So I've been told that its argued whether or not combat dropships are economic in anti ship combat. The arguments were to easy to take out and too expensive for too little damage. So I attempted to make a design to address these issues which led to two other designs in the same vein.
The Lupus is the first design I started with the goal was to keep the design as small as possible as past certain tonnages armor went down for the same tonnage of armor. This tonnage turned out to be 12400 tons. The lupus has a single sub capital bay with 10 SCL-3 for a thirty damage bay letting it hit like a 5 gun NL55 bay though at reduced range. Speed is 5/8 to let it run down enemies. There were intended to be a screen launcher on each face but the aft r/l ones were omitted to redistribute ammo to meet 10 shot minimum limit as the front r/l should still provide cover. Dual twin laser AMS per face though not enough alone the dropship is to be used in groups meaning there will be enough AMS. Triple twin ER Large laser bays per face. Very high armor.
Wolfpack Anti-Ship Dropship Lupus
Type: Military Spheriod
Mass: 12,400 tons
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Introduced: 3075
Mass: 12,400
Battle Value: 40,728
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-F-D
Cost: 1,515,959,200 C-bills
Fuel: 80 tons (2,400)
Safe Thrust: 5
Maximum Thrust: 8
Heat Sinks: 631 (1262)
Structural Integrity: 140
Armor
Nose: 3140
Sides: 2640/2640
Aft: 2139
Cargo
Bay 1: Cargo (10.5 tons) 1 Door
Ammunition:
40 rounds of Screen Launcher ammunition (400 tons)
Escape Pods: 0
Life Boats: 0
Crew: 6 officers, 1 enlisted/non-rated, 20 gunners
Notes: Mounts 504 tons of heavy ferro-aluminum armor.
Weapons: Capital Attack Values (Standard)
Arc (Heat) Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV Class
Nose (430 Heat)
10 Sub-Capital Laser /3 320 30(300) 30(300) 0(0) 0(0) Sub-Capital Laser
1 Screen Launcher 10 15(150) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) Screen Launcher
Screen Launcher Ammo (10 shots)
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
RS/LS Fwd (110 Heat)
1 Screen Launcher 10 15(150) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) Screen Launcher
Screen Launcher Ammo (10 shots)
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
RS/LS Aft (100 Heat)
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
Aft (110 Heat)
1 Screen Launcher 10 15(150) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) Screen Launcher
Screen Launcher Ammo (10 shots)
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser The Second Design was the Lupus Rex moving up to 34900 tons it made a large number of compromises and sacrifices to mount 2 twenty gun SCL-3 bays meaning it effectively has 2 shorter range HNPPC bays enough to threshold all but the largest warships. Armor tonnage is the same but effective armor is only about 75 percent the lighter Lupus. Defensive armament is the same except for the nose where the ER Large laser bays had to be removed due to stressing fire control tonnage. Speed had to be reduced 1 MP to 4/6. For all the extra firepower cost is only about a third more then the Lupus.
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-F-D
Cost: 2,125,267,200 C-bills
Fuel: 80 tons (1,600)
Safe Thrust: 4
Maximum Thrust: 6
Heat Sinks: 1200 (2400)
Structural Integrity: 140
Armor
Nose: 2390
Sides: 2015/2015
Aft: 1639
Cargo
Bay 1: Cargo (33.5 tons) 1 Door
Ammunition:
40 rounds of Screen Launcher ammunition (400 tons)
Escape Pods: 0
Life Boats: 0
Crew: 13 officers, 49 gunners
Notes: Mounts 504 tons of heavy ferro-aluminum armor.
Weapons: Capital Attack Values (Standard)
Arc (Heat) Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV Class
Nose (1,318 Heat)
20 Sub-Capital Laser /3 640 60(600) 60(600) 0(0) 0(0) Sub-Capital Laser
1 Screen Launcher 10 15(150) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) Screen Launcher
Screen Launcher Ammo (10 shots)
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
20 Sub-Capital Laser /3 640 60(600) 60(600) 0(0) 0(0) Sub-Capital Laser
RS/LS Fwd (110 Heat)
1 Screen Launcher 10 15(150) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) Screen Launcher
Screen Launcher Ammo (10 shots)
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
RS/LS Aft (100 Heat)
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
Aft (110 Heat)
1 Screen Launcher 10 15(150) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) Screen Launcher
Screen Launcher Ammo (10 shots)
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser The third design is the Lupus Ren this design came from me looking at the Lupus Rex and saying maybe one powerful anti ship bay was enough and seeing what I could claw back with the saved tonnage. Of the 20 SCL-3 in the second bay 3 were moved to the remaining bay bringing it up to 69 cap damage and four were retained in the nose in single mounts for AA work. The rest of the armament is unchanged. Freed tonnage allowed me to get speed back up to 5/8 and leftover freed tonnage was used to up Structural Integrity and by extension carried armor. With this the Lupus Ren has over 95 percent of the effective armor as the original Lupus. The Lupus Ren is about 40 percent more costly but the extra firepower probably more than makes up for it.
Wolfpack Anti-Ship Dropship Lupus Ren
Type: Military Spheriod
Mass: 34,900 tons
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Standard)
Introduced: 3075
Mass: 34,900
Battle Value: 51,342
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-F-D
Cost: 2,207,251,200 C-bills
Fuel: 80 tons (1,600)
Safe Thrust: 5
Maximum Thrust: 8
Heat Sinks: 1000 (2000)
Structural Integrity: 180
Armor
Nose: 3072
Sides: 2591/2591
Aft: 2108
Cargo
Bay 1: Cargo (62.5 tons) 1 Door
Ammunition:
40 rounds of Screen Launcher ammunition (400 tons)
Escape Pods: 0
Life Boats: 0
Crew: 10 officers, 1 enlisted/non-rated, 36 gunners
Notes: Mounts 648 tons of heavy ferro-aluminum armor.
Weapons: Capital Attack Values (Standard)
Arc (Heat) Heat SRV MRV LRV ERV Class
Nose (902 Heat)
23 Sub-Capital Laser /3 736 69(690) 69(690) 0(0) 0(0) Sub-Capital Laser
1 Screen Launcher 10 15(150) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) Screen Launcher
Screen Launcher Ammo (10 shots)
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
1 Sub-Capital Laser /3 32 3(30) 3(30) 0(0) 0(0) Sub-Capital Laser
1 Sub-Capital Laser /3 32 3(30) 3(30) 0(0) 0(0) Sub-Capital Laser
1 Sub-Capital Laser /3 32 3(30) 3(30) 0(0) 0(0) Sub-Capital Laser
1 Sub-Capital Laser /3 32 3(30) 3(30) 0(0) 0(0) Sub-Capital Laser
RS/LS Fwd (110 Heat)
1 Screen Launcher 10 15(150) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) Screen Launcher
Screen Launcher Ammo (10 shots)
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
RS/LS Aft (100 Heat)
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
Aft (110 Heat)
1 Screen Launcher 10 15(150) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) Screen Launcher
Screen Launcher Ammo (10 shots)
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 Laser AMS 14 1(6) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) AMS
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser
2 ER Large Laser 24 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) Laser So what do you guys think of these designs? Is one obviously superior? I'm leaning towards the Ren and then the Rex personally. Any suggestions for improvements are always appreciated.
