Luftenburg

Luftenburg
Production information
Manufacturer	Taatyana Trans-Oceanic Shipyards of Tharkad
Production Year	2741
Use	Mobile Airbase, Fire Support, Military Sea lift
Tech Base	Inner Sphere (Advanced)
Chassis Type (Size)	Naval Vessel (Large, Template E)
Equipment Rating	E/C-F-F
Introduced	2741
Technical specifications
Mass	100,000 tons
Cruise Speed	30 km/h
Flank Speed	50 km/h
Power Plant	Electric (fuel cell)
Fuel (Type/Range)	Electric / 9,497 km
Fire Control System	Advanced
Armament	2x Long Tom 9x large laser 10x LRT-10 8x LRM-20 6x medium laser
Heat Sinks	90 single
Armor	Heavy Industrial Armor
Barrier Armor Rating (BAR)	10
Crew	322 (46 officers, 228 enlisted/non-rated, 48 gunners)

Description

The Luftenburg was a class of blue water WarShip supercarriers constructed by the Lyran Commonwealth at the beginning of the early twenty-eighth century. These massive 100,000 ton ships are the largest active carriers known to exist, primarily created to provide mobile air support and limited artillery fire support for land and sea operations on planets which have large oceans. Each Luftenburg could carry over 140 aircraft, including 100 aerospace or conventional fighter craft, 20 VTOL, and 20 conventional or medium support aircraft.

Between their introduction in 2741 until 2806 thirteen ships of the Luftenberg-class were constructed on Tharkad and other various Lyran worlds for wet navy support. These ships remained in active service to House Steiner until the end of the thirtieth century, when they were mothballed due to loss of advanced technology. After the Clan Invasion, the Lyran Alliance was able to return some of these ships back to service. During the Jihad at least one Luftenburg was destroyed on Tharkad by orbital fire from Blakist WarShips.

Weapons and Equipment

Besides operating as an aircraft carrier, the Luftenburg is equipped with multiple weapon systems to both provide limited shore bombardment capability and defend against attacks, guided by an Advanced Fire Control system. A pair of Long Tom Artillery cannons are mounted on the bow of the ship and fed by 60 tons of ammunition; also mounted on the bow are six Large Lasers, two LRM-20s and three LRT-10s with ten tons of missile and torpedo reloads. A lighter payload is mounted on the stern of the ship, with three large lasers supporting two LRM-20s and two LRT-10s fed by ten and eight tons of reloads respectively. Additional weapons covering the forward port and starboard firing arcs each are two medium lasers with an LRM-20 and LRT-10 supplied by ten and eight tons of reloads respectively. This arrangement minus one medium laser is repeated covering the aft port and starboard firing arcs. A total of 285 tons of armoring, distributed evenly around the ship, means it can survive being under fire for minutes at a time, while ammunition is stored in CASE containers.

A massive 10,530 ton hydrogen fuel cell engine powers the Luftenburg to a cruising speed of 32 km/h while 15,001 tons of fuel gives the ship a range of 9,497 km. Additional support facilities include two MASH units with 11 operating theaters, seven Field Kitchens, 360 first-class quarters and 280 second-class quarters. A total of four Lift Hoists are mounted, two in the bow and one each on the aft port and starboard sections, while twelve Searchlights ring the ship to provide illumination. Another twelve Sprayers similarly ring the ship, mainly for firefighting purposes where they most often use seawater mixed with a foaming agent. The ship also carries fourteen tons of Communication Equipment, three tons of minesweeper equipment in the bow, and 140 one-ton lifeboats.

Cargo

• 100 Fighter Bays - 4 doors (2 Bow/2 Stern)
• 20 Light Vehicle Bays - 2 doors (Stern)
• 20 Heavy Vehicle Bays - 1 door (Stern)
• 8,119 tons standard Cargo Bay - 4 doors (2 Port/2 Starboard)
• 10,000.5 tons insulated liquids (aircraft fuel) - 2 doors (Stern)
• 1,000.5 tons insulated liquids (potable water) - 2 doors (1 Port/1 Starboard)

Named Vessels

• TNS Luftenburg
• DNS Steadfast
• TNS Gerthr

Design Quirks

The Luftenburg is subject to the following Design Quirks:

• Improved Targeting (Long)
• Obsolete (2806–3055)

Notes

• No record sheets have been produced for this ship. Rules to construct wet-navy ships can be found in Tactical Operations.

• The TNS Gerthr might be the Luftenburg that survived the Blakist occupation of Tharkad, escaping the fate of the three Jormungand cruisers also based at Tharkad.

Bibliography

• Master Unit List
• Tactical Operations
• Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex
• Technical Readout: Vehicle Annex Revised