LCT transport?

[Weirdo]

No customs please.

Which DropShips do you recommend for someone trying to transport a full Light Combat Team on a single Star Lord? No customs please.  Assume that the group already has a Conquistador and a Collosus.

No customs please.

[Daryk]

Mules for the rest.  It's the only way to sustain a unit that large.  All the remaining combat power is packed as cargo, and unloads after the two "assault" ships secure the LZ.

[skiltao]

Add two Seekers to your Conquistador and Collosus and you've got combat transport mostly covered.

I think the real question here is how many battlearmor are in an LCT and whether any other FS DropShip designs specifically mention berthing for battlearmor.

[Weirdo]

To keep things sane, I'm willing to put the BA troopers in standard infantry bunks, and their suits in storage.

[Ruger]

I would say two upgraded Seeker’s and two Mule’s should do it.

Your heavy armor battalions are carried in the Colossus along with most of your ‘Mechs and support infantry.

The Conquistador has your ‘Mech command company, a company of heavy vehicle artillery, aerospace support and at least one-third of your battle armor.

The Seeker’s them carry your two cavalry armor battalions, and the remaining battle armor troopers.

This leaves the Mule’s to carry your VTOL’s as cargo along with the rest of your supplies.

Another option would be a single Excalibur with two Aurora’s (outfitted as battle armor transports) and a single heavy cargo DropShip. The only “problem” with this is that you’ve compounded the excess BattleMech capacity you already had (as a LCT is supposed to have only about 48 ‘Mechs).

Ruger

[Jellico]

To keep things sane, I'm willing to put the BA troopers in standard infantry bunks, and their suits in storage.

Post Jihad should get you Auroras. That is 24 BA squads a ship. I have no idea how many you need.

[Ruger]

Post Jihad should get you Auroras. That is 24 BA squads a ship. I have no idea how many you need.

24 squads is 1.5 companies under AFFS and LCAF doctrine or just 12 suits shy of a merc battle armor battalion. As this is a LCT with a Comquistador, I’m assuming an AFFS unit.

Looking at Santa for a quick reference, it says that “the LCT includes a regimental-size Battle Armor formation (though in most cases the size is much smaller)”, so it depends if you want a full strength LCT, or how much smaller you’re willing to go.

Ruger

[Hellraiser]

Post Jihad should get you Auroras. That is 24 BA squads a ship.

THIS.

But just the 1 will do.

The rest can be slow off loaded as Cargo but a single Aurora allows rapid deployment of a good # from low altitude.




So my Starlord would be.

Conquistador
Colossus
Aurora
Seeker
Mule
INSERT anything you want for variety as not every LCT should be identical.


Options for INSERT.
Cargo = Buccaneer, or Jumbo/Drost/Cargoking for rarity flavor, or 2nd Mule
More Tanks = Triumph
More Infantry = Condor or 2nd Aurora
Assault Ship Support = Avenger, Claymore, or, Overlord-A3
Added fighters = Leo-CV or a Vengeance for that rare Aero Heavy LCT.

[dgorsman]

Has it been determined if that one Star Lord measure includes supplies and logistic support?  If so, then there pretty much has to be at least one Mule to ensure adequate supplies.

For that matter, has it been established how long an LCT is expected to operate independently as an expeditionary formation?  Is it short term (days to weeks), longer (months)?

[Weirdo]

I've decided to go with the aforementioned Conquistador and Colossus, plus two Hercules, a single Vampire II, and a Mule. It means I'm only going with one battalion each of heavy and cavalry armor, but by putting my BA troopers in conventional bunk rooms, the bulk of them fit in the big spheroids, with the Conquistador and Vampire providing maintenance bays. VTOLs for the suits are carried aboard the Hercules, and any spare bunk rooms are used for support personnel or turned into ad-hoc medical wards.

The Vampire is mostly there because I remembered I have a single mini, and the ship can be used to drop teams into areas where a low VTOL insertion would be too risky or impractical. And while not a true assault ship, it can act as an escort for the Ball Pit while the Conquistador and fighter wing do the front-line space fighting.

I tried to find something other than the Mule for bulk cargo needs(I think it's overused), but the Mammoth is too big and even more fragile, and everything else is either too small, or Combine-only.

[Hellraiser]

They are rare &/or old, but I think the Drost, Jumbo, Cargo King, or Cargo Master would all sub in for the Mule.

That said there is a reason the Mule is overused, its probably the most common DS in the IS.  lol.

[Daryk]

The Mule is called the "Mule" for exactly that reason... it's literally ubiquitous...

