Name:  Look-Down Radar
Type (Category):  Equipment (Other)
Reference:  Tactical Operations: Advanced Units & Equipment (p. 152)

Description:
Handy equipment employed by satellites since practically the dawn of spaceflight, satellite imagers are specialized orbit-to-surface cameras that have been used through the centuries to monitor everything from planetary weather and pollution patterns to troop movements and even—under more insidious circumstances—the activities of common folk living under less trusting rulers. The most common imager types seen today perform many of these tasks over almost every civilized world in the Inner Sphere and Clan space. Despite their collective name, satellite imagers may be employed by other spacecraft as well.

Often used as a satellite imager, but also common on aircraft and fighters, look-down radar is an active sensor system that relies on radio signals to map the ground below, picking out targets as anomalies in the terrain contours. However, this system remains susceptible to ECM jamming and similar effects.

Game Rules:
Satellite Imagers of all types have a maximum effective sensor range of 30 hexes on the Space or the High-Altitude Map. Imagers used exclusively in space to detect other spaceborne targets provide no significant impact in game play beyond identifying a unit and assessing its condition. However, when an imager is available and focused on a ground battlefield, it can provide bonuses to any force able to access the imager’s feed.
Aerospace units and manned satellites equipped with imagers can automatically provide these bonuses to friendly ground forces that include at least one unit with a minimum of 4 tons’ worth of manned Communications Equipment. Hostile or neutral units carrying imagers and unmanned units with imagers may be “hacked” for these same benefits by any unit with a minimum of 5 tons’ worth of manned Communications Equipment—regardless of the hacking unit’s affiliation—on a successful 2D6 roll of 9+ (11+, if the imager is on a hostile unit). To perform this hack, however, the unit may make no Weapon Attacks in that turn, and any benefits obtained from the satellite feed will begin in the following turn.
Units with multiple Satellite Imagers provide all the features of each imager concurrently, but do not stack any Initiative modifiers they provide. Initiative modifiers provided by Satellite Imagers are negated if opposing sides successfully access the same imager type. Hacking a unit with imagers only provides the bonuses of the imager system(s) on the hacked unit, with the same effects as noted above.

Critical hits to a Satellite Imager, or to the Communications Equipment of a receiving unit, the destruction of either the imager unit or its receiver, and any ECM effects (including those of friendly systems; Satellite Imagers are not as sophisticated as military C3 equipment) between the imager and any receivers automatically disable the link and negate all bonuses provided by the imager’s use. If the imager was hacked to attain this link, the connection is lost for the remainder of the scenario; otherwise, the connection can be re-established after (or if) the interference clears.

Look-Down Radar is an item that can be installed on tournament-legal units (see p. 227, TM) but has no effect. If playing under Advanced Rules, Look-Down Radar provides its bonuses only if the local weather over the target battlefield is clear, foggy, overcast, cloudy, rainy, snowy or vacuum. This item then provides a +1 initiative modifier for the friendly receiving unit’s force as long as the connection is maintained. Furthermore, if Look-Down Radar is accessed during the Weapon Attack Phase of the first turn of game play (or prior to the start of play), it also forces the controlling player of any hostile units to roll 2D6 for each hidden unit on the battlefield, revealing any non-infantry unit on a result of 8+ unless the unit mounts an active ECM, Null-Signature System, Void-Signature System, or Stealth Armor of any kind (excepting visual camouflage systems). Infantry units and units located underwater, within heavy or ultra-heavy woods or jungle hexes, within a building or underground are also immune to Look-Down Radar detection.

Combat Vehicles

Prototype Date:	—
Production Date:	PS
Extinction Date:	—
Recovery Date:	—

Combat Vehicle Specific Construction Rules

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE * See rules for this equipment

RULES LEVEL PROGRESSION TABLE
ALPHA STRIKE WEAPON CONVERSION TABLE
Special Unit Abilities

MegaMek Output → Critical Slot:  ISLookDownRadar

Prototype Date:	—
Production Date:	PS
Extinction Date:	—
Recovery Date:	—

Combat Vehicle Specific Construction Rules

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE * See rules for this equipment

RULES LEVEL PROGRESSION TABLE
ALPHA STRIKE WEAPON CONVERSION TABLE
Special Unit Abilities

MegaMek Output → Critical Slot:  CLLookDownRadar