Vespidae-Class Skirmisher
Power Generation
Nickel-cadmium batteries line the rear interior of Vespidaes and provide power for the craft for up to 86 hours with 70 hours in reserve on just life support. 4 large solar panels (8) arrayed around the craft can directly charge these batteries or alternatively just run internal systems directly if there is enough incoming energy.
Propulsion
The 4 primary thusters (11), which are capable of thrust vectoring, are the main means of propulsion that are capable of incredible acceleration. So much so that full power cannot be maintained safely for the crew due to g-force. In addition, 4 multidirectional retro thrusters (2) are located at the front of the craft and can assist in menuvers or act as retro thusters to slow down the craft, though due to their smaller size this can take some time and Vespidaes somtimes use the flip and burn technique. Liquid hydrogen fuel is supplied to all of this thrusters from spherical fuel tanks (6).
Weapons & Armament
A 25mm cannon (1) is mounted in the nose of the Skirmisher with pneumatic pistons controlling its motions from the inside. The cannon has cones fused to the barrel to soak up heat and then radiate it away from the craft. The rounds it fires are typically either solid iron caseless sabot ammunition or buckshot-like caseless shots consiting of many smaller ball bearings encased in the propellant. This cannon is meant to be more of a secondary weapon, as these crafts are armed with 12 missile blocks (9), 12 on each side. The missiles are launched straight up and out of their block, quickly orienting themselves to the correct attack vector via their motors before activating and burning towards their target as extremely high relative speeds (around 1,950 m/s or 4,362 mph). Small propellant charge on the opposite missile block detonate at the same time a missile is launched to coutract any forces applied to the craft that could effect its trajectory. The explosives themselves have a number of configurations, but are usually either early detonation scattershot warheads for dealing with smaller and harder to hit crafts or tandem shaped charges for penetrating the thick armor of large ships like hulks or other warcraft. It should be noted that each missile costs around $13,000,000-$20,000,000 depending on the type.
Armor and defense
In addition to 57mm thick angled armor plates encasing the nose of the craft, 4 supported angled plates (4) are located in front of each set of fuel pods to protect them from frontal attacks. These armor slabs are an impressive 720mm thick and also serve to radiate some heat as well as providing excellent protection. These Skirmishers also have 4 countermeasure launchers (7) located just after and offset from the fuel pods. Single use, each of these launchers fired a countermeasure up and away from the craft which is then directed via a very small set of chemical motors before detonating. They can be loaded with reflective anti-laser chaff or hard kill anti-missile shot.
Sensors
2 optical arrays (3) on opposite sides of the craft are in charge of both observation and target indemnification and acquisition. They can zoom up to 160x and can view in regular, infrared, and thermal spectrums. Typically one sensor operates mostly autonomously to track and target enemies while the other is directly controlled by a crew member for observation or manual targeting, but these rolls are interchangeable.
Additional & auxiliary systems
The entry hatch is set into the center of the craft in the middle of the 4 primary engines (11). In addition, atmosphere can be maintained in the cabin of the craft or stored in the oxygen pod (5) located next to the visually identical fuel pods. Air can be symphoned in or out of the interior as the situation demands, though the process to compress air back into the pod is not quick as a small motor must work to pressurize it.
Class
Manufacturer
Owning Organization
Price
$286,000,000
Rarity
66 currently in service
Width
39.338 meters (129.06 feet)
Length
49.208 meters (162.43 feet)
Height
39.338 meters (129.06 feet)
Weight
25.65 tons (51,300 lbs)
Speed
8,450 m/s (18,902 mph) cruising speed
34,210 m/s (76,525 mph) max speed
34,210 m/s (76,525 mph) max speed
Complement / Crew
7 souls: 1 driver, 1 navigator, 2 gunners, 1 spotter, 1 engineer, 1 hacker
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