V1.00 ¡'Mechbuster-TAV (MRM Variant) û PzÊ:PÌ=ÀDÀD Aà@FM 2 0 1 1 —— 5N10516n.a.¨a P4– Š (Unknown)  †ÐQ¾Officers (0 minimum)p@=xCrew (0 minimum)p@=xGunners (0 minimum) †1st Class Passengersp2nd Class PassengersPÃSteerage PassengersPÃMarinesp'Marine Battle Armor Troopers/Elementals–@BèvHGrav Deck #1 - 150m DiaP ¡t;¤ Grav Deck #2 - 80m Diad@BèvHGrav Deck #3 - 100m DiaÊš;ä TEnergy Storage Batteriesp€ðú Life Boatsp€ðú Escape PodsLot Spare Parts (0.00%)'0uHeat Sink Mass Adujstmentÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ@AThe 'Mechbuster-TAV (Trans-Atmospheric-Vehicle) is a scramjet-powered conversion of the standard 'Mechbuster that first appeared during the Word of Blake Jihad. Faced with dwindling aerospace assets, Dai-i Thuriya El-Wardi of the Draconis Combine Admiralty and Tai-sa Bobby Bock of the 19th Galedon Regulars had to find a way to maintain some level of aerospace interception capability for the planet Bad News, out on the Periphery of Draconis Combine space. Dai-i El-Wardi commanded a Leopard CV class DropShip named the Fahdah, but had lost all six of her aerospace fighters attempting to repel a Word of Blake raid. With word of the Inner Sphere collapsing in flames and no resupply in sight, El-Wardi, her chief engineer Sho-i Nakajima Kisho, and Tai-sa Bock met to determine how to deal with future aerospace threats. mIn the course of the meeting, Nakajima suggested converting several of the Regular's 'Mechbuster conventional fighters over to a modified scramjet propulsion system, which would allow them to fly at near-conventional performance at their normal altitudes, but which would also allow them to fly at high altitudes and in space. Additional life support, reaction control systems, and avionics would be necessary, but within the realm of possibility for the Periphery planet - these weren't super-advanced fusion aerospace fighters, but more along the line of early 21st century rocket planes. The key to the system was a modified SABRE-type scramjet, a design that had gone out of favor over a millenium earlier, but that Nakajima was familiar with. Most importantly, it was far less advanced than a fusion drive, didn't require rare radioactive elements for a fission drive, and, along with the modified 'Mechbuster airframes, could be manufactured locally. The first squadron of TAVs to see service carried gauss rifles as their primary armament, in place of the original AC/20. This extended their range in space considerably, required only a minimum of radiators, and struck nearly as hard as their old weapon. Unfortunately, to maintain a useful delta-v, the maximum thrust for these TAVs was a mere 3 Gs, and the gauss rifles themselves were rare, having come from outside normal supply channels. While the massive, 21-ton fuel bunkerage gives the 'Mechbuster TAV astounding range at lower altitudes (OOC: 80 fuel points/ton, just like any ASF, but less efficient than a normal turbine), in space this provides much more limited delta-v, with the craft maxing out at 2.7 km/sec on a full tank (OOC: 9 fuel points max - 1st point = 2.9 tons, 2nd pt = 2.8 tons, 3rd pt = 2.65 tons, 4th pt = 2.45 tons, 5th pt = 2.3 tons, 6th = 2.2 tons, 7th = 2.05 tons, 8th = 1.9 tons, 9th = 1.75 tons)HAn example of the type of combat most 'Mechbuster TAVs were used for can be found in the first operational usage of the craft, against WoB-sponsored pirates raiding Bad News. Not expecting to meet with aerospace resistance, the pirates had minimal aerospace cover, with only two fighters protecting their Union and Buccaneer class DropShips. Much to their chargrin, the Fahdah had deployed on an intercept vector, launching her payload of six 'Mechbusters at the pirate DropShips. Each 'Mechbuster had loaded up with ten 10-tube disposable rocket pods, in order to enhance their firepower. The results were spectacular. With operational surprise, the firepower of the Fahdah herself, the six 'Mechbusters and their gauss rifles, plus six hundred dumb-fire rockets, the pirates were nearly crippled in orbit - the crumbling Union was forced to try deploying 'Mechs in orbit, while the Buccaneer was annhilated. In return, the Kuritans lost only two TAVs before they dove into the atmosphere, where they, along with their turbine-driven cousins, made short work of both pirate fighters.