Appendix 5: Imperial Fighters and Shuttlecraft

Both the Imperial Fleet and the Imperial Legions use a variety of shuttles and fighter craft. The seven vessels listed below are the only ones that accompanied the 342nd and 501st during the temporal displacement.

Notes on the entries below:

1. Standard tonnage includes full loads of fuel, munitions, and ordnance. Fighters rarely carry either passengers or cargo, so their standard load is also their full load. Shuttlecraft can—and most do—have the capacity for various amounts of cargo and passengers.

2. Fighter craft tend to have their weaponry fixed in forward-facing mounts, either in the wing root or the nose, although a few very rare fighter interceptors and strike fighters feature tail guns—almost all strike bombers include a pair of tail guns manned by the EW officer. Shuttles normally have no fixed weapons, but instead mount one or two turrets (dorsal and ventral mounts being the most common) if they are armed at all.

3. Fighter ordnance is roughly divided into three groups: anti-fighter/anti-shuttle missiles, anti-ship missiles, and ground attack munitions. Each is contained within a weapons bay located inside the hull. When fired, the bay opens, the weapon is ejected, and then its drive engages. This configuration is done to maintain streamlining and a fighter’s ability to reentry atmosphere. Shuttles are not normally armed with missiles or ground attack munitions.

4. Fighters usually carry light to medium armor, although some attack designs are outfitted with as much armor as many medium tanks. Unlike ground vehicles and warships, fighters normally carry their armor protection equally spread across the fuselage and wings, since any hit in space or the atmosphere can potentially disable or destroy a fighter.

5. Fighter grade shields project a ‘bubble’ around the vessel mounting them. This bubble is normally invisible to the naked eye, but visibly flares when struck by objects exceeding 100 grams in mass or by high levels of radiated energy. These shields are very low-strength in comparison to even the lightest of capital grade shields and cannot destroy even small amounts of matter that comes into contact with them. Rather, the fields attempt to absorb the ambient radiated and kinetic energy—dissipating or deflecting the attack. Even light mass driver shells (20 or 25mm) ignore fighter shields, although small arms fire is stopped by the barrier. Fighter shields will overload if struck by a tactical yield nuclear or plasma bolt detonation (20-kilotons+).

6. Neither fighters nor shuttles can divert power to their engines for extra speed; the listed thrust remains constant.

7. Inertial compensators negate the effects of prolonged acceleration aboard fighters and shuttle. Gravity plates are normally not installed on fighters, but may be present on shuttlecraft.

8. Neither fighters nor shuttles are FTL capable platforms.

9. Fighters are equipped with one or more ejection pods, consisting of an enclosed and environmentally sealed pod surrounding each crewman and his consoles. Ejection pods are equipped with contra-grav drives and parachutes—the CG drives can only function for a minute or two and are typically used to slow the rate of descent just before landing. Ejection pods are capable of making unpowered reentries. A limited number of reaction thrusters are mounted with less than a five minute supply of fuel. These thrusters will fire to slow pods in orbit enough so that their orbit decays and they reenter the atmosphere. In deep space, the thrusters can attempt to set course for the nearest habitable world, although the pod only contains enough life support to last 72 hours. Each ejection pod also contains a survival pack and a light weapon (typically an SMG) in an under-seat compartment, plus most pilots and small craft crews wear a pistol and knife with their flight suits.

10. Contra-gravity drive units are standard equipment aboard both shuttles and fighters, and are able to negate the force of gravity. This means that both type of small craft can hover in place and slowly maneuver (max speed of 100 kph) side-to-side or backwards. They are also streamlined and can operate within a planetary atmosphere without difficulty. Skilled pilots can use the AG drives in combination with normal flight and atmospheric speed brakes to allow the fighter to perform remarkable maneuvers within an atmosphere (similar to that available to the modern Earth Harrier jump-jet).

