Howdah

Model 96C Howdah
Production information
Manufacturer	Nimakachi Fusion Products Limited
Production Year	2695
Use	Tug / SDS Controller Ship
Type	Military Spheroid
Tech Base	Inner Sphere
Technical specifications
Mass	15,000 tons
Structural Integrity	25
Length	150 meters
Width	68 meters
Height	68 meters
Drive System	PlasmaStar Interplanetary Drives
Safe Thrust	5
Max Thrust	8
Fuel (tons)	700
Fuel (days)	1.84
Armament	10 x Gauss Rifles 12 x PPCs 11 x ER Large Lasers 4 x LRM 10+ArtIV 10 x Medium Lasers
Armor	77 tons Ferro-Aluminum armor Nose = 371 Sides = 325 Aft = 279
Crew	9 Officers 38 Enlisted/Non-rated 9 Gunners 10 Bay personnel
Passengers	None
Heat Sinks	200 (400)
BV (2.0)	10,750

Description

The Model 96C SDS Command Ship, also known as the Howdah, was a Drone Command ship used by Star League Defense Forces to control Drone Fighter Spacecraft. Commissioned in 2695, the Howdah was originally was based on a early variant of the Model 96 Space Tug. The ship's primary function was to house a Human-controlled ATAC systems, these robotic fighter craft would operate from the ship. Aside from it's role of providing a mobile drone controlling platform, the also ship would act as Aerospace Drone Fighter Carrier, which it would control half dozen dones and maintain them.

When it was first commissioned, the ship drone fighter compliment would include a half dozen MK20 “SwiftStar” Robotic Drones, which were later replaced with over the decades by the Mk30 Blackwasp and later Mk39 Voidseeker Robotic fighters.

The ship would see service during the Star League Civil War, and ultimately all be scuttled by order General Aleksandr Kerensky as part his efforts to destroy all SDS related technology.

Armament and Capacities

The Howdah shares much of the 2650 update of the Model 96 Elephant's armor, engine, Tug Adapter, and weapons. This version of the Model 96, has does not include Extended Ranged PPCs, which later versions of Elephant does have. For protection, the ship is armored with 77 tons of Ferro-Aluminum armor, with slightly more of this thick armor protection found on it's nose.

The Howdah's weapons bays are laid out as followed;

• Nose Section: ER Large Laser with two Medium Lasers, four standard PPCs, two Gauss Rifles and an Artemis IV Fire Control System guided LRM-10 launcher.
• Forward Side Arcs : One bay contains a ER Large Laser with two Medium Lasers, along with two standard PPCs, two Gauss Rifles and an Artemis guided LRM-10 launcher.
• Aft Arcs: Two standard PPCs, a pair of PPCs, pair of Medium Lasers and two Gauss Rifles in their own respected weapons bays.
• Aft Arc: This section of the ship has quad of ER Large Lasers, a pair of Medium Lasers and Artemis IV Guided LRM Launcher.

For it's primary mission as a Drone Command Ship & Aerospace Carrier, the Howdah has a Autonomous Tactical Analysis Computer, which handle upwards to 20 Drones at a time.

Cargo

• Bay 1: Cargo (1,462 tons) - 1 Door
• Bay 2: Small Craft (2) - 2 Doors
• Bay 3: ARTS Fighter Cubicles (6) - 4 Doors

Related Designs

• Model 96 "Elephant"

  The original variant introduced in 2600 which was version of the Howdah was based on. Early version of the Howdah were converted Elephants 2600 of this version prior to the Howdah gaining it's own production line.

Notes

• Information about this DropShip and Record Sheets for it are only found in the Historical: Liberation of Terra, Volume 2
• As of this writing no known example of this ship surviving beyond the Star League Era.

See Also

• Category:Individual Howdah-class DropShips

Bibliography

• Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2