ÈDue to the cost and rarity of gauss rifles during the Jihad, an alternative version, with even cheaper weapons, was developed. The second series of TAVs, carried a more powerful SABRE engine, capable of pushing the 'Mechbuster at a maximum of 4Gs in space, and keeping its traditional performance envelope at low altitudes. However, again, reaction mass and fuel was a major issue, and the armament of the series 2 TAVs was reduced to a single MRM-20 launcher, with additional venting systems and radiators to handle the hot exhaust from the rockets when they fired. This variant, built from the ground-up as a trans-atmospheric vehicle, aso features a 33% improvement in armor protection from the original. ùDuring the early Jihad, only Bad News itself manufactured the 'Mechbuster TAV, but Comstar was able to spread the word to other backwater planets in the Draconis Combine. Soon many planets deemed not important enough to warrant much in the way of aerospace assets were able to "grow their own" in the form of TAV variants of the 'Mechbuster Subsequent to the Jihad, with the general disarmament of many worlds, along with the unpopularity of fusion engines amongst civilians, 'Mechbuster TAVs became increasingly common amongst garrisons. While not as capable as a fusion-powered aerospace fighter, two to three squadrons of 'Mechbusters were more than enough to handle most pirate units, as well as the handful of raids most worlds saw during this period.(Design & Fluff by GiovanniBlasini - Scramjet ASF conversion of the 'Mechbuster. Adjusted price should be 1,237,959 C-Bills (.33 modifier for the Scramjet, and only 4 DHS). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dai-I Thuriya El-Wardi of the Draconis Combine Admiralty was not happy. The latest attack was a bad one - while her command, the Leopard CV class Fahdah, they lost their last two aerospace fighters. Unfortunately, no more would be forthcoming. While the 19th Galedon Regulars had managed to keep the planet's surface secure, the local Comstar enclave hadn't received good news. Sure enough, the local attacks were being waged by the Word of Blake, as El-Wardi suspected - the last couple of waves of fighters and 'Mechs were painted pure white. Unfortunately, additional help would not be forthcoming - the Blakist attacks seemed to be widespread, and, even worse, the Black Dragons appeared to be working with them. Supplies weren't going to be coming anytime soon. With Bad News pretty much isolated, it would be up to them to do what they could, and without aerospace coverage, the job would be that much harder. Sho-I Nakajima Kisho, El-Wardi's engineer, thought he had the answer. The young man looked around the table, a nervous look in his eyes. "We take the 'NechBusters, and convert them to scramjet propulsion." Tai-sa Bobby Bock, commander or the regulars, looked confused. "Scramjets? What is a scramjet?" El-Wardi, meanwhile, couldn't decide if Nakajima was insane, or a genius. Perhaps both. "You believe we can build a multi-mode scramjet that will function well at lower speeds, yet can still close its intakes to function as a rocket?" "Hai, Dai-I, I do. In fact, it has already been done." Turning to address both Bock and El-Wardi, he continued. "Prior to the development of the fusion reactor and, of course, the fusion torch drive, access to space was far more difficult. In fact, even after the early fusion reactors went into service, access to space, especially for civilians, was mainly handled by chemical rocketry, with a few 'deep space probes' designed to explore the other planets around Sol, Terra's star, done with fission-based rockets." Pausing for breath and a sip of tea, Kisho continued. "Of course, fusion rockets, even early ones, eventually made those big, dumb rockets obsolete, but, for a time, people were looking for any way at all to get a bit more performance out of their rockets. Scramjets were considered worthwhile because you could build an aerodyne craft that could mix air with propellant in the atmosphere like a jet engine, yet still get useful thrust up above 5000 kilometers per hour, which a jet could not hope to do. It was hoped most scramjets could close their intakes at extreme altitude, and function like a chemical rocket for the last little bit into orbit. For the most part, they did, and scramjets were common in civilian aerospace planes for a time." Sho-I Nakajima paused for more tea. "The one I suggest was a