UrbanMech

The UrbanMech was designed for just what its name suggests: urban combat and defense, and may be classed as an ambusher. This was achieved by starting with a cheap, easily produced chassis, giving it six tons of Durallex armor to rival the protection found on many medium BattleMechs, and mounting a pair of Pitban 6000 jump jets for a jumping distance of 60 meters. The tradeoff was that it could only mount the miserable Leenex 60 engine, making the UrbanMech the slowest light 'Mech in existence with a cruising speed of 21.6 km/h and top speed of only 32.4 km/h. This was a severe disadvantage if the 'Mech attempted to fight in open country - something for only the foolish or desperate - but offset by the fact that fighting in the close confines of a Star League city left little room to maneuver anyways and the UrbanMech ' s low profile made it difficult to target. Thus the 'Mech was primarily used for fighting guerrillas and other light 'Mechs in an urban environment, an arena where it also achieved some success fighting medium and even heavy 'Mechs. Standard tactics for an UrbanMech lance was to split up into its constituent parts and occupy various buildings in order to snipe the enemy before falling back to the next defensive line.

Large numbers of UrbanMechs were produced by Orguss Industries from Introduction Year::2675 until the destruction of their assembly lines. The UrbanMech reentered production at the Betelgeuse facility of Hellespont Industrials during the Jihad, and continued to be manufactured up through 3149. As such, UrbanMechs could be found in all of the armies of the Successor States, however most military leaders saw the slow little 'Mech as a liability, confining their stockpiles to garrison duty or stripping them of parts. This dismissive attitude towards the UrbanMech saved it from the ravages of the Succession Wars and ensured its continued use into the thirty-first century. The Capellan Confederation remained the largest and only user of UrbanMechs to actually deploy them for front-line duty, a result of the devastation of the Fourth Succession War and their desperation for any 'Mech to replenish their losses. The Confederation Reserve Cavalry and Capellan Defense Force had the lion's share of UrbanMechs, followed by the Tikonov Republican Guard and St. Ives Armored Cavalry; outside the Confederation the Federated Suns' Capellan March Militia fielded the largest number of UrbanMechs due to the fact it was composed of large amounts of captured Capellan equipment. Its prominence within the Confederation meant the UrbanMech was among those 'Mechs within the CCAF to receive upgrades following the recovery of lostech; the other States followed suit with much less priority over improving other 'Mechs. Despite this the sheer cost necessary to replace the UrbanMech ' s engine and increase its top speed meant even the Confederation limited their refit packages to improving the weapons and armor only. At some point, the common 'Mech earned a cocktail in its name.

A testament to the desperation of the Word of Blake Jihad, Hellespont Industrials would reactivate a shuttered production facility on Betelgeuse to produce the UrbanMech alongside primitive "retrotech" designs for matériel starved Capellan garrison forces. This plant would maintain production of the UrbanMech in a steadily increasing volume of configurations throughout the Dark Age era as the CCAF secretly expanded before it waged war against the Republic of the Sphere. Rather than dramatic and expensive enhancements, Hellespont's new variants retain the venerable design's low ground speed urban combat focus and can be applied as refits as readily as new production.

Weapons and Equipment
The UrbanMech packs a powerful punch for its size. The standard version carries an Imperator-B AC/10 in its right arm and a Harmon Light small laser in the left arm for suppressing infantry as well as a backup weapon. With these two weapons the UrbanMech can constantly harass, or if piloted by an experienced enough MechWarrior, down 'Mechs up to twice its own size. A single ton of ammo for the autocannon, located in the right torso, leaves little endurance for a prolonged fight, though it fits in perfectly with the hit-and-run nature of the 'Mech; one way or another most observers agree the UrbanMech is good for about two minutes of combat.

Variants

 * UM-R50 (exact designation apocryphal) : This was a variant without arms. The idea was to give the 'Mech a smaller silhouette in combat. However, the drawbacks of having no arms turned out to be greater than any benefits and this particular variant is generally regarded as a failure. Only very few units of this subvariant survived into 3025.


 * UM-R60L : Generally associated with the Capellan Confederation, who have modified a few of their UrbanMechs in this fashion, the -R60L is an upgrade to make the UrbanMech twice as deadly as the -R60 version. The -R60L sacrifices two tons of armor, allowing it to replace the Imperator-B AC/10 with an Imperator-Zeta AC/20 that is capable of downing most light 'Mechs and severely damaging most medium 'Mechs in a single salvo. Besides the thinner armor this modification comes with a very limited ammunition supply, which made it unpopular. BV (1.0) = 443; BV (2.0) = 470


 * UM-R63 : This is the official upgrade kit for the Capellan Confederation's UrbanMechs, distributed for field modification since before 3050. It replaces the AC/10 with a Mydron Excel LB-X AC/10 version and retains the small laser, but adds a Magna 200P small pulse laser. BV (1.0) = 494; BV (2.0) = 540


 * UM-R68 : Eschewing the autocannon, this Draconis Combine variant carries an MRM-30 with two tons of ammo while still carrying the lasers of the R63 variant. The added damage potential proved a nasty surprise to Clan Ghost Bear during the Combine-Ghost Bear War. BV (2.0) = 561


