Zaku
06/04/22 11:48 AM
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Swallow SSW-22 - Battle Armour VSTOL Transport
Mass: 45 tons
Type: Fixed Wing Support Vehicle
Frame: Unknown
Power Plant: Fusion
Cruising Speed: 54 kph
Maximum Speed: 86.4 kph
Armor: Tech D - BAR 10
Armament:
1 Machine Gun
1 SRM 6
Manufacturer: Unknown
Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3053
Tech Rating/Availability: D/X-X-D-X
Cost: 887,181 C-bills
Type: Swallow SSW-22
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Tech Rating: E
Tonnage: 45
Battle Value: 205
Equipment Mass
Engine Fusion 15
Safe Thrust: 5
Max Thrust: 8
Structural Integrity: 5
Heat Sinks: 0 0
Fuel: 0 0.0
Cockpit 4.5
Armor Factor (BAR 10) 47 3
Armor
Value
Nose 12
Wings 12/12
Aft 11
Weapons
and Ammo Location Tonnage Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV
Machine Gun NOS 0.5 0 2 0 0 0
SRM 6 NOS 3.0 4 8 0 0 0
SV Chassis Mod - Propeller driven BOD 0.0 - - - - -
Advanced Fire Control BOD 0.5 - - - - -
SV Chassis Mod - Armoured Chassis BOD 0.0 - - - - -
Half Machine Gun Ammo (100) BOD 0.5 - - - - -
SV Chassis Mod - VSTOL BOD 0.0 - - - - -
SRM 6 Ammo (15) BOD 1.0 - - - - -
Infantry Bay BOD 12
Design Quirk: Easy to Pilot (2), Poor Targeting Long Range (-2)
Description
Designed by Basantapur Fine Metals in 3053. The SSW-22 Swallow was manufactured as a response to the Battle Armour craze across the Inner Sphere during the early years of the Clan Invasion, where demands for new Battle Armour often outstripped the capabilities of many companies. Basantapur Fine Metals seeing the new market knew it lacked the engineering skill to develop such a armour, so decided to fill the logical next step in the battle armour craze: getting the units to the battlefield.
Weighing in at a modest 45 tons, the Swallow is a interesting solution to battle armour deployment. Where a VTOL or APCs can reach modestly high speeds, they are often limited by range, natural physical barriers on the planet and often taking hours to respond to a incursion. Instead Basantapur Fine Metals wanted a faster craft, and made the Swallow a fixed wing support vehicle, descigned around a fusion power plant and a alterable VTOL rotor system that could perform vertical take off as well as VSTOL. Now able to reach speeds comparable to conventional fighters and aerospace fighters while in atmosphere the design could cross continents in a few minutes, for what would have taken response teams hours or even days. Moreover the choice of a propeller driven design had two main advantage; for one it meant, when combined with its fusion engine, the design did not have to rely upon extensive hydrogen fuel supplies to remain airborne, granting it effectively unlimited rage while on a planets surface; secondly it also eliminated the extensive damage many units with VSTOL features could do when performing a vertical landing and take off.
These design choices allowed the Swallow to deploy a squad of 3 battle armour units quickly into both open, urban and hilly terrain, provided the pilot could find a 30 square meter area to touch down in. Even then, the designs bulk allowed it to perform risky woodland landings if necessary.
Notes
Okay so this came from a interesting series of designs, which were meant to be 'can I do it' and in this case 'Yes I can' was the answer. While trying to build a Osprey like craft I discovered it is very possible and cheap to do so. Costing just under 900k and 205BV the design while expensive next to other battle taxis could deploy 3 full squads at a unprecedented speed. Also being a propeller based aircraft means it doesn't need fuel, which has amazing logistic solutions.
Now looking into the rules for Vertical take off and landings, as a fixed wing design the model does get a automatic +2 to do this, however because it only costs 205BV you can very cheaply get a very skilled pilot. And when you add in the Easy to pilot quirk any pilot of a skill of 3 or less removes 1 from any damage or terrain based modifier to their piloting roll. And very often what you are landing on can affect your vertical landing manoeuvre. To get to a level 3 pilot with 4 in gunnery would cost you only 246 BV.
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