11. Fighters and shuttlecraft feature computer controlled variable geometry wings that automatically change angle in relation to current velocity and angle of climb or dive to maximize atmospheric performance. In space, the wings are normally fully swept to reduce radar cross-section. The wings of many fighters can be folded to further reduce storage space in shipboard hanger bays.

Banshee Fighter Interceptor

Dimensions:
Length: 21 meters
Height: 5 meters
Wingspan (retracted): 13 meters
Wingspan (extended): 20 meters

Mass: 83 metric tons
Crew: 1
Passengers: None
Life Support: 18 hours (primary systems); 36 hours (reserve systems)

Armament: 2 x Mk VII-series 20mm triple-barrel Mass Drivers (4,800 rounds); 1 x Mk XI 35mm Plasma Gun (300 rounds); 6 x Scorpion Anti-Fighter Missiles

Shield Generators: Classified
Maximum Sub-Light Thrust: 20-g’s
Operating Duration: 8 hours
Cargo Storage Space: None

Notes: The Banshee is a single-seat fighter interceptor that was designed to engage hostile fighters and shuttles. Strike capability against capital targets is quite limited, but this fighter craft has the best acceleration capabilities of any fighter in the Imperial Fleet and is also the most maneuverable. Utilizing the six Scorpions carried in internal bays as its primary long-range weapons (2,000 kilometer maximum range, with a 500 kilogram explosive warhead), the Banshee also carries a single nose-mounted 35mm plasma cannon (range of 500 kilometers in space and 75km within an atmosphere; rate of fire is 15 rounds per minute) and two three-barrel 20mm mass drivers—one in each wing root (maximum range of 75 kilometers in space and 5,000 meters in a planetary atmosphere; rate of fire is 1,200 rounds per minute). The heavier and longer-ranged plasma gun provides the necessary power to disable shields, while the rapid-fire mass drivers are perfect for dog-fights. Shields and armor are both very light, but sensor reach and resolution is excellent. The Banshee also carries a light-weight variable-frequency EM- spectrum (electro-magnetic) jammer that hampers hostile targeting systems, especially those of anti-fighter missiles. However, the lack of an EWO (electronic warfare operator) means the jammer frequency shifts occur based on the pre-launch programming and cannot be fine-tuned or adjusted in flight. Defensive systems include a pair of chaff dispensers (4 shots each) and a pair of flare dispensers (forty high-intensity flares, normally dispenses five flares in rapid sequence when triggered). In addition to the internal weapons bays for Scorpions, the Banshee is equipped with a single external hardpoint beneath the centerline. This hardpoint can mount a single Vanquisher, two Scorpions, a 35mm mass driver pod with 300 rounds (range of 90 kilometers in space, 9,000 meters within an atmosphere; rate of fire is 300 rounds per minute), a fuel tank, a camera pod, or a countermeasures pod (contains chaff dispenser with four shots and a flare dispenser with twenty high-intensity flares). The interceptor cannot reenter an atmosphere with an external load, but suffers no penalties to acceleration or maneuverability even with full loadout.

When used in the ground-attack role, up to four Scorpion missiles can be replaced with eight modified Striker ground-attack munitions, eight HELL bombs, or similar ordnance.

Warhawk Strike Fighter

Dimensions:
Length: 35 meters
Height: 8 meters
Wingspan (retracted): 19 meters
Wingspan (extended): 33 meters

Mass: 138 metric tons
Crew: 2
Passengers: None
Life Support: 24 hours (primary systems); 48 hours (reserve systems)

Armament: 4 x Mk VII-series 20mm triple-barrel Mass Drivers (4,800 rounds); 2 x Mk XI 35mm Plasma Guns (300 rounds); 6 x Scorpion Anti-Fighter Missiles; 2 x Vanquisher Anti-Ship Missiles

Shield Generators: Classified
Maximum Sub-Light Thrust: 16-g’s
Operating Duration: 16 hours
Cargo Storage Space: None

