Difference between revisions of "KnightWing"
m |
m (No longer infinite) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | + | {{shipbox | |
|shipname=SC KnightWing | |shipname=SC KnightWing | ||
|shipimage= | |shipimage= | ||
Revision as of 23:02, 28 October 2012
| SC KnightWing | |
| Spacecraft Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Base Hull | Rockwell International B1 Lancer |
| Drive Type | 4 x Quad helix ion drives |
| Drive Rating | Atmosphere: Mach 2.2 Vacuum: 0.8 - 0.12C |
| Armament | Point defence lasers only |
| Owner | Unrecorded |
| Flag of Record | Unregistered |
| Registry Number | Unregistered |
| Launched | 2021 |
| Purpose | High speed insertion |
| Primary Crew | 6, including 1 AI shipmind |
Contents |
The KnightWing is a modified Lancer-series spacecraft, as produced by the Roughriders. The KnightWing appears to have been equipped with a pair of launch bays and an upgraded crew module, at the expense of internal armaments. It is still capable of carrying an external load, but there’re no records of it ever doing so beyond point defenses and sensor pods.
The Roughriders themselves have no record of the craft. It is suspected by some conspiracy theorists that a fire that destroyed two Lancer space frames on the production line is the source of the mystery ship. However, the Roughriders have disproven this wild theory beyond the shadow of reasonable doubt by providing the twisted wreckage of the two half-finished space frames for investigators to prod at. Unfortunately, further investigation is not possible due to the Roughriders having recycled the two ruined space frames, citing their long-standing policy to conserve raw materials where possible.[1]
| Sidebar: Fusion Boosting |
|
Being a Roughriders design, the Knightwing uses 'Cool Cuke' nuclear fission reactors as it's primary power source. Normally, these are stable, ultra-reliable and most importantly, safe powerplants. Normally. The main engines on the Knightwing are modified. A small Deuterium-Tritium Fusion reactor uses some of the output energy from the main engine to light it's own reaction. The DT reaction gives off both more energy, and importantly, extra neutrons. By channelling these neutrons through a reflector into the main core, the reaction rate is massively boosted. The Knightwing's reactors are thus capable of operating at over three times their rated output, increasing the KnightWings top speed to .15c. While the reactor cores are originally designed with such a massive margin of safety that this isn't a problem for the core, many of the main engine components aren't. Pushing the boosters beyond the rated maximums risks damaging the engines, and the KnightWing requires much more frequent overhauls as a result. It also robs the craft of any possible chance of stealth for the mission at hand. It's only really useful for emergencies. |
The Lancer was intended to be a high-speed penetrating strike aircraft, capable of carrying a heavy load in it’s cargobays while keeping up with a Blackbird escort. The original design saved development time and money by using the same flight computer and sensor systems as the OV-200-series shuttles (much like the original), modified for combat operations. The ECM and ECCM capabilites of the craft also appear to be unchanged.
The most obvious external modification is a deeper belly, to accommodate the extra internal hardware for the hardsuits, also allowing a person to comfortably stand upright in the forward bays.he forward bomb bay has been modified to act as an expanded crew compartment, while the second and third bays serve as launching points for the hardsuits and motorslaves respectively. The rear bay stores the motorslaves in motorcycle form and is inaccessible in flight. A pair of sensor pods are mounted either side on the forward harpoints, and a pair of point defense laser pods on both the centre and aft hardpoints.
This is about the limit of public knowledge, with most of the information gleaned from sensor scans, or taken from analysis a short video of the KnightWing passing close by a shuttle that just happened to have Maico Tange as a passenger with it’s landing bay doors jammed open by a hydraulic leak.
Class Quirks:
Zoom to the Moon: Capable of keeping up with Blackbird series aircraft. 4 Quad-helix engines will do that.
Hangar Queen: Maintenance intensive. Extremely maintenance intensive. 4 Quad-helix engines will also do that.
Hole in the Sky: With all primary systems shut down, Lancer-series aircraft are almost impossible to spot, provided the paint is clean and undamaged.
Graceful cousins: Lancers are well aware that they have a shared heritage with the Shuttle orbiters. In general, the enjoy taking exploration and non-combat missions in their downtime and are by nature, more more curious than combative.
Not without my mustache!: If the mustache winglets on nose of the spacecraft are damaged, speed is limited to .08C until repaired.
Ship specific quirks:
Ghost Ship: There are no records of the KnightWing in any ship registry, and no official records of it being sold. It doesn’t often broadcast a transponder signal, but when it does it usually broadcasts the signature of another Lancer. The only external marking is a nameplate just aft of the cockpit window.
The motor, it's thrown a rod: Mackie's tuning is, best described as 'unsubtle'. Engines that should last for years, last for minutes at the power outputs the KnightWing is sometimes called to run at.
- ↑ And the fact that the US Air-Force built over 100 of them, some of which have been logged as 'missing'
