Flea

Flea
Production information
Manufacturer	Earthwerks Incorporated
Model	FLE-17
Class	Light
Cost	1,728,000 C-bills
Technical specifications
Mass	20 tons
Chassis	Earthwerk Trooper II Endo Steel
Armor	Livingston Ceramics
Engine	GM 120
Speed	97.2 km/h (129.6 km/h with MASC)
Armament	2xMedium Pulse Lasers 1xFlamer 2xSmall Lasers
BV (1.0)	371
BV (2.0)	465, 510

Description

The Flea is an extremely rare light 'Mech that is only seen in any number within the Wolf's Dragoons mercenary unit. More Fleas went into production after the Dragoons allowed their exclusivity contract with Earthwerks to expire in the 3040s, because the Maskirovka stole the plans. The Flea is generally used as a recon 'Mech because of its maximum speed of 97.2 km/h which is augmented with a MASC system that allows the 'Mechs speed to be pushed up to 129.6 km/h in short bursts. The Flea has also been pressed into service as an anti-personnel 'Mech when required.

The Flea is now in use in the Capellan Confederation as a militia mech and as a technology test-bed.

Armament

As the Flea is a recon 'Mech, it has a very light weapons payload that primarily focuses on self-defence. The primary weapons are two Martell Medium Pulse Lasers. These are backed up by an Olympian Flamer which works well for anti-personnel use. The Flea also has two rear-mounted Martell Small Lasers for point defense.

Variants

Flea Fire Ant

*FLE-4 - An early variant of the Flea, the FLE-4 is built on a standard chassis and has a maximum speed of 97.2 km/h. The 'Mech is armed with a Large Laser as its primary weapon. This allows it to attempt to keep any heavier 'Mechs at a stand-off range if they attempt to engage. The 'Mech carries two Small Lasers for close in work as well as a Flamer for anti-infantry purposes. BV (1.0) = 360, BV (2.0) = 427

• FLE-15 - The FLE-15 is another early variant of the 'Mech. It represents a midpoint between the 4 and 17 variants. The 'Mech is armed with two Medium Lasers as its primary weapons. These are backed up by two Small Lasers for close in work. An excellent 'Mech for anti-infantry work, the 'Mech also carries a very deadly anti-personnel arsenal consisting of two Machine Guns and a Flamer. BV (1.0) = 352, BV (2.0) = 421

• FLE-19 - This dedicated anti-infantry variant is designed for urban defense, and is not for use against other 'Mechs. Each arm has four Light Machine Guns and a Machine Gun Array. It also utilizes a Flamer that can threaten combat vehicles as well as infantry. A single Rocket Launcher 10 provides a one-shot damage potential against armored targets. The 19 has proven popular with Periphery nations and mercenary units. BV (2.0) = 381

• FLE-20 - A Capellan infantry support variant, the 20 strips a half ton of armor to mount two ER Medium Lasers and a Light PPC. The loss of armor is not seen as a risk, since it is replaced with Stealth Armor, along with the required Guardian ECM Suite. BV (2.0) = 791

• Fire Ant - A vicious anti-infantry variant, the Fire Ant's origin is a mystery, though it was first seen sometime after 3058 and disappeared after 3068. Possibly the predecessor to the 19 & 20, the Fire Ant removed a half ton of armor in favor of six Machine Guns and three Flamers. BV (2.0) = 332

References

• Record Sheets: 3050
• Record Sheets: 3050 Upgrade (Inner Sphere)
• Technical Readout: 3039
• Technical Readout: 3050
• Technical Readout: 3050 Revised
• Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade
• Wolf's Dragoons

Notes

The Fire Ant variant is derived from the 'Mech of the same name found in the video game MechCommander 2. Although the 'Mech in the game is never referred to as a Flea, the in-game art, the specifics, and the reference to the design in Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade and the stats for it in Record Sheets: 3050 Upgrade (Inner Sphere) imply that the Fire Ant is, at least now, canonized as a Flea variant.