Notes: The Warhawk is what most Imperial citizens think of when the word fighter is spoken in conversation. This 138-ton strike fighter is fast, moderately well armored, has solid shielding, and carries a formidable array of anti-fighter and anti-ship weaponry. It is perhaps the most numerous fighter craft in Imperial service, serving in every role from ground attack to fleet defense to strike missions against capital warships. Fixed armament consists of two Mk XI 35mm Plasma Cannons in the nose and four Mk VII 20mm Mass Drivers in the wing roots (2 per wing). Eight internal weapons bays are carried, six with Scorpions and two with the massive Vanquisher anti-ship missile (5,000 kilometer maximum range, with a 20-kiloton gravitic fusion warhead). Crew consists of a pilot and a WSO (weapon systems operator); the pilot flies the fighter and operates the fixed gun systems, while the WSO operates the sensors, defensive systems (chaff dispenser and flare launcher), and missiles. Like the Banshee, the Warhawk carries a light EM-spectrum jammer, but the WSO can manually adjust the system to maximize its effect on hostile sensors, making it far more capable than that of the Banshee, although the range is still quite limited. Defensive systems include a pair of chaff dispensers (8 shots each) and a pair of flare dispensers (forty high-intensity flares, normally dispenses five flares in rapid sequence when triggered). In addition to the internal weapons bays for Scorpions and Vanquishers, the Warhawk carries two external hardpoints beneath each variable-geometry wings and the fifth beneath the center-line. Each of these hardpoints can mount a single Vanquisher, two Scorpions, a 35mm mass driver pod with 300 rounds (range of 90 kilometers in space, 9,000 meters within an atmosphere; rate of fire is 300 rounds per minute), a fuel tank, a camera pod, a countermeasures pod (contains chaff dispenser with four shots and a flare dispenser with twenty high-intensity flares), or any sort of ground-attack munition. The fighter cannot reenter an atmosphere with an external load, but suffers no penalties to acceleration or maneuverability even with full loadout.

When used in the ground-attack role, up to four Scorpion missiles and two Vanquisher missles can be replaced with sixteen modified Striker ground-attack munitions, sixteen HELL bombs, or similar ordnance.

Typhoon Ground Attack Fighter

Dimensions:
Length: 37 meters
Height: 8 meters
Wingspan (retracted): 20 meters
Wingspan (extended): 35 meters

Mass: 172 metric tons
Crew: 2
Passengers: None
Life Support: 24 hours (primary systems); 48 hours (reserve systems)

Armament: 1 x Mk XX-series 50mm seven-barrel Mass Driver (2,800 rounds); 4 x Mk IX 35mm Plasma Guns (480 rounds); 2 x Scorpion Anti-Fighter Missiles; 16 x Striker Ground Attack Missiles; 1 x Hauberk Anti-Missile System

Shield Generators: Classified
Maximum Sub-Light Thrust: 8-g’s
Operating Duration: 16 hours
Cargo Storage Space: None

