Usually abbreviated "'Mech", BattleMechs are the most powerful war machines ever built. First developed by Terran scientists and engineers more than 500 years ago, these huge, man-shaped vehicles are faster, more mobile, better-armoured, and more heavily armed than any 20th Century tank. Ten to twelve metres tall and equipped with PPCs, Autocannons, and missiles, they pack enough firepower to flatten anything but another BattleMech. A small fusion reactor provides virtually unlimited power, and BattleMechs can be adapted to fight in environments ranging from sun-baked deserts to subzero arctic wastelands.