Battletech Welcome to the Jungle

If I had to list five things...

1) More upteched Centurions. At least double what they have now. They're legitimately one of the scariest birds in the air. Basically a heavy interceptor with a whole array of "fuck you!" at medium range.

2) Upgraded strike fighters. NOT lucifers. Maybe Stukas, since the royal variant is basically a flying natural disaster.

3) An AA envelope that encourages landings in the lowlands, where @Speaker4thesilent has hinted that even scarier shit than the land sharks live.

4) Extensive bunker complexes for both drawn out defensive works and to shelter the noncombatants.

5) A recharge station.

Brian-88 said:

2) Upgraded strike fighters. NOT lucifers. Maybe Stukas, since the royal variant is basically a flying natural disaster.

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They've got the tech for a Royal Stuka, so now they just need the plans and to build them.

Simonbob said:

They've got the tech for a Royal Stuka, so now they just need the plans and to build them.

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Easier said than done given all of one planet in Battletech makes regular Stukas and that's New Avalon. Demeter used to make them as well(along with the only non FWL source of Awesomes and also the Guillotine) but the 1st Succession War and more specifically the Capellans leveled said facilities

Knowledgeispower said:

Easier said than done given all of one planet in Battletech makes regular Stukas and that's New Avalon. Demeter used to make them as well(along with the only non FWL source of Awesomes and also the Guillotine) but the 1st Succession War and more specifically the Capellans leveled said facilities

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Sounds like a wonderful time for a technology exchange with the Feddies.

Brian-88 said:

Sounds like a wonderful time for a technology exchange with the Feddies.

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With a little patience, they'll be the same country, that'll make it a lot easier.

Hey i. Have just been going over sarna.net.
Did you guys know there is a bloodname called Weber-Gale in Clan Coyote?
Think there is any relation?

Simonbob said:

With a little patience, they'll be the same country, that'll make it a lot easier.

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True, but if they could trade, say, ER PPC tech for the Stuka blueprints now, then by the time the 4SW rolls around the strike fighter situation will be much closer to fixed.

Also, ER PPC production would need to increase massively.

Uptech Vulcans & Hellcats. They have the XL-240s being idle. They can purchase Hellcats to upgrade while Vulcans don't need licensing so they can build them in-house. Stingrays are preferred but unless they can get licensing, there's no way they can build any.

hpackrat said:

They have the XL-240s being idle.

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Do they? Weber explained that the production of XL engines is finnicky and they are largely focusing on production of engines for Phoenix mechs, so for all we know they only produced enough 240s for Centurion upgrades, plus few spares.

PsihoKekec said:

Do they? Weber explained that the production of XL engines is finnicky and they are largely focusing on production of engines for Phoenix mechs, so for all we know they only produced enough 240s for Centurion upgrades, plus few spares.

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Mind you getting the 240 XL line up and running at the maximum output possible is probably the top priority for the CAC after the Sarrisa line is done since the LCAF(especially Katrina and Nondi)really desires as many Centurion refit kits as possible

Simonbob said:

With a little patience, they'll be the same country, that'll make it a lot easier.

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Not going to happen. An alliance might still happen, but with the improved military and technology of the LC by the time any such agreement could be made the Davions would be definitely, and obviously the Junior partner in any such alliance, that makes anything more than a temporary military alliance unlikely and an actual joining of the nations impossible.

In canon the two nations were about equal and with very different and complementary strengths which made it possible to merge the nations, that won't be the case in this story.

The Unicorn said:

Not going to happen. An alliance might still happen, but with the improved military and technology of the LC by the time any such agreement could be made the Davions would be definitely, and obviously the Junior partner in any such alliance, that makes anything more than a temporary military alliance unlikely and an actual joining of the nations impossible.

In canon the two nations were about equal and with very different and complementary strengths which made it possible to merge the nations, that won't be the case in this story.

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Not really the AFFS is still substantially larger than the LCAF and the NAIS is still without a peer in the Inner Sphere. Sure the Lyrans have the means to make some Lostech but only specific ones. Teaming up with the Suns will allow for a greater boost in the stuff that can be made that isn't on the Catachan data core far sooner than could possibly be otherwise not to mention Civilian tech. Basically everything that has occured thus far and for the foreseeable future just means that the Lyrans will be in a better position not a great position. Doing the FedCom Accords will still boost said postion and thus makes a lot of sense

PsihoKekec said:

Do they? Weber explained that the production of XL engines is finnicky and they are largely focusing on production of engines for Phoenix mechs, so for all we know they only produced enough 240s for Centurion upgrades, plus few spares.