[Weirdo]

I always thought it was because the ship was only slightly larger than a 21st-century burrito...

[Daryk]

lol... that's a good one...  ;D

[Tyrchon]

You could also use the Lee-class Dropship, that is if you can find one let alone six.  Unfortunately, while a very capable and versatile ship, the Star League Civil War pretty much wiped them out and the few that survived departed on the Exodus and got destroyed in the Pentagon Civil War.  I'm actually surprised that they never got brought back into production later on post-3067 like the Colossus and Dictator did.

[truetanker]

I'd go with a Jumbo, just because it is better armored and carries more, the Mule only has 8,500 vs. 10,131 tons.

TT

[Jellico]

Civilian Union.

[Weirdo]

Civilian Union.

Published units only, please. For that matter, does anyone have any idea how much bulk cargo an LCT needs, anyway? I'm aware that a hard number requires pinning down a lot of variables we have no way of answering.

[Jellico]

Well if you want to get really technical with forgettable names and all...

Danais
https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Trojan#Variants

[dgorsman]

Published units only, please. For that matter, does anyone have any idea how much bulk cargo an LCT needs, anyway? I'm aware that a hard number requires pinning down a lot of variables we have no way of answering.

We could probably start at a weeks worth of combat operations, assume supplies for average travel time is inherent to the transports,  and work outwards.

[Weirdo]

And how much is that?

[dgorsman]

I don't have a number for that right now, but could work it out (maybe) with a bit of time.

[truetanker]

Weirdo?

DO you happen to have numbers for Food and Water per ton? I remember in the old Combat Equipment book about consumables.

Adding these up might come in handy.

Also DO you really need to feed everyone from that same tonnage? COULDN'T you also assign half that many people in days? ( Such as if it states 30 people per ton of foodstuffs per day becomes 10 people for 3 days and 1 person for a Month! )

Same as operating costs per CO.

TT

[RifleMech]

Another option would be a single Excalibur with two Aurora’s (outfitted as battle armor transports) and a single heavy cargo DropShip. The only “problem” with this is that you’ve compounded the excess BattleMech capacity you already had (as a LCT is supposed to have only about 48 ‘Mechs).

Ruger

The Artillery company could be made up of artillery mechs such as the Helepolis and CPLT-C3 Catapult, along with some spotters with TAG.
The other Mech Bays could also be used by Industrial Mechs used to resupply, reload, support engineers, and conduct salvage operations.

[Weirdo]

The purpose of those thread is solely for space combat purposes, but if I were actually going to build an LCT for gaming, there would definitely be a full load of IndyMechs for logistics and combat engineering purposes. :thumbsup:

[Ruger]

The purpose of those thread is solely for space combat purposes, but if I were actually going to build an LCT for gaming, there would definitely be a full load of IndyMechs for logistics and combat engineering purposes. :thumbsup:

I have been tempted to get that Hyena SalvageMech mini that’s at the FLGS in town.

Ruger

[RifleMech]

The purpose of those thread is solely for space combat purposes, but if I were actually going to build an LCT for gaming, there would definitely be a full load of IndyMechs for logistics and combat engineering purposes. :thumbsup:

 :) :thumbsup:

[snewsom2997]

Conquistador
Colossus
Overlord Upgrade
Triumph Obsolete
Mule
Mule

That should be able to carry everything.
2 Battalions of Battlemechs Combat Deployable
3 Battalions of Combat Vehicles Combat Deployable
1 ASF Wing
2-3 Battalions of infantry Combat Deployable
The rest on the Mules as Cargo.

[skiltao]

Why the extra 'Mech battalion, snewsom2997?

Interestingly, I think LCTs might not have a permanent contingent of aerospace fighters.

DO you happen to have numbers for Food and Water per ton?

My recollection is 200 days per ton, but I forget if that's for crew with quarters or crew without.

[Colt Ward]

Forget the Mules . . . yeah, go with Jumbo or at least mix a Jumbo & a Mule.  I read the Jumbo fluff sort of like the DroST, got cloned and still plenty flying about even if they are older than dirt.  It was also more likely to survive (then again b/c of that maybe not) the Succession Wars b/c of armor and 2 SC bays.

The Union CC (Cargo or Civilian Conversion, can never remember which) is in fiction (MWDA creation) but does not have a record sheet.  A few others exist as well, particularly a Okinawa CC (Steel Wolves took it and struck out the CC part) and a Overlord CC which Aaron Sandoval converted to his flagship, so it re-armed and maybe uparmored as well as getting back a combined forces ground complement.