Post by Gamov on Sept 12, 2012 16:49:56 GMT -5
Shiva-class Gunship
General Stats:
Class: Shiva-class Gunship
Manufacturer: Sienar Fleet Systems
Affiliation: Republic Navy
Length: 20 meters
Width: 16 meters
Height: 7 meters
Crew: 2
-- Pilot: 1
-- Co-pilot: 1
Engines: 2 ion engines
Hyperdrive: Class 3
Weapon Payload:
-- Laser Cannons: 4
-- Proton Torpedoes: 12
-- Concussion Missiles: 28
-- Heavy Proton Torpedoes: 4
General Stats:
Class: Shiva-class Gunship
Manufacturer: Sienar Fleet Systems
Affiliation: Republic Navy
Length: 20 meters
Width: 16 meters
Height: 7 meters
Crew: 2
-- Pilot: 1
-- Co-pilot: 1
Engines: 2 ion engines
Hyperdrive: Class 3
Weapon Payload:
-- Laser Cannons: 4
-- Proton Torpedoes: 12
-- Concussion Missiles: 28
-- Heavy Proton Torpedoes: 4
Overview:
By appearances alone it is fairly obvious that the Shiva was not built with speed and agility in mind. Originally designed by Sienar Fleet Systems for the Republic to serve as a dedicated heavy bomber, the end result turned out to be much larger and more powerful than what SFS had initially set out to create. Coming in at around 20 meters in length and packed with as many missiles, lasers and torpedoes as could be reasonably fit on its frame, the Shiva is built more like a small freighter than a bomber and possesses enough firepower to allow it to punch well above its class.
Initially, SFS had designed the Shiva without a hyperdrive system in order to cut down on the ship's weight and overall production cost. This made them reliant on carriers to deliver them to the front lines. When it became abundantly clear that the sheer size of the craft made transporting large numbers of them a logistical nightmare though, SFS retooled the design and released a secondary variant equipped with a single Class 3 hyperdrive system. Later variants were also equipped with larger fuel cells to allow for greater range and longer combat missions.
Thanks to the refits SFS has made, the Shiva no longer requires a carrier to transport them to battle and have also proven highly effective as deep space assault craft that are capable of operating independently for days at a time. They also excel against enemy capital ships and fortified positions as their payload of torpedoes and missiles allow them to deliver a swarm of massive firepower to a single target. With proper training and expert piloting skills, the Shiva can also be used for light starfighter interdiction duty by employing its compliment of concussion missiles and laser cannons to disrupt enemy fighter formations.
Engines:
The ship uses a pair of Sienar Fleet System's patented ion engines for propulsion. Because of its heavy frame and size though, the Shiva does not achieve a great deal of acceleration or maneuverability and only has a top atmospheric speed of around 1,130 km/h (~700 mph). In space flight though, it makes use of 12 miniature maneuvering jets placed along its hull and wings that allow the ship to take evasive action when necessary.
Despite its slow speed and lack of maneuverability though, the Shiva's engines are highly efficient and can operate for up to 30 hours of continued use. This can be significantly improved if the ship is operating at minimal capacity with its secondary systems. The average operational period for the Shiva without refueling is roughly 72 hours.
Current generation ships in the class are outfitted with a standard Class 3 hyperdrive with no backup. However, redundant systems put in place by SFS engineers act as a safeguard and can help to keep the hyperdrive functional even if it has sustained damage. Each ship is also equipped with a light repulsorlift engine to help it maneuver during atmospheric operations.
Hull:
The main hull of the Shiva is constructed of 1 inch thick durasteel plating coated in a light ¼ inch ablative duraplast overlay to help it reduce its profile on scanners and radar systems. The angular design of the hull also helps the ship to further hide its signature from scanners by diffusing and deflecting infrared and radio waves away from the ship. The hull is pressurized in order to maintain an internal atmosphere for its pilots during space flight.
The sleek, aerodynamic design was both an aesthetic choice and an engineering necessity in order to give the ship more speed during atmospheric flight. The wings also help in this regard by providing lift when the ship is operating in atmosphere, giving it slightly more maneuverability. Hidden within the hull on either side of the cockpit, near the point where the wings join the fuselage, are retractable racks of proton torpedoes which can be closed during atmospheric flight to reduce drag by smoothing out the ship's profile.
