Guardian ECM Suite

Description
The Guardian ECM Suite was introduced in 2597 by Johnston Industries of the Terran Hegemony for the new Nightshade VTOL. Designed to interfere with guided weaponry, targeting computers, and communication systems, the Guardian was typically used to shield allied units from such equipment by emitting a broad-band signal meant to confuse radar, infrared, ultraviolet, magscan and sonar sensors. The Terran Hegemony built the Guardian for fear that their own Beagle Active Probe, constructed as a counter to ECM suites in use at the time, might fall into the hands of the other Great Houses and be used against them.

The Guardian was notable for its discriminatory nature, able to scramble all hostile electronics within range while not affecting friendly communications and targeting enhancers. The suite itself consisted of a dedicated countermeasures computer tied to electromagnetic sensors positioned around the operating unit. When these sensors detected an electromagnetic wave within range, such as that given off by an active radar, this data was sent to the computer which identified the threat, adapted to it, and fired a focused electromagnetic pulse at the source. This intense burst of EM radiation could confuse and misdirect the sensor or even force the entire targeting system to reboot. The system was also very adaptable and could be updated to deal with new advances in electronic warfare.

Affected systems include Artemis IV, C3 and C3i Computer networks, and Narc Missile Beacons. A Guardian can jam a Beagle Active Probe (or its Clan equivalent), but the probe-equipped unit will be aware of the jamming. The Capellan Confederation expanded the utility of the Guardian even more with the introduction of Stealth Armor. Contemporary guided missiles such as standard LRM or Streak SRMs are not affected by the Guardian suite and will be able to achieve hard lock as normal.

The greatest drawback to the Guardian is its limited range, which extends out to only 180 meters. Sensors can sometimes override this jamming, though by that point the enemy unit is already within visual range and can track the opposition with their own eyes. Another is the fact that the Guardian's highly-adaptable operating software requires constant patching and custom recoding for each unit model on which it's mounted. While this was no problem for the Star League, for the Great Houses it proved to be a time-consuming process.

The Clans used the Guardian as the basis for their own ECM Suite, which was lighter and more compact than the Inner Sphere model but functioned identically. In the honor-bound fighting style of the Clans, the system did not see much use, but following their return to the Inner Sphere the Clans had since begun to outfit more machines with ECM systems. The Draconis Combine also used the Guardian as the basis for their experimental Angel ECM Suite.

Models
The Guardian ECM Suite is manufactured on the following planets:

Game Rules
The Inner Sphere Guardian ECM weighs 1.5 tons and takes up 2 critical spaces. It has an operational range of six hexes. The Guardian ECM Suite has a defensive Battle Value of 61.

The prototype Inner Sphere Guardian occupies 3 critical slots, and weighs 2 tons. It functions identically to the production version.

The Clan ECM Suite system weighs 1 ton and occupies a single critical space. In every other way it's identical to the Inner Sphere version.