Author Topic: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift  (Read 6755 times)

Trace Coburn

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Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« on: 14 April 2011, 06:09:46 »
SW-606 Swift - 25t, TRO2750
Originally posted 1 Mar. 2006.

  All proposed fan-variants should be posted in the corresponding “FotW Workshop” thread.


  The overall design philosophy for the SW-606 seems to have been (as Capt. Malcolm Reynolds might say): “Faster.  Faster!  Faster would be better!”  ::)  Whoever cooked the thing up certainly seems to have thought of little other than getting to the enemy quickly... though how much good the Swift was expected to do once it got to the engagement is something of a mystery.  :D  The type’s B-TT7i computerised voice-warning system keeps the pilot fully apprised of all developments and potentially dangerous situations... though its constant nagging, like that of many twentieth-century fighter-jets, saw the system dubbed “Bitching Betty” by most pilots and often saw her turned off completely.

  Credit where credit is due, though: the Swift is, without exception, the fastest fighter any IS power has ever built and put into the black.  13/20 is a thrust profile that allows an interception separation-from-bullseye which is pretty hard to argue with.  (What is a little debatable is how much a pilot’s going to be worth as a combat asset after sustaining a 6.5g or 10g acceleration for minutes on end; I certainly can’t say I like to imagine the long-term health impacts of that sort of sustained stress.  :o)  Three tons of internal fuel isn’t especially heartening; however, a max load of five drop-tanks gets you two and half tons more fuel and only costs you half a g of sustained thrust, so the idea would be to use the drop-tanks to get you to the fight and rely on your internal tanks (and some coasting) to get you home again.  The armour is decent enough - two tons of ferro-aluminium, 10/10/6 - though at this size and speed, you are definitely looking to dance between the bullets rather than shrug them off.
  The thing is, in their mania to save weight for the engine, the SLDF designers cut right into weapons volume: they trimmed off the fat, sliced off all the meat, and went to work with a bone saw.  When a Swift gets to the fight first, it’s ready to hit an opponent with nose-mounted lasers... two of them.  A single medium, and a single small.
  Oh, God.  Oh God.  Keep this vicious beast away from me.  @p?

  Another explicitly designed aircraft, the Swift is meant for super-long-range interceptions, making high-speed ‘slashing’ attacks through enemy formations to harry and nip at given targets, then maybe stern-convert on any lame ducks and give them another dose.  In accordance with basic tactical common-sense, I’d imagine that wing-pairs or even whole squadrons will concentrate their fire on a given target, to maximise the chance of actually inflicting meaningful harm.  Don’t bother sending SW-606 squads on anti-’Shipping or attack missions unless you’re devoid of any alternative; a single 3-Capital laser bay is little more than a nuisance to anything other than a civilian JumpShip, so unless you’re playing misdirection games or looking for cheap harrassers, it’s as near to pointless as any fighter-squadron gets.

  Want to stop Swifts?  They’re too fast for anything other than the lightest of Clan starfighters to have a hope of beating them at their own game... so don’t bother.  They only have Short-ranged weapons, so use anything and everything more potent at your disposal and batter them all the way in; almost any hit will cause a TAC-check, and a single PPC strike will vape every last shred of armour over even the best-protected section of a Swift.  A horde of Swifts attacking even a relatively ‘light’ medium fighter such as the Corsair is in much the same predicament as a mob of ruffians armed with knives charging an alerted SWAT-trooper equipped with body-armour and a SPAS-12 shotgun: they might get to him, and they might even hurt him, but they’re going to leave a lot of their own bodies in their wake and it’d take a special favour from God Himself for them to stand any real chance of killing him.


  [VARIANT PROPOSAL(S) REDACTED] All proposed fan-variants - including my own - belong in the corresponding “FotW Workshop” thread: http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,4585.0.html


  Now, don’t be coy here, folks.  If anyone (even my new friends from Candlekeep.com) has an opinion, they’re more than welcome to let it out to breathe.  ;D


  Be advised: the attached .txt transcript(s) of previous run(s) of this thread may contain numerous reader-proposals for variants.  I’ll try to change those out for ‘sanitised’ versions of those threads when I can, but I can’t promise it’ll be soon - that’s a lot of ground to cover.  ;)

Trace Coburn

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SWF-** Swift (TRO3050 Updates)
Originally posted 28 Nov. 2007.

  Another ‘hit-and-hype’ article this week, simply because it appears that the Blakers have mystifyingly and abjectly failed to try anything new with the design.  [metalhealth]

Quote from: Maelwys
Another light fighter that basically is ignored by 3050U, the Swift continues to toil in obscurity, with only the history of "Bitchin' Betty" letting it stand out. In that regard, Trace's FOTW remains completely valid. And that sorta bothers me. The Swift production line is on Terra, and depending on how you read it, it's possible Comstar never really stopped producing them. The production plant is still available to the WoB. They've upgraded everything else, why not their fighters? There is mention of a Clan upgrade, which simply upgrades the lasers to extended versions.