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Knowledgeispower said:

Mind you getting the 240 XL line up and running at the maximum output possible is probably the top priority for the CAC after the Sarrisa line is done since the LCAF(especially Katrina and Nondi)really desires as many Centurion refit kits as possible

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Hmm, forgot about the Centurion refit kits but from what I remember, the orders for those are still going through LCAF vetting. This means most of the XL240s made are being stockpiled in the meanwhile.

I preferred it if they had their own in-house ASF production which can only happen if the companies that own the Centurion, Hellcat or Stingray agreed in the near-term. The Vulcan doesn't have any licensing problems plus they have the production data for it if I remember correctly. It's a low-hanging fruit if they want to get into the ASF industry.

Knowledgeispower said:

Not really the AFFS is still substantially larger than the LCAF and the NAIS is still without a peer in the Inner Sphere. Sure the Lyrans have the means to make some Lostech but only specific ones. Teaming up with the Suns will allow for a greater boost in the stuff that can be made that isn't on the Catachan data core far sooner than could possibly be otherwise not to mention Civilian tech. Basically everything that has occured thus far and for the foreseeable future just means that the Lyrans will be in a better position not a great position. Doing the FedCom Accords will still boost said postion and thus makes a lot of sense

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The LC can't become a military peer of the Suns in just a decade, no matter how good their industry is. It just isn't enough time. The FedSuns are the preeminent military power in the IS, even more so than the DC because they actually allow more than military industry to exist.

Knowledgeispower said:

Not really the AFFS is still substantially larger than the LCAF and the NAIS is still without a peer in the Inner Sphere.

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In canon? Sure. In this setting, a decade down the line? LCAF will be far larger than it was in canon with much more advanced technology than the AFFS, meanwhile NAIS will primarily be focusing on figuring out what they can from the fragmentary core LIC let them have.

Sure the Lyrans have the means to make some Lostech but only specific ones.

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Nope. They have the means to build factories making what was lost tech and figure out how to make other types.

Brian-88 said:

The LC can't become a military peer of the Suns in just a decade, no matter how good their industry is.

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Debetable, but the main point is that they'll be a lot closer to one and with their industry and technology will be obviously the senior partner in any alliance.

Hardware alone without the necessary reforms is (almost) useless. If only hardware counts, today the SA army is one of the deadliest in the world instead of the joke that his.

paulobrito said:

Hardware alone without the necessary reforms is (almost) useless. If only hardware counts, today the SA army is one of the deadliest in the world instead of the joke that his.

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Exactly. Katrina is just now starting the doctrinal changes she wants to employ, not even having the chance to really field test them because the FCH were such a wild card they just buzz sawed through the enemy units she had lined up.

An achievement of not just parity, but military supremacy in thirteen years when she hasn't even gotten to prove her concept yet? While working against the internal inertia of the LCAF corruption? I'd say it will be a much more equal joining of realms, rather than the FedSuns dragging the LCAF up kicking and screaming, but it's really not off the table yet.

Edit: Hanse's fiancee just died, as well. Unless that somehow got butterflied.

I don't see the FC as an option disappearing yet. In fact, I think the growth in the Lyran Forces will actually give the combined military a greater deal of mutual respect. Especially if the changes to the military bureaucracy get pushed through. Two PROFESSIONAL militaries combining in a Federated Commonwealth...holy crap are the other powers in some serious trouble.

The Whispering Monk said:

I don't see the FC as an option disappearing yet. In fact, I think the growth in the Lyran Forces will actually give the combined military a greater deal of mutual respect. Especially if the changes to the military bureaucracy get pushed through. Two PROFESSIONAL militaries combining in a Federated Commonwealth...holy crap are the other powers in some serious trouble.

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......... And there was much rejoicing.

paulobrito said:

Hardware alone without the necessary reforms is (almost) useless.

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True, but again that's not what's happening, they are undergoing the needed reforms, some are Katrina's canon efforts just boosted further by the news of Weber's acomplishments, other are driven by Weber's concept of a fast regiment, or by the way Katrina used the ASF captain with a proven record to break things loose for ASF reforms she didn't do much on in canon.

Brian-88 said:

An achievement of not just parity, but military supremacy in thirteen years when she hasn't even gotten to prove her concept yet?

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That won't happen agreed, which is why I can see a military alliance, but between the advances Weber brings, the better military structure Katrina will have, the generally better economy thanks to both the data core and doing better on cutting out corruption (and potentially the change in laws Weber proposed), there will be no question that the LC will be getting there, which means the Feds have MUCH, MUCH less to offer.

Remember even in canon there were a lot of objections to the union, with the advantages far less obvious and some realistic reasoning for the LC not needing the Feds I can't imagine anything like the union going through, and that's before accounting for the increased objections from the Fed's side due to improved LC economy making their fears of the Lyrians taking over even worse.