Hamilcar (DropShip class)
Sarna News
- Bad 'Mechs - Thresher Mk II
- HEXTECH Wave 9 Review - Winding Rivers, Tall Walls, and Underground Tunnels
- Hired Steel and Making MechWarrior 5: Clans Cinematics with Constantin & Bernhard of TMC
- Your BattleTech News Round-Up For December, 2024
- Community Outreach - Caterwauling On CamoSpecs With Matt "00Dawg" Frederiksen
- Read more →
| |
| Hamilcar | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Irian Naval Systems[1] |
| Production Year | 3054[2] |
| Use | Space Assault Ship |
| Type | Military Aerodyne |
| Tech Base | Star League |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 4,400[3] tons |
| Structural Integrity | 9 |
| Length | 132 meters |
| Width | 98 meters |
| Height | 34 meters |
| Safe Thrust | 2 g |
| Max Thrust | 3 g |
| Fuel (tons) | 97 tons |
| Fuel (days) | 52.7 days |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | 35.5 tons standard |
| Crew | 36[3]
Bay Personnel: 24 |
| Escape Pods/Life Boats | 4/0 |
| Heat Sinks | 56 double |
| BV (1.0) | 3,812[3][4] |
| BV (2.0) | 4,162[citation needed] |
Contents
Description[edit]
Developed by a Marik think tank, the Hamilcar-class DropShip is a unique and hard-to-classify space assault vessel.
When first revealed, many observers wrote the design off as a poorly designed raider, neither a fighter nor 'Mech carrier. Opinions changed when the Hamilcar first saw action, defeating a group of terrorists that had seized a cargo station at the L2 point of Concord. In a showpiece of integrated action between the DropShip, Jump Jet equipped BattleMechs and aerospace fighters, the ship and its cargo geared towards acting as a zero-g combat unit, the unit descended on the station and vented the station's atmosphere while a second lance simultaneously landed on the hull of the rebel Mule. The terrorists quickly surrendered.[3]
However, beyond its rather niche role and unusual design features, the Hamilcar is a relatively mediocre design at best, hampered by a mere 80 tons of fuel, scant cargo space, limited weapons array, and a paltry 35 tons of armor. The vessel is so focused on operating in concert with its 'Mechs and fighter screen that it isn't a viable combatant without them.[3][5]
Armament[edit]
The Hamilcar recovered technology arsenal is almost exclusively forward facing, consisting of a Gauss rifle, ER Large Laser, Artemis IV FCS enhanced LRM-20 and SRM-4 racks mounted in the nose, backed up by an ER large laser, LRM-20, ER PPC and Large Pulse Laser in each wing. Aft weaponry consists of another ER large laser backed up by an LRM-15 and SRM-4, complemented by further rear-facing LRM-15s in each wing.[3][5]
Cargo[edit]
The Hamilcar features a meager amount of cargo, devoting most of its available space toward carrying two Lances of BattleMechs and two aerospace fighter Lances. The bays for the four fighters are deserving of note for their unusual placement directly below the engines. This is rather eccentric, but allows the fighters to be removed or loaded on the ground via simple ramps, which is generally not possible on most other DropShips.[3][5]
- Bay 1: BattleMechs (8), 4 doors
- Bay 2: Cargo (106.5 tons), 1 door
- Bay 3: Aerospace Fighters (4), 2 doors
Variants[edit]
No known variants
See Also[edit]
Gallery[edit]
Original Hamilcar from TRO:3057
References[edit]
- ↑ Objectives: Free Worlds League, p. 12: "Clipperton"
- ↑ MUL online date for the Hamilcar (DropShip class)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, pp. 30–31: "Hamilcar Profile"
- ↑ AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 223
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Technical Readout: 3057, pp. 32–33: "Hamilcar Profile"