NL-42 "Battle Taxi"
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NL-42 "Battle Taxi" | |
Production information | |
Manufacturer | Blackwell Heavy Industries[1] |
Use | Boarding Transport |
Type (Shape) | Military Spheroid |
Tech Base | Star League |
Cost | 14,710,100 C-Bills[2] |
Introduced | 3053 (See note) |
Technical specifications | |
Mass | 200 tons |
Structural Integrity | 8 |
Length | 19 meters |
Width | 20 meters |
Engine (Type) | Fusion |
Safe Thrust | 3 g |
Maximum Thrust | 4.5 g |
Fuel | 5 tons |
Burn Rate | 1.84 |
Armament | |
Armor | 32 tons standard |
Heat Sinks | 14 single |
Crew | 3[3]
|
Passengers | |
BV (1.0) | 1,353[4] |
BV (2.0) |
Contents
Description[edit]
The NL-42 "Battle Taxi" is the military equivalent of the S-7A bus. The class first saw use during the Star League era and throughout the Succession Wars. The NL-42 uses its high speed to close with an enemy DropShip, JumpShip, or WarShip, matches the target's course and speed, deploys a pair of magnetic grapples, and then pulls itself alongside the target ship. A gunner can be used to operate the weapons and grappling systems, though one crewmember can operate the craft if needed, though at a greater level of difficulty.[3]
The marines participating in the boarding action then use the ship's tug adapter to break into the target ship to take control. If the pilot of the Battle Taxi can't line up the adapter, the marines can use magnetic boots and grapples to cling to the target ship's hull while finding alternate access points or using cutting tools to create their own access points.
Weapons and Equipment[edit]
The NL-42 is armed with a pair of extended-range large lasers for long-range attacks, with one laser mounted in each "wing" section. The ship's secondary weapons are four medium pulse lasers which are split between the ship's right & left "wing" sections.[3]
Cargo[edit]
The Battle Taxi is designed to carry 50 tons of cargo, usually marines wearing power armor. The Battle Taxi can also transport three platoons of conventional infantry to a boarding action.
- Bay 1: Battle Armor Points/Squads (1), 0 door
- Bay 2: Battle Armor Points/Squads (1), 0 door
- Bay 3: Cargo (1 ton), 0 door
Variants[edit]
- Succession Wars
- As the class was used during the low-tech eras of the Succession Wars, the lostech ER and pulse lasers as described were unlikely to have been used. Presumably, the advanced lasers can at least be ascribed to the Wolf's Dragoons Lupus version as below, but no other statistics have been printed.
- Lupus
- The NL-42 version used by Wolf's Dragoons and manufactured by Blackwell Industries.
Related Vessels[edit]
- The 100-ton NL-43 Battle Taxi was introduced in 3074 and designated as an Aerospace fighter.[5]
- The NL-45 "Gunboat" was introduced by Clan Snow Raven in 3094.[6]
Gallery[edit]
Original NL-42 Battle Taxi from TRO:3057
References[edit]
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3057, p. 174
- ↑ MUL entry for the NL-42 "Battle Taxi"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, p. 172
- ↑ AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 196
- ↑ MUL entry for the Battle Taxi NL-43
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries, pp. 50–51: "NL-45 Gunboat"