 * UM-R69 : This Free Worlds League variant upgrades the autocannon to an UAC/10 and the laser to an ER small laser. This is all made possible by upgrading to five tons of ferro-fibrous armor and the removal of one single heat sink. While the ultra-class autocannon provides superior firepower, it can also eat through the single ton of ammunition at an alarming rate. BV (2.0) = 589


 * UM-R70 : The Federated Suns -R70 model is an upgrade that has greater potential than the -R63 by using ferro-fibrous armor and mounting a rotary autocannon/5, fed by two tons of ammunition. For backup weapons, it carries an ER medium laser and ER small laser. BV (1.0) = 604; BV (2.0) = 724


 * UM-R80 : This variant carries a snub-nose PPC, small pulse laser, TAG, Beagle active probe, and Guardian ECM suite. It retains the small laser of the standard UrbanMech as well. Improved jump jets help the UrbanMech move around the city it defends more effectively. BV (2.0) = 699


 * UM-AIV : This variant of the UrbanMech replaces the standard weaponry with an Arrow IV missile launcher and ER medium laser. It requires an endo steel chassis and small cockpit to provide room, and the UrbanMech can only carry ten rounds for the Arrow system. Despite these limitations, it is still a decent fire support unit. Notably, it can be used to launch nuclear-tipped Arrow IV missiles (see Notes below). BV (2.0) = 603


 * UM-R90 SuburbanMech : This redesign was created by Hanse Davion as a way to reduce the power of Michael Hasek-Davion by fixing AFFS supply lines. The SuburbanMech is visually identical to an UrbanMech but has a larger engine that allows it to reach 54 km/h. The autocannon is replaced with a single PPC and two medium lasers. The small laser remains in place, but jump range has been increased to 90 meters. 13 single heat sinks struggle to dissipate the heat of an alpha strike. BV (2.0) = 773. This variant first appeared in BattleTechnology, Issue #18 (1992), created by Craig Reed and Robert Madson, and was picked up in the 2019 Urban Warfare expansion for the BattleTech video game by Harebrained Schemes.


 * UM-R93 : First appeared in 3130, this Capellan Confederation Dark Age era upgrade of the UrbanMech carries a plasma rifle, ER medium laser, and ER small laser. Additionally, it carries 12 tons of hardened armor which, while making it as tough as many medium 'Mechs, reduces its already slow speed even further. BV (2.0) = 894


 * UM-R96 : Another field refit developed by chronic tinker Njord Wing in 3149, the R96 is an evolution of the R80 with features of Wing's R93 refit. The R80's snub-nose PPC serves as the R96's main weapon, supported by a small X-Pulse laser, reducing its logistical needs. The weight saved allows the use of the R93's hardened armor shell for enhanced protection at the cost of speed. This is partially offset with the addition of three improved jump jets giving the new model a 90 meter range. BV (2.0) = 852


 * UM-R100 SuburbanMech : A variant proposed during the Clan Invasion but ultimately never put into production because of high cost and the Clan Invasion, this SuburbanMech would have used a 120-rated engine to reach a running speed of 64 km/h and power four jump jets. 10 double heat sinks were to be installed, and the PPC would be swapped for an extended-range model but the rest of the weaponry matched the UM-R90 variant. Six and a half tons of armor would be carried. BV (2.0) = 915

Apocryphal Variants

 * "Machine Gun variant" : In Technical Readout: 3050 Revised ' s entry for the UM-R63 UrbanMech, it is noted that the -R63's small pulse laser was substituted for "the machine gun". As the original UrbanMech has no machine gun, it has been speculated that a previously unknown Capellan UrbanMech variant exists, in which a machine gun and half a ton of ammo would take the place of the curious and largely useless eleventh single heat sink found on the standard -R60 and most other models including even the -R63. However, this supposed variant is pure conjecture. It was not mentioned in the original TR 3050, the reference was deleted entirely from TR3050U, no record sheet was ever created, and no MUL entry exists. BV (1.0) = 448; BV (2.0) = 492

From MechWarrior Online:
 * UM-K9 K-9 : Complete with a light bar, the K-9 is an UrbanMech refitted for use by a planetary police department. The standard variant's AC/10 is swapped for a UAC/5 and the left arm small laser is updated to a large laser, with two small lasers mounted in the center torso. While its ground speed remains unchanged, the K-9 ' s heavier weapons loadout is made possible through the use of an endo steel chassis and mounting 10 double heat sinks.


 * UM-SC Street Cleaner : Themed as the UrbanMech utilized by an unnamed member of Philip Capet's Capellan Mafia during Capet's final duel against Justin Allard in Solaris VII, the "Street Cleaner" is very similar to the standard UrbanMech, featuring an AC/10, supported by a small laser and jump jets.

Design Quirks
The UrbanMech has the following Design Quirks:
 * Extended Torso Twist
 * Narrow/Low Profile
 * No/Minimal Arms

The UM-R93 UrbanMech variant is subject to the following Design Quirks:
 * Extended Torso Twist
 * Narrow/Low Profile
 * No/Minimal Arms

Notable pilots

 * See: Category:Notable UrbanMech Pilots

Related BattleMechs

 * UrbanMech IIC - The UrbanMech was one of the 'Mechs carried on the Exodus with General Kerensky and the remnants of the SLDF. Their descendants, the Clans, fully upgraded the design, arming it with an Ultra AC/10 and ER Small Laser.