Despite recent victories for their clan, the Jade Falcons have been hard pressed to find suitable mechs for all of their warriors. This especially includes mechs for substandard warriors being recalled to duty and those graduated early from sibkos, or even worse, the lowly freebirths.
Khan Pryde has set before the merchant and technician castes a mandate for a battlemech easily produced, that is simple enough for any half trained surat to use effectively. Additionally, she specified that the mech should not incorporate any advanced electronics beyond standard targeting that may confuse those not properly trained in the use of equipment like ECM or targeting computers. Despite this restriction, the Khan asked for a weapons loadout that is easy to hit with, and required that heat management be kept to a minimum.

The Gull was designed to allow sibbies and other inexperienced warriors to familiarize themselves with the various weapons systems of the clans.
For this reason, the scientists caste tried packing in as much variety into the Gull as possible. Pulse technology, LRMs, Streak technology, and extended range technology were all employed. A few jump jets were installed as a way to improve mobility, and also to help the rookies get accustomed to jumping.
A large pulse laser provides most of the firepower, backed up by a small LRM rack for harassment fire, and a streak SRM rack for use in a pinch. An ER medium laser rounds out the design, which has just enough heat sinks to prevent overheating.
Some light machine guns were also installed for anti-infantry work, with excellent range for their size.
The lack of an XL engine saves cost, which would be wasted on inferior or fresh from training warriors. Endo Steel and ferro-fibrous armor were used because of their relatively cheap cost.

A Gull was recently ambushed while on patrol on Quarell by a lance of raiding mercenaries on contract with the Lyran Commonwealth. The pilot refused to panic, and managed to evade the ambushing heavy and medium mechs through the use of its raw speed and jump jets.
After retreating to a safe distance, the pilot started his own counter attack. Engaging with his large pulse laser and his LRMS in a long range hit and fade style, he managed to damage a Stalker enough to force its withdrawal. When its LRM ammo finally ran out, reinforcements from a nearby firebase arrived. Taking a more offensive posture, the Gull's pilot brough the mech in close, this time using its close range weapons to destroy a Stealth.
None of the mercenaries survived the battle. Even the withdrawing Stalker was later corraled and brought down.
The pilot had since moved up to a Vulture in a front line unit.

The Gull has appeared in several garrison clusters in the Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, as well as all the Eyrie clusters.
Warriors assigned the mech can frequently hope to advance to an omnimech once their superiors deem them ready; the varied weapons systems of the Gull provides good training for the warriors, which would become handy when they graduate to the reconfigurable omnimechs, where knowledge and skill with all weapons, not just a favored few, become important.