Intruder (DropShip class)

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Intruder
Production information
Manufacturer	Andurien AeroTech BBP Industries
Use	Assault Ship
Type	Military Spheroid
Tech Base	Inner Sphere
Technical specifications
Mass	3,000 tons
Structural Integrity	10
Length	69 meters
Width	69 meters
Height	61.5 meters
Drive System	Movem-XL Drive
Safe Thrust	2 g
Max Thrust	3 g
Fuel (tons)	300 tons
Fuel (days)	163 days
Armament	7 x PPCs 2 x AC/10s 3 x AC/5s 4 x LRM-20s 4 x SRM-6s 4 x Large Lasers 16 x Medium Lasers
Armor	80 tons standard Fore: 36 Sides: 34 Aft: 23
Crew	30
Heat Sinks	113
BV (1.0)	3,825
BV (2.0)	3,977

Description

Designed to carry out raiding and assault operations, the Intruder-class DropShip is smaller than the more common Union-class though more heavily armed and armored, making it more suitable for high-risk heavy combat where BattleMech support is not a requirement.

With heavy armor and weaponry evenly spread across its hull, the vessel is hard to take out, even on the ground. Thanks to its unique landing gear which extend down from the hull instead of out like most other spheroid designs, the grounded craft's hull is flush to the ground, making it nearly impossible for enemy forces to get under the ship to place explosives or sabotage delicate landing systems. The Intruder is also notable for its well-appointed medical and surgical facilities, and a highly sophisticated command center which rivals those of the command versions of the larger Union and Overlord, though limited to smaller Battalion sized formations at most.

Armament

The Intruder is equally home fighting in space or on the ground, with its large weapons array fairly evenly spread across the entire surface of the craft. The nose bays feature a single PPC, LRM-20, AC/5 and twin Medium Lasers, with a further PPC and LRM-20 rack, paired Medium Lasers and a single Large Laser on each fore angle. The rear quarters of the craft are also heavily armed, featuring twin PPCs, paired AC/5 and AC/10, and two SRM-6 racks on each rear angle, with another LRM-20, twin Large Lasers and six Medium Lasers mounted directly aft.

Cargo

While designated as an attack craft, the Intruder features a mammoth 800 ton cargo bay which can be modified to carry a Company of light vehicles, while also including facilities for a company of marines and a pair of Small Craft bays which once carried Land Air 'Mechs, now either storing AeroSpace Fighters or shuttle craft for suitable for boarding operations.

Variants

• Upgrade - Andurien AeroTech, a division of Free Worlds Defense Industries, the largest producer of the Intruder in the Inner Sphere introduced an upgraded version of the vessel in 3056. The entire weapons array was replaced with Lostech equivalents, with the PPCs swapped to extended range models, two Gauss Rifles and an Ultra AC/5 replacing the autocannons, Artemis IV FCS added to the LRM and SRM racks, two ER Large Lasers and two Large Pulse Lasers replacing their standard equivalents, while all 16 standard medium lasers have been replaced with Medium Pulse Lasers. Switching to Double Heat Sinks allows the craft to vent twice as much heat as before despite dropping 13 heat sinks, with the standard carrying capacity being reduced to three marine platoons, expanding the overall cargo space by 110 tons. BV (1.0) = 6,533, BV (2.0) = 6,498

• Sassanid - The Clans primary Battle Armor carrier, the Sassanid is based on the Intruder, in fact like many Clan DropShip designs the first examples of the class were merely converted Intruders.

Intruder Ship Gallery

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  Intruder-class DropShip

Bibliography

• AeroTech 2 Record Sheets
• DropShips and JumpShips, pp 48-49
• Technical Readout: 3057, pp 26-27
• Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, pp 24-25