Hi-Scout

Description
The Hi-Scout Drone Carrier is a reconnaissance combat vehicle produced by ScolTek Associates since 3000. Gathering information equals gathering ammunition on a modern battlefield, and while throughout most of the Succession Wars scouting duties were performed by 'Mechs (such as the Locust or the Stinger), fast vehicles or satellite-systems, the Hi-Scout provides an alternative that is less susceptible to enemy counter-operations.

The vehicle's sensor suite includes infrared, seismic, sound, motion, radio, radar and hyperpulse to detect any unit within 60 kilometers. It also comes with a 15-ton drone hangar capable of housing 3 NapFind hover Drones and 3 PathTrack tracked drones. The StealthMat-Q Communications with MultiTrack Coordination system is able to transmit and monitor over 500 channels simultaneously, and allows each Hi-Scout to control its fleet of drones. The drones act in coordination with each other and their mother vehicle to create a "sensor chain", increasing the vehicle's detection range by over one hundred percent. The only downside to the system is that unusually-high amounts of background radiation can interfere with the MultiTrack system.

The Hi-Scout serves as a ground-based early-warning network for less important planets and, if it came to an invasion, as a communications and reconnaissance asset for the planetary defenders. Slow and lightly armored, the Hi-Scout was not built for direct combat, instead proving to be one of the most specialized, and effective, scout vehicles in existence before the recovery of the Helm Memory Core or the Clan Invasion and the subsequent development of newer C3 Network technology. Its tracking and communication systems were superior to anything other than a specialized command 'Mech or dedicated C3-complex at its time.

Weapons and Equipment
Armed with only a single SRM-2 and one ton of ammo, the Hi-Scout needed to be protected against both detection and enemy fire. Five and a half tons of ArcShield armor offered token protection against enemy scouts, but everything beyond a light hovercraft was surely beyond its capabilities.

Drones

 * PathTrack : The PathTrack was a tracked, three-ton drone common aboard Hi-Scouts. It packed a sensor load of 0.75 tons and reached speeds of up to 129 kph. A half ton of armor mainly served to protect it from the environment, but the great mobility and high data output made it the backbone of the Hi-Scout's drone contingent. It had a sensor range of 20km, using infrared, seismic, sound and motion detectors, and was able to intercept enemy radio communications.


 * NapFind : The NapFind was a hover-based, two-ton drone aboard the Hi-Scout. A sleek and incredibly fast hover drone, it lacked the sophisticated listening devices of its greater cousin and only had a sensor range of 10km, but retained the same sensor package and used its incredible speed of up to 400 kph to quickly reconnoiter the enemy.  BV (1.0) = ??, BV (2.0) = 13

Variants

 * Hi-Scout Cunningham : This Jihad era variant focuses on improving battlefield ECM performance. Equipped with an XL Engine and Limited Amphibious capabilities, the Hi-Scout could traverse most terrain. For battlefield reconnaissance it used a Remote Sensor Dispenser, a C3 Remote Sensor Launcher, and a Boosted C3 Master computer. Equipped with an Angel ECM Suite for protection on the electronic battlefield, the Hi-Scout Cunningham was also equipped with a Drone Carrier Control System and thirteen tons of cargo space for the drones.

Design Quirks
The Hi-Scout Cunningham variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Rumble Seat
 * Trailer Hitch