Configuration   MV      Land MA Flight MA
Humanoid        -4      5 Hexes 12 Hexes
 

Servos and Armor:
 

SP      DC      Kills   Loc     Class   Space   Cost    Armor   Type    Absorb. Cost
5       4       5       Head    HS      5       5       HS      b       0       7.5
5       4       10      Torso   HS      10      10      HS      b       0       7.5
5       4       6       R.Arm   HS      6       6       HS      b       0       7.5
5       4       6       L.Arm   HS      6       6       HS      b       0       7.5
5       4       6       R.Leg   HS      6       6       HS      b       0       7.5
5       4       6       L.Leg   HS      6       6       HS      b       0       7.5
 

Sensor Systems:
Sensor  Loc     Range   Comm    Kills   CP      Eff     Space   Cost
M.S.    H       7 km    1000    1       4       0       1       4
Backup  T       3 km    100     2       2       1       1       2.5
 

Movement Systems:
System  MA      Loc     Kills   CP      Eff     Space   Cost
Thrusters       8       T       0       16      13      3       22.5
Thrusters       1       RL      0       2       2       2       2
Thrusters       1       LL      0       2       2       2       2
 

Weapons:
Weapon     WA      Range   Dmg     Shots   Kills   Loc     Eff     Space   Cost    Notes
Hand       +0      Melee   1K      ---     1       RA      0       1       2       Quick, Handy
Hand       +0      Melee   1K      ---     1       LA      0       1       2       Quick, Handy
Beam Sabre +1      Melee   8K      ---     2       1-H     2       6       9
Autobeam   +1      6/36    2K      ---     2       T       4       3       9       BV 4, Linked
Autobeam   +1      6/36    2K      ---     2       T       4       3       9       BV 4, Linked
Missile    +0      7/49    4K      5       2       RL      0       2       2
Missile    +0      7/49    4K      5       2       LL      0       2       2
Beam Rifle +1     11/121   7K      ---     7       2-H     0       10.5    10.5
 

Shields:
Location        Class   Type    DA      SP      DC      Cost
LA              STR     St.     -2      7       1       7
 

Multiplier Systems:
Environmental Protection        x0.3    Space, Arctic, Desert, Underwater, Reentry

Additive Systems:
Cockpit    1 space    1 CP    Ejection Seat

Weight Efficiency: -7 tons
 

Total weight: 45.25 tons

Name: Linear
Production Code: MS-44
Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas Combat Mechanics
Use: Multi-Role Mekton Armor
Production Status: Mass Production
Control System: Third-Generation Combat Interface Algorithm System
Height: 15.31 meters
Weight: 45.25 tons
Power Plant: 36,200 mW peak output, 24,000 mW sustained output
Main Thrusters: 5
Vernier Rating: 6
Armor: Ferrotitanium Alloy, with good resistance to small arms fire and fair resistance to all Mekton level firepower.

Armament:

Number	Armament Type
1	EMW40 Beam Sabre
2	E453 Auto Beam Cannon
2x5	Tigershark Missile
1	E337 Beam Rifle

Equipment: Ejection Seat

Notes: The MS-44 Linear, introduced on 1 May 2224, was a response to a desperate need.  At the time, the MS-25 Champion was becoming badly obsolete, outperformed by several American, Japanese and Russian Mekton Armors and about to be surpassed by the new British Spitfire suit.  Desperate, the Republic turned to US-based manufacturer McDonnell Douglas, which was at the time the only mecha manufacturer with any idle capacity.  In an echo of North American's ploy on the British three hundred years earlier, they said that they had a new machine in the works, and immediately began a crash program to design a Mekton that could outperform anything else in any armed force.  The mecha was ready three days before deadline, with only one major live-fire test under its belt.  The Republic took delivery and posted it aboard their carriers... and it worked like crazy.  The Linear surpassed all expectations that had been laid upon it, and proved to be a very adaptable mechaframe.  Within the year, no fewer than seven major variants had stomped off of the assembly line, and the Republic got its first legendary Mekton Armor.

Variants: There are too many variants of the Linear to catalog in a space this small, but the major variants are:

MS-44E - Fifth major variant, introduced in October 2231
MS-44K - Cannon variant, introduced in June 2235
MS-44W - AWACS variant, introduced in May 2233
MS-44O - Officer variant, introduced in January 2230

Distinguished Pilots: Many pilots have distinguished themselves in the cockpit of a Linear, but few more so than Lieutenant Jennifer Storm, who became an ace-in-a-day on 1 May 2239, while defending the Mars Serra colony from an unknown attacker.  Lt. Storm's mecha was outclassed and outfought, but she managed to wrest her opponent's beamsabre away from him with a lucky gunshot and cleft his Mekton in twain in a single blow.  In four other engagements that day, she used the first opponent's beam sabre to defeat all of her opponents, becoming the first mechajock in history to become an ace in a day using only melee tactics.