Karnov
Sarna News
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| Karnov UR Transport | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | New Earth Trading Company |
| Mission | Support |
| Type | VTOL |
| Cost | 550,000 C-bills |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 30 |
| Armor | Star Slab 1.5 Standard |
| Engine | DAV 190 I.C.E. |
| Speed | 183.6 km/h |
| Crew | ??? |
| Armament |
None |
| BV (1.0) | 70 |
| BV (2.0) | ??? |
Description
The Karnov UR Transport is heavy lift VTOL which has been in service for hundreds of years, the tilt-rotor design among the fastest of its type in use. A reliable and hardy machine, all of the Successor State armed forces and many mercenary units use at least some Karnovs for supply and logistics missions. Many commercial firms also use the Karnov for local transportation of cargo in its sizable 6-ton bay, and as a flying crane.
A thoroughly mundane vehicle, the most notable thing about the design is its unusual manufacture. Since New Earth Trading Company first began distributing the design in 2920, many were baffled how a company with no known VOTOL production facilities could offer brand new Karnovs for sale. In fact NETC received their entire supply from ComStar, part of an secret agreement with the Order in exchange for food, resources and information. When ComStar publicly revealed the existence of the ComGuards they retained more for their troops, reducing the volume of Karnovs shipped to NETC. The company finally constructed their own factory in late 3043 which allowed them to continue to sell the Karnov when ComStar eventually abandoned the arrangement altogether to devote all its resources to recovering from the Battle of Tukayyid.
Armament
Like most modern support vehicles, the Karnov UR is not designed for combat. While its Star Slab armor gives the Karnov a reasonable chance of survival if attacked by a lightly armed attacker, with its slow fully loaded speed, lack of weaponry and highly vulnerable rotors, the Karnov is a sitting duck for any combat unit.
Variants
- Field Mod - ComStar never supplied NETC with anything other than the standard model, but some buyers made field modifications, arming the Karnov with light weaponry such as machine guns or missile racks in the cargo bay.
- Upgrade - NETC offered the first factory variant of the Karnov in 3055, the upgraded version has increased defensive and cargo capacity through the use of Ferro-Fibrous armor and addition of a manned Machine Gun turret on each side to protect an enlarged cargo bay. The upgrade is somewhat slower than the original due to switch to the lighter but less powerful DAV 160 power plant.
References
- Technical Readout: 3026 - pp 26
- Technical Readout: 3026
- Technical Readout: 3058 - pp 26