Many small manufacturers entered the BattleMech industry as tensions mounted near the time of the fall of the Star League. In this period, HartfordCo, well-known for producing fine communications and targeting systems, began constructing 'Mechs on their home planet of Bryant near Earth. Their single contribution to battlefield technology was the Cicada. With Bergan Industries holding almost a total monopoly on the contracts for small recon 'Mechs, HartfordCo proposed a 'Mech heavier than the Locust made by Bergan. It would be armed with the well proven Magna laser systems, and be as fast as the Locust but weighing twice as much. Most important, the price was right. The Star League took a limited contract for the Cicada, shipping it to replace many of the Locusts lost in border areas. The number of Cicadas produced was limited, due to the size of the manufacturer's facilities on Bryant. With the fall of the Star League, the proximity of the facilities to all of the warring Houses made the planet the target of many raids. In fact, that is how many of the Cicadas stored on Bryant found their way into the arsenals of all five Successor Houses.

Source: Technical Readout 3025
Armament:
2 Medium Lasers
1 Small Laser