The Vedette is one of the only vehicles produced by the New Earth Trading Company. During the time that New Earth was researching robotics, another section of the company started producing military vehicles. The Vedette was the first and most popular of these vehicles.
         The Vedette is a standard unit of "measure" among military crews. For example, most vehicle crewmen will ask of a new tank, "How many Vedettes do you figure that thing is equal to?" The Vedette has become a standard because it is a simple but effective vehicle. Mounting only one main weapon and one secondary weapon, the Vedette is considered to be a "typical" tank.

         Unlike many modern military vehicles, the Vedette mounts only one main weapon. This does not make it a less effective vehicle than a newer tank, but does reduce its ability to deal with a wide variety of targets. By contrast, the very popular Manticore tank has a weapon for every combat range, which makes it able to effectively engage targets anywhere on the battlefield.
         The tank's main weapon is the Armstrong J11 AutoCannon (identical to the one mounted on the Shadow Hawk). The New Earth Trading Corporation chose this weapon because it is the most weight-efficient, has excellent long-range capability, and is easy to replace. The designers did try other weapons such as lasers and PPCs, but these did not fit well on the Vedette's chassis and required heat sinks and power amplifiers, which the tank's size could not carry.
         The ScatterGun is a small-caliber machine gun mounted in the bow of the tank in a mini-ball turret, giving the driver an excellent arc of fire. The ScatterGun fires shells at very high velocity, which compensates for its small caliber.
         The Vedette's main selling point is its speed, which is fast even for a medium tank. Most tank manufacturers ignore high speed for vehicles over 35 tons, because 150+ rated engines are very inefficient. The Vedette can use its speed to great effect by moving into optimum autocannon range, opening fire, and then retreating as fast as possible to another fire position. Most modern tanks, especially medium to heavy, do not use mobility as their main defense. They rely on heavy armor and firepower to win the battle.
         The Vedette's communication and tracking systems are ComStar originals. These were developed especially for the New Earth Trading Corporation in return for certain favors, such as food and supplies. Unlike normal ComStar equipment, these two systems have repair and service manuals available.

         One of the battles that has earned 'Mechs their reputations as lords of the battlefield occurred at the Battle of Merak in Marik space. There was a civil war going on at the time, and several companies of vehicles squared off against an equal number of 'Mechs. There were more Vedettes than any other vehicle, and there were more 50 ton 'Mechs than any other type. Strictly on a tonnage basis, the battle was even.
         The two sides moved into position inside one of Merak's major cities, but fighting did not break out until both sides had surrounded several units of the other's forces Again, the battle was even.
         Combat was heavy, and both sides were taking heavy casualties. With superior maneuverability and firepower on the side of the 'Mechs, they eventually began to overcome the vehicle-equipped forces. Once the 'Mech forces had numerical superiority over the ground units, the balance of power quickly shifted and the 'Mechs totally succeeded in destroying every tank around.

         A popular variant of the Vedette mounts an AC/2 in place of the AC/5, and adds a short-range missile rack for short-range firepower. Another variant popular with Liao troops replaces the autocannon with two medium lasers and six heat sinks.

Ronald R. Harrison III and Rich Watson
         Commander Harrison and his driver Watson are remembered in the annals of Davion history for their unwavering bravery in battle. Unfortunately, both were killed while acting as a one-vehicle diversion in a Davion attack against an Overlord DropShip on the Marik world of Castor.

Walter Leba and William Sirjamers
         These two Vedette crewmen mysteriously got behind enemy lines during an important battle on Holt. How they got behind the enemy is still unknown, but they were both promoted to academy duty after the battle.