Difference between revisions of "Medium Range Missiles"

Revision as of 16:14, 13 April 2019

Medium Range Missiles, or MRMs for short, are a unique weapon system capable of saturating an area with missiles. MRM's are unable to lock on, like SRM's.

Overview

Unlike most missile types the Medium Range Missile rack is unable to lock on, though they can be guided slightly as they are trying to track onto the reticule after being fired. This can allow for some aim correction while firing, though for best effect it is recommended that the shot be lined up properly before firing. At short range weapon effectiveness is significantly reduced due to the missiles firing out in a "shotgun" pattern after initial launch as well as their 20 meter minimum range.

While the damage dealt by individual missiles is slightly less than that of LRM's, and their unguided nature make aiming more difficult, may give the impression of a sub-par weapon system MRMs make up for it through sheer weight of fire. Even the smallest MRM rack fires off 10 missiles at once and with so many missiles hitting the enemy cockpit will be shaken quite violently. In addition, their tendency to spread when fired enables them to saturate an area, helping to ensure that at least some hits are scored and making the weapon especially effective against targets clustered together closely. These same factors do make the missiles less effective against fast moving targets, or when moving laterally when the missiles launch.

Only Inner Sphere units may make use of MRMs.

Weapon Stats

MRM's vs. LRM's

Because it can be difficult to find areas that allow a unit to take full advantage of an LRM or ERLRM rack's range, MRM's can prove to be a more effective weapon overall depending on the location where they are employed. Their lack of a ballistic trajectory after launch makes them significantly more effective in close quarters fights while they still have a range edge over dedicated short range weapons, especially as the sudden swarm of missiles can be shocking to see against a pilot who isn't use to the sight. When fired at targets near its maximum range the effectiveness quickly drops off, however, and making it difficult to score any hits on targets unless they are not paying attention.

Canon

Medium Range Missiles were introduced by the Draconis Combine's Luthien Armor Works in 3058. Their effort was based around a "dead-fire" concept and were intended to deliver smaller and less expensive missiles aimed at area saturation fire. To this end the missiles completely lacked any sort of guidance system, a huge step backward compared to other systems, which enabled them to make use of lighter missiles and launchers. Initially the weapon was spurned as something for green cadets, however it has since caught on in regular military units among Successor States and mercenaries.

BattleTech reference

Usage

The following Inner Sphere assets equip MRMs:

See Also

• Long Range Missiles

• Extended Long Range Missiles

• Short Range Missiles

• Streak Short Range Missiles

• Advanced Tactical Missiles