Spinward Flow
SOC-14 1K
20 ton small craft hull, configuration: 1
8 tons for LBB2.81 standard A/B drives (codes: 6/L, TL=9, Agility=5, EP=4, Surplus EP: 0)
1 ton fuel
4 tons bridge
4 tons model/4 computer (TL=A, EP: 2)
1 ton mixed triple turret: sandcaster, pulse laser, sandcaster (TL=A, codes: 3/1/3, EP: 1)
2 tons small craft stateroom
* 176 tons external docking (176/1.1≈160=160 tons useful capacity)
= 8+1+4+4+1+2 = 20 tons
Single production (100%) cost: MCr55.01
Volume production (80%) cost: MCr44.008
I like this silhouette a good deal better than the silhouette I came up with in #337 above.
If nothing else, it doesn't look quite so "stocky/blocky" as the earlier deck plan did. A lot of that difference has to do with the shape of the "shoulders" for the fuel scoops on the port/starboard sides of the bridge. Decided to do a "custom job" of the fuel scoop intakes this time around, rather than doing another bend/fold/spindle/mutilate job of copy/paste madness with the stock fuel scoop intake icon. I honestly considered doing another "cone" of fuel scoop guide vanes like before (angled differently to better match the new curve of the fuel tanks), but ultimately decided against it in favor of this format, which at least looks like it MIGHT be aerodynamic.![Unsure :unsure: :unsure:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Although the "tyranny of tiny" remains in effect for this deck plan, it's a lot easier to imagine that the outboard fuel+power plant machinery are built into "conformal nacelles" that can be removed (or jettisoned, in emergencies) from the rest of the central hull. Meanwhile, the central hull is more of a (flattened) Needle/Wedge shape, rather than being a true "cone" shape (or even a rhomboid pyramid shape). I also think I did a better job with the chin mounted sandcaster/pulse laser/sandcaster mixed triple turret this time.
One of the fun little decisions I made about this (lastest) revision of the concept is the notion that the crew can be either 1 or 2.
With sufficient crew skills (Pilot-3/Gunnery-2 or Ship's Boat-2/Gunnery-2) you only need a crew of 1 experienced pilot/gunner (specializing in lasers, since sandcasters don't have a gunnery specialization under LBB5.80). However, for "inexperienced" crews in (conversion) training or that have recently been qualified, you can instead have a crew of 2 (Pilot-2 or Ship's Boat-1, Gunnery-1). Obviously, a crew of 1 will have a longer operational endurance (less demand on life support, for starters) than a crew of 2. Double occupancy of the small craft stateroom/cabin for long durations can be wearing on crew morale and cohesion over increasingly longer mission times, leading to crew stress.
Point being that the Escort Fighter CAN be flown solo, but it requires a lot of flight time experience to be able to cover both crew positions adequately ... which is exactly what would result from these craft being used on an interplanetary system defense patrol and policing budget maintained by their home star system (1329 Caladbolg/Sword Worlds/Spinward Marches B365776-A Ag Ri) to reduce the need for starships or even large (read: expensive) system defense boats to maintain adequate patrol presence and coverage at a variety of key points of interest in the star system. That means having "enough" of these Light Fighters in quantities sufficient to meet the security needs of a type B starport rating. In other words, there are going to be "fighter pilots" moving through the ranks, generating a supply of crews for this kind of light fighter.
The "bonus" however is that if you can acquire crews with Pilot-3/Gunnery-2 skills (specifically), it's actually better to have TWO pilots with those skills rather than just a single pilot with those skills. Reason being is that the two pilots can "rotate" starship piloting and fighter piloting assignments between the two of them (since they're interchangeable), and thus prevent either pilot from "getting stale" flying just one craft all the time. Furthermore, since the starship is designed and built as being unarmed, that means that while piloting the starship a pilot/gunner can concentrate specifically on piloting ... and Pilot-3 skill translates into being a +1 Agility modifier for being able to escape when maneuvering to avoid incoming fire AND when maneuvering to Break Off By Acceleration as well.
When piloting the Escort Fighter, Pilot-3/Gunnery-2 effectively becomes Ship's Boat-1 and Gunnery-1 skills, which are sufficient to crew the fighter solo.
