Subject:
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Re: Dropship Role ( Was: Re: New MOC - Wyvern Dropship)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.space
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Date:
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Fri, 1 Dec 2000 20:53:40 GMT
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Viewed:
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887 times
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Okay, here's my .02 cents (which has recently been devalued to .001 on the
dollar, but that's a different story).
This could be getting more off track, but I believe it's a matter of
numbers. You're ship needs x amount-fuel to move y amount-mass and adding a
big guns changes both of those numbers. Then, as your ship gets bigger to
accommodate, it becomes slower and a better target. And any dropship has got
to be one of the most juicy targets there are - a ship filled with soldiers
ready to invade? What could do more damage to the enemy's plans than to take
those out?
So you want to get into battle fast; a lighter ship equals more
maneuverability. Any extra weight should probably be added as armor,
shielding, stealth and other defensive systems (chaff, ECCM's etc.) to
survive the drop. The number one priority here is getting the troops into
battle.
So whether or not you need fighters is up to the operation. If you've been
carpet bombing the enemy, you might not need them, simply flatten an area
you want to land in. If you're trying to get your troops on the ground
without turning the whole city into one giant charcoal briquette, then you
might need some air/space support to get your people in.
BTW: One thing you forgot about Aliens is that the dropship does require an
unusually large amount of support - mainly the Sulaco (sp?) which carried it
there and, presumably, anywhere else it's needed. And what does that get
you? An APC and a couple of squads. I admit, that's can be enough, but the
soldier-to-energy ratio is sort of high when a warship is needed to get a
dozen men anywhere. (But I know what you mean about the dropship itself
being one bad-muther...) ;)
Evil Wayne
______________________________________________
"There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
http://www.geocities.com/legomaniac70
In lugnet.space, Mark Sandlin writes:
>
>
> > From: "Paul Baulch" <paul@vic.bigpond.net.au>
>
> > Can't dropships and transports be escorted by fighters or something?
>
> OK, maybe I'm throwing too much quasi-realism at it, but I think this sort
> of discussion is fun.
>
> Transports should have a fighter escort, yes, but they have a different role
> than a dropship, and IMO, a dropship is better off if it can defend itself.
>
> Consider the quintessential dropship from Aliens:
>
> -It had gobs of weaponry for defense (although no turret) and even a bit of
> offense if necessary. Good multi-role craft.
>
> -It was relatively small, and didn't need a large hangar
>
>
> Consider the role of fighters:
>
> -Fighters are generally very high-maintenance and require all sorts of extra
> support crew, and would require more space on the mother ship.
>
> -Most fighters are designed for Space/Air superiority and not ground support
> of this kind. Creating a new fighter that can do both Space/Air superiority
> and ground support would be very expensive, more so than just equipping your
> dropships with defense weaponry.
>
> -Supplying a fighter for every dropship isn't very efficient. Perhaps one
> fighter for every three, to provide air support, and give each dropship a
> turret or some means of defense against ground attack. Sending a fighter
> along for every little insertion performed by every dropship would be a
> horrendous expense of resources.
>
> Discuss!
>
> ~Mark "Muffin Head" Sandlin
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Dropship Role ( Was: Re: New MOC - Wyvern Dropship)
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| (...) I'm not talking about adding big guns. Just a small antipersonnel turret that could fire a combination of grenades and (lasers or bullets). (...) I think the value of a small antipersonnel turret would be worth the increase in weight, and (...) (24 years ago, 1-Dec-00, to lugnet.space)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Dropship Role ( Was: Re: New MOC - Wyvern Dropship)
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| (...) OK, maybe I'm throwing too much quasi-realism at it, but I think this sort of discussion is fun. Transports should have a fighter escort, yes, but they have a different role than a dropship, and IMO, a dropship is better off if it can defend (...) (24 years ago, 1-Dec-00, to lugnet.space)
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