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There was a timeline document for Mech designs I will try to locate now.

The History of BattleMechs

By Darrin Bright
originally posted on Rec.Games.Mecha June 12, 1996
converted to HTML by William Ward

   Well, I've been meaning to do this for a LONG time, and now that school's out for the moment I finally got up the nerve to sit down and work out the evolution of the BattleMech. This all started when I got the 3058 TR and noticed inconsistencies with various dates in the technical readouts. What tipped me off was the realization that the Mackie was produced in 2439. I remembered that the Zeus has been produced in 2411. Clearly, the Zeus could not have existed before the Mackie. As I looked through the 3058 TR, I found more inconsistencies. For example, the Emperor, which is listed as a contemporary of the Banshee and Striker, had an XL engine, double heat sinks, LB 10-Xs and pulse lasers--all this a mere 63 years after the first BattleMech had been made. It seemed inconceivable to me that the Emperor could be so advanced, especially when it was mentioned in the same breath as the Banshee. Obviously, the ComStar records had been muddled up.
   The following, then, is an attempt to reconcile some of those irregularities in the history of BattleMech development. In addition to plotting out a type of pecking order, I was interested in seeing what types of technologies were introduced during what time periods. As you can guess, the results were somewhat confusing.
   The major types of inconsistencies I found were:
* Dates that made no logical sense or contradicted certain source materials (re: the    Mackie/Zeus problem)
* Technology introduced at a date that was not consistent with other 'Mechs produced at    that time (re: the Emperor/Banshee)
* 'Mechs designated as Star League designs that were first produced before the Star League had even formed (circa 2571)
   There are some obvious reasons for these problems. First of all, the 3025 TR was written before most of the background history for BattleTech had been "nailed down", so to speak. Second, most of this information comes from the "fluff text" that has no purpose or meaning within the actual game rules, and is most frequently written by writers who do not have the sickening disease that causes most rabid BTech players memorize gobloads of meaningless made-up history and source material on the BTech Universe. The most likely explanation as far as the game mechanics are concerned is that ComStar has its records screwed up... a likely problem when some of the records are a good 400-500 years old.
   At any rate, the following is a list of the major BattleMechs and the years they began production, with notes on new technology and other breakthroughs. I've stuck in some historical dates as reference points. By no means is this list complete or entirely accurate. Some dates could only be estimated, and many BattleMechs did not have a production date listed. Errors and inconsistencies have been marked with a '*', and in a couple of cases I have changed dates that did not make any sense.

   Year   Design      Notes
   2439   Mackie      First mass-produced BattleMech. Kept secret until 2443.
   2443   N/A      Mackie first appears in battle on planet Styx.
   2450*   Striker      The first assault 'Mech. (Listed in book at 2550)
   2455   N/A      Lyrans and Rim World Republic steal plans for BattleMech                construction.
   2466   Commando   Exclusively Lyran design
   2471   Wasp      First BattleMech with jump jets
   2474   Archer
   2479   Stinger
   24??   Banshee
   24??*   Thorn      First to use endo steel, CASE
   2491   Thunderbolt
   2492   Griffin      Early "assault 'Mech"
   2499   Locust
   2499   Guillotine   Endo steel, CASE
   2502*   Emperor   270 XL, LB 10-X, Pulse Lasers, DHS, CASE
   2505   Rifleman
   2507   Clint      Primarily a Liao design
   25??   Chameleon   Premier training 'Mech
   25??   ShadowHawk
   2510   Victor
   2511*   Zeus      Exclusively Lyran design (Listed in book at 2411)
   2515   Warhammer
   2520   Dervish
   2520*   Excalibur   350 XL, Gauss rifle, Artemis FCS, CASE
   2550   Firestarter
   2561   Catapult
   2566*   NightHawk   210 XL, DHS, ER large laser
   2570   Orion
   2571   ===      Creation of Star League
   2572   Hunchback   Successor State design
   2572   Thug      Endo steel, ferro-fibrous, DHS, CASE
   2578   Black Knight   Endo steel, Beagle probe (new)
   2581   Lancelot   390 XL (New), DHS
   2587   Kintaro   NARC introduced, Ferro-fibrous
   2592   Highlander   Ferro-fibrous, Gauss rifle
   2594   Stalker
   2602   Champion   LB 10-X, Artemis IV FCS, Ferro-fibrous
   26??   Marauder   Valiant Lamellor armor
   2610   Whitworth
   2610   Longbow   TAG was most likely developed at this time.
   2630   Exterminator   Anti-missile system
   2632   Hermes   Endo steel, ferro-fibrous
   2640   Spector   245 XL, DHS, Guardian ECM
   2650   Spider
   2651   Sentinel   Ultra AC5, SRM2 Streak, first produced for Steiner.  Only
               known advanced technology BattleMech employed                by any successor state prior to end of Star League.
   2660   Mongoose   Beagle probe, Ferro-fibrous
   2660   Wyvern   Endo steel, CASE
   2665   Awesome
   2665   Charger
   2670   Talon      280 XL, DHS, ER PPC
        2688   Stinger LAM      First LAM
        26??   Wasp LAM
        2693   Ostsol
        2701   Flashman         375 XL, DHS, AMS
        2710   Cyclops
        2719   Crab             Ferro-fibrous
        2735   Crockett         ER large laser, LB 10-X
        2739   Panther
        2741   King Crab        Ferro-fibrous, CASE
        2742   Mercury          MASC, first attempts at "modular"
                                weapon systems (precursor to
                                OmniMech technology)
        2751   Javelin
        2754   Dragon           Exclusively Kurita design
        2765   Starslayer       Endo steel, DHS, CASE
        2766   ===              Amaris Civil War
        27??   Atlas
        27??   Vulcan
        2777   Enforcer         Exclusively Federated Suns design
        2779   ===              Kerensky liberates Terra, Amaris
                                is killed.  Kerensky declares
                                himself protector of the Star League.
        2779   Quickdraw
        2780   Trebuchet
        2782   ===              Kerensky leads SLDF out of Inner
                                Sphere, Star League collapses.
        2784   Jenner           Primarily Kurita design
        2786   ===              First Succession War
        2786   Grasshopper
        2787   Valkyrie         Exclusively Federated Suns design
        2798   Hermes II
        2801   Centurion
        2826   Vindicator       Exclusively Liao design
        2830*  Battlemaster     (TR3025 suggests During Star League)
        2832*  Phoenix Hawk LAM (ALL source material except 3025
                                states built during Star League.
                                This date from TR3025.  Some data
                                (incorrectly) says early 260? date
                                but cannot have been built prior
                                to 2690s or later than 2760s)
        2840*  Cicada           Commissioned by Star League.
        3010   Merlin           First new design in Inner Sphere in
                                150 (or more) years.
        3023   Hatchetman       First appearance of hatchet

