#BOMBARDIER FREE#By the end of the Succession Wars the remaining BMB-12Ds and -10Ds could be found in militia and reserve units in the Draconis Combine or Free Worlds League, while the Federated Commonwealth gave theirs to training units where ammunition shortages were not a problem. #BOMBARDIER LICENSE#With its poor reputation Wakazashi Enterprises was content to let the design die out, even refusing to produce the spare parts it still had the technical knowledge to manufacture, though it allowed Earthwerks Incorporated license to refit a modest number of 'Mechs. By the time of the Second Succession War the handful of surviving Bombardiers were relegated to defending their dwindling stockpiles of specialized missiles, while others were cannibalized for their parts, and when taking to the field were forced to rely on supply vehicles for additional ordnance, arguably defeating the very purpose for which it was designed. Many Bombardiers were forced to fight on the front lines in close-support roles, and while well-armored, the 'Mech was not designed for slugging matches, leading to it suffering the most battlefield losses of any BattleMech type. Such was the rapid expenditure of its specialized Bombardier Artillery Missiles during the First Succession War that many planets simply ran out after a few days of battle. The greatest of these was its endurance, as with limited ammunition stores for its LRM and SRM launchers the Bombardier could not last long in an extended firefight, and unlike other designs such as the older Archer it had no energy weapons to fall back on once its missile stores ran dry. More than 800 of these 'Mechs were in service by the time the Star League collapsed, and as the 'Mech finally entered the battlefield during the Succession Wars its shortcomings became all too apparent. Over years of testing and field exercises the Bombardier proved itself extremely effective at fulfilling the long-range fire support role, easily surpassing its vehicular counterparts and even inspiring talks of disbanding the SLDF's artillery arm once enough Bombardiers were operational. It would be well-protected with twelve and a half tons of armor and use specialized missile racks which could carry diverse types of advanced missiles. Continuing the trend toward specialized BattleMechs, the Bombardier was proposed to the Star League in 2735 by Wakazashi Enterprises as an "artillery 'Mech." The concept behind the design was to make a BattleMech that could replace less-mobile artillery vehicles, which might fall behind in an advance or be destroyed by counterbattery fire.
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