Class/Model/Name:  Swift C
Mass:              25 tons

Equipment:                                                              Mass
Power Plant:  275 Fusion                                                15.50
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 13
      Maximum Thrust: 20
Structural Integrity: 13                                                  .00
Total Heat Sinks:    10 Single                                            .00
Fuel:                                                                    3.00
Cockpit & Attitude Thrusters:                                            3.00
Armor Type:  Ferro-aluminum  (38 total armor pts)                        2.00

                           Standard Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Nose:                                 11
   Left/Right Wings:                  11/11
   Aft:                                   5

Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 ER Medium Laser          Nose         7      7     --     --    5      1.00
1 ER Small Laser           Nose         5     --     --     --    2       .50
1 C.A.S.E. Equipment       Body                                           .00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                                     Heat: 7     25.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        1,839,863 C-Bills
Battle Value:      610
Cost per BV:       3,016.17
Weapon Value:      607 (Ratio = 1.00)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 11;  MRV = 5;  LRV = 0;  ERV = 0
BattleForce2:      MP: 13,  Armor/Structure: 1 / 0
                   Damage PB/M/L: 1/1/-,  Overheat: 0
                   Class: FL;  Point Value: 6
  This is more than likely a change made from simple logistical necessity - the old-model equipment fell out of production amongst the Clans, so the installation of the new standard of weapons and ferro-aluminium armour was a simple matter of keeping their Swifts flying; their improved firepower and protection was purely incidental.  This is not to say that such legacy craft can’t be effective, but if I were writing a report-card on the Swift C’s designer, when I came to the line about ‘demonstrates creativity and inspiration’, I’d have to check ‘Needs Improvement’.  :P


Quote from: Maelwys
Apparently ComStar/WoB aren't even that creative, with a ComStar recon variant mentioned (dropping the weapons for an "advanced sensor package" (read BAP?), but no record sheet exists.

Class/Model/Name:  Swift SW-606 Recon (speculative)
Mass:              25 tons

Equipment:                                                              Mass
Power Plant:  275 Fusion                                                15.50
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 13
      Maximum Thrust: 20
Structural Integrity: 13                                                  .00
Total Heat Sinks:    10 Single                                            .00
Fuel:                                                                    3.00
Cockpit & Attitude Thrusters:                                            3.00
Armor Type:  Ferro-aluminum  (35 total armor pts)                        2.00

                           Standard Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Nose:                                 10
   Left/Right Wings:                  10/10
   Aft:                                   5

Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Beagle Active Probe      Nose        --     --     --     --    0      1.50
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                                     Heat: 0     25.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        1,905,956 C-Bills
Battle Value:      216
Cost per BV:       8,823.87
Weapon Value:      0 (Ratio = .00)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 0;  MRV = 0;  LRV = 0;  ERV = 0
BattleForce2:      MP: 13,  Armor/Structure: 1 / 0
                   Damage PB/M/L: -/-/-,  Overheat: 0
                   Class: FL;  Point Value: 2
                   Specials: prb
  ... the hell?  ???
  Man, did Blake-ROM have the ComStar fighter-design bureau this thoroughly penetrated?  AFAIK, there’s little point deploying BAPs on ASFs under any iteration of aerospace combat rules, and if the object is to scout for ground-forces, there are better and cheaper ways to do it.  I do recognise and salute the long and storied history of fighter-based aerial recon... but unless the Beagle Active Probe has some capabilities of which I’m not currently cognisant, this modification of the Swift doesn’t qualify.  It’s a nice idea and all; it’s just not executed the right way.  :(
  (For a take on how it could be done right, please see The Workshop.  ;))
  (Now that StratOps has unveiled rules about Naval EW, this change actually does have a minor bit of merit to it, with BAP Swifts using their speed to dash across an enemy ’Ship’s field-of-fire before they can be zapped use the Probe to knock down their ECM fields and ease other folks’ follow-up shots.  Unfortunately, the other side will know that too, and accordingly will make knocking out the counter-EW platform a priority to restore their EW shield; without TMMs to protect it from return fire, especially from Large Craft which ignore fighter-scale ECM, the Swift hasn’t a prayer of surviving the storm of fire this will provoke, so the Swift driver trying this stunt had better have good initiative dice, his lucky rabbits’ feet, and paid-up life insurance.  :()

  [VARIANT PROPOSAL(S) REDACTED] All proposed fan-variants - including my own - belong in the corresponding “FotW Workshop” thread: http://www.classicbattletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,4520.0.html

Moonsword

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #2 on: 14 April 2011, 06:29:14 »
I'm really not sure what to say here.  It's a faster, less heavily armed Thrush, more or less.  It lacks the cheerful insanity that characterizes the Thrush to me and for pure effectiveness, I've got other picks in the light fighter racket.  Sabres, which are not far from matching it for fleet-footedness and pack twice the firepower as well as more armor, are an excellent stopping point.

