Grach Light Assault Transport VTOL SLDF

[KaiserDunk]

Grach Light Assault Transport VTOL

Mass: 15 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: VTOL
Rules Level: Tournament Legal
Era: Age of War/Star League
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/D-F-D-A
Production Year: 2700
Cost: 525,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 461

Power Plant: Omni 85 Fusion Engine
Cruise Speed: 129.6 km/h
Flanking Speed: 194.4 km/h
Armor: 1/StarSlab Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
    2 Omicron Type 950 Medium Lasers
    1  Remote Sensor Dispenser
    1  Infantry Compartment (1.0 tons)
Manufacturer: Johnson Industries
    Primary Factory: Gienah
Communications System: Nicols Type 3
Targeting and Tracking System: Venkman 0084

Overview:
   When originally offered to Quartermaster Command, the Grach Light Assault
Transport VTOL was intended to fit a specific mission profile, to infiltrate
and exfiltrate special operations forces into hostile territory.   During
prototype testing, however, the design was found to be abe to carry out a
multiple of different missions due to its powerful fusion powerplant.   As a
result, over the course of several months the basic design was expanded and
additonal equipment was added in order to carry out these missions.   The
resulting cost overruns almost killed the program, but the engineers were able
to get the costs back under control with a redesign of the electronics suite to
eliminate most of the expensive custom equipment that had been designed with
off the shelf components and Johnson Industries agreeing to absorb the cost of
the redesign.   The SLDF agreed to the plan and the Grach was accepted for
service.


Capabilities:
   The Grach is designed around the Omni 85 fusion powerplant linked to the
5-blade rotor system.   This gives the VTOL both extended range as well as a
relatively quiet propulsion that makes it a bit easier to infiltrate hostile
territory.   The use of a fusion powerplant also enables the vehicle to carry
two Omicron Type 950 medium lasers to provide a certain amount of integral
firepower to help support the infantry squad once they disembark.   A unit of
Grach use their lasers to beat down any opposing forces in the LZ, quickly
come to a low hover and the special operations infantry quickly jump out.

   The Grach can also support the infantry in the field by deploying remote
sensors so keep tabs on enemy forces in the area.   The Nicols Type 3
communications system can not only direct the sensor data to the infantry but
it can also feed the data back to a HQ unit to give a commander a better idea
of what is in the area.   Once the infantry is ready to exfiltrate, the process
just reverses itself.

The power of the Omni 85 powerplant also gives the Grach the power to act as a
light cargo transport, dustoff evac, and VIP escort.   The infantry bay itself
can also be easily converted to  accept specialized target acquisition gear
mounted on the side of the VTOL and linked to the onboard electronics to help
provide spotting data for artillery units.


Variants:
   The easily modified nature of the Grach allows for a half ton of armor to be
shaved off to allow for the infantry bay to be replaced with either
high-powered ECM gear to provide battlefield electronic warfare capability, or
powerful scouting gear that enhances the range and sensitivity of the Venkman
0084 targeting gear.

   The infantry equipment can also be stripped out to accept two side-mounted
Dale small lasers hooked into the fusion powerplant to provide increased
anti-infantry firepower while over a hostile LZ.   This makes the Grach into
more of a traditional gunship than the 'slick' transport version.


================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                      Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      10 points              1.50
Engine:             Fusion Engine                 85                          4.00
    Cruise MP:  12
    Flank MP:   18
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             10                         0.00
Control Equipment:                                                               1.00
Lift Equipment:                                                                     1.50
Armor:              Ferro-Fibrous                AV -  62                    3.50

                                                           Armor     
                                                           Factor     
                                               Front       18       
                                          Left/Right   15/15       
                                                Rear       12       
                                               Rotor        2         

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Medium Lasers                              FR          6           2         2.00
(R) Remote Sensor Dispenser            RR         0           1         0.50
Infantry Compartment (1.0 tons)       BD         0           1         1.00

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      2    Points: 5
12v        1       1       0       0      1     0   Structure:  1
Special Abilities: ENE

[maxcarrion]

It's nice

I'm not sure the medium lasers serve a worthwhile purpose.  If I had this shiny, high speed, special forces transport chopper I wouldn't be risking it to take potshots at too many things at quite close range.  I'd be keeping it well out of the way and letting the fighting units do the fighting

I'd be more inclined to switch out the SFE for a Fuel Cell and take advantage of the 3T that would save (2 for the ML, 1 for the power converter) - for example, AMS, ECM, BAP - pick 2
Or larger infantry bay, more speed, Recon Camera, Paramedic equipment
Or an LRM 5 and 1T of ammo - cause if you're going to shoot at something you don't want to be very close to it with only 3.5T of armour

[KaiserDunk]

Interesting ideas.   I hadn't thought about the Paramedic gear for a Dustoff version.   My basic idea for this was the old UH-1 Huey from the Vietnam War.   Maybe replace the RSD with a recon camera.

[Daryk]

+1 for the RSD (or Recon Camera), though the SLDF did have actual TAG.  Fractional accounting can give you the Paramedic gear for "free" (Control tonnage would only be 0.75)

[AldanFerrox]

This helicopter fills the same roles as the canon Vector Helicopter. Same role, same speed, but the Vector has better firepower and better armor.

[maxcarrion]

This helicopter fills the same roles as the canon Vector Helicopter. Same role, same speed, but the Vector has better firepower and better armor.

As well as almost 50% heavier ;)

[AldanFerrox]

As well as almost 50% heavier ;)

Which doesn't make much of a difference. They both take up a Light Vehicle Bay in a Dropship. And the BV difference it also pretty small. Only 50 points.

[Retry]

Which doesn't make much of a difference. They both take up a Light Vehicle Bay in a Dropship. And the BV difference it also pretty small. Only 50 points.

That's if you put them in the bay.  If you're just bulk transporting them in the regular cargo bay that tonnage does start to add up.  That and a heavier vehicle requires more crew which means more consumables are needed.

I guess you could put a 15-ton helicopter in such a bay, but I'd be more inclined to pick a heavier 21-ton, 25-ton, or 30-ton VTOL model since that bay itself cost 50 tons.  Even then I would probably opt for a  50-ton or so hovercraft.

[maxcarrion]

That's if you put them in the bay.  If you're just bulk transporting them in the regular cargo bay that tonnage does start to add up.  That and a heavier vehicle requires more crew which means more consumables are needed.

I guess you could put a 15-ton helicopter in such a bay, but I'd be more inclined to pick a heavier 21-ton, 25-ton, or 30-ton VTOL model since that bay itself cost 50 tons.  Even then I would probably opt for a  50-ton or so hovercraft.

Heavier in cargo, more crew, around 300k c-bills more expensive.  Sure, there are plenty of arguments to make for the heavier, more capable VTOL, especially when transported in light vehicle bays, but there are arguments that there's a gap in the market for a smaller, cheaper vehicle too.

[AldanFerrox]

Heavier in cargo, more crew, around 300k c-bills more expensive.  Sure, there are plenty of arguments to make for the heavier, more capable VTOL, especially when transported in light vehicle bays, but there are arguments that there's a gap in the market for a smaller, cheaper vehicle too.

You have the 10 ton Ripper on the other end of the spectrum. It also has twin medium lasers and a one ton infantry bay, and the same movement profile. The armor is worse, off course.