Reconquista (BattleMech)

The Reconquista was the first BattleMech produced by Nueva Castile. Invaded in 2830 by a group of mysterious origin - subsequently known as the "Umayyads" - most of the formerly-isolated Castilian worlds fell swiftly to this BattleMech-equipped foe. As the invasion slowed the remaining independent Castilians hastened to construct their own 'Mechs. By 2835 a combination of reverse engineering and assistance by Umayyad turncoats enabled Nueva Castile to deploy its own homegrown BattleMech, the Reconquista, so-named as a hopeful omen of triumph to come.

Review
While this design was hardly equal to the Mackie, let alone the Star League-level 'Mechs used by the Umayyads, the Reconquista did redress the battlefield imbalance enough that the Castilians were able to halt the Umayyad advance on Valencia in 2841. The Reconquista also had the virtue of being easy enough to manufacture that the Castilians could deploy them in company strength at a time when the Umayyads still couldn't replace their own 'Mech losses. However, the Umayyads were able by this point to build KVR2 copies of Korvin tanks, which proved effective enough to counter the Reconquista and prevent the Castilians from totally routing the Umayyads.

Over a quarter-century period Nueva Castile would manufacture almost two battalions-worth of Reconquistas, though its primitive and hasty design meant that the 'Mechs were plagued by mechanical issues throughout their short service life. Eventually the Castilians replaced them with more effective (if still primitive) 'Mech designs.

As a BattleMech design the Reconquista was a mixed-bag. Its numerous faulty components included the internal combustion engine, myomer, chassis, spare parts, controls and software. The Reconquista's slow speed and limited agility were also severe weaknesses exploited by Umayyad artillery and tanks.

On the other hand, the armor, heat sinks and mix of weaponry (autocannon, machine gun and long range missiles) proved adequate, and the 'Mech could be built in (relatively) large enough numbers at a critical time of the invasion.