Notes: Although not much larger than a Warhawk in dimensions, the Typhoon is far more massive, thanks primarily to the heavy armor thickness and massive weapon systems it carries. Although only moderately shielded, this ground attack fighter carries armor that would not be out of place for a 235 metric ton Havoc. Designed expressly for the Imperial Shock Legions, the Typhoon is slow, its weapons ill-suited to the lightning fast meeting engagements that characterize orbital and deep space fighter encounters, but it is extremely tough and maneuverable at low altitudes within a planetary atmosphere. There is a two-man crew consisting a pilot and WSO, but in the Typhoon the two sit side-by-side, rather than inline. Armaments consist of sixteen modified Striker missiles carried in internal weapons bays—smaller than a Scorpion AFM, these weapons are nearly useless in space, but are extremely effective against ground targets, having a range of ten kilometers and carrying a 350-kilogram warhead. Alternatively, the Striker Air-to-Ground munitions can be replaced by a single HELL bomb. Two Mk XI Plasma Cannons are carried in each wing, placed in the wing roots. But the main gun is the Mark XX 50mm seven-barrel mass driver in the nose. This extremely heavy weapon can penetrate the shields of ground combat vehicles as if they did not exist, and the rapid fire nature of the weapon, plus the impact of the shells on the lighter top armor of the vehicle, can destroy most armored fighting vehicles with a single burst. Effective range is limited to 8,000 meters within an atmosphere (225 kilometers in space) and the Mark XX can unleash a staggering 3,000 rounds per minute. For self-defense against hostile fighters, the Typhoon also carries a pair of Scorpions in internal weapons bays. Since the main threat to ground attack craft such as the Typhoon comes from SAMs (surface-to-air missiles), this strike fighter is perhaps the only one in existence equipped with the Hauberk AMS installed on so many ground combat vehicles. The lack of sufficient range and power, plus the sheer speed, stealth, and ECM of the Scorpion makes the Hauberk useless in space (or against Scorpions in the atmosphere, for that matter), but against ground launched SAMs, the system works well. Mounted in the tail, the Hauberk is fully automated and will attempt to engage any missile locked onto the Typhoon, but can only engage missiles that approach from behind the fighter. Like the Banshee and the Warhawk, the Typhoon carries a light EM-spectrum jammer, capable of adjustment by the WSO. Defensive systems include a pair of chaff dispensers (8 shots each) and a pair of flare dispensers (forty high-intensity flares, normally dispenses five flares in rapid sequence when triggered). In addition to the internal weapons bays for Strikers, the Typhoon carries a dozen external hardpoints beneath the variable-geometry wings, plus one more on the centerline. Each of these hardpoints can mount a Striker, a laser guided bomb (available in 250-, 500-, 750-, and 1,000-kilograms), a sub-munitions cluster bomb (holds 36 sub-munitions), a HELL bomb (gravity fusion warhead with a yield of 20-kilotons), a fuel tank, or a countermeasures pod (contains chaff dispenser with four shots and a flare dispenser with twenty high-intensity flares). The fighter cannot reenter an atmosphere with an external load, but suffers no penalties to acceleration or maneuverability even with full loadout.

Havoc Strike Bomber

Dimensions:
Length: 49 meters
Height: 11 meters
Wingspan (retracted): 26 meters
Wingspan (extended): 46 meters

Mass: 235 metric tons
Crew: 3
Passengers: None
Life Support: 36 hours (primary systems); 72 hours (reserve systems)

Armament: 6 x Mk VII-series 20mm triple-barrel Mass Drivers (27,000 rounds); 2 x Mk VII-series 20mm triple-barrel Mass Drivers (rear mount; 9,000 rounds); 4 x Mk XI 35mm Plasma Guns; 6 x Scorpion Anti-Fighter Missiles; 4 x Vanquisher Anti-Ship Missiles

Maximum Sub-Light Thrust: 12-g’s
Operating Duration: 24 hours
Cargo Storage Space: None

