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Seeker

This article is about the DropShip class. For Clan Goliath Scorpion warrior on a quest, see Seeker (Clan Goliath Scorpion).
Seeker TRO3057r.png
Seeker
Production information
Manufacturer Federated-Boeing Interstellar[1]

Kathil Shipworks[2]
Sacrado Industries[citation needed]
Salvatore Inc.[3][4]
Semier Data Tron[3]
Tengo Aerospace[3]
Production Year 2815[5]
Use Troop Carrier
Type Military Spheroid
Tech Base Inner Sphere
Technical specifications
Mass 6,700[6] tons
Structural Integrity 10
Length 90 meters
Width 90 meters
Height 89 meters
Drive System Quad RanTech
Safe Thrust 2.5 g
Max Thrust 4 g
Fuel (tons) 227 tons
Fuel (days) 123.37 days
Armament
Armor 28.5 tons Standard
Fore: 140
Sides: 120
Aft: 110
Crew 20[6]
  • 4 Officers
  • 13 Enlisted
  • 3 Gunners

(Crew Types)[7]

  • 2 Pilots
  • 4 Engineers
  • 12 Secondary Engineers

Bay Personnel: 312

Escape Pods/Life Boats 8/0
Heat Sinks 94
BV (1.0) 2,579[8]
BV (2.0) 2,418


Description[edit]

Designed as an independently operating transport for a scout Battalion, the Seeker-class DropShip is one of the fastest designs operating in the Inner Sphere.[6][9][10]

The Seeker's massively powerful Quad RanTech Fusion Drive, accounting for almost a third of the craft's mass, is a large reason for its success and popularity. The drive system is also the model of redundancy, consisting of four small fusion reactors which are independently operated and shielded. Engineers can work on a reactor without shutting down the entire drive system, and the Seeker is capable of operating on two reactors for an extended period and one in an emergency.[6][9][10]

Benefiting its role as a deep forward reconnaissance craft, the Seeker features fairly luxurious crew and passenger quarters, at least by military standards, and an extensive medical facility adequate to handle most emergencies to promote and maintain morale on lengthy missions. To enhance its role, the design also carries enough parts, food, and water to allow the Seeker to operate for up to four months without resupply.[6][9][10]

Armament[edit]

Relying more upon speed to enter and flee hostile territory, the Seeker's reasonably light weapons array is geared towards lengthy independent operations, dominated by energy weapons. The nose is bare, and its forward-facing armaments consist of just two PPCs, one on each side, while the aft quarters each feature an LRM-10 and Large Laser paired with twin medium lasers on each side, repeating the laser trio directly aft. Two tons of missile reloads are carried for the LRM-10s. The use of primarily energy-based weapons was meant to allow the Seeker to operate for extended periods without regular resupply, however, the light weapons array has since proved to be inadequate in encounters with aerospace fighters.[6][9][10]

Cargo[edit]

The Seeker is well known for its unique reconfigurable Transport Bays. The primary vehicle bay is capable of carrying 40 light vehicles, and separate living quarters are set aside for up to four platoons of infantry. The vessel also has two cargo bays, a large 1,200-ton capacity unit, and a smaller 432-ton unit, used for general supply storage including spare parts and ammunition, foodstuff, and other equipment. However, it is not unusual to see some Seeker crews modify their vehicle bays to carry only 28 vehicles, using the saved space to fit a Lance of BattleMechs or even pairs of aerospace fighters. It cannot carry these as effectively as dedicated 'Mech or fighter transports though. In particular, launching and retrieving fighters takes three times as long as it does on DropShips with dedicated bays; for example, the relative velocity for both DropShip and fighters must be exactly zero for the Seeker to recover any craft.[6][9][10]

Variants[edit]

  • Upgrade 
    The Federated Commonwealth states, Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation all operate Seekers refitted with advanced recovered technology. The most common version was jointly developed by Semier Data Tron and Salvatore Inc. for the Federated Commonwealth in 3054. A relatively minor modification is done to the weapons array, which switches the PPCs and Large Lasers for extended-range models and adds Artemis IV FCS to the LRM-10 launchers. More extensive are the changes to the vessel's transport bays. The primary vehicle bay is reduced to carrying 36 light vehicles, while space for infantry is increased to 9 platoons. A 160-ton capacity cargo bay carries general supplies. The number of bay personnel is also increased to 432. BV (1.0) = 2,676[11], BV (2.0) = 2,470

Named Vessels[edit]

(See Category:Individual Seeker-class DropShips)

Notes[edit]

  • In German products, the unit's proper name was translated to Sucher.

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Handbook: House Davion, p. 181
  2. Handbook: House Davion, p. 182
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary, p. 17
  4. Handbook: House Davion, p. 183
  5. MUL online date for the Seeker
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, pp. 32-33, "Seeker Ship Profile"
  7. BattleSpace rulebook, p. 63
  8. AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 224
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary, pp. 30-31, "Seeker Class DropShip"
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Technical Readout: 3057, pp. 34-35, "Seeker DropShip Profile"
  11. AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 225

Bibliography[edit]