Shadow Hawk LAM

Description
The Star League era Shadow Hawk LAM was notable for being the first Land Air 'Mech ever tested. The inherent flaws with the design prevented any of the Shadow Hawk LAM prototypes from entering full-scale production.

In 2680, Michael Cameron appointed Admiral David Peterson commander of the Star League Defense Force. Peterson quickly established commission guidelines for “a series of ’Mechs that could fly as well as function as light ground ’Mechs.”

Allied Aerospace was eager to obtain a foothold in the surface-combat market. Their highly ambitious and revolutionary design, based on the venerable Shadow Hawk BattleMech, won the bid. Allied gave their new Land-Air 'Mech the ability to convert directly into an Aerospace Fighter. While construction was completed in Introduction Year::2680, thanks to the chassis' numerous flaws, lackluster performance and a number of ill-fated and publicly witnessed test-flights disasters during SLDF reviews in 2682, Allied Aerospace was forced to go back to the drawing board. The more refined X2 variant faced considerable scrutiny by SLDF evaluators in 2684, successfully meeting the SLDF's requirements but still rejected thanks to its high fuel consumption and the bad press generated by the earlier X1. Twenty SHD-X2 were built for trials with potential customers, but failed to attract any interest. Ultimately Allied scrapped the Shadow Hawk LAM program in favor of what became the considerably more successful Phoenix Hawk LAM.

Unlike the follow-on designs, the Shadow Hawk LAM was constructed to transition from 'Mech directly to a Fighter with no intermediate AirMech mode. While a smaller DAV 220 engine reduced the SHD-X2's ground speed compared to its parent design, the reduction was offset by a thirty-meter increase in jump range. The 'Mech mounted ten Double Heat Sinks to manage the high heat loads caused by flight and it weapons. The 'Mech's hull was protected by 9.5 tons of StarSlab/2 Standard Armor and had a Structural Integrity of 18. The Shadow Hawk LAM's notoriously small fuel tanks greatly limited its flight endurance.

Weapons and Equipment
The SHD-X2's featured a Newhart Extended Range Large Laser in place of the original SHD-2H's Autocannon. The X2's mounts a right shoulder mounted Holly 5-tubed Long Range Missile Launcher with single ton of ammunition. For close range fighting the 'Mech has a Martel Model 5 Medium Laser in the right arm. While in fighter mode, the 'Mech has internally mounted Bomb Bays it can use saturate targets with bombs and other weapons carried by fighters.

Variants

 * SHD-X1 : The original and considerably flawed prototypes were completed in 2680. Based on the Shadow Hawk SHD-2H, the 'Mech carried a Class 2 Autocannon in place of the Class 5. The SHD-X1 carried only 6.5 tons of armor for protection. Only one chassis survived multiple crashes caused by its faulty schematics. It had a top ground speed of 86.4 km/h like its progenitor, the SHD-2H, and used ten single heat sinks. BV (2.0) Not provided.

Related BattleMechs

 * Shadow Hawk - Allied Aerospace's initial, attempted Land-Air 'Mech design, its weaponry, and its role, were based on the ubiquitous Shadow Hawk BattleMech.