Thunderbolt

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The Thunderbolt, or TBolt, is a powerful, direct-fire Missile used by Inner Sphere units.

Overview

Thunderbolt launchers fire single heavy damage missile causing intense screenshake and splash damage. Tbolts can lock onto targets within 750 meters, and having no minimum arming range means that they can also be used in close combat, with or without a lock. When dumb firing, pilots should make sure to give enough lead ahead of the target as Tbolts are not fast projectiles. Tbolts can also be fired to marked (TAG, NARC) targets, or dumb fired, from nearly 2000 meter distance. Tbolt turning speed is quite low so hitting fast moving units can prove challenging and flicking should only be done at medium or long range.

Air Thunderbolts are quite different from their ground-based siblings in that they are primarily meant for AA, and deal reduced damage against ground assets.

Only Inner Sphere units use Thunderbolt launchers.

Weapon Stats

Weapon Min Range Max Range Lock On
Range
Lock On
Time
Splash Damage/Shot Damage
Type
Splash Radius
(prm/sec)
Shots
/min
Sustained
DPS
Max Speed
(m/s)
Heat
/Shot
Ammo
/ton
Ammo cost
/ton
TBolt5 --- 1940m 750m 1s 327 Missile 1.5m 10 52 600 50 20 800
TBolt10 1.5s 654 10 105 100 10
TBolt15 2s 980 8.3 131 150 7
TBolt20 2.5s 1308 7.5 157 200 5
Air TBolt --- 5200m 750m 1s 160 Mgun 1.5m 10 44 600 50 20 800
All stats are current as of release 0.14.10

Gameplay & Hints

  • Upon impact, TBolts create large explosions, causing intense cockpit shake, and an intense flash, which can be blinding in Night Vision.
  • One possible way to use TBolts is to fire them at Tagged Heavy or Assault Mechs from beyond 1000 meters, allowing the TBolter to avoid most enemy fire. These units are too slow to effectively dodge the TBolt, thus increasing the chance of a hit. One can also unleash a sneak attack by performing a dumb-fire of a TBolt barrage while in passive radar mode, as long as your target is either stationary or moving slowly and can't see the missiles coming.


Canon

First developed by the Federated Commonwealth in the mid-3050s for the Solaris arenas, the Thunderbolt launcher is an offshoot of standard LRM technology. Instead of firing a group of missiles, the Thunderbolt launchers fire a single missile that inflicts as much damage as an Autocannon/5, an Autocannon/10, a Gauss rifle or an Autocannon/20, respectively. This increased damage is made up for by the slightly reduced range and increases to the weapon's heat and weight. The Thunderbolt missile is also more vulnerable to anti-missile systems.

In CBT, Thunderbolt missile launchers cannot use Artemis IV or Narc guidance systems, but operate like LRMs in every other way.
BattleTech reference


Usage

The following Inner Sphere assets equip Thunderbolts:

Asset Type Faction Tons Tbolt5 Tbolt10 Tbolt15 Tbolt20 Air Tbolt
Commando F Mech IS 25 1
Anubis Prime Mech IS 30 2
Chimera D Mech IS 40 1
HollanderII C Mech IS 45 2 1
Uziel D Mech IS 50 1
Bushwacker F Mech IS 55 1 1
Argus E Mech IS 60 3
Catapult F Mech IS 65 2
Avatar Prime Mech IS 70 2
Warhammer D Mech IS 70 2
Mauler F Mech IS 90 2
Sunder F Mech IS 90 3
Atlas F Mech IS 100 2 2
Fafnir C Mech IS 100 2
Harasser C Vehicle IS 25 3
Goblin A Vehicle IS 45 2
Regulator D Vehicle IS 45 1
Rommel Prime Vehicle IS 65 1
Behemoth E Vehicle IS 100 6
Hawkmoth C VTOL IS 25 2
SparrowHawk A ASF IS 30 1
Corsair A ASF IS 50 2
Rusalka A ASF IS 65 2
All stats are current as of release 0.14.10