Designed as a multi-role 'Mech, the original Shadow Hawk exceeded even the designers' wildest expectations. Serving all house militaries, including the Star League army, this medium BattleMech used its impressive array of firepower with devastating effect. The Shadow Hawk was as adept at serving in a heavy lance as it was in a recon lance. Given both its track record and popularity, the push to redesign this venerable BattleMech was only natural.
         During the summer of 3066, the Vicore group contacted most of the house militaries with their idea. Somewhat surprisingly, only the Free Worlds League, the Federated Suns and ComStar showed any interest in this new design.
         Kallon Industries, Earthwerks Incorporated and ComStar all worked with the designers in the evolution of this new Shadow Hawk, which they envisioned as a cavalry unit. The one hurdle, however, that ComStar and the Federated Suns had to overcome was the lack of facilities cleared to manufacture the 'Mech. Using a similar solution to the one reached with the Capellans, Vicore recommended that Odin Manufacturing on Orestes build the design, with Kallon using both the Nanking and Talon plants. Kallon has continued to build the design, through the Jihad which the Syrtis Federation did not get involved in, and through the St. Ives War in which Nanking fell to the Tikonov Free Republic. That fall barely slowed down production of the design though. The Ridzik brothers did require that Kallon Industries modify the design to use components built in the Tikonov Free Republic, resulting in slight differences between the Shadow Hawks built on Talon and those on Nanking.

         The Shadow Hawk manufactured by Kallon Industries makes extensive use of the latest technologies, including endo steel and Ferro-fibrous armor. The engine used is a standard fusion plant like the 'Mech originally used; the designers felt that, while an XL engine might have allowed more weapons, it would have decreased the Shadow Hawk's survivability factor. The 'Mech's speed has not changed, though its maneuverability has vastly improved with the addition of new jump jets. The original Shadow Hawk had suffered a major handicap with its original armor capacity, but the inclusion of Kallon's Unity Weave erased the problem that the original Maximillian armor had created. Like many of these redesigns, the Shadow Hawk's head assembly incorporates a full-cockpit ejection system.
         The Shadow Hawk's primary weapon is the massive rotary autocannon jutting out of the left torso. It is capable of stripping most 'Mechs of their armor in a handful of barrages, but the MechWarrior must take care not to empty the ammunition bay as there is less than two minutes of capacity at the maximum fire rate. A medium laser in each arm and a streak SRM system in the head gives the Shadow Hawk basic combat power if it exhausts its bins. A very simple modification of the design, available via upgrade kit but not produced at either factory, removes the streak system from the SRM tubes and adds a C3 slave to the torso below it.

         Shadows Hawks built on Talon and Nanking are mostly sold to nations that once made up the Federated Suns. The Syrtis Federation are by far the largest user of the design, and they ironically purchase three quarters of the production from the Nanking plant, even though it is technically under the authority of an "unfriendly" realm. The Federated Suns Mercenary Command is also known to use the design, making them more effective than if they relied fully on internal production. Another interesting purchaser of the design is the Trinity Alliance. Used in some of their special forces teams that can afford to purchase the endo-steel structure required to keep them online, they are not in standard use in the main armies of that alliance.