Though the Swift Wind scout car is only found in the Capellan Confederation, it is fairly typical of most scout cars found in the Inner Sphere.
       The Swift Wind is designed to carry one scout and the equipment he needs to stay in touch with his unit, even from a great distance. Fast and maneuverable, the car carries the scout forward of a 'Mech or artillery unit to aid in his search for signs of the enemy. Once the enemy is found, the scout then tries to find a concealed positino where he can leave the car while he further investigates the strength of the enemy forces.
         Having noted the enemy's numbers, his direction of travel, and apparent objective, the scout then uses the scout car's sophisticated communication system to report back to his parent unit. After making the report, he either continues shadowing the enemy or becomes a spotter for friendly artillery fire. If the enemy spots the scout, he will have to rely on his scout car's speed to save him, as the Swift Wind and most other models are unarmed and only lightly armored.

       The Swift Wind has six large, wide wheels, providing excellant traction and handling. All size wheels are powered, have independant suspension, and provide high groud clearance. This combination makes the Siwft Wind capable of traveling over rough terrain and the rubble of buildings, though at a significantly reduced speed.
         A separate engine casing bolted onto the rear of the car holds the engine system. It provides power both to drive the wheels and generate electricity for the communication equipment. The Swift Wind and some other scout car drivers use a scaled-down neurohelment, similar to those used by Speeder racers, to aid their handling of the vehicle. Using a neurohelmet, he has a wide angle of vision as well as night visino and infrared sighting.
         The Swift Wind's most important component is its communication system, which allows data transmission by voice or code. The most basic use ofthe com system is with nearby 'Mech or artillery units. The com units in scout cars also provide surface-to-air communications, which allow the scout to gather information from friendly AeroSpace Pilots or to coordinate their strafing and bombing runs. The scout can also use the com system to uplink with friendly micro-satellites, when available, and to relay messages to truly distant points on the planet.
         Scout car communication systems can even communicate with distant DropShips and even JumpShips, which means a scout can land secretly on a planet, then communicate his findings without the need for relay systems that might alert the enemy to his presence.
         This ability to use satellites and other spacefaring vessels also gives the system some predictive ability. There is a computer-generated map projected on the scout car's dashboard, which is a compilation of known information and the satellite's scans of the terrain ahead.
         The system is also adept at detecting and eavesdropping on enemy communications. The scout can monitor what the enemy is saying or relay it back to his parent unit while the com system is directing the scout to the point of origination. This obviously saves the scout valuable time in searching out the enemy. It also protects him from stumbling onto the enemy unaware.
         The scout can safely leave his car and still use the communication system through an earphone, mike, and control device. The control device is a hand-held card that allows remote use of the system. The earphone and mike system are also small and are usually attached to the scout's cap with the wires hidden in the seams. The remote system's only limitation is that the scout must be in line-of-sight of the scout car, and no farther than 1200 meters away.
         The large transmitting/receiving dish seen in the illustration is a fairly standard feature on scout cars. It can be collapsed and folding to fit snugly on the roof of the scout car in a matter of seconds.
         Because this sophisticated communications system offers a scout so many advantages, it is one of the reasons he may choose the car rather than the cheaper Skimmer, if he can afford to. The comm system's major disadvantage is that it requires a lot of power and generates a fair amount of heat, which is why scout cars are usually fusion-powered. Because fusion engines are now rare, it also means that fewer and fewer scout cars are in working order. If the engine or the communication set breaks down, repairing them is either very costly or, in some cases, no longer possible.

       Scout cars have been around since the invention of the automobile. When still outfitted only with crude radios, the scout's major limitations were his lack of knowledge about the surrounding terrain and the unreliability of his equipment.
         This eventually changed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, when the use of spy satellites mae highly detailed pictures available to scouts via advanced and reliable communication devices.
         Scout car technology reached a plateau when the fusion engine was added in the 23rd century, and except for the addition of ground-to-space communications in the 2600s, there have bene few significant changes in the last 800 years.

       Though the Swift Wind is in many ways typical, all scout cars do not look alike. The number of wheels may vary from the three-wheeled Federated Suns' Darter, for example, to the Commonwealth's eight-wheeled Centipede.
         Nor do all scout cars have dish antennae. Kurita's Skulker relies on long whip antennae to both transmit and receive communications. The Centipede, on the other hand, has two antennae, allowing it to link in conversation two JumpShips on opposite sides of a sun.
         As fusion engines grow ever more scarce, more and more scout cars are swtiching over to internal combustion engine. To maintain some speed, these cars must also give up most, if not all, of their armor. Once stripped of their rooftop armor, many end up resembling jeeps. The antennae on these scout cars are latched to the roll bar and are assembled and disassembled by hand. To help the small drive motors of the antennae make their precise adjustments, the scout may often have to park his vehicle in a certain direction.

         Scout Mick Lewis
         Member of the 1st Brigade of the Fusiliers of Oriente, Mick Lewis is famed for his daring attempt to get so close to an enemy force that he can see what they are having for dinner. Several times he has actually ventured into Tech sheds and ammo dumps to get detailed enemy information. Indeed, many officers can tell by the thoroughnesss of a scouting report that it was Mick Lewis who filed it.