Some machines were almost entirely produced and used by a single Great House. In later years, with Grayson Carlyle’s distribution of the data from the Helm Memory Core, NAIS developments in unique weapons technology, and the Clan Invasion’s demand of novel solutions and new technologies, this fragmented development and ownership would give rise to many iconic models. When thinking about these machines, one may conjure the image of the legendary Hatamoto-chi of House Kurita or House Steiner’s (and to a lesser extent, House Davion’s) Bushwacker. But others fit that niche and were produced much earlier than these designs. Technical Readout: 3025: Centennial Commemorative Edition contains information on designs such as these, even as they were relatively rare at the time of original publication.
The Swift Wind Scout car is hardly unique in its capabilities when compared to other scout vehicles in the militaries of the Inner Sphere. However, this model of relatively cheap and quite sophisticated support vehicle is almost exclusively used by House Liao, even to this day.
First produced in the tumultuous years of the First Succession war, the Swift Wind has proven to be a reliable military asset. While never operated by more than a pair of scouts, the Swift Wind is packed with a full communications suite, as well as a collapsible satellite dish to facilitate signals with orbital commands. It also features light armor and a rare sight for such an early model, a fusion engine.
The base model has surprisingly survived these past 300 years with little more than cosmetic changes. Even through the Second and Third Succession wars when fusion engines were rare and scavenged to power “more important” weapons and systems, the base model Swift Wind still maintained its GM 75 Fusion powerplant. It seems that the CCAF determined that this relatively small powerplant was best used in keeping this vehicle reliable, rather than pilfering the stock of engines for other projects.
Ceres Metals has traditionally been permitted some ability to export the Swift Wind, most notably the early internal combustion variant to the Capellan Confederation’s Periphery neighbors. Though in recent years, the tightening union of the Confederation and the Magistracy of Canopus has seen an uptick of the fusion-based model’s export to House Centrella.
- Captain Nathaniel Machen, Republic Armed Forces - Department of Political Liaison, 11 July, 3125
(Get ready for the September release of Technical Readout: 3025: Centennial Commemorative Edition with the classic Swift Wind Scout Car miniature from Iron Wind Metals! https://bit.ly/IWM-Swift-Wind)
