Range | 6-9[4] |
| Long Range | 10-15[4] |
| Tons | 1[4] |
| Critical Slots | 1[4] |
| Ammo Per Ton | N/A |
| Cost (unloaded) | 50,000[2] |
| Ammo Cost (per ton) | N/A[4] |
| BV (1.0) | N/A |
| BV (2.0) | See Semi-Guided LRM |
Contents
Description
Target Acquisition Gear (TAG) is an advanced targeting device for use by artillery spotters. While laser designators had been in use for centuries, the development of laser-spoofing systems had decreased their usability by the 26th century. To foil these countermeasures TAG utilizes several systems at once to accurately mark the target. The first is a multi-frequency laser emission diode which paints the target with an infrared laser beam for a smart weapon to track. Mated to the designator is a highly-sensitive polarized electromagnetic sensor which detects if the target starts emitting corresponding laser beams to throw off the incoming smart weapon. If the sensor does detect these countermeasures in action, the targeting laser begins quickly shifting the frequency of its beam at random to throw off the countermeasures. Information on the changing frequencies are continually transmitted to the smart weapon via tight-beam, multi-frequency laser communication system so that it tracks the correct laser designator.[5][1]
The system was first introduced by the Terran Hegemony in 2600, but it became lostech during the Succession Wars until it was recovered by the Federated Commonwealth in 3044. TAG is compatible with systems such as Arrow IV Homing Missiles or Semi-Guided LRM munitions.[1]
Models
The Target Acquisition Gear is manufactured on the following planets:
| Brand | Planet | Company | Used by | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Churchill 442x TAG | Capella | Ceres Metals Industries | ??? | [citation needed] |
| CherrySeed Bullseye | Arc-Royal | Winston-CherrySeed Consolidated | ??? | [citation needed] |
| Garret Mole | Mendham | Mendham Electronics | ??? | [citation needed] |
| Garret Mole | Dalton | Garret SatComm | ??? | [citation needed] |
| Tanadi Forward-1 | Hachiman | Tanadi Computers | ??? | [citation needed] |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 TechManual, p. 238, "Target Acquisition Gear (Tag)"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 TechManual, p. 292, "Heavy Weapons And Equipment (Cont) - Table"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 TechManual Errata v3.1, p. 20
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 TechManual, p. 342, "Inner Sphere Heavy Weapons And Equipment Table"
- ↑ Era Report: 2750, p. 103, "TAG"