This time the battlesuit sparring match is between TL10 forces. The Alliance
fields smallish battalions with a mix of the light Medusa suit and the heavy
Cyclops, while the Terran Empire uses large companies with Mk.III line
suits
and Mk.IIIa, Mk.IIIb, and Mk.IIIc support suits. The TE company actually
needs more airlift or spacelift than an entire Alliance mixed battalion.
Let's take a look at the two main contenders, the Cyclops and the Mk.III.
The two suits have a similar weight, 0.86 tons for the Cyclops and 1 ton
for
the Mk.III. The Mk.III is slightly faster and much stronger. Neither suit
can fly.
The armor of the Cyclops is DR 600 to 750, while the Mk.III only gets DR
360. The 5.12-MJ particle beam of the Mk.III will probably not penetrate a
Cyclops, leaving just six 80mm missiles. The Cyclops has a 60mm grenade
launcher, which will seriously hurt a Mk.III. The secondary weapons of
both suits will be unable to scratch each other, but the 5mm Gauss MG of
the Mk.III could become a problem for the lighter Medusa.
The rapid-fire particle beam of the Mk.IIIa isn't going to help, while
the 200mm mortar of the Mk.IIIb and the 200mm ATGM of the Mk.IIIc are
overkill against suits.
Things look different when it comes to sensors and sensor countermeasures.
The Mk.III has PESAs with scan 15 while the Cyclops only has scan 13, and
the Mk.III has better cloaking as well, except for the purely visual
spectrum. Assuming skill 12 for the operator, the Cyclops has a 50 percent
chance to detect a Mk.III on thermal at 10 yards, while the Mk.III will
detect a Cyclops at 300 yards. In the optical mode, with an IQ 10 operator
the Cyclops will detect a moving Mk.III at 70 yards, while a Mk.III will
detect a moving Cyclops at 20 yards. Things will look even worse for the
Cyclops if it carries external gear like heavy weapons.
The other electronics are roughly comparable -- the Cyclops has a backup
computer and a radar/laser detector to augment the radscanner mode of the
multiscanner, the Mk.III has a larger inertial navigation system and a
sound detector. Both suits have 12 hours of life support, with a backup
filter in the Cyclops.
Summarized, the decision to mount all weapons and ammo internally in the
Mk.III has a hefty price where armor is concerned, compounded by the
effects of the optional armor volume rule. Both suits have insufficient
sensors, but the Mk.III comes out slightly ahead.
The use of light suits to augment the heavies gives the Alliance better
numbers, which could become important in a confused battlefield, except
that the Medusa lacks a good anti-suit weapon.
Regards,
Onno
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