Design Challenge - Ground-Support Dropship

[Black_Knyght]

Last night a fellow CBT player/friend sent me some pics he'd found online and asked if I could post them in a kind of "Design This" challenge, to see what the various folks around here might do with them.

THAT said, here's the FIRST: A heavily armed ground-support (?) dropship for mechs and/or tanks

[Vehrec]

You know what, I'm gonna make you two dropships with MML.  One just to drop a mild amount of Pain on someone...and the other to bring the firepower of a PWS in for close air support.

Code: [Select]

Smol dropper Dropship
Base Tech Level: Standard (IS)
Level          Era
-------------------
Experimental    - 
Advanced        - 
Standard      3145+
Tech Rating: E/X-X-X-D

Weight: 500 tons
BV: 4,667
Cost: 177,492,960 C-bills

Movement: 5/8
Heat Sinks: 15 [30]
Fuel Points: 0/6300 (90.0 tons)
Tons Per Burn Day: 1.84

Structural Integrity: 11
Armor: 756
            Armor 
-------------------
Nose          227 
Left Side     189 
Right Side    189 
Aft           151 

Weapons                 Loc  Heat 
-----------------------------------
AC Bay                   LS    2   
Heavy Gauss Rifle                 
Heavy Gauss Rifle Ammo   12       
AC Bay                   RS    2   
Heavy Gauss Rifle                 
Heavy Gauss Rifle Ammo   12       
AC Bay                  NOS    3   
Heavy Gauss Rifle                 
Rotary AC/5                       
Rotary AC/5 Ammo         80       
Heavy Gauss Rifle Ammo   16       
LRM Bay                  LS    6   
LRM 20                             
LRM 20 Ammo              24       
LRM Bay                  RS    6   
LRM 20                             
LRM 20 Ammo              24       



Crew                 
---------------------
Officers            0
Enlisted/Non-rated  5
Gunners             2
Bay Personnel       0





Code: [Select]

Big Boy Dropship
Base Tech Level: Standard (IS)
Level          Era
-------------------
Experimental    - 
Advanced        - 
Standard      3145+
Tech Rating: E/X-X-X-E

Weight: 5900 tons
BV: 15,562
Cost: 395,553,600 C-bills

Movement: 4/6
Heat Sinks: 140 [280]
Fuel Points: 0/12000 (400.0 tons)
Tons Per Burn Day: 1.84

Structural Integrity: 15
Armor: 1269 (Ferro-Aluminum)
            Armor 
-------------------
Nose          380 
Left Side     318 
Right Side    318 
Aft           253 

Weapons                                 Loc  Heat 
---------------------------------------------------
Sub-Capital Cannon Bay                  NOS   54   
Sub-Capital Cannon (Heavy)                         
Sub-Capital Cannon (Light)                         
Heavy SCC Ammo                           40       
Light SCC Ammo                           40       
Sub-Capital Cannon Bay                   LS   30   
Sub-Capital Cannon (Medium)                       
Medium SCC Ammo                          40       
Sub-Capital Cannon Bay                   RS   30   
Sub-Capital Cannon (Medium)                       
Medium SCC Ammo                          40       
Capital Missile Bay                      LS   18   
Sub-Capital Missile Launcher (Piranha)             
Sub-Capital Missile Launcher (Piranha)             
Piranha Ammo                             20       
Capital Missile Bay                      RS   18   
Sub-Capital Missile Launcher (Piranha)             
Sub-Capital Missile Launcher (Piranha)             
Piranha Ammo                             20       
Pulse Laser Bay                         AFT   40   
Large Pulse Laser                                 
Large Pulse Laser                                 
Large Pulse Laser                                 
Large Pulse Laser                                 
AMS Bay                                  RS    2   
Anti-Missile System                               
Anti-Missile System                               
Anti-Missile System Ammo [IS]            60       
AMS Bay                                  LS    2   
Anti-Missile System                               
Anti-Missile System                               
Anti-Missile System Ammo [IS]            60       



Carrying Capacity
-----------------
Cargo Space (1 door) - 306 tons

Crew                 
---------------------
Officers            0
Enlisted/Non-rated  7
Gunners             9
Bay Personnel       0

[maxcarrion]

I should probably warn you that close support dropships are actually mega expensive ploughs in disguise

[Natasha Kerensky]

For ground support. I'd go with a small craft or even a heavy aerospace fighter.  They're better for the role and risk less.  And to me, rather than a dropship, she looks like a 100-ton fighter or 200-ton aerodyne small craft with a couple LRM-20s and three big ballistic and/or energy guns.

If a small craft, she could also carry an small infantry unit, maybe even a light vehicle or two, for deploying on raiding, spec ops, headhunting, or similar missions.  Maybe think in terms of speed, ECM, and other stealthy stuff.  She kind of has that look.

[Atarlost]

For ground support. I'd go with a small craft or even a heavy aerospace fighter.

If the art didn't have more missile tubes than the maximum number of weapons per facing you could just spam Arrow IV from a mostly safe distance and have some hope of not losing your dropship. 

[boilerman]

I'm no expert on BT aerospace combat and ground attack rules but with the strafing ability of energy weapons I'd opt for lasers with LRMs for long range work and some SRMs just for the heck of it.

And as wide as that fuselage is, and the possibility of a loading ramp, I can't resist giving it some transport capability of a platoon of BA or a company of jump infantry.


                    AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                                  VALIDATED

Class/Model/Name:  Combat Lander
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 2750
Vessel Type:       Aerospace Fighter
Rules:             Level 2, Standard design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              95 tons
Power Plant:       190 Fusion
Safe Thrust:       4
Maximum Thrust:    6
Armor Type:        Standard
Armament:         
    3 Large Laser
    3 Small Pulse Laser
    2 LRM 15
    2 SRM 4
    2 Medium Laser

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class/Model/Name:  Combat Lander
Mass:              95 tons

Equipment:                                                              Mass
Power Plant:  190 Fusion                                                 7.50
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 4
      Maximum Thrust: 6
Structural Integrity: 9                                                   .00
Total Heat Sinks:    18 Double                                           8.00
Fuel:                                                                    5.00
Cockpit & Attitude Thrusters:                                            3.00
Armor Type:  Standard  (264 total armor pts)                            16.50
                           Standard Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Nose:                                 90
   Left/Right Wings:                  65/65
   Aft:                                  44


Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Large Laser              Nose         8      8     --     --    8      5.00
3 Small Pulse Laser        Nose         3     --     --     --    6      3.00
1 LRM 15                   RW           9      9      9     --    5      7.00
1 LRM 15                   LW           9      9      9     --    5      7.00
  Ammo (LRM 15) 32         ---                                           4.00
1 Large Laser              RW           8      8     --     --    8      5.00
1 Large Laser              LW           8      8     --     --    8      5.00
1 SRM 4                    RW           6     --     --     --    3      2.00
1 SRM 4                    LW           6     --     --     --    3      2.00
  Ammo (SRM 4) 25          ---                                           1.00
2 Medium Laser             Aft          5     --     --     --    6      2.00
1 Cargo Bay                                                             12.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                                    Heat: 52     95.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        5,288,293 C-Bills
Battle Value:      1,421
Cost per BV:       3,721.53
Weapon Value:      2,344 (Ratio = 1.65)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 47;  MRV = 21;  LRV = 3;  ERV = 0
BattleForce2:      MP: 4,  Armor/Structure: 7 / 0
                   Damage PB/M/L: 5/4/2,  Overheat: 1
                   Class: FA;  Point Value: 14
                   Specials: if