Design Challenge: 'Combat' JumpShip

[Gorgon]

We all know, 'modern' JumpShips are virtually unarmed and at the mercy of other space vessels most of the time. But over the centuries, a few attempts have been made to make them into vessels, that can travel the wilds of the Periphery in some matter of safety (Tramp), be useful as blockade runners (Chimeisho) or even be send into the vicinity of space combat (Quetzalcoatl). Now, your challenge is: how would you go about designing a JumpShip that can fend off pirates, local patrols or ill-prepared boarders? Either to protect her own cargo or serve as convoy defense?

Your criteria are:

• Must have at least two DropShip collars (or one DropShuttle bay, if you're into that kinda thing). Bonus points if you manage more.
• Must have enough firepower to fend off 2-6 enemy small craft or ASF or 1 light attack DropShip (think Avenger at worst)
• May mount any number of sub-capital, capital or mech-scale weapons and be of any tech level you desire.
• On-board ASF, small craft and marines count, DropShips do not.
• Must carry sufficient supplies for any on-board forces (fuel, cargo space, life support for at least 3 CAP / sorties)
• L-F batteries, HPG and anything else is not required, but wouldn't hurt.

Now have fun and let's see what you can come up with!

[Primus203]

So first things first looking at designs I already had I came to the conclusion that its not practical to do what you want till your jumpships reach the 400 to 500 thousand ton range unless you sacrifice one of your docking collars for a combat dropship. So below is one of my 500 thousand ton jumpships modified to meet your requirements.

Sloop Modified Jumpship- Has 10 docking collars for great cargo hauling capacity. Mounts a single Laser AMS and ER Large Laser Per face to discourage attacks a bit. Has a four unit fighter wing and a two unit combat small craft wing. The double heat sinks double as spare parts for the small craft otherwise I would have used singles. The dropship has a size two infantry bay to repel boarders.

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Sloop Class Jumpship
Mass: 500,000 tons
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Advanced)
Introduced: 3065
Mass: 500,000
Battle Value: 1,413
Tech Rating/Availability: E/X-X-E-F
Cost: 1,839,172,917 C-bills

Fuel: 500 tons (1,250)
Safe Thrust: 0
Maximum Thrust: 0
Sail Integrity: 6
KF Drive Integrity: 10
Heat Sinks: 154 (308)
Structural Integrity: 1

Armor
    Nose: 8
    Fore Sides: 8/8
    Aft Sides: 6/6
    Aft: 4

Cargo
    Bay 1:  Fighter (4)             2 Doors   
    Bay 2:  Cargo (1568.5 tons)     4 Doors   
    Bay 3:  Small Craft (2)         1 Door   
    Bay 4:  Infantry (Foot) (10)    1 Door   

Ammunition:
None

Dropship Capacity: 10
Grav Decks: 1 (150 m)
Escape Pods: 0
Life Boats: 20
Crew:  6 officers, 25 enlisted/non-rated, 2 gunners, 74 bay personnel

Notes: Mounts 100 tons of standard aerospace armor.

Weapons:              Capital Attack Values (Standard)
Arc (Heat)        Heat  SRV     MRV     LRV      ERV    Class       
Nose (37 Heat)
2 ER PPC          30   2(20)   2(20)   2(20)     0(0)   PPC         
1 Laser AMS        7    0(3)    0(0)    0(0)     0(0)   AMS         
FRS/FLS (19 Heat)
1 Laser AMS        7    0(3)    0(0)    0(0)     0(0)   AMS         
1 ER Large Laser  12    1(8)    1(8)    1(8)     0(0)   Laser       
ARS/ALS (19 Heat)
1 Laser AMS        7    0(3)    0(0)    0(0)     0(0)   AMS         
1 ER Large Laser  12    1(8)    1(8)    1(8)     0(0)   Laser       
Aft (19 Heat)
1 Laser AMS        7    0(3)    0(0)    0(0)     0(0)   AMS         
1 ER Large Laser  12    1(8)    1(8)    1(8)     0(0)   Laser       
Light Small Craft Periphery- A temporary name this small craft is meant to be the answer to your requirement to be able to defeat an avenger. Has slightly better armor as well as the same speed. Due to being 1200 tons lighter compromises were necessary this craft uses 12 medium lasers requiring it to get in close but if it can do so it can take out the avenger without fail. Costs about a fifteenth of an avenger. Works in a two ship formation to box the avenger in to bring it into med laser range.  Uses minimal advanced tech to make parts situation easier only Double heat sinks are advanced.