        *  = Inconsistency, error, or lack of data.
        ?? = No exact date possible from available data

In the beginning...
   The first BattleMech ever mass-produced was the Mackie in 2439. I have heard
some rumors that there was an earlier prototype that was never mass-produced and weighed in at 50 tons, but I've never seen any evidence of this. Although the 3025 TR says that the Zeus began production in 2411, I have reason to believe this is either an error on ComStar's part or a simple typo (those of you looking for the stats on the SparrowHawk or trying to flip back and forth between the Ostscout and the Ostsol know what I'm talking
about). The Zeus most likely began production in 2511, since the Lyrans were the first to steal the plans for BattleMech construction in 2455. Before the Zeus, the Lyrans had put together the Commando.
   Note that some data is completely missing. The Rim Worlds Republic also had
early access to BattleMech construction in 2455, but no data (other than the name, size, and some information on speed and weapons for the Jackrabbit, which is an appropriated SLDF design anyway) on any RWR BattleMech design has ever been published.

Which came first?
   Some astute critics have pointed out that early BattleMechs such as the Griffin were once considered assault 'Mechs. This seems odd when the capability to build larger machines had already been established by the Mackie. The Striker is, according to most sources, the first assault 'Mech, and even it outweighed the Griffin. The date given for the first production seems inaccurate. If it was really produced in 2550 (as listed in the 3058
TR) then it would have been built long after many of the BattleMechs originally listed as "assault 'Mechs". If, again, the Striker was a victim of a typo and was actually produced in 2450, then this would undoubtedly establish it as the first assault 'Mech.
   The Archer was the next assault 'Mech to be built, though it would be later outclassed and relegated to heavy 'Mech status. Records do not show whether the Archer was a Terran Hegemony design or a Successor State design, though the proliferation and widespread use of this popular 'Mech would suggest a little of both.

A 55 Ton Assault 'Mech?
   The problem presented by the Griffin is easy to rationalize if one takes into account the political and military climate of the years during which the Terran Hegemony controlled the Inner Sphere. At first glance, it seems a little odd that a 55-ton 'Mech should be classified as an assault 'Mech when much larger 'Mechs such as the Mackie, Emperor, Striker, and Banshee were being built. However, the Griffin is a Successor State design. It is likely that the Successor States (which were the equivalent to the Periphery at
that time, politically and industrially) did not have the materials or production facilities to make BattleMechs in the 80 to 100 ton range. Hence, the 55 ton Griffin was an "assault 'Mech" as far as the Successor States were concerned. 55 tons was probably as large as most Successor States could go. As BattleMech technology advanced throughout the 2500s and the Successor States grew in size and power, the Griffin would naturally be replaced by bigger and better BattleMechs.

