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The Apple Churchill Hawkeye 4077 weapons linkage system is an example of the resurgence of the Capellan Confederation’s capabilities in the cutting edge battlefield electronics technology. The linkage system is an advanced weapon coordination and targeting selection computer. It links the targeting subsystems of weapons of the same type and size that are located in the same physical area of a BattleMech or combat vehicle (i.e., all in the right torso, left torso, etc.), and causes these weapons to act as a single weapon firing at a single target.
No longer will the enemy sneer at a machinegun-armed ‘Mech! By using a linkage system, a light BattleMech with machineguns becomes a lethal opponent.
Linked LRM launchers have some minor problems when fired indirectly, exhibiting the computer equivalent of stubbornness, but Apple Churchill is working on correcting this bit of electronic "misbehavior. At present, Apple Churchill factories on Sian are the only place that the linkage system is being manufactured, and the system is being retro-fitted into may of the Confederations light and recon lances located primarily along the Andurian border of the Free Worlds League and the entire Periphery frontier. Despite some of the strongest military equipment regulations against such activity, some linkages are finding their way into service with mercenary units serving in the Free Worlds League nations of Andurian and Oriente - an occurrence which the new Chancellor of the Confederation would stop if he could get his hands on the officers involved.
Game Notes:
Any linked weapons must be of the same type and the same size. For example, only machineguns can be linked to machineguns, and machineguns cannot be linked with medium lasers. Any number of weapons may be. linked together, but they must all be located in the same area of the BattleMech, and the requirements of the weapons for tonnage and critical space will impose further restrictions. For example, a 40-ton Clint replaces the ER PPC in its arm with three SAM4s and a linkage system, and replaces its two medium pulse lasers with three small pulse lasers and a weapon linkage in its left torso. This weapon mix causes no
change in the 'Mech tonnage, but does add three critical hit locations more than normal.
Any 'Mech linked with linked weapons must activate the system at the start of any game before any 'Mechs have moved. The player announces the fact that the linkage is being activated and rolls 2D6 for each linkage. On 4+, the linkage is activated. Once turned on, the system remains active until shut off. To deactivate a linkage system (so that the weapons may be fired individually), no roll is needed, but again, the player must announce this decision at the beginning of the turn. Weapons which are linked may not be fired individually during any turn in which the link is active
.
A linked system attacks as a single weapon; no matter how many weapons are linked together, only a single attack roll is made. Linked weapons are dealt with as a single unit for to-hit purposes, as well as damage and heat point calculations. Any other facets of the weapons in question are dealt with individually. For example, three linked small pulse lasers located in the Clint's left torso are fired as a single weapon; the damage is calculated as a single hit (3x3=9damage points); and the heat generated is combined (3x2=6 heat points). The total number of missiles launched from the three SRM4s in the arm (3x4= 12) are calculated in a like manner, as is the heat (3x3=9 heat points).
Ammunition usage, when applicable, is always dealt with individually for each weapon in a link.
One of the strengths of the linkage system IS that it causes all linked weapons to hit and damage the same area of the target. When fired, all linked energy weapons and ballistic weapons are attacking the same target area. However, due to their size, complexity and requirements of mandatory pilot supervision, LB-X and Ultra AC weapons cannot ever be linked together. For example, the Clint fires its linked small pulse lasers at an enemy Javelin, doing 9 points (3x3=9) of damage to its center torso, melting through the armor and doing some internal structure damage. This generates 6 heat points for the Clint. The flight of 12 missiles which follow the laser attack also hit the target, and must roll on the 10 column of the Missile Hits Table (round off any odd numbers to the nearest column, using the lower column if the number falls exactly in between the two). The result is that six missiles strike the Javelin-two in the left torso, one in the right leg, one in the left arm, one in the right arm and one in the center torso-further complicating the Javelin pilot's day by causing an engine critical hit! The Clint generates 9 heat points from this.
The linkage system is not as effective with missiles as it is with direct fire weapons. The to-hit ability and hit location by linked missile launchers are still determined as normal. The only advantage to linking missile launchers is to increase the volume of missiles fired. When missile launch ers are linked together, only those launchers which fire 10 or less missiles at a time may be linked. Due to the limitations of access that the linkage can place upon the sensor array of a BattleMech, no linked missile systems may ever launch more than 20 missiles at one firing. The linkage computer simply cannot handle the flight trajectory calculations required for more than 20 missiles. The linkage system is incompatible with SRM Streak and Artemis fire control systems, and any missile launchers equipped with these systems cannot be linked.
Linked LRM launchers do exhibit a small problem when fired indirectly. Although linked LRMs do fire on an indirect trajectory, the linkage computer appears to "resist" this method of use, generating a +1 to the to- hit number in addition to the usual +1 modifier for indirect firing.
If a weapon which is part of an active linkage is damaged, a roll must be made to see if the linkage is disrupted. Ro112D6, and on a 7 + the linkage remains active. A failed roll means the linkage computer has temporarily crashed and needs to reboot and recalibrate itself. Linkage deactivated in this manner may be re-established at the beginning of the next turn with a normal activation roll of 4+ on 2D6, but the damaged weapon will not be available. For example, the Clint, with three linked small pulse lasers in the left torso, takes critical damage to one of the lasers. A roll of 5 indicates that the linkage shuts down because of the loss of the weapon. At the beginning of the next turn, a roll of 6 means that the linkage again activates; this time with only two small pulse lasers linked together.
Linkage equipment weighs one ton and takes up one critical space, no matter how many weapons it is linking. It must be placed in the same area in which the weapons that are being linked are located. The Apple Churchill Hawkeye 4077 weapon linkage system costs 100,000 C-Bills per unit.