variation on one called the SABRE. I had planned to one day build one, as an interesting project. In fact, I had hoped to use a 'Mechbuster airframe, though without the autocannon, in order to pack more fuel on." Bock smiled. "So, I give up a few 'MechBusters, and she gets new aerospace fighters? Why the 'Busters, though, and not thse Guardian of mine?" Thuriya smiled. "Fuel usage and cooling, I suspect. Correct?" Nakajima nodded. "Hai, Dai-I. Chemical rockets burn horrifying amounts of fuel. In fact, they burn more than fifty times as much fuel as a fusion-based fighter. While a Sholagar or Shilone has enough fuel to maneuver up to 120 kilometers per second, ours will be lucky 3 kilometers per second if half their mass is fuel. Plus, as the Dai-I pointed out, Tai-sa, heat is an issue - your fighters can dissipate their waste heat fine in the low atmosphere, but they were never designed to do so in space. We will need to add additional radiators to whatever fighters we modify, then, which will add more mass." Bock frowned. "How heavy would a scramjet be, anyway?" "Not terribly different from a turbojet, I'm afraid. We still use turbine engines for our conventional fighters, though, because they're cheaper, easier to maintain, and more fuel efficient at low altitude. On the other hand, the scramjet can do what a turbine cannot - allow us to intercept attackers in space." El-Wardi nodded. "We can use the Fahdah to offset their short legs - I will carry them to orbit, and deploy them on the correct vector. They will only need their internal fuel for terminal maneuvers and reentry, then, and with drop tanks, we can extend those maneuvers a bit more. Once they reach the atmosphere, then, they'll be able to fly and fight much like they do now." Tai-sa Bock nodded. "OK, then let me turn over a Guardian and a 'Mechbuster to you. Nakajima, work with the local industry, such that it is, to get what you need. If anyone argues, remind them if your position, and that you have our backing. Get started immediately - there's no telling when those damn Blakists will be back." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sho-I Nakajima was still sitting underneath MTAV-01, as he'd dubbed the fighter, when Dai-I El-Wardi entered the hangar. "So, how goes, Kisho?" "Relatively well, ma'am, considering the nature of the task. I have installed the prototype scramjet, using as many parts from the old Shinobi 250 turbine as I could. Her power-to-mass ratio is comparable, though, unfortunately, I've had to make a smaller powerplant overall in order to have a useful amount of fuel and big enough weapons payload. The best she will be able to manage is a 2 G sustained burn, perhaps 3 Gs at a severe rate of fuel consumption, and that still only got us an estimated 2.7 kilometers per second of delta-v." Thuriya nodded. "That will have to suffice. What about armament?" Kisho smiled. "That, at least, is impressive. I removed the Zeus autocannon, in favor of a Dragon's Fire gauss rifle - it turns out the Regulars had gotten a handful of them through...irregular channels. She'll only have eight shots, but that's still an improvement over her original payload, and she'll be able to fire much farther as well. I was even able to build a radiator system that will work as well as a double heat sink in space or atmosphere." El-Wardi sensed the hesitation in Nakajima's voice. "Go on." "Well, Dai-I, we have precious few gauss rifles, and while we can produce the spaceframe and scramjet locally, we cannot produce more gauss rifles. Only the first six birds will have gauss rifles, I'm afraid. After that, we'll need to switch to an MRM launcher, and I'll need to modify the gun mount and cooling system to vent the exhaust from the big launcher. On the other hand, if we go for, say, an MRM-20, I can go with a bigger, more powerful scramjet, or I could instead increase the fuel load even more. That's a decision for the future, though" "How will she handle in the atmosphere?" Kisho shrugged. "Not as well as she once did, but the big fuel tanks will let her fly farther. For now, it's the best I could manage, I'm afraid." Thuriya nodded. "Well, we shall have to hope it's good enough, won't we?"Scramjet Nˆ Custom Bomb Custom Bomb Custom Bomb Custom Bomb Custom BombWakazashi EnterprisesvariousShinobi (Unknown) Duoteck 5RCA Instract Mk II Wakazashi I (Unknown)[ none ]