Despite all efforts being made by SFS to improve the ship's atmospheric performance, the Shiva's sheer weight makes it a fairly clumsy ship to pilot in atmosphere and it is nowhere near as maneuverable as it is during space operations. This makes it an almost improbable choice for planetary combat operations, but its massive firepower and impressive stand-off distance somewhat negate its poor atmospheric flight performance.
Defensive Systems:
By the standards of most fighter craft, the Shiva's shields are quite powerful and serve as the ship's first line of defense. Projected in a forward and rear arc from a generator located in a reinforced armor casing just behind the fuselage, its shields can soak up an amazing amount of fire before collapsing. This has given the Shiva an above average survivability rating that easily outdoes that of most snub fighters.
Outside of its shields, the Shiva is also equipped with a basic electromagnetic countermeasure package that makes it difficult for enemy pilots to attain a reliable missile lock. This same countermeasure can also be used to scramble long range missile guidance. As an added feature, the ship also comes equipped with a compliment of 20 decoy flares that can be deployed from a compartment on the underside of the cockpit to redirect or confuse incoming missiles.
In order to save the lives of their pilots, the Republic also mandated that the ship be equipped with an ejection system. Should the ship sustain heavy damage or be in danger of being destroyed, the crew can jettison the cockpit from the fuselage by activating an explosive charge. Once separated from the ship, the cockpit acts like an escape pod and has enough power to sustain critical systems like life support, air filtration and comms for up to 10 hours. A distress beacon is also located in the cockpit that automatically kicks on and runs off its own power for up to 12 hours, giving search and rescue teams ample time to locate and rescue the crew.
Weapons:
Pound for pound, the Shiva carries more ordinance than almost any other starfighter out there. Bristling with an array of missiles, torpedoes, and laser cannons, the ship excels at delivering overwhelming firepower where most other fighters or multi-role fighters do not. Alone the Shiva is deadly, in groups its lethality is multiplied ten fold as a single flight of these gunships is more than enough to knock out a frigate or small cruiser.
The standard weapon load out on the Shiva includes:
Concussion Missiles: Totaling 28 missiles in all, they serve as the Shiva's main offensive weaponry. While the typical combat load out generally consists of standard concussion missiles, they can be changed out with homing missiles for greater long range accuracy. Additionally, they can also be changed out with high yield dumb fire variants that lack any advanced tracking capabilities, but are ideal for going up against heavily armored targets or fortified positions.
Proton Torpedoes: The 12 proton torpedoes located in the retractable missile racks on the ship's outer hull provide the Shiva with its main offensive punch. Each torpedo is synced up with the ship's targeting computer and will automatically guide itself in on target after a lock has been obtained. The combination of their exceptional range and power make them deadly to small capital ships and devastating to ground targets such as bunkers or heavy armor units.
Laser Cannons: Fire linked in two pairs on either side of the cockpit, the Shiva's laser cannons help to give it the means with which to engage smaller targets that might otherwise be a waste of a good missile. While the ship lacks the speed and maneuverability to engage in dog fights with nimbler fighters or interceptors, its laser cannons can help it to score a kill or two against unwary pilots who might underestimate the ship's capabilities.
Heavy Proton Torpedoes: Packing more punch than standard proton torpedoes, these weapons are reserved for more exclusive use against heavily armored targets like battlecruisers. Because they are such a rarity due to their high production cost, SFS took prodigious steps to ensure that pilots would not be firing these missiles aimlessly into the wind.
Like the smaller conventional torpedoes, each one is linked into the ship's targeting computer and is guided in on target by an infrared laser beam that is projected from a small sensor in the nose of the cockpit. While the torpedo is in flight, the pilot must maintain an unobstructed visual contact with their target to ensure that it strikes accurately.
Even though this does render the ship fairly immobile due to the fact that its nose must remain pointed at the target for maximum accuracy, the stand-off distance of the torpedo is such that pilots can fire them well beyond the effective range of most capital ship's guns and guide them in to their targets without fear of being fired back on.
Another particularly dangerous drawback to the weapon is the fact that the torpedoes are largely exposed due to being attached to hardpoints on the underside of the wings. To get around this, most pilots savvy enough to realize the danger don't even include them in their standard load out unless there is a very good possibility of them actually having a chance to use them in combat.
