VTOL

Main category: VTOLs

A VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) craft is a vehicle that uses directional jets or rotors to achieve flight, allowing for high speeds and maneuverability over any terrain simply by flying over it. These vehicles are akin to modern helicopters, and can hover in place at altitude.

Description

An example of a VTOL, the Karnov

VTOLs are lightweight combat vehicles that trade protection for speed and agility. Their limited armor and vulnerable propulsion systems make them especially susceptible to battlefield damage. Fast, lethal, and fragile, VTOLs suffer the highest casualty rate of any combat vehicle type. The term VTOL encompasses a range of vertical takeoff and landing craft designed primarily to support ground operations, including conventional helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft whose engines can pivot through a 90-degree arc. Due to the immense torque required for flight, VTOL rotors cannot be heavily armored and are easily damaged—indeed, more VTOLs are lost to rotor hits than to any other cause.

Combat VTOL craft can weigh up to thirty tons, whereas support VTOL craft can weigh up to sixty tons.

Bibliography

• Total Warfare