I still say that if the custom jump chaining system has a weight limit that is lower than it's own weight, you've solved most of the practical problems here. If it costs 5000 tons to bring a 2000 ton dropship along for the ride...well why bother, other than to move large groups of Leopards around quickly?
In any case, it's weird for a dropship in a lot of ways, with it's 4/6 movement curve making it the fastest dropship of it's size, and it's 57,000 ton stock cargo capacity being quite large for that speed. Most of that cargo space is retrofitted for various mercenary-supporting functions, but between the 26000 ton engine and the 57000 tons of cargo, there's 'only' 17,000 tons left for everything else, including the 3.5 RPM grav deck, unknown amount of fuel, 1200 tons of required SI, 750 tons controls, plus minimal armor and weapons...hey, you know, you could probably squeeze in 10,000 tons of docking collar related chicanery. Only just, but it could be done.
