Land Air Mech Usage

• 2nd RSAB made extensive use of LAM's during their part in supporting SLDF forces in the Amaris war
• One key battle on the planet of Nopah during the Amaris war used LAM's to assault a key mountain fortress with extensive artillery and anti-aerospace defenses. The fortress was at the edge of a desert protected by a wide deep gorge and was home to the planet commanders as well as a large number of high-value Hegemony prisoners taken. The 2nd RSAB used a company of hovercraft modified to blow sand up into a dust cloud to provide cover for a full battalion of LAM's to assault the supposedly impregnable fortress. The LAM's hid in the dust cloud as the hovercraft acted as decoys, emerging just as the hovercraft began to take fire. The attack itself was combined with a high-risk airborne insertion of jump troops to capture the Republican leaders on the planet. The surprise attack was very successful but led to the loss of nearly 50% of the LAM's and 35% of the infantry. The capture of the fortress led to the surrender of Republican forces on the rest of the planet as well as the rescue of nearly 90% of the prisoners.
• LAM's nearly were pushed out of the 2nd RSAB forces because of their inability to use advanced construction materials (Endo II Steel, XL Engines, Ferro-Fibrous armour, etc...). A massive (and highly controversial) investment in personnel and resources was made by Field Marshall Umi Iwagama to attempt to adapt the advanced technologies to LAM's. This proved successful and a new breed of LAM's began rolling off the production lines. Prior to this, only one-off prototypes were produced or versions of the original Phoenix Hawk, Stinger, or Wasp LAM's with upgraded weapons and heat sinks. As overall battlemech and aerospace technology improved, these units became less and less survivable on the battlefield and their roles were reduced accordingly. Their continued usefulness was dependent on making them compatible with the advanced construction materials and techniques.
• As with the Star League forces, LAM's act primarily as long-range reconnaissance forces. They are rarely used in front-line combat roles due to their sub-standard performance as a fighter or battlemech.
• They are occasionally used for deep raids on an enemy's infrastructure or for the support of special forces
• One key role is to act as scouts to clear landing zones for a regiment's dropships. The LAM's will precede the main landing force under the cover of aerospace interceptors and scout the area at and around the landing zone. Their job is to give the go/no-go signal before the dropships are committed to atmospheric entry and landing, or to an orbital or sub-orbital drop. A lance of LAM's will touch down at the centre of the landing zone, scan for any threats, and then split up and spiral outwards to a radius of 10 km in order to ensure that there is nothing on the ground that could threaten the dropships or dropped units. Once the regiment has landed, the the LAM's continue to spiral outwards to a mission-specified radius to identify any potential threats. The LAM's mission is purely reconnaissance and not combat, and pilots are under strict orders not to engage hostile units unless absolutely necessary. LZ Recon lance commanders are given full discretion on whether to give the go/no-go signal to their respective regimental units.
• LAM pilots are mostly, though not always, taken from the aerospace fighter ranks. It was found that the fighter pilots could better adapt to battlemech combat than 'Mech pilots could adapt to aerospace combat. Training is roughly 40% longer than either fighter pilot or 'Mech pilot training but LAM pilots are far more experienced than other pilots upon graduation.
• LAM's are rarely integrated into a unit below the battalion level. While most line regiments have at least one lance of LAM's, LAM's are much rarer in reserve/militia units. The Experimental Combat Brigade always has a minimum of a battalion of LAM's available.
• All remaining Star League LAM's in mothball have had their weapons, heat sinks, and electronics systems upgraded as much as possible. There were no mass produced designs using intermediate technology, instead there were several prototype designs (usually 2 or 4 units each) made. Most of the prototype units that proved themselves capable were destroyed at the end of their service life rather than put into mothball, although their complete schematics and construction requirements were preserved. Once the advanced construction problem was solved, new factory lines were tooled so the LAM's and their spare parts could be produced. Those mass produced LAM's were usually mothballed at the end of their service life.
• LAM's can use Improved Jump Jets
• LAM's conversion equipment is considered an "armoured component" due to improvements in construction materials