In later 3015 Hover-Tech Inc. of Kathil began to look into ways of adding to their limited product line without having to add to their limited facilities. The small company produced many fast hover-carts for the H1 circuit and had plenty of experience racing them around Inner Sphere at different tracks. Hover-carts where produced on a limited basis and on an "as purchased" basis. Having no real assembly line also left the company out of producing a true hover-tank. Hover-Tech Inc. then hit upon the ideal of building a tank in a kit version allowing the customer to put the tank together. The tank could be sold cheaper than assembled units of the same size giving the tank kit an advantage over previously established designs. A cheap scout with limited technologies sounded good to CEO Ida Thinkitover as it would allow the engineers in charge of the project to use some of their racing experience to work. By 3020 the Sk-1 Skeeter rolled of the project design floor and the first kits became available to the open market.

At first the Skeeter did not attract many buyers, the idea of having to put together a purchased tank seemed too formidable. However, when the marketing department set out to prove the idea feasible in 3022 they put together a crack team of former pit crew members from the hover-cart racing circuit. The crew became the spokespeople for the Skeeter demonstrating how easy it was to put together a Skeeter and have it in service in less than 8 hours. While the assembly events where staged, the event did prove the Sk-1 was able to be put together with a minimal amount of tools and effort. Sk-1 sales gradually rose but when Hover-Tech Inc began selling the hovercraft at cut rate prices the sales sky rocketed.

The Skeeter was designed to be a cheap near throw-away scout. Using only the most basic of tools and hardware the kit could be put together on even the most technology deprived planets making sales strong in the Periphery regions. Power for the Sk-1 os supplied via a cheap reliable internal combustion engine. The 65 can operate for long periods of time between checks and can be repaired easily in the field or at crude field bases found on many planets of the Inner Sphere. With a top speed of 162 km/h the little fifteen ton tank is a rough target to hit, much less to corner in open plains. However, pilots will seldom hit the max rated speed as the Skeeter picked up a nasty habit of becoming instable at maximum speed. For a veteran pilot the tank handles excellent the instability allowing for some strange maneuvers, but for skittish pilots the instability can prove fatal.
      
Instability at high speed aside, the Sk-1 also suffers from a distinct lack of armaments. The philosophy of forcing pilots to retreat in order to report findings permeated the design team at Hover-Tech Inc. The light armaments consist of a pair of Kentucky Long Barrel machine guns in order to take care of infantry and a single Derringer SRM pack for harassment. These armaments where chosen for a combination of lightweight and reliability, but forces pilots to retreat should even the lightest of   enemy battlemechs or tanks show up. It is argued by some that the forced to retreat philosophy is the cause of the Skeeter's unusual survival rate, while other talk about the little tanks armor and speed as the cause for the survival rate. With three tons of basic metal plate armor covering the haul of the Skeeter, the tank can survive all but the heaviest of hits from enemy units. Reports of the tank taking direct PPC shots and coming home are normal for the Skeeter giving pilots and their families at least a measure of comfort.

The only piece of truly advanced equipment is the Marconi-Smith MK1 Communication System. Perfectly modular the system is simply bolted into place and aerials are attached. Once power feeds from the engine are attached the system charges a UPS battery which is used to send out a KIA report with GPS coordinates upon the machine destruction; that is if the battery and the communication system survived the kill shot. For commanders however, the true beauty of the Marconi-Smith MKII is the real time reporting and video surveillance. At any time a commander only needs to punch up the vehicles ID tag on a computer and the commander can see the tanks location, pilot's vitals, and gun camera views along with anything the tanks limited sensors are picking up. While commanders may like the instant communication with the tank, pilots hate it. More than one pilot has been caught slacking by what has been dubbed "big brother" one of the more famous cases involving a general with a lady "questionable morales". Because of the trouble "big brother has caused more than one pilot has had an "accident" while maintaining the Marconi-Smith MKII damaging the computer and stopping the hated feature once and for all.

The most common variant of the Skeeters is swapping out the machine guns and the SRM 2 pack for a LRM 5 rack and additional armor. While the LRM modification allows the Skeeter some long-range hitting ability, pilots have grown a tendency to try and empty the ammunition bin before retreating often leading to their destruction by enemy support units. Instead of fighting the LRM modification Hover-Tech Inc in 3025 announced their plans to offer a LRM 5 turret kit as a option to buyers. However, the most radical modification of a Sk-1 belongs to a civilian prospector name Jason Johnston [See Notable Pilots and Vehicles for further information] who mounted a fusion engine in place of the stock I.C.E. 65.

Chassis Number: 841
Ownership: Private
Chassis Name: Gold Rush
Pilot: Jason "JJ" Johnston

Mr. Johnston started out as a first rate geologist in the Periphery regions. Though his background is unknown it is believed he originally came from Davion space. JJ, to his friends, also is a top notch prospector having discovered three major finds in a relatively short time prospecting which lead him to wealth and prosperity to the planets he found the strikes on.

During his attempt to register a claim in Magistry of Canopus space, JJ was jumped and nearly killed by a group of armed men. Shortly after the claim jumping and a lengthy hospital stay JJ purchased one of the then new Skeeter light hover-tank kits. The Skeeter dubbed "Gold Rush" was outfitted with sensors and other gear to allow him to scan the geology in order to find new sources of minerals. By the second strike JJ had the money and invested in Gold Rush by installing a new fusion engine to replace the internal combustion engine. With the new engine Gold Rush also received new sensors and a weapons upgrade to include single Zippo MK II flame systems along with two medium lasers. The armor of the Gold Rush also received an upgrade to include and additional half ton of armor. Immediately the little tank proved its worth during JJ's third claim when a group of men with an aging Stinger in support tried to take the claim.

The battle was short but brutal, not having the speed of Gold Rush or the damage output of the little hover tank the bandits were put on the run. JJ was able to keep the infantry down while torching their hover trucks with a few aimed shots of the Zippo and soon had them running for their lives. The Stinger tried to engage but soon found most of its back armor was gone in a few short minutes. Figuring retreat was the better option, the Stinger pilot soon tried to disengage from Gold Rush but found the sensors hard to get away from. With little obstacles to jump over in a desert in order to get away from the hover-tank the pilot had no choice but to engage.

The final fight started with the Stinger jumping and firing its single medium laser only to miss the tank on landing. Gold Rush responded with both lasers one of which penetrated the rear center torso destroying the gyro. When the Stinger collapsed JJ took vengeance, or as some Periphery officials called it "justice". JJ stripped the cockpit armor with a well placed medium laser shot then torched the helpless pilot with the Zippo. Gold Rush can be found today serving Mr. Johnston as he continues to prospect on various planets of the Periphery. The final upgrade was a fresh painted mech silhouette on the right medium laser barrel.  

With kits being cheap and the ability to assemble the tank on the most primitive of worlds made the Skeeter ideal for Periphery worlds. The Sk-1 is also beginning to make inroads among mercenary units looking for a cheap scout tank, or units with little start-up cash. A secondary industry has also crept up as a couple of companies are buying the Skeeter Scout kit, then after assembling them re-selling the completed vehicle.