Black Hawk-KU BHKU-OA

       In the aftermath of the battle for Luthien, Draconis Combine troops salvaged several damaged Clan OmniMechs. Prominent Kurita scientists and manufacturers had already begun a crash OmniMech-development program using the spoils of their victory over Clan Smoke Jaguar on Wolcott, but had been unable to replicate any of the captured ‘Mechs because the OmniMechs’ ferro-fibrous armor and endo-steel skeletons were beyond their technological grasp. The spoils of Luthien, however, provided numerous examples of the Black Hawk, a Clan OmniMech that used standard materials for its internal structure and armor. Engineers at Luthien Armor Works swiftly realized that they could copy this OmniMech, and immediately began converting their primary factory to produce the Black Hawk-KU. The new ‘Mech matched the Clan Black Hawk in maneuverability, weapons load, and protection. Because Inner Sphere weapons are heavier than their Clan counterparts, the designers had to upgrade the engine and internal skeleton, adding 20 percent to the ‘Mech’s overall weight.

       Like most heavy ‘Mechs, the Black Hawk-KU is slower than lighter machines and has less impressive firepower than assault ‘Mechs. However, the use of OmniMech technology and a solid understanding of its advantages make this ‘Mech a flexible and deadly machine.
       Currently, DCMS troops are testing weapon configurations like those of the Clan Black Hawk. In its primary configuration, the Black Hawk-KU mounts a total of four pulse lasers and six standard lasers in arm pods, plus two smaller lasers in armored blisters on either side of the cockpit. Unlike the Clan configuration, however, the DCMS version can fire all its lasers at once without risking an immediate heat shutdown.
       The alpha variant is equipped with dual ERPPCs and twin anti-missile systems. The AMS systems allow the ‘Mech to survive massed long-range missile fire long enough to silence the missile launcher with accurate PPC fire. While heat build-up can pose problems, the ‘Mech can sustain fire for more than a minute before excessive heat shuts it down. The beta variant also carries long-range weapons, a large pulse laser and an Ultra autocannon. Weight considerations make it impossible to match the Clan Black Hawk, whose beta variant adds two machine guns and an improved small laser, but these short-range weapons do not add appreciably to the ‘Mech’s offensive firepower. The only variant to suffer from the weight restrictions is the charlie variant. This ‘Mech carries a Gauss rifle as lethal as its Clan cousin’s; however, its medium laser does not make up for the loss of the Clan version’s SRM-4 and improved small pulse laser. The remaining version, the delta variant, carries an improved long-range laser and massive LRM rack whose destructive power matches the Clan version’s LB-X autocannon and LRM array.

       The Black Hawk-KU has recently been deployed to the Legion of Vega for operational testing. Additional reports indicate that Luthien Armor Works is cross-licensing the design to Coventry Metal Works in the Lyran Alliance as part of a technology exchange agreement.