V5.00ˆÿÿ<AFirehawkFRH-1KÑ ðVe D DPA0A @MH 5 5 3 2 11 4J  :Donala Coventry StarLighti Coventry-68 Defiance B3M aañ    :::ù 8 iiâÿÀó In the year 2822, just after the First Succession War, Roger Belford, a Lyran hauptmann, retired. With the savings that he had, as well as that of his family (though he was no "social general", his estates had a great deal of value), he established a Battlemech factory on the planet of Hamilton. Labelling themselves with the highly unimaginative name of Hamilton Mechworks, the factory was designed to start churning out some heavy and medium mechs to try and offset the sheer weight of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces. Though the factory was destroyed in 2875 by Combine forces (as a part of retaliation for the Snow Fire incident), it did manage to produce at least one line of Battlemechs that still exist to the present day: the Firehawk.Ë Knowing that the Lyran military would never accept a new light design without some form of a proven track record, Belford decided to try and create a 'mobile heavy' or 'trooper' mech first. After all, the lighter designs could come later. With that in mind, he created the Firehawk around the scale of a proven medium design, the Shadow Hawk. Though the movement rate was decreased due to the increased mass, the jumping range actually increased through the more powerful Pitban jets. The weaponry was also rather similar, though upgraded, from the Shadow Hawk. Instead of an autocannon, a Donal PPC resided in the over-the-shoulder configuration, reducing some of the ammunition concerns. Both the LRM and SRM were increased, to a 10-rack and 6-rack, respectively, while the medium laser was kept and moved to the head on a sideways mount. This left the arms free for close-in brawling if need be, as well as giving the head a more raptor-like appearance.2 The Firehawk was never fully embraced by the House Steiner military, and Hamilton Mechworks was always regarded as a waste of resources compared to other major battlemech manufacturers. Despite all that, approximately 200 Firehawks were produced through the life of the factory, with quite a few of them stationed with the Hamilton planetary militia. It was in this way that the Kuritans encountered them as a raiding force, sent to sack the Hamilton Mechworks factory. The defenders were destroyed, though not without a bitter fight, as the fighting wove its way into the capital city, where the Firehawk was performing admirably, out-dueling lighter Panthers and Phoenix Hawks. Eventually, the invaders wore the defending battalion down, and the factory was destroyed by the lighter and faster Combine units.7 There were a few variants implemented throughout the years, mainly ones designed to increase the Firehawk's potency. One particular variant was created in the year 3024, shortly after the construction of the Hatchetman. A Lyran leutenant, who was the inheritor of a Firehawk, convinced his techs to tear out the LRM launcher in favor of a hatchet in the right arm, as well as a second medium laser where the LRM ammo bin used to be. Some others have followed suit, turning the Firehawk-S into a lethal short range fighter. In addition, the shattered factory of Hamilton Mechworks was the foundation for Archangel Technologies battlemech and vehicle production center. As such, it is rumored that the Archangel company could, if they wished, start producing new Firehawks, upgrading them with modern technology. ç The Firehawk, though rare, is concentrated mostly in the Combine/Commonwealth area by the border. Quite a few found themselves in Rasalhague hands as well. With the commencement of the Clan invasion, most Firehawks were scrapped, and few were deemed worthy of upgrading. It is still a popular mech for poorer mercenary units, and individual field refits do exist for the design (typically involving ferro-fibrous armor overlays and double-heat sinks, as well as improved weaponry).-Original mech designed by Malakim - 1/24/2004 [ none ]Hamilton MechworksHamiltonMagnaMaximillian 44Lang TF3O/P 500A O/P 2000A Pitban LFT-65