Game Information
Weight: 1 ton
Space required: 1 Critical slot per 4077 WLS
Cost: 100,000 C-Bills
Information from the article by Vincent J. Tognarelli and Ryan Gore in Challenge Magazine Issue #67
No longer will the enemy sneer at a machinegun-armed ‘Mech! By using a linkage system, a light BattleMech with machineguns becomes a lethal opponent.
Linked LRM launchers have some minor problems when fired indirectly, exhibiting the computer equivalent of stubbornness, but Apple Churchill is working on correcting this bit of electronic "misbehavior. At present, Apple Churchill factories on Sian are the only place that the linkage system is being manufactured, and the system is being retro-fitted into may of the Confederations light and recon lances located primarily along the Andurian border of the Free Worlds League and the entire Periphery frontier. Despite some of the strongest military equipment regulations against such activity, some linkages are finding their way into service with mercenary units serving in the Free Worlds League nations of Andurian and Oriente - an occurrence which the new Chancellor of the Confederation would stop if he could get his hands on the officers involved.
Game Notes:
Any linked weapons must be of the same type and the same size. For example, only machineguns can be linked to machineguns, and machineguns cannot be linked with medium lasers. Any number of weapons may be. linked together, but they must all be located in the same area of the BattleMech, and the requirements of the weapons for tonnage and critical space will impose further restrictions. For example, a 40-ton Clint replaces the ER PPC in its arm with three SAM4s and a linkage system, and replaces its two medium pulse lasers with three small pulse lasers and a weapon linkage in its left torso. This weapon mix causes no
change in the 'Mech tonnage, but does add three critical hit locations more than normal.
Any 'Mech linked with linked weapons must activate the system at the start of any game before any 'Mechs have moved. The player announces the fact that the linkage is being activated and rolls 2D6 for each linkage. On 4+, the linkage is activated. Once turned on, the system remains active until shut off. To deactivate a linkage system (so that the weapons may be fired individually), no roll is needed, but again, the player must announce this decision at the beginning of the turn. Weapons which are linked may not be fired individually during any turn in which the link is active
.
A linked system attacks as a single weapon; no matter how many weapons are linked together, only a single attack roll is made. Linked weapons are dealt with as a single unit for to-hit purposes, as well as damage and heat point calculations. Any other facets of the weapons in question are dealt with individually. For example, three linked small pulse lasers located in the Clint's left torso are fired as a single weapon; the damage is calculated as a single hit (3x3=9damage points); and the heat generated is combined (3x2=6 heat points). The total number of missiles launched from the three SRM4s in the arm (3x4= 12) are calculated in a like manner, as is the heat (3x3=9 heat points).
Ammunition usage, when applicable, is always dealt with individually for each weapon in a link.
One of the strengths of the linkage system IS that it causes all linked weapons to hit and damage the same area of the target. When fired, all linked energy weapons and ballistic weapons are attacking the same target area. However, due to their size, complexity and requirements of mandatory pilot supervision, LB-X and Ultra AC weapons cannot ever be linked together. For example, the Clint fires its linked small pulse lasers at an enemy Javelin, doing 9 points (3x3=9) of damage to its center torso, melting through the armor and doing some internal structure damage. This generates 6 heat points for the Clint. The flight of 12 missiles which follow the laser attack also hit the target, and must roll on the 10 column of the Missile Hits Table (round off any odd numbers to the nearest column, using the lower column if the number falls exactly in between the two). The result is that six missiles strike the Javelin-two in the left torso, one in the right leg, one in the left arm, one in the right arm and one in the center torso-further complicating the Javelin pilot's day by causing an engine critical hit! The Clint generates 9 heat points from this.
The linkage system is not as effective with missiles as it is with direct fire weapons. The to-hit ability and hit location by linked missile launchers are still determined as normal. The only advantage to linking missile launchers is to increase the volume of missiles fired. When missile launch ers are linked together, only those launchers which fire 10 or less missiles at a time may be linked. Due to the limitations of access that the linkage can place upon the sensor array of a BattleMech, no linked missile systems may ever launch more than 20 missiles at one firing. The linkage computer simply cannot handle the flight trajectory calculations required for more than 20 missiles. The linkage system is incompatible with SRM Streak and Artemis fire control systems, and any missile launchers equipped with these systems cannot be linked.
Linked LRM launchers do exhibit a small problem when fired indirectly. Although linked LRMs do fire on an indirect trajectory, the linkage computer appears to "resist" this method of use, generating a +1 to the to- hit number in addition to the usual +1 modifier for indirect firing.
If a weapon which is part of an active linkage is damaged, a roll must be made to see if the linkage is disrupted. Ro112D6, and on a 7 + the linkage remains active. A failed roll means the linkage computer has temporarily crashed and needs to reboot and recalibrate itself. Linkage deactivated in this manner may be re-established at the beginning of the next turn with a normal activation roll of 4+ on 2D6, but the damaged weapon will not be available. For example, the Clint, with three linked small pulse lasers in the left torso, takes critical damage to one of the lasers. A roll of 5 indicates that the linkage shuts down because of the loss of the weapon. At the beginning of the next turn, a roll of 6 means that the linkage again activates; this time with only two small pulse lasers linked together.
Linkage equipment weighs one ton and takes up one critical space, no matter how many weapons it is linking. It must be placed in the same area in which the weapons that are being linked are located. The Apple Churchill Hawkeye 4077 weapon linkage system costs 100,000 C-Bills per unit.
Game Information
Weight: 1 ton
Space required: 1 Critical slot per 4077 WLS
Cost: 100,000 C-Bills
Information from the article by Vincent J. Tognarelli and Ryan Gore in Challenge Magazine Issue #67