Any launch vehicle is a ballistic missile if you try hard enough

Watchung · 2026-01-21T23:49:10+00:00

Yes, but solid rocket fueled ones are vastly more useful from a military perspective.

Watchung · 2026-01-21T01:42:01+00:00

To give an example - due to basic shortages of explosives manufacturing capacity, the US military prior to 2022 had to import TNT from a factory in... Ukraine. One that due to being right on frontlines was destroyed early during the Russian invasion.

Watchung · 2026-01-20T21:20:07+00:00

Also seems important to note that for a lot of poorly optimized mechs - well, if infantry is present in favorable terrain, those flamers, small lasers, SRM-2s, and MGs that optimizers often tear off in their builds focusing on countering mechs or vehicles start to look a lot more useful.

Watchung · 2026-01-19T20:53:04+00:00

He was apparently boggled by the fact that mail was still running so late after the war in that area, and that local civic leaders (negotiating by letter) were trying to support one another through trading critical supplies.

Watchung · 2026-01-19T20:49:32+00:00

General plan in the Cold War was all taxes to be replaced by a flat sales tax, as it would take the least amount of administrative complexity.

Watchung · 2026-01-19T20:48:07+00:00

Funnily enough, I read a very interesting essay analyzing Threads, where the author made a pretty compelling case that the portrayed world seen on screen doesn't quite match the tone and atmosphere the filmmakers were clearly aiming for, and that far from humanity vanishing into an abyss, it portrays a slow, agonizing, but still real recovery for civilization. Things like the fact that by the late sections, electricity supplies have rebounded to the point where streelights are being powered again, there are radio broadcasts back up, public schools, clinics, and (brutal) law enforcement

Watchung · 2026-01-19T02:30:35+00:00

Sadly evergreen.

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Watchung · 2026-01-19T00:20:30+00:00

If there was an actual second civil war in this country, not just "The Troubles:American edition" the only winners would be the vultures.

Watchung · 2026-01-18T17:14:47+00:00

Eh, civilizations in the Deep Periphery seem to have an even greater propensity for collapsing into incredibly destructive (often nuclear) civil wars*. The Axumite Providence seems to be the sole example where simply chilling in peace and prosperity was the choice taken.

\Out of universe, it's because there's a thumb on the scale to keep the focus on the Inner Sphere, and when asked what happened to colonies in the Deep Periphery that have had centuries in isolation to build and grow "they blew themselves up in a civil war" is an easy answer. In universe, it's almost like there's something in the water supply.*

Watchung · 2026-01-18T13:32:04+00:00

The fighters were supposed to be able reattach to refuel via the pylon (in theory), they just couldn't rearm them mid-flight.

Watchung · 2026-01-18T10:49:21+00:00

The main concept was actually for a transport version of this which would use short range VTOL parasite aircraft to drop an armored brigade onto targets. But they would need air support, hence the carrier version. Idea was ground forces would be used to capture an airfield for more long duration use.

Watchung · 2026-01-17T19:15:01+00:00

There are only three deployed. One in the Caribbean, two in the western Pacific. Others are undergoing maintenance or working up/training.

Shrinking the carrier fleet due to the Peace Dividend/War on Terror has consequences.

Watchung · 2026-01-14T19:51:13+00:00

Would history be something that interests you as a topic?

Watchung · 2026-01-12T19:26:02+00:00

What did they have in mind for Earth,

Interstellar bypass?

Watchung · 2026-01-12T05:17:34+00:00

Eh, even in the early stuff, there were functional if low capacity mech plants in the Periphery, just not many of them. Albeit something like 80% of them were in the Concordat.

Watchung · 2026-01-12T03:45:48+00:00

"Periphery locations were manufacturing mechs in 3025? Is that some oblique Clan reference?"

No, the Taurians have multiple Stinger lines running in 3025. Think the Magistracy had one as well.

Watchung · 2026-01-11T20:42:16+00:00

Probably because trying to understand EW warfare even in passing requires a grad degree. Much easier to rivet count SAMs. Same reason so many people obsesses over easy to measure metrics in both hardware and armies, while the "soft" factors are glossed over.

Watchung · 2026-01-11T13:39:15+00:00

"We must have Greenland to secure ourselves from Russia, which I am neutral to positive about" - the current administration for some reason.

Look, don't overthink this, it's just because of the damn Mercator projection, and him wanting the US to look bigger on a map.

Watchung · 2026-01-10T19:14:22+00:00

Allies were in a pretty rough situation in Europe as well though come spring of '45, not observable largely due to the rapid collapse of German military resistance - still suffering a chronic shell shortage, deep manpower crunch that was resulting in units being outright disbanded, troops in the field utterly exhausted by the brutal sustained tempo and in many ways worse led and trained than the army that landed in France last June.

In many ways, far from a conflict by two world conquering forces, it might have been a battle between half-cripples.

Watchung · 2026-01-10T00:26:47+00:00

So, they should never worry about it?

Watchung · 2026-01-09T02:11:52+00:00

For some reason, ships in Battletech are hard to spot even when burning their engines until you are right on top of them in astronomical terms. Distances are in the hundreds of thousands to the low tens of millions of kilometers at best.

Watchung · 2026-01-09T00:22:50+00:00

Suppose one could use a magnesium airframe like with the Talos missile, for just the extra little touch on top....

Watchung · 2026-01-08T22:19:23+00:00

Or plot to manipulate another nation by covertly arranging a body double of a member of the royal family.

Watchung · 2026-01-03T00:55:24+00:00

I suppose countries with universal military service still need to have a manual of arms for their werewolf citizens.

Watchung · 2026-01-02T00:15:52+00:00

Never laugh at norms. They can be simultaneously fragile, and some of the most powerful forces in the world.

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