And here is the proof of the 20 ton Box form factor fit for hangar bay berthing commonality.
8 tons for LBB2.81 standard A/B drives (codes: 6/L, TL=9, Agility=5, EP=4, Surplus EP: 0)
1 ton fuel
4 tons bridge
4 tons model/4 computer (TL=A, EP: 2)
1 ton mixed triple turret: sandcaster, pulse laser, sandcaster (TL=A, codes: 3/1/3, EP: 1)
2 tons small craft stateroom
* 176 tons external docking (176/1.1≈160=160 tons useful capacity)
= 8+1+4+4+1+2 = 20 tons
Single production (100%) cost: MCr55.01
Volume production (80%) cost: MCr44.008
![igf0Vkd.png](https://i.imgur.com/igf0Vkd.png)
I like this silhouette a good deal better than the silhouette I came up with in #337 above.
If nothing else, it doesn't look quite so "stocky/blocky" as the earlier deck plan did. A lot of that difference has to do with the shape of the "shoulders" for the fuel scoops on the port/starboard sides of the bridge. Decided to do a "custom job" of the fuel scoop intakes this time around, rather than doing another bend/fold/spindle/mutilate job of copy/paste madness with the stock fuel scoop intake icon. I honestly considered doing another "cone" of fuel scoop guide vanes like before (angled differently to better match the new curve of the fuel tanks), but ultimately decided against it in favor of this format, which at least looks like it MIGHT be aerodynamic.
Although the "tyranny of tiny" remains in effect for this deck plan, it's a lot easier to imagine that the outboard fuel+power plant machinery are built into "conformal nacelles" that can be removed (or jettisoned, in emergencies) from the rest of the central hull. Meanwhile, the central hull is more of a (flattened) Needle/Wedge shape, rather than being a true "cone" shape (or even a rhomboid pyramid shape). I also think I did a better job with the chin mounted sandcaster/pulse laser/sandcaster mixed triple turret this time.
One of the fun little decisions I made about this (lastest) revision of the concept is the notion that the crew can be either 1 or 2.
With sufficient crew skills (Pilot-3/Gunnery-2 or Ship's Boat-2/Gunnery-2) you only need a crew of 1 experienced pilot/gunner (specializing in lasers, since sandcasters don't have a gunnery specialization under LBB5.80). However, for "inexperienced" crews in (conversion) training or that have recently been qualified, you can instead have a crew of 2 (Pilot-2 or Ship's Boat-1, Gunnery-1). Obviously, a crew of 1 will have a longer operational endurance (less demand on life support, for starters) than a crew of 2. Double occupancy of the small craft stateroom/cabin for long durations can be wearing on crew morale and cohesion over increasingly longer mission times, leading to crew stress.
Point being that the Escort Fighter CAN be flown solo, but it requires a lot of flight time experience to be able to cover both crew positions adequately ... which is exactly what would result from these craft being used on an interplanetary system defense patrol and policing budget maintained by their home star system (1329 Caladbolg/Sword Worlds/Spinward Marches B365776-A Ag Ri) to reduce the need for starships or even large (read: expensive) system defense boats to maintain adequate patrol presence and coverage at a variety of key points of interest in the star system. That means having "enough" of these Light Fighters in quantities sufficient to meet the security needs of a type B starport rating. In other words, there are going to be "fighter pilots" moving through the ranks, generating a supply of crews for this kind of light fighter.
The "bonus" however is that if you can acquire crews with Pilot-3/Gunnery-2 skills (specifically), it's actually better to have TWO pilots with those skills rather than just a single pilot with those skills. Reason being is that the two pilots can "rotate" starship piloting and fighter piloting assignments between the two of them (since they're interchangeable), and thus prevent either pilot from "getting stale" flying just one craft all the time. Furthermore, since the starship is designed and built as being unarmed, that means that while piloting the starship a pilot/gunner can concentrate specifically on piloting ... and Pilot-3 skill translates into being a +1 Agility modifier for being able to escape when maneuvering to avoid incoming fire AND when maneuvering to Break Off By Acceleration as well.
And here is the proof of the 20 ton Box form factor fit for hangar bay berthing commonality.
![DGbj17h.png](https://i.imgur.com/DGbj17h.png)