Mark VII Landing Craft
Sarna News
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| Mark VII Landing Craft | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | United Outworlders Corporation[1]
Various Inner Sphere and Clan |
| Use | Military Shuttlecraft Military Cargo Transport |
| Type (Shape) | Miltary Aerodyne |
| Tech Base | Inner Sphere |
| Cost | |
| Introduced | 2841 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 150 tons |
| Structural Integrity | 6 |
| Length | 21.4 meters |
| Width | 20 meters |
| Engine (Type) | Fusion |
| Safe Thrust | 2 g |
| Maximum Thrust | 3 g |
| Fuel | 10 tons |
| Burn Rate | 1.84 |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | 13 tons standard |
| Heat Sinks | 10 single |
| Crew | 5
|
| Passengers | None |
| BV (1.0) | 618[2] |
| BV (2.0) | |
Contents
Description[edit]
The Mark VII Landing Craft is a military shuttlecraft used for transporting cargo from orbit to planetside battlefields. This version of the Landing Craft has been in service with Inner Sphere powers since 2841. It was developed from the Ares landing craft first introduced by the Terran Hegemony.[3]
The aerodyne Mk VII small craft is prized for its ability to use its VTOL capacity to hover for short time periods over a landing site. This allows it to land in rough terrain, whereas other aerodyne type small craft must use landing strips.
Due to changes in the construction rules for small craft, different versions of this vessel have been described in different sources. (See Notes below.)
Weapons and Equipment[edit]
The Mk VII's principal weapons are a pair of medium lasers mounted in its right and left wing sections each as well the aft section, plus a pair of nose-mounted small lasers.
Cargo[edit]
The ship has a 67.44 ton cargo capacity (See Notes below.) in a single large (14m long by 8m wide by 5m tall) bay with a floor lifting/lowering system. One of its roles is to carry the Rommel and Patton tanks.[4]
- Bay 1: Cargo (31 tons), 0 doors
Variants[edit]
- Liao
- This version gives up the cargo space to replace the original engine with a Rawlings 300 to boost the craft's speed and handling (5/8 speeds), while also adding 2 tons of fuel and 15 heat sinks. The craft radically alters the weapons load to include an AC/10 with 2 tons of ammo and yet a third small laser in the nose. The LRM-5 is upgraded to an LRM-20 with 3 tons of ammo. The forward and aft medium lasers were upgraded to large lasers and a medium laser was added to the left and right wings. This variant has assisted in some planetary defensives against both Federated Suns and Free Worlds League forces with great success.[4]
- Steiner
- A very few craft operated by the Lyran Commonwealth were outfitted with Pitban 300 engines to address handling/flight issues (with up to 4 g thrust). These craft have a 55-ton cargo capacity and a half-ton less armor, but lose the means to transport the Rommel / Patton heavy tanks.[4]
- Egret
- A variant developed exclusively for ComStar's Explorer Corps, the Egret trades cargo capacity for increased fuel tonnage. [5]
- Mark VIIC
- The Clan version of the ubiquitous Mark VII Landing Craft was introduced in 2841, and is outfitted with Clan technology (such as double heat sinks) and yet is little changed from the Inner Sphere models. The ship's armaments include two nose-mounted Medium Pulse Lasers, with a pair of Medium Pulse Lasers mounted in the ship's right, left wing sections and two mounted aft. The ship's Clan standard armor capacity is one ton less than the Inner Sphere version, however, its protection is greater. Clan Ghost Bear produced the craft at their Tseng Facility[6] and in 3074, Clan Jade Falcon began Occupation Zone production at the Falcon's Roost Orbital Assembly Plant.[7] BV (1.0) = 1,027[8][9]
Notes[edit]
- The Mark VII Landing Craft first appeared in the DropShips and JumpShips sourcebook, designed using the original AeroTech ruleset. According to this source (purporting to be a ComStar dossier and thus possibly erroneous within the universe), the ship was listed as a 100-ton design and sported completely different weaponry. It was described as somewhat rare, produced primarily by House Liao and in smaller numbers by Houses Steiner and Kurita. The original weapons layout was notably asymmetrical in both the main and Liao variants which was/is not allowed under both rulesets. The tiny fuel bay is at odds with the descriptive text that claims these craft could travel to and from orbit to drop the tanks. Furthermore, according to the Technical Readout: 3057 the VTOL system takes 5% of the craft's mass and can be used without detonating external ordnance.
- Although the fluff indicates the craft has a 67-ton cargo bay, current record sheets only allot a 31-ton cargo bay.
- The origin of the Mark VIIC Landing Craft is a mystery given that the Mk VII' introduction year is in middle of the Succession Wars. During this time period the Clans had no contact with the Inner Sphere. Therefore Mk VIIC apparently evolved out of an earlier version of the Landing Craft and share a predecessor with the Inner Sphere's Mk VII, instead of being a direct evolution of the Mk VII design proper.
Gallery[edit]
Illustration of Mark VII Landing Craft from DropShips and JumpShips
Flying Mark VII Landing Craft from TRO:3057
Mark VII Landing Craft under fire, from AToW
References[edit]
- ↑ Objectives: The Clans, p. 21: "United Outworlders Corporation"
- ↑ AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 194
- ↑ Experimental Technical Readout: Primitives, Volume 2, p. 14
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary, pp. 70-71.
- ↑ Explorer Corps, p. 17
- ↑ Objectives: The Clans, p. 34, "Tseng Facility"
- ↑ Objectives: The Clans, p. 14, "Falcon's Roost Orbital Assembly Plant"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 Revised p. 171 - Mark VII/Mark VIIC (Landing Craft) - Clan Stats and capacities of the Mark VIIC.
- ↑ AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 195