Hover-Drop Maneuver
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The Hover-Drop Maneuver was a special type of method for deploying BattleMechs and Battle Armor from DropShips during planetary insertions. Typically, a DropShip will either land and allow forces to deploy while on the ground, or hover above the target location from a high-altitude or low-orbit position and deploy units via Drop Pod. Landing a DropShip leaves it vulnerable to attack from ground and air attacks, while a high-atmosphere drop is dangerous to both the DropShip and 'Mechs, who can do little to defend themselves from other aerospace threats.[1]
The hover-drop maneuver, practiced by the Clans and a few Inner Sphere units, involves the DropShip assuming a hovering position in the lower atmosphere and allowing the embarked units to make a short hop down to the surface below. Units deploying in this fashion are able to engage the enemy as they make their descent, though only Clan Nova Cat was particularly adept at this feat.[2]