Defiance Industries has long been one of the primary driving forces behind advancements in military technology, and not only within the Lyran State. The corporation's plants on Hesperus II are probably the most famous in the Inner Sphere, but its facilities on Furillo, though unable to produce the sheer volumes of equipment that the Hesperus plants do, are no less capable. Furillo's general manager, Duke Thelonius Gracchi, felt nonetheless that even within Defiance his divisions were considered second-rate. In an effort to boost Defiance Furillo's image and increase morale among his thousands of employees, he commissioned the Uziel and personally sold the new 'Mech to units within both the LAAF and the AFFC.

The Uziel is not a groundbreaking BattleMech design, especially when compared with some of the new designs to come out of Hesperus II. It does, however, incorporate several newly developed weapon systems into an effective combat package. The main production version is designed for 'Mech units that specialize in harassment. Its LB 2-X autocannon gives it the ability to reach out and damage an enemy from extreme ranges. Though the weapon does relatively little damage, it is ideal for hit-and-fade tactics, arresting the enemy's attention and either driving them into a trap or simply harassing them from afar. The Uziel, however, is not primarily a ranged-attack 'Mech. It mounts a battery of various-class lasers as well as an SRM 6 launcher, giving it a short-range barrage that is tough to beat in an Inner Sphere 'Mech of its size. Though the Furillo plant and its Uziel are still looked down upon by many within both the LAAF and Defiance, the 'Mech was in great demand during the Fifteenth Battle for Hesperus. With Furillo just two jumps away, forces on both sides of the fight clamored for reinforcements while Defiance's board of directors demanded that Gracchi send as many new 'Mechs as possible to aid in the defense of his sister divisions. More than one newscast from the planet prominently featured the Uziel standing guard in front of Defiance's mountain entrances, so while the company as a whole is still spending most of their resources on Hesperus II, the Furillo plant has been buried in orders for their new 'Mech.

Like just about every other BattleMech debuted during the Civil War, the Uziel has found its way into dozens of different units, most of whom would never have requested or received any in the first place. Quite a few have also found their
way into the Lyran Regulars regiments, though that is more by accident than by intention.

Source: Technical Readout 3067
Armament:
1 LB 2-X Autocannon
1 Large Pulse Laser
1 ER Medium Laser
2 ER Small Lasers
1 SRM 6 Launcher