Appendix D: Mecha Classifications

As with the classification of starship types, the guidelines for the classification of battle mecha (defined for these purposes as armored combat hardware designed primarily to maneuver on two or more legs instead of wheels, treads, ground-effect or other similar propulsion systems) are not fully comprehensive nor universally accepted. The system we use here is that adopted by the Royal Salusian Armed Forces in 2404, and also employed, with certain exceptions, by the Wedge Defense Force, International Police Organization, and Earthforce.

Note that these are primarily physical size classifications, and in some cases do not necessarily reflect the relative combat effectiveness of different platforms.

VCAMS

An acronym for "Veritech Combat Armor Motorcycle System", this is the smallest class of combat hardware to be widely acknowledged under the heading of mecha. (Smaller systems, such as the Stark Industries Iron Man personal combat vehicle, are classed as "powered armor".) Though almost universally identified with the Virtual Laboratories Cyclone series of emergency dive armor motorcycles, the VCAMS label is also applied to a few slightly larger Veritech motorcycle systems, such as the Stingray Technologies MX-39 Moto Slave.

Battlemover

Originally a catch-all for any mecha system too small to be classified as a Destroid, the Battlemover class has become more sharply defined in recent decades as developments in weapons technology have caused distinct subclasses to appear. The RSAF now recognizes two divisions within the class:

- Light
The light battlemover class now encompasses most of the "original" battlemover types, including the venerable GENOM D series, the Bahamode Industries Garland, and the Gilgamesh Corporation ATM-09 Scopedog. In general, light battlemovers are between 10 and 15 feet tall and weigh no less than two nor more than eight tons. (There are exceptions; the Garland weighs slightly more than one ton, but is one of the most physically powerful battlemovers in the galaxy owing to its Zetan overtechnology actuator and armor systems.)

- Heavy
The line between heavy battlemovers and light Destroids was a hazy one for years, until a 2404 decision by the Royal Salusian Army's Matériel Command set the lower bound of light Destroid classification firmly at 20 tons combat weight in Standard gravity. This relegated many vehicles which had previously been called light or "superlight" Destroids into the heavier end of the battlemover class, including the ExoSalusia Heavy Industries "Cyber Trooper" series (MBV-09 Apharmd, HBV-05 Raiden, et al.) and the Roginov Rk-92 Savage.

In actual practice, the phrase "heavy battlemover" has never caught on with military personnel, most of whom refer to mecha in the 10-to-20-ton range as Cyber Troopers (even those that are not part of the ExoSalusia series covered by that trademark) or by the Standard translation of their Neo-Soviet designation, "Arm Slave" (a term first coined by the Neo-Soviet Army for the Savage).

Destroid/BattleMech

Destroid was the name adopted by the Wedge Defense Force at its 1992 founding for combat mecha between 20 and 100 tons, while BattleMech (sometimes without the capital M) was the Salusian term. Today they are used interchangeably (sometimes in the same conversation), although even in the WDF, the customary term for a pilot of such a machine is the Salusian "MechWarrior". There are four classes of Destroid, with, in practice, the usual grey areas at the boundaries:

- Light
Destroids between 20 and 40 tons. Light Destroids are usually optimized for speed and maneuverability, and sometimes for stealth. They are limited in the amount and power of weapons they can carry by their size, and are often fitted with advanced sensor and/or tracking systems to facilitate their use as spotting platforms for more powerful combatants, as scouts, or both. Those police departments which employ Destroids almost always use light models, both for simplicity of maintenance and because the need for greater firepower in a police setting is uncommon. Notable light Destroids include the renowned LCT Locust series and the Coventry Iron Works COM-2D Commando. Most of the "spider tank"-type mecha also fall into this weight class, as do almost all Veritech fighters' battroid modes.

- Medium
Massing between 40 and 60 tons, medium Destroids are usually designed to have a blend of armor and firepower that balances still-above-average mobility. Most "space Destroids", those platforms optimized for free-flight operations outside an atmosphere (where their complete lack of aerodynamic viability is not an issue), are in the medium class. As they are the largest Destroids that can comfortably be afforded by many planetary armed forces, mediums are by far the most numerous in terms of individual designs. Some of the most famous include the ExoSalusia SDC Shadow Cat series, the WDF Armory RGM-79 Gunslinger (the most successful mass-produced space Destroid of all time, still in front-line service more than 400 years after its introduction), and the infamous Defiance Industries HCT-3F Hatchetman.

- Heavy
Heavily armored, heavily armed, but still reasonably maneuverable, heavy Destroids (60-80 tons) are the main battle tanks of the walking mecha. There is very little that can stand up to a properly equipped, well-supplied, competently led heavy Destroid force, apart from another one. Because of their combat prowess and tendency to appear at pivotal moments in military history, they are also among the most famous combat mecha in the galaxy. Some of the best-known examples include the venerable Tomahawk/Warhammer series, the Zentraedi Arms Marauder (a Micron-scaled adaptation of the Glaug battle pod), and the indomitable Defender/Rifleman air defense 'Mech.

- Assault
With specification weights from 80 and 100 tons, assault Destroids were once considered the upper bound of possibility for mecha designs. Common wisdom in the late 20th century was that the square-cube law, coupled with the limitations of fusion power technology, made further expansion impossible. The WDF's designers and Zetan overtechnology eventually proved this wrong, but it remains true that assault Destroids are as large as it is in any way practical to make a mecha design intended for mass production. Trading maneuverability for enormous firepower and durability, assault Destroids are weapons as much for PR purposes as for battlefield ones. Probably the most famous Destroid of this class is the classic Royal Salusian Armory AS7 Atlas series, though the Stonewell Bellcom/GM Marauder II and the Hollis Industries Battlemaster come close.

"Only More So"

Above 100 tons, the mecha classification waters remain quite muddy. There have been very few mass-production mecha larger than this, and only two, the WDF Armory's MHP-2B3 Monster and ExoSalusia's blatant homage to same, the HA73 Wiseduck, remain in production and frontline service today. Both of these have been referred to in various publications as "super-assault" or even "colossal" Destroids, but in actual fact the WDF refers to the Monster under the tongue-in-cheek heading "Mobile Hosement Platform" (what the prefix of its production code stands for), while the RSAF classifies the Wiseduck as a "mobile artillery system".

Then there are the super-colossal or so-called kaiju-class mecha, which are almost universally one-off machines built not for the battlefield nor the military TO&E, but to combat specific extraordinary threats. Big Fire's terror mecha fall into this category, as do countermeasures such as the IPO's Getter Robo and Brave King Gaogaigar special weapons systems and the Wedge Defense Force's Armored Knight G-Kaiser. Since these are not production weapons nor are they often used in an organized military context, they are somewhat beyond the scope of this document.