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Light Small Craft Periphery
Type: Military Spheriod
Mass: 200 tons
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Introduced: 3065
Mass: 200
Battle Value: 3,140
Tech Rating/Availability: D/X-X-D-D
Cost: 16,287,650 C-bills

Fuel: 7.5 tons (600)
Safe Thrust: 7
Maximum Thrust: 11
Heat Sinks: 18 (36)
Structural Integrity: 14

Armor
    Nose: 254
    Sides: 214/214
    Aft: 174

Cargo
    Bay 1:  Cargo (0.5 tons)        1 Door   

Ammunition:
None

Escape Pods: 0
Life Boats: 0
Crew:  1 officer, 2 enlisted/non-rated, 2 gunners

Notes: Mounts 50 tons of standard aerospace armor.

Weapons
and Ammo              Location   Tonnage  Heat   SRV  MRV  LRV  ERV
12 Medium Laser         Nose      12.0     3      5    0    0    0  Budget Dagger Aero Fighter- A stripped down version of my Dagger Aero fighter lighter slightly slower and omitting targeting computer and ECM leaves me with a decent fighter costing only 2 mil. Price could be reduced further but the jumphip is expensive enough that there is a limit to pinching pennies.  Uses minimal advanced tech to make parts situation easier only Double heat sinks are advanced.

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Budget Dagger Aero Superiority Sloop

Mass: 40 tons
Frame: Unknown
Power Plant: 200 Fusion
Armor: Standard
Armament:
     7 Medium Laser
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3060
Tech Rating/Availability: D/X-X-D-D
Cost: 2,065,360 C-bills

Type: Budget Dagger
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Tonnage: 40
Battle Value: 1,232

Equipment                                          Mass
Engine                        200 Fusion            8.5
Safe Thrust: 7
Max Thrust: 11
Structural Integrity:         8                       
Heat Sinks:                   11 [22]                 1
Fuel:                         560                   7.0
Cockpit                                               3
Armor Factor                  216                  13.5

                           Armor   
                           Value   
     Nose                    65   
     Wings                 54/54   
     Aft                     43   


Weapons
and Ammo              Location   Tonnage  Heat   SRV  MRV  LRV  ERV
5 Medium Laser          NOS       5.0      3      5    0    0    0 
Medium Laser            RWG       1.0      3      5    0    0    0 
Medium Laser            LWG       1.0      3      5    0    0    0 

[Frabby]

It's an exercise in futility really.
You can dock more combat power to a 1,000-ton hardpoint that you can otherwise install on a 500,000 ton (i.e. max sized) JumpShip.

Even the Star League figured that out: Think of JumpShips as empty OmniShips that can have pods (DropShips) attached as you see fit. Even if you make the odd choice of equipping for space combat, our choices include a generic gun pod (Pentagon), a hunter-killer (Achilles), a fighter dispenser (Vengeance), and ultimately, a make-WarShips-go-away BFG (Castrum).

[Gorgon]

Yes, we all know that. Despite this, there a couple of 'armed' jumpships, that are meant to operate in a theater with higher than usual threatlevels or even subsititute 'proper' navy ships. Is a Scout with an atteched Leopard CV more efficient than a Quetzalcoatl? Absolutely. Yet, both exist in canon.

[Lagrange]

Yes, we all know that. Despite this, there a couple of 'armed' jumpships, that are meant to operate in a theater with higher than usual threatlevels or even subsititute 'proper' navy ships. Is a Scout with an atteched Leopard CV more efficient than a Quetzalcoatl? Absolutely. Yet, both exist in canon.

A Quetzalcoatl is actually 100M cheaper than Scout and carries twice the ASF of a Leopard CV (which itself costs ~168M), so the Q is almost half price and double effectiveness in an ideal setting.  The place where a dropship carrier becomes important is when you need to overtake another ship.   

My impression though is that jumpships going into combat zones favors few-drop collars. You get huge utility from 1 drop collar, and modestly more from 2 due to the startup cost of a jumpship.  Beyond that the 'all eggs in one basket' effect becomes rather worrisome.

The Lurk in a different thread instantiates this philosophy---it's a cheap single collar jumpship with a combat-oriented mission although not in any way meant to do combat itself.

[Daryk]

The Q was written as a salvaged Scout, so I'm not sure the cost comparisons can really be made.