As far as refitting it, TRO3050U makes a good point.  What the heck was ComStar going to do?  The Beagle version makes a decent recon platform.  It's not the sort of fighter that really inspires me to suggest an XLFE-powered refit is worth the aggravation or expense.

Maelwys

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #3 on: 14 April 2011, 11:06:16 »
True, but even a simple weapon swap similar to the Clan version wouldn't be that hard. I don't think that's going to break the bank for the WoB, or even ComStar if they do it as a field refit.

Moonsword

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #4 on: 14 April 2011, 11:56:08 »
It wouldn't, but then you run into the problem that such a thing would be a redundant design from an authorial point of view.  Honestly, I'm surprised the Clans haven't junked the things by now.

I'd also note that an equivalent weapon switch gets you only range the fighter arguably doesn't need that badly.  The active probe strikes me as a way to get some different use out of it - odd, but odd for a reason and putting it to a use as a tactical reconnaissance platform that the speed would be very useful for.
« Last Edit: 14 April 2011, 11:58:23 by Moonsword »

Maelwys

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #5 on: 14 April 2011, 15:23:09 »
It wouldn't, but then you run into the problem that such a thing would be a redundant design from an authorial point of view.  Honestly, I'm surprised the Clans haven't junked the things by now.

I'd also note that an equivalent weapon switch gets you only range the fighter arguably doesn't need that badly.  The active probe strikes me as a way to get some different use out of it - odd, but odd for a reason and putting it to a use as a tactical reconnaissance platform that the speed would be very useful for.

True, it needed something though. Redundant or not. Nothing since 1989 and it was only a very minor rehash of what had already come before, and the one possibly interesting one, didn't get a record sheet.

I kind of like what I did with the Workshop thread, and I liked Trace's as well. Its possible to make the Swift do something atleast.

Moonsword

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #6 on: 14 April 2011, 17:06:11 »
It got it - a Clan model and a recon variant that I think gave it some character.  I'm not convinced anything else was necessary, since most of it inevitably leads to an advanced engine and what turns into a faster Sabre or Thrush depending on armor.

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #7 on: 15 April 2011, 01:46:45 »
Light fighters with active probes work well enough. The idea is to deny the target good shots. Switch to medium range, go in sideways and use the insane thrust to pic your arcs.


I suspect the reason for the Clan version has to do with the number of times the SW-606 shows up on Clan RATs.

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #8 on: 16 April 2011, 23:37:49 »
  Credit where credit is due, though: the Swift is, without exception, the fastest fighter any IS power has ever built and put into the black.  13/20 is a thrust profile that allows an interception separation-from-bullseye which is pretty hard to argue with.  (What is a little debatable is how much a pilot’s going to be worth as a combat asset after sustaining a 6.5g or 10g acceleration for minutes on end; I certainly can’t say I like to imagine the long-term health impacts of that sort of sustained stress.  :o)
What makes you think Swift pilots ever live long enough to see long-term health impacts?

Quote
Want to stop Swifts?

Wear armour?   :D

I suspect the reason for the Clan version has to do with the number of times the SW-606 shows up on Clan RATs.

Either Clan aero forces don't see a lot of action, even now, or they have a facility making these things. The attrition rate for these things in combat must be eye-watering, even ignoring the structural fatigue and accidents that its insane acceleration should induce.

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #9 on: 17 April 2011, 00:31:42 »
Only if the enemy bothers even shooting at the little buggers. :P
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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #10 on: 17 April 2011, 03:13:08 »
Either Clan aero forces don't see a lot of action, even now, or they have a facility making these things. The attrition rate for these things in combat must be eye-watering, even ignoring the structural fatigue and accidents that its insane acceleration should induce.

True, but that's the Clans for you. Live fast, die young, leave grade-A genes for the next generation. Who wants to live forever, anyway?

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #11 on: 17 April 2011, 03:19:18 »
While I admit Swifts are good recon birds. My preference would be to find some method for strapping a drone system to them, a large pile of explosives and using them as cruise missiles.

Speed is all well and good, but when you don't have the guns or fuel load to back it up, your little more than a mild annoyance.

Swifts - Because naming it the Sand Fly didn't sound as threatening.
Sometimes I think that Australia was the inspiration for the Periphery, simply because they both look really good from a long way away, but up close, everything is trying to kill you.

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Re: Fighter of the Week, Issue #059 (repost) - Swift
« Reply #12 on: 22 April 2011, 10:24:06 »
I was thinking that maybe it's use should be more along the lines of packing it with Air-to-Air missiles or Rocket Launchers.  It seems tailor made for the "dart in, salvo off and run for home" approach.

 

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