Achilles (DropShip class)

This article is about the DropShip. For other uses, see Achilles.

Achilles
Production information
Manufacturer	Galileo Instruments Rashpur-Owens Incorporated
Production Year	2582
Use	Assault Ship
Type	Military Aerodyne
Tech Base	Inner Sphere
Technical specifications
Mass	4,500 tons
Structural Integrity	16
Length	125 meters
Width	37.4 meters
Height	23 meters
Drive System	Xevex-12s
Safe Thrust	4 g
Max Thrust	6 g
Fuel (tons)	300 tons
Fuel (days)	163 days
Armament	6x PPC 3x AC/20 2x AC/10 4x AC/5 1x LRM-10 6x LRM-20 4x large laser 12x medium laser
Armor	57.5 tons standard
Crew	30 5 Officers 18 Enlisted 7 Gunners (Base Crew Type Requirement) 6 Pilots 5 Engineers 20 Secondary Engineers Bay Personnel: 42
Escape Pods/Life Boats	4/1
Heat Sinks	124 single
BV (1.0)	6,744
BV (2.0)	8,118

Description

Relatively rare, the Achilles-class Assault DropShip is a highly maneuverable and deadly threat to DropShips and aerospace fighters alike.

Incapable of atmospheric flight, the design of the craft is relatively simple, with over half of the ship's mass taken up by the extremely powerful Xevex-12 drive system. This drive system is capable of unleashing up to 6 g of thrust and gives the Achilles surprising agility, even against aerospace fighters. But this excellent performance comes at a price, as the Xevex-12 requires much more frequent and diligent maintenance than most drive systems. Despite the well-engineered drive dampening and isolation mounting surrounding the Xevex-12, thrust levels higher than 4 g can create vibrations that shake the craft so violently that prolonged flight at that rate can cause serious harm to both the crew and the ship, especially the ammunition feeding mechanisms and the drive system itself. Almost sixty tons of armor and one hundred twenty-four Heat Sinks combined with its three hundred tons of fuel give the craft reasonable endurance for its role.

Much like the lighter Avenger, the Achilles forms the vanguard of planetary assault fleets, a role which led to attrition rates much higher than production during the Succession Wars. The single largest user of the Achilles in the Inner Sphere is the Draconis Combine. The only manufacturer of the class for many years, Galileo Instruments of Schuyler, was lost to Clan Smoke Jaguar in the Invasion before its recapture during Operation BULLDOG nearly a decade later. This interruption has only made the design even more rare in the fleets of the 3050s. Star League-era stockpiles were the only source of maintaining the vessel in the other Successor States until upgraded Capellan vessels were built and deployed alongside the new Kuan Ti and Lung Wang DropShips in the mid-3050s. The Clans were reported to "favor" the military vessel over the Monarchs and Behemoths the Galileo lines could also produce, leading to a possible acceleration of Achilles production while the planet was under Smoke Jaguar control.

Armament

Incredibly well-armed, the Achilles was the closest thing to a WarShip in the technological decline of the Succession Wars. Two PPCs and two LRM-20s, plus two Large and medium lasers mounted in the nose allow the craft to unleash blistering fire upon enemies in its forward arc. Each "wing" mounts a single PPC and Autocannon/20 supported by a pair of Autocannon/5, LRM-20s, and medium lasers facing forward, with another PPC, autocannon/10, Large Laser and another two Mediums Lasers pointed rearward. Directly aft, the Achilles mounts a third AC/20, two more medium lasers and an LRM-10. Four tons of reloads for each of the smaller autocannons, eight for the mammoth AC/20s, and a total of seventeen tons of long-range missiles allow the craft to engage seemingly at will.

Cargo

Due to the focused role of the class, the Achilles boasts a minimal cargo capacity. The bulk of its free space is instead devoted to two aerospace fighter bays. Two small craft bays, often occupied by battle taxis and assigned to one foot platoon are well-equipped for space marine boarding operations.

• Bay 1: Small Craft (2), 2 doors
• Bay 2: Aerospace Fighters (2), 2 doors
• Bay 3: Cargo (160.5 tons), 1 door

Infantry (1 platoon)

Variants

• Upgrade 

  Coming as somewhat of a shock given that no Capellan or Marik facility produced the Achilles previously, new vessels of a refitted version first emerged from the facilities of Rashpur-Owens Incorporated above Capella in 3055. Replacing all of the standard heat sinks with Double Heat Sinks, the upgraded Achilles has greatly improved endurance. The PPCs and Large Lasers are upgraded to extended range models, the standard mediums are replaced with Medium Pulse Lasers, and Artemis IV FCS is added to each LRM launcher. The four AC/5s have been dropped entirely and replaced with two Gauss rifles and five tons of reloads. The two AC/10s share five tons of shells, the three AC/20s share six tons of shells, and a combined fifteen tons of missiles are shared by the LRM racks. These upgrades lowered the previous amount of cargo space to 122 tons and slightly increased the armor to 58.5 tons. BV (1.0) = 10,010, BV (2.0) = 10,331

• 3088 Upgrade 

  This version of the Achilles was overseen by the Draconis Combine Admiralty and carries double heat sinks. It also carries four heavy PPCs, six LRM-20s with Artemis IV FCS, three ER large lasers, twin ER PPCs, four ER medium lasers, five Gauss rifles, and two ultra AC/20s. It also has a bay for a single squad of battle armor, but the most prominent piece of new equipment is the naval C3 system that coordinates fire among friendly naval units. Its Cargo capacity was lowered to only 103.0 tons. BV (2.0) = 12,207

Named Vessels

(See Category:Individual Achilles-class DropShips)

Gallery

• 

  Original illustration of the Achilles from DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary

• 

  Achilles from TRO:3057

Bibliography

• AeroTech 2 Record Sheets
• BattleSpace
• DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary
• Objective Raids
• Record Sheets: 3145 New Tech, New Upgrades
• Technical Readout: 3057
• Technical Readout: 3057 Revised
• Technical Readout: 3145