After analyzing the results of the Raptor's manufacturing and operational tests, the DCMS authorized production of a full line of Inner Sphere OmniMechs. The first Omni off the line was a simple copy of the Clan Black Hawk. The second was an improved version of the Jenner, which the DCMS christened the Owens. Unlike many Kurita ’Mechs, whose names come from their appearance and Oriental trappings, this name came from its primary mission: the traditional cavalry role of screening and reconnaissance. It was a name based on ancient western culture and was simply one of many instances that showed the then-Duke Hassid Ricol the Draconis Combine had lost its soul. After Coordinator Kurita died during the Jihad, Coordinator Ricol put in place sweeping changes in the Combine. These changes helped keep the Combine together when other states failed. One of these changes was to throw away the names Owens, and give it the name Kidousei, the name of Japanese cavalry.
         The Kidousei served well into the Jihad, the less advanced construction materials allowing Luthien Armor Works to continue building them even as the factories that built recovered Star League technologies fell. Only the extra-light engines were required, and the Coordinator ordered that all such engines be turned over to LAW should field technicians be unable to repair them. LAW engineers became true geniouses at rebuilding those engines and keeping a handful of LAW designs fully operational. This made the Kidousei one of the most common OmniMechs throughout the war, and their presence on the screen of major formations became assumed by Word forces. After the war, the Coordinator ordered that they be refitted with Star Slab Glaze reflective armor, and that the extra-light engine that had kept LAW engineers working overtime for years be removed in favor of a more easily-repaired standard fusion engine, effectively creating a new variation of the Kidousei design. This Kidousei has remained in service with the Draconis Combine ever since, a valued part of the Combine armed forces.

       The Kidousei represents design modifications and other changes based on reports of the experiences of DCMS troops operating the Raptor. The modular weapon containers were standardized and perfected for the Kidousei so that the weapons could operate with all future OmniMech designs. The Jihad has cost the Combine the ability to build the advanced electronics and of course the extra-light engine that the design once carried, but the modern Kidousei is still an effective recon and screening ’Mech. The removal of the complicated and large internal C3 networks, Beagle active probes, and TAG ironically has had a positive effect. The cockpit of the modern Kidousei lacks the many controls once devoted to those systems, giving the MechWarrior far more room to spread out in. This has made the Kidousei a very comfortable design to pilot, and many Combine MechWarriors look forward to piloting it. This comfort allows a MechWarrior to remain fresh and ready for battle far longer than normal, making long-term recon assignments for a Kidousei common.
       The primary configuration uses medium lasers for self-defense, while LRM racks on the ’Mech’s arms offer suppressive fire in indirect support of other units in the lance or company. Most of the other configurations carry assorted short-range weapons, though one version also mounts a heavy laser, and yet another uses LRMs and a light particle cannon. The Kidousei rarely engages and destroys the enemy directly; instead, it finds the enemy and calls in heavier units to perform that task. Because of this, very few Kidouseis are lost in battle and most of those in service are now decades old.

       The DCMS began deploying the design in 3056, and the new version became available two decades later. While some of the older Owens are still used by other nations, the Kidousei was never shared under order of the Coordinator. This has kept it exclusive to the Draconis Combine, even in modern times.