Notes: The Havoc is one of the Empire’s finest light strike bombers. While slower and less maneuverable than other fighter craft, this bomber is equipped with moderately heavy armor and perhaps the most powerful fighter-scale shield generators ever designed. Intended to engage hostile ships of war, in addition to enemy fighters, the Havoc carries a blistering array of weaponry: eight Mk VII 20mm Mass Drivers (2 set in the tail to fire to the rear), four Mk XI 35mm Plasma Cannons, six Scorpion AFMs, and four Vanquisher ASMs. Each bomber carries a crew of three: pilot, weapon systems operator, and electronic warfare operator. The WSO normally controls the bomber’s missiles, and also keeps a sharp lookout on the sensor arrays, while the pilot flies the bomber and controls the forward firing mass drivers and plasma cannons. The EWO controls the tail guns and the defensive systems, plus the extremely powerful variable-frequency EM-spectrum jammers (twice the power and range of the jammers carried by the Banshee and Warhawk class fighters), and the two newly developed and just fielded decoy-systems. Housed in internal bays to the rear of the Havoc, the fifteen metric ton decoys are able to accelerate at the same rate as the Havoc and their maneuvering profile is identical to the much larger Havoc as well. Each also carries a sophisticated array of EW equipment, including an EM-spectrum generator of the same power as the one aboard the bomber and an emissions generator that leaks the signature of a full-sized Havoc through the jamming. The decoy drones can operate in autonomous mode (matching the bombers vector, velocity, acceleration changes, and heading changes precisely) or can be remote piloted by the EWO at ranges of up to 50,000 kilometers. In remote pilot mode, the sensor systems aboard the drone can serve as secondary eyes and ears via telemetry seamlessly transmitted over an encrypted tachyon pulse comm unit on a dedicated channel, as well as possibly causing one or more hostile opponents to pursue the unarmed decoy rather than the real bomber. The pilot and WSO sit in a tandem in-line cockpit on the upper surface of the main fuselage, while the EWO is stationed in an internal cockpit beneath the main cockpit and behind the nose-mounted plasma cannons and their ammunition magazine. Defensive systems include a pair of chaff dispensers (12 shots each) and a pair of flare dispensers (sixty high-intensity flares, normally dispenses five flares in rapid sequence when triggered). In addition to the internal weapons bays for Scorpions and Vanquishers, the Havoc carries four external hardpoints beneath the variable-geometry wings, plus one additional hardpoint on the centerline. Each of these hardpoints can mount a single Vanquisher, two Scorpions, a 35mm mass driver pod with 300 rounds (range of 90 kilometers in space, 9,000 meters within an atmosphere; rate of fire is 300 rounds per minute), a fuel tank, a camera pod, or a countermeasures pod (contains chaff dispenser with four shots and a flare dispenser with twenty high-intensity flares). The bomber cannot reenter an atmosphere with an external load, but suffers no penalties to acceleration or maneuverability even with full loadout.

When used in the ground-attack role, up to four Scorpion missiles and four Vanquisher missles can be replaced with twenty-four modified Striker ground-attack munitions, twenty-four HELL bombs, or similar ordnance.

Intruder Assault Shuttle

Dimensions:
Length: 61 meters
Height: 14 meters
Wingspan (retracted): 33 meters
Wingspan (extended): 57 meters

Mass: 707 metric tons (standard load); 747 metric tons (full load)
Crew: 5
Passengers: 180
Life Support: 36 hours (primary systems); 72 hours (reserve systems)

Armament: 3 x Mk VII-series 25mm triple-barrel Mass Drivers (port/starboard/rear door mounts; 13,500 rounds); 4 x Mk XI 35mm Plasma Guns (dorsal turret; 1,200 rounds); 16 x Striker Ground Attack Missiles

Shield Generators: Classified
Maximum Sub-Light Thrust: 5-g’s
Operating Duration: 24 hours
Cargo Storage Space: 40-metric tons

Notes: The Intruder is the standard assault shuttle of the Imperial Fleet, normally used to deliver a Century of Marines for boarding actions or in assaults as against surface targets. Heavily armored and shielded, the Intruder is designed to drop into hot landing zones, using its internal bays of Striker missiles and the three door guns to clear hostiles from the immediate disembarkation area. The quad plasma guns carried in the dorsal turret are intended for fire support against fortified positions, as well as anti-fighter defense. Cargo and passenger accommodations consist of a single 40-meter long bay on the underside of the shuttle, accessed by two side doors (port and starboard) and a folding ramp to the rear. As befits a troop carrier, the accommodations are very spartan, with multiple rows of folding seats that are quite cramped at full load.

