| Technology and Vehicle Design - Firestorm-class Assault ship |
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Firestorm-class Assault ship (28/03/00 )
Firestorm Class Assault Ship
Firestorm Class Assault Ship
Class: Corvette/Gunship
Classification: FSA-XX
Dimensions
Length: 120 meters
Height: 30 meters at highest point
Width: 65 meters
Weight: 4500 tons (approx)
Main Engine: Fusion Ion drive with backup reaction drive and manuevering thrusters
Speed - Sublight: capable of .20C (32,000 miles per second) after continual thrusting.
Speed - Hyperdrive: No conventional hyperdrive, must use hyperdrive sled (see additional entry).
Speed - Jumpdrive: Functional equivalent of 25 light years a second. (Pheonix II only)
Armor: Medium/Light
Armament:
6 Heavy Pulse Plasma Cannons - All Forward (Mek-scale weapons)
12 Phalanx Photon Cannons - Cover all arcs (point defense; self-contained micro-turrets)
2 Plasma Laser Beam Cannon - Forward (light capital-scale: very high power drain)
Advanced Stealth gear
Description:
The Firestorm class of ship is used primarily as an attack ship, cheaper to manufacture than a frigate or destroyer, but not much tougher than a heavy starfighter. It is versatile in the fact that it can be used as a small unit transport, ideal for Fenrir special ops groups, a picket vessel for large fleets and an attack vessel capable of giving larger vessels a run for their money.
The heavy pulse plasma cannons are merely Mek/starfighter weapons (space is limited), but when fired together could scratch a cruiser.
The Phalanx Photon blasters are up-scaled heavy infantry support guns, in independent micro-turrets. Mostly used against missiles and Meks (several working together could slag an assault unit). They are independently powered and recharge from the ship's reactors.
Forward Plasma Beam Cannons work on the principle of a Plasma stream fired down a laser beam. These weapons are light frigate cannons, are built into external armored pods in the ship's nose and are a heavy drain on energy reserves. They are capable of damaging larger ships. If the main ion drives are taken off line they can be fired on overcharge. The ship is only able to manuever with thrusters if this is done, so it is usually done in a high speed dive maneuver. This is a continuous, piercing beam weapon, very red in color.
The ship can also carry one Mek (usually a Cypherhawk in fighter mode) or starfighter, mounted to the underside of the main hull. A reinforced housing links to the cockpit of the fighter and a small airlock (the size of a small walk-in closet) is used for pilot transfer.
Special Design Note
The ship is cramped, living space is sparse and artificial gravity is at about 1/2 G. The design seemed practical, but is not at all what designers had hoped. It probably will not make it to full production.
Pheonix II note:
The Pheonix II is also a test bed for a new piece of technology - the jumpdrive. The jump drive uses four Vortex hyperspace warp pods to form a core capable of generating a interphased field (the drives take up approximately 50% of the Aft hull). This core technology makes the it a very deadly ship. The drive enables it to travel at speeds far greater than a conventional hyperdrive. The only disadvantage is the need for hyperdimensional beacons that transmit a locator signal allowing a ship to navigate in the swirling void of null space.
The last bit of technology is a side effect of the Vortex system. The drive's interphased field (a weak warp field within a warp field, physically isolated from one another) produces an electromagnetic field and gravimetric waves (gravitons) that interact and help deflect some of the energy blasts (lasers, plasma, ions, etc) that are directed at it. This is by no means an impenetrable field, it only reduces the damage. It does not effect projectile weapons, except missiles (scrambles guidance).
| Firestorm-class Assault ship (Foxmage) - 28/03/00 |
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