I will admit to looking at it as a engineer, it is a process or system, hard to break habits of over twenty years. I don't deny that a infantry unit is valuable, very valuable indeed.
ATV Cutter Module
- Thread starter Old_Dr_Skull
- Start date
I will admit to looking at it as a engineer, it is a process or system, hard to break habits of over twenty years. I don't deny that a infantry unit is valuable, very valuable indeed.
The drug would presumably have stopped working by the time the ship arrived at the combat zone.
Broadsword: jack of all trades, master of none. An interesting idea with the interchangeable cutters, but it doesn't work in execution: you get 8 module options of which you can select only 4 - one being the infamous 30-ton module with the single 10-ton vehicle - and it takes 37 minutes to switch out a module. And why would I spend 5 to 6 hundred million credits on a merc transport only to go cheap on the combat vehicles?
Me, I'd toss the 50-ton cutter in favor of smaller boats - more smaller boats means I get more firepower supporting the troops. I'd convert each 50-ton bay to accept a 30-ton ship's boat, an 8t g-carrier and a 6t Broadsword fighter. The space for the two internal 30-ton modules I'd convert to quarters - room for an additional 30 troops with double occupancy.
That gives me a force consisting of my 800-tonner providing orbital support with 2 6g-capable boats with mixed turrets AND 2 g-carriers for landings from orbit, guarded by two fighters. Set one boat as a personnel transport with seating for 25 (3 squads and an officer) and 1.2 tons cargo in addition to the 2 man crew, the other as a cargo craft with fuel bladder installed so it can double as a fuel skimmer. That takes my Broadsword and about doubles both its troop complement and its fire support.
Now I have an orbit-to-ground force consisting of a two-vehicle/28-person armored cavalry section (driver, gunner, 3 4-man teams), a 3-squad infantry platoon, and a pair of fighters for air support. I might consider slapping 50-cals on those fighters as well, so they're more effective in the ground support role.
Me, I'd toss the 50-ton cutter in favor of smaller boats - more smaller boats means I get more firepower supporting the troops. I'd convert each 50-ton bay to accept a 30-ton ship's boat, an 8t g-carrier and a 6t Broadsword fighter. The space for the two internal 30-ton modules I'd convert to quarters - room for an additional 30 troops with double occupancy.
That gives me a force consisting of my 800-tonner providing orbital support with 2 6g-capable boats with mixed turrets AND 2 g-carriers for landings from orbit, guarded by two fighters. Set one boat as a personnel transport with seating for 25 (3 squads and an officer) and 1.2 tons cargo in addition to the 2 man crew, the other as a cargo craft with fuel bladder installed so it can double as a fuel skimmer. That takes my Broadsword and about doubles both its troop complement and its fire support.
Now I have an orbit-to-ground force consisting of a two-vehicle/28-person armored cavalry section (driver, gunner, 3 4-man teams), a 3-squad infantry platoon, and a pair of fighters for air support. I might consider slapping 50-cals on those fighters as well, so they're more effective in the ground support role.
Excuse the back-to-backs, but I reconsidered the fighter/50-cal bit - the sandcasters work better.
The Adventure-7 Broadsword 6dT fighter is a short-range single-seat missile-armed fighter intended for limited duration flights (maximum 12 hours combat or 24 hours routine flight per High Guard). It lacks a bridge, channeling control functions through the computer with consequent reduction in weapons accuracy and defense for space combat - a disadvantage but not a major problem if it's engaging ship's boats or similar light craft. The fighter consists of a 1.08dT power plant, 1.02dT maneuver drive, 1.08dT fuel, a single 0.5dT crew seat, a 1dT model-1 computer, and a 1dT "turret", with 0.32dT remaining.
Lacking a crew cabin, the vessel can't be used for interplanetary flight or extended operations, but it's effective for its intended role as an orbital and close-air-support mercenary fighter with the single missile launcher launching 15cm tac-missiles (HEAP pen=48 at TL-12). Broadsword specs do not include sandcasters, but High Guard permits the craft to carry up to 2 sandcasters without needing additional gunners. Beyond improving combat survivability, the dual sandcasters could double as effective antipersonnel and point defense weapons (effective range: 500m./20/+8 with 40m wide danger space; long range 1000m/10/+6 with 80m danger space; extreme range 2000m/5/+4 with 120m danger space).
0.32 displacement tons of space is available. A variant of this model could mount a single course of armor at 0.24dT, giving it a Striker armor rating of 64 for ground combat purposes. The remaining space (0.08dT, or 1.08m^3) can be configured as a bomb bay for up to 10 100kg laser-guided CBM bomb (+10, contact pen = 24, burst = 200m, frag pen = 8 at TL12) with a laser carbine for the targeting role, further enhancing its ground support effectiveness, or to deliver a ton of supplies to the troops, the armored version being somewhat less vulnerable to ground fire than the cutter (or ship's boat).
The Adventure-7 Broadsword 6dT fighter is a short-range single-seat missile-armed fighter intended for limited duration flights (maximum 12 hours combat or 24 hours routine flight per High Guard). It lacks a bridge, channeling control functions through the computer with consequent reduction in weapons accuracy and defense for space combat - a disadvantage but not a major problem if it's engaging ship's boats or similar light craft. The fighter consists of a 1.08dT power plant, 1.02dT maneuver drive, 1.08dT fuel, a single 0.5dT crew seat, a 1dT model-1 computer, and a 1dT "turret", with 0.32dT remaining.
Lacking a crew cabin, the vessel can't be used for interplanetary flight or extended operations, but it's effective for its intended role as an orbital and close-air-support mercenary fighter with the single missile launcher launching 15cm tac-missiles (HEAP pen=48 at TL-12). Broadsword specs do not include sandcasters, but High Guard permits the craft to carry up to 2 sandcasters without needing additional gunners. Beyond improving combat survivability, the dual sandcasters could double as effective antipersonnel and point defense weapons (effective range: 500m./20/+8 with 40m wide danger space; long range 1000m/10/+6 with 80m danger space; extreme range 2000m/5/+4 with 120m danger space).
0.32 displacement tons of space is available. A variant of this model could mount a single course of armor at 0.24dT, giving it a Striker armor rating of 64 for ground combat purposes. The remaining space (0.08dT, or 1.08m^3) can be configured as a bomb bay for up to 10 100kg laser-guided CBM bomb (+10, contact pen = 24, burst = 200m, frag pen = 8 at TL12) with a laser carbine for the targeting role, further enhancing its ground support effectiveness, or to deliver a ton of supplies to the troops, the armored version being somewhat less vulnerable to ground fire than the cutter (or ship's boat).
madmike
SOC-12
That was my take on them as well.
Reminds me of the druggie soldiers in the pilot of ST:TNG or the Jem'Hadar in ST
S9I always thought sole operating Broadswords were not very effective. I redid my Ypres class from memory as I do not have the stats any more, but it was always intended that the Ypres had a couple of close escorts providing support.
