Howdah
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Model 96C Howdah | |
Production information | |
Manufacturer | Nimakachi Fusion Products Limited[citation needed] |
Production Year | 2695[1] |
Use | Tug; SDS Controller Ship |
Type | Military Spheroid |
Tech Base | Inner Sphere |
Technical specifications | |
Mass | 15,000 tons |
Structural Integrity | 25 |
Length | 150 meters |
Width | 68 meters |
Height | 68 meters |
Safe Thrust | 2.5 g |
Max Thrust | 4 g |
Fuel (tons) | 700 tons |
Fuel (days) | 1.84 days |
Armament |
|
Armor | 77 tons Ferro-Aluminum |
Crew | 56[2]
Bay Personnel: 10 |
Passengers | None |
Escape Pods/Life Boats | 10/2 |
Heat Sinks | 200 double |
BV (2.0) | 10,750[2][3][4] |
Contents
Description
The Model 96C SDS Command Ship, also known as the "Howdah", was a drone command ship employed by the Star League Defense Force to control drone fighter spacecraft.
Commissioned in 2695, the Howdah was originally based on an early variant of the Model 96 "Elephant" space tug. Aside from its role of providing a mobile M-2 drone-controlling platform, the ship would also act as an aerospace drone fighter carrier, controlling and maintaining six drones. When it was first commissioned, the drone fighter complement consisted of six Mk.20 SwiftStar Robotic Drones, which were replaced over the decades with Mk.30 BlackWasp and later Mk.39 VoidSeeker robotic fighters.[2]
Officially, no Howdah ever existed, as all examples were listed as standard Elephant Model 96s. The Howdah saw service throughout the Star League Civil War, and ultimately all were scuttled by order of General Aleksandr Kerensky as part of his efforts to destroy all SDS-related technology.[2]
Armament and Capacities
The Howdah shares much of the 2650 update of the Model 96 Elephant's armor, engine, tug adapter, and weapons. Unlike later versions of the Elephant it does not feature Extended-Range PPCs. For protection, the ship is armored with 77 tons of Ferro-Aluminum armor, with slightly more of this thick armor protection found on the nose.
The weapons bays are laid out as follows:
- Nose Section: ER Large Laser with two medium lasers, four standard PPCs, two Gauss rifles and an Artemis IV Fire Control System-enhanced LRM-10 launcher;
- Forward Side Arcs: One bay contains an ER Large Laser with two medium lasers, along with two standard PPCs, two Gauss rifles, and an Artemis-enhanced LRM-10 launcher;
- Aft Arcs: Two standard PPCs, a pair of medium lasers, and two Gauss rifles in their own weapons bays;
- Aft Arc: This section of the ship has four ER large lasers, a pair of medium lasers, and an Artemis-enhanced LRM-10 Launcher.
For its primary mission as a drone command ship and aerospace fighter carrier, the Howdah features an Autonomous Tactical Analysis Computer (ATAC), which despite its name required human intervention to work to its full potential and to interface with less-sophisticated drones.[2]
Cargo
- Bay 1: Cargo (1,462 tons), 2 doors
- Bay 2: Small Craft (2), 2 doors
- Bay 3: ARTS Fighter Cubicles (6), 4 doors
- Carries up to twenty SDS fighter drones[2]
Related Designs
- Model 96 "Elephant"
- The base design from 2600 on which the Howdah was based. Early versions of the Howdah were converted Elephants of this version, prior to the Howdah getting its own production line.[5][2]
See Also
- Category:Individual Howdah-class DropShips
- As of this writing there are no known examples of this class surviving beyond the Star League Era.
References
- ↑ MUL online date for the Howdah
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, pp. 171-172: "Model 96C 'Howdah' SDS Command Ship
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3075, p. 196: Battle Value 2.0
- ↑ MUL Profile with Battle Value/Introduction Date for the Howdah SDS Command Ship
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3075 Unabridged - Age of War, p. 86: Model 96 Type DropShip "Elephant" - Early version mentioned as base model of the Howdah