AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout

Class/Model/Name:    Mark VII-U Landing Craft (Human Sphere)
Tech: Inner Sphere / 3054
Vessel Type: Aerodyne Small Craft
Rules: Level 3, Standard design
   
Mass: 150 tons
Length: 21 meters
Power Plant: Standard
Safe Thrust: 4
Maximum Thrust: 6
Armor Type: Standard
Armament:
2 Small Laser
2 LRM 5
2 Medium Laser


Overview:

         The Mark VI landing craft was the primary orbit-to-surface craft deployed during the Star League era. It is estimated that virtually every inhabitant of the Star League at least saw one of these ubiquitous "shuttle craft" as every spaceport of the day had them and almost every spaceship carried them. Many private corpations also used them, and they were even common as passenger liners used for short sub-orbital hops.
         Then the Star League Civil War erupted. Most of the Terran Hegemony's landing craft died during the war, used as a last line of defense by Amaris to bled the Star League Defense Force. The vast majority of the Star League landing craft that survived, left with Kerensky, and those that remained in the Successor States and the Periphery died during the first two Succession Wars, victims either of the Amaris strategy or a general lack of spare parts due to the loss of the primary factory.
         The Mark VII was designed to replace the Mark VI, and has very similar design characteristics, with the primary difference being that it is easier to maintain. It was first released in 2841. Interestingly, the Clans also designed their own Mark VII, but while the Inner Sphere Mark VII was simply a Mark VI built out of lower technology, the Clan Mark VII featured a completely new engine that was capable of intra-system transit rather than just orbit-to-surface. When the Inner Sphere saw these Clan Mark VIIs in action, several firms began work of their own to upgrade the existing Mark VIIs with the intra-system drives. All three versions continue to be in use to this day.

Capabilities:

         The standard Mark VII landing craft is a heavy AeroSpace craft that is well-armored and carries a heavy payload. Massing 100 tons, the Mark VII is capable of transporting up to 65 tons of vehicles and equipment directly into a battle zone. The Mark VII Clan and Upgrade are each 150 tons due to the heavier engines, but their maximum payload weight has changed very little.
         The craft's boxy fuselage is well-armored with between 13 and 14.5 tons of armor plating depending on the model. The standard vehicle is equipped with a powerful fusion drive that has just enough thrust to get a fully loaded craft into orbit. The high-tech versions can of course travel farther but have no more power. Poor maneuverability when fully loaded is this craft's greatest shortcoming.
         The Mark VII carries a number of weapons to protect itself and to provide covering fire for embarking and disembarking troops and cargo. The standard craft is fitted with a single LRM-5 launcher mounted on the cockpit. For closer targets, a single medium laser is also mounted on the cockpit. In a small weapons bay in the rear of the craft is a single medium laser, and, in the nose just below the cockpit, is a pair of small lasers. The Inner Sphere upgrade adds a second LRM-5 launcher, while the Clan upgrade replaces the entire weapons array with a series of medium pulse lasers that make it deadly at clearing landing zones.
         Mounted under the stubby wings are a set of pylons used to carry small bombs and infernos. Because the craft lacks maneuvering power, any payload severely hampers the craft's performance. In fact, the Mark VII cannot achieve orbit without first expending or jettisoning any wing-mounted ordnance .
         Unlike most other small craft, the Mark VII is equipped with a set of bottom-mounted, chilled-mixture thrusters. These thrusters enable the craft to take off and land vertically, allowing it to get into difficult positions. The cool air mixture emitted by the thrusters will not damage the mounted ordnance.
         The interior of the craft is mostly open cargo bay, approximately 14 meters long and 8 meters wide, with a clearance of 5 meters. The entire floor of the bay is an elevator capable of lifting 80 tons. When the elevator lowers to the ground, cargo can be easily loaded or unloaded. The walls of the bay are covered with many fuel pipes, cooling circulation pipes, heat ducts, electrical conduits, and access panels leading to the various drive components and weapons bays. At the front end of the bay is a door leading into the craft's cockpit, which seats a pilot and co-pilot/crew chief.


Class/Model/Name: Mark VII-U Landing Craft (Human Sphere)
Mass: 150 tons
Equipment:             Mass
Power Plant: Standard 39.00
Structural Integrity: 6 4.50
VSTOL Equipment: Equipped 7.50
Safe Thrust: 4  
Maximum Thrust: 6  
Heat Sinks: 5 Double 4.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps:   3.00
Bridge & Controls:   1.50
Armor Factor: 232 Standard 13.00

      Armor Value
      (Standard Scale)        
  Fore: 116      
  Left / Right Wings: 35 / 35      
  Aft: 46      

Weapons & Equipment: Loc SRV MRV LRV ERV Heat Mass
2 Small Laser Nose 3 -- -- -- 2 1.00
2 LRM 5 Nose 3 3 3 -- 4 4.00
  Ammo (LRM 5) 24 ---           1.00
1 Medium Laser Nose 5 -- -- -- 3 1.00
1 Medium Laser Aft 5 -- -- -- 3 1.00
TOTALS:           12 150.00
Tons Left:             .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost: 6,686,448 C-Bills
Battle Value: 833
Cost per BV: 8,026.95
Weapon Value: 1,422 (Ratio = 1.71)
Damage Factors:    SRDmg = 17; MRDmg = 4; LRDmg = 1; ERDmg = 0
Maintenance Point Value:    MPV = 1,151 (479 Structure, 490 Life Support, 182 Weapons)
Support Points: SP = 3,713 (323% of MPV)
BattleForce2: MP: 4N,   Armor/Structure: 6 / 0
    Damage PB/M/L: 2/1/1,   Overheat: 0
    Class: DS,   Point Value: 8
    Specials:if