Full-Head Ejection System

Overview[edit]

Traditionally BattleMechs have used an Ejection Seat to remove MechWarriors from an exploding 'Mech. Though this technology is well-understood (having been available on pre-spaceflight Terra) the Lyran Commonwealth identified several problems: First the 'Mech was a total write-off. Second a MechWarrior who used an ejection seat to leave the 'Mech was vulnerable in hostile environments. Third a MechWarrior could be seriously injured by the ejection process, with sharpened "glass" and metal in the cockpit stabbing and scraping the MechWarrior as they rocketed past the damaged cockpit framework. When the Lyrans introduced the Hatchetman in 3023[1], it carried the Full-Head Ejection System as a possible solution to these problems.[2]

Description[edit]

The advanced Full-Head Ejection System was designed to turn a 'Mech's head into a single-user "escape pod". This escape pod provided protection from hostile environments like the vacuum of space or crushing pressure underwater. The MechWarrior was also safe from injuries inflicted by damaged components as they were no longer being thrown past sharp edges at high rates of speed. Instead they remained strapped into their command chair, and the whole head went with the MechWarrior as they left the damaged 'Mech. The system also allowed techs to reconnect the ejected head unit onto recovered Hatchetman bodies, returning them to service more quickly.[1] The system proved so successful on the Hatchetman that the Wolfhound would also use the system, as would several "Phoenix Project" upgrades.[3] Though the original system only allowed the head to launch if the Mech's torso was upright[2], later versions overcame this limitation and allowed the system to operate in any orientation. After the Clans invaded and saw the system, they adapted it for their own use. By 3052 it was available to Clan MechWarriors.[1]

A Full-Head Ejection System is designed as an integral part of a 'Mech's head, and therefore takes up no more room than a standard Ejection Seat. The drawback is that the system is closely tied to the standard life support equipment and any critical damage to that system will trap the MechWarrior in the 'Mech, unable to eject.[1] The MechWarrior is also jolted around quite a lot as the Full-Head Ejection System activates, rendering them more likely to suffer concussions, contusions, and broken limbs than a standard Ejection Seat.[1] When compared to the possibility of bleeding to death underwater, however, many MechWarriors prefer the Full-Head Ejection System.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Tactical Operations, p. 310, "Full-Head Ejected System"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Technical Readout: 3025, p. 48, "HCT-3F Hatchetman"
  3. Technical Readout: Project Phoenix, pp. 24, 26, 30

Bibliography[edit]