Hermes Shuttle

Dimensions:
Length: 61 meters
Height: 14 meters
Wingspan (retracted): 33 meters
Wingspan (extended): 57 meters

Mass: 547 metric tons (standard load); 667 metric tons (full load)
Crew: 3
Passengers: 48
Life Support: 36 hours (primary systems); 72 hours (reserve systems)

Armament: None
Shield Generators: Classified
Maximum Sub-Light Thrust: 5-g’s
Operating Duration: 24 hours
Cargo Storage Space: 120-metric tons

Notes: The non-combat Hermes is a cargo and passenger shuttle carried aboard most of the vessels of the Imperial Fleet. Unlike the Intruder Assault Shuttle, the Hermes is not armed, and is only lightly armored and shielded—but it can lift three times the amount of cargo at the same rates of acceleration. Passenger accommodations are also reduced to roughly one-third that of the Intruder, but are more akin to seating aboard modern Earth passenger jets than military transport aircraft. Several Hermes of the 342nd are outfitted as luxury shuttles, featuring a reduction in cargo space to allow for the accommodation of up to a platoon of Praetorians, plus a small sleeping compartment for Her Imperial Majesty. These ‘Imperial Hermes’ (as they have become known as) also feature stronger shields, heavy-duty electronic warfare equipment, and light defensive armaments, the exact nature of which remain classified.

Hercules Shuttle

Dimensions:
Length: 94 meters
Height: 18 meters
Wingspan (retracted): 44 meters
Wingspan (extended): 92 meters

Mass: 1,472 metric tons (standard load); 2,272 metric tons (full load)
Crew: 5
Passengers: 72
Life Support: 36 hours (primary systems); 72 hours (reserve systems)

Armament: None
Shield Generators: Classified
Maximum Sub-Light Thrust: 4-g’s
Operating Duration: 24 hours
Cargo Storage Space: 800-metric tons

Notes: The heavy-lift Hercules is the largest shuttlecraft in the Imperial inventory. It is also the slowest and least maneuverable, but can lift eight hundred metric tons of cargo and seventy-two passengers in a single load. Like the Hermes, this heavy shuttle is only lightly armored, shields, and is normally unarmed.

Hawkeye Aerospace Coordination Shuttles

Dimensions:
Length: 94 meters
Height: 16 meters
Wingspan (retracted): 44 meters
Wingspan (extended): 92 meters

Mass: 1,152 metric tons
Crew: 18
Passengers: None
Life Support: 72 hours (primary systems); 144 hours (reserve systems)

Armament: 2 x Mk VII-series 20mm triple-barrel Mass Drivers (dorsal turret; 9,000 rounds); 2 x Mk VII-series 20mm triple-barrel Mass Drivers (ventral turret; 9,000 rounds); 2 x Mk VII-series 20mm triple-barrel Mass Drivers (tail guns; 9,000 rounds)

Shield Generators: Classified
Maximum Sub-Light Thrust: 6-g’s
Operating Duration: 72 hours
Cargo Storage Space: Minimal

Notes: Based upon the Hercules heavy-lift shuttle, the Hawkeye Aerospace Early Warning Shuttle serves as a remote sensor and command platform which coordinates all fighter, interceptor, and bomber activity of a typical Imperial squadron. All cargo space has been replaced with advanced sensor and communications systems, as well as more powerful engines, additional fuel and life support, stronger shields and armor, and a few light point-defense weapons. Deployed on the fringes of a squadron, these shuttles increase the effective sensor bubble that surrounds an Imperial naval squadron, and provide early warning of hostile threats, as well as acting as forward command platforms for fighter strikes. Although Hawkeyes carry enough fuel reserves to remain on station for up to seventy-two hours, they do not normally deploy for more than twenty-four, in order to maximize crew efficiency.

And that concludes the Technical Appendix for my story.

MA

I am actually kind of shocked that here have been no comments here, either as to the organization or the equipment of this universe. I figured this board would probably be dissecting the technical appendix in detail.

MA