Is Bigger Better?
   It is important to remember that during the early years of BattleMech production, the relationship between the Terran Hegemony and the Successor States was largely antagonistic. The Terran Hegemony's designs were usually much heavier, as characterized by the Mackie, Emperor, Striker, and Banshee. Using these much larger machines, the Terran Hegemony was able to dominate the battlefield. The Successor State designs, such as the Griffin and Commando, were typically much smaller and carried less firepower. Once the Star League was established, however, the balance of power began to shift towards the Successor States. The Terran Hegemony's larger BattleMechs were becoming obsolete and being replaced with smaller, faster 'Mechs, and larger assault 'Mechs were now being built in the Successor States. Many of the Terran Hegemony designs were absorbed by the SLDF and re-designated as SLDF designs, even though many of them were in production long before the formation of the Star League.

Introduction of New Technology
   Part of my purpose to writing all this up was to get an idea of what types of new technology were introduced in what time periods. For instance, the data given on the Thorn states that it was the first BattleMech to use Endo steel (and apparently CASE) and that it was first produced in the late 24th century. Of course, this would put the Thorn a good 50-60 years before the Mackie, so this is probably another typo. The Thorn most likely went into production in the late 2400s, or the 25th century.
   There is no definite data on when XL engines were first introduced. The stats given for the Emperor seem to indicate that it was the first to use an XL engine, but it seems unlikely that such an engine would be possible a mere 63 years after the Mackie. Some historians have suggested that the Lancelot was the first to use an XL engine in 2581, which seems much more reasonable. Only two designs other than the Emperor mention XL engines before this date; these are the Excalibur and the NightHawk. However, the data we have on these two designs points out that they were introduced to
SLDF forces during the Reunification War, which could not have happened BEFORE the SLDF was formed in 2571. The production dates we have for the Excalibur and NightHawk must therefore be incorrect.
   Assuming that the Emperor listed in the 3058 is an upgrade (Editor's note: According to FASA, it is not an upgrade, and the original date is correct) and the original weapons load has been lost to time, and the Excalibur and NightHawk were first produced sometime after 2581, the the following table illustrates when new technologies were first introduced.

        Technology              Year            BattleMech
        ----------              ----            ----------
        Endo Steel              24?? (late)     Thorn
        CASE                    24?? (late)     Thorn
        Ferro-Aluminum          25?? (early)    Hammerhead (AeroSpace)
        Ferro-Fibrous           2572            Thug
        Double Heat Sinks       2572            Thug
        Beagle Probe            2578            Black Knight
        XL Engine               2581            Lancelot
        NARC Pod                2587            Kintaro
        Gauss Rifle             2592            Highlander
        Guardian ECM            2597            Nightshade (VTOL)
        LB 10-X                 2602            Champion
        Artemis IV FCS          2602            Champion
        Arrow IV System         2611            Chaparral
                                                (Tracked Vehicle)
        ER Large Laser          26?? (<2631)    Hussar
        Anti-Missile System     2630            Exterminator
        Ultra AC/5              2651            Sentinel
        SRM-2 Streak            2651            Sentinel
        ER PPC                  2670            Talon
        Pulse Lasers            2696            Lightning (Hovercraft)
        MASC                    2742            Mercury

   The above list is by no means entirely accurate, but those are the closest dates I can pin down. TAG or a more basic laser guidance system for guiding down indirect-fire LRMs most likely was developed in 2610 when the Longbow was introduced. It was probably then adapted to guide down Arrow IV homing missiles when the Chaparral was introduced a year later. It is interesting to note that the Beagle probe appeared before the Guardian ECM, but there are no records of the Guardian ECM being used on anything before the Nightshade VTOL. The appearance of the Beagle probe on the Black Night
suggests that Guardian ECMs were appearing on field upgrades or on refits prior to 2578, and the Nightshade was just the first unit to use the system in an actual production model.

Wrapping Things Up (Finally, Eh?)
   Well, that about covers most of what I wanted to say. Comments/questions welcome. My data on the Reunification War is pretty sketchy, so some more information on that might help pin down some of the more problematical designs.

Editor's Note:
   A few additions or notes have been made. I asked Darrin for permission to post this here for everyone to enjoy. I hope it helps. BTW, FASA has stated they feel that the dates are more iron-clad, so where some data exists that is contradictory, unless it is a typo, the official FASA date is correct, ie., regardless of whether WE think the Emperor's date is too early, FASA says "It is what it says, and at that date". Note, this also does not take into account early variants, or designs that were later modified greatly (such as the Galahad, a Star League design the Clans later modified to its current design, or the "original" Rifleman [statistics, date, etc., all unknown, except that it was equipped "differently"]) or the prototype plans that keep turning up, such as the Enfield and Devastator. All in all, Darrin did an outstanding job on this, but it's tough to make sense out of something designed as it went along.