From: [email removed] (Stephen D Smith)
Organization: personal mailbox at The Next Challenge
Here's more from Scott:
Stephen D Smith USENET: [email removed]
BIX: sdsmith
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I have no access to e-mail so you will not be able to
reach me very easily and there will be long gaps between
my having access to any comments to any designs or ideas
you might have but I would appreciate it
Scott Kellogg [phone removed]
[address removed]
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Maintenance
A typical complaint from ground crews of fighter craft is that
ships equipment typically fills every last cubic centimeter. While
this is economical in terms of materials, it is insane in terms of
repair. In some fighter craft, the thrusters must be dismounted in
order to change the fuel filters on the power plant.
The Viper, while compact as possible, manages to get around this
problem by having an oversized hull. All systems are provided with
convenient access panels, indeed some of the panels are sufficient for
an engineer to crawl inside the hull. Try doing that on a Rampart!
There are some drawbacks to the tiny fighters design. The
requirement to make the fighter as small as possible as cheap as
possible led to the decisison to cut back on the backup systems.
Typically, spacecraft carry three identical computers. However the
Viper carries one main computer and two 0/bis computers as backups.
The fighter is fully flyable on backup systems for most combat
missions, but it loses much of its combat effectiveness against
spacecraft. A further complaint is by the ordainance crews. As the
three ton Viper normally operates out of four ton Air/Raft bays, there
is not a great deal of room to crawl over the hull arming the hard
points. This is especially true with the Navy standard load of three
multiple missile racks putting a total of eighteen anti-spacecraft
missiles on the hull.
All systems are compatible and interchangeable. A Tech level
nine fusion plant can easily replace up to a tech level eleven one
with
no adverse effects to performance while the anti-grav drive units on
all models are fully interchangable. The systems were carefully
designed so that a fighter could be repaired at any starport
regardless
of tech level.
This has made it popular with the services as it is not
necessary
to haul a fighter all the way to a tech fifteen planet to get it
repaired.
Service History
When first unveiled to the service brass, the fighter was looked
on as useless. The Navy looked at it and appraised it as a lightly
armed Air/Raft of no value whatsoever to their mission which at the
time was to destroy the Zhodani Fleet.
For once, bureaucracy did the right thing, credits had already
been outlaid for the project, so with reputations on the line the
project was put forward despite Naval opposition.
The Scouts swallowed it whole: a light, fast craft capable of
being carried aboard a scout ship, repairable at so many of the lower
tech level planets where scout bases are. The Scouts had good success
the with the tiny fighter, but the performance was discounted by the
Navy as irrelevant because the Scouts were using it in missions
specific to Scout operations.
The Navy reluctantly used the Vipers as trainers. The Fifth
Frontier War created a heavy demand for trained pilots. Here was a
cheap ship that is easy to fly, so they used it for the training of
their Naval and Marine pilots.
This was the decision that put the fighter in history. When the
pilots had been trained on Viper's and were assigned to fly Ramparts,
Magnums, and FS-15's they nearly mutinied. The Viper was so much
preferred by pilots it eventually saw front line service. The first
action where Navy Vipers played a part was at the relief of Yorbund on
083-1109. Suddenly, the Navy changed its tune. The Viper was
reappraised and it then became a front line Navy fighter. The number
of Viper aces began to climb and soon the Ramparts were hard pressed
to keep their kill ratio close to that of the Viper.
Once it was accepted by the Navy, the Marines made use of the
Viper's versatile hardpoints mounting everything from tech level six
iron bombs to tech level fifteen fusion guns mounted in pods.
Probably
the most original use of the hard points was in the mounting of drop
capsules. The Viper could easily dive bomb three marines on target.
With drop capsules retained, it could also act as a extraction
vehicle.
Many marines owe their lives to the tiny hypersonic medevac Viper.
Quickly, COACC forces realized the ability of the Viper. By
this
point in the War, nearly all the runways were pocked with craters.
Suddenly, an space capable hypersonic VTOL looked very appealing and
indeed it is cheaper than some comparable fighters and requires less
maintenance. Even the Army obtained a few Vipers as scout vehicles
for
the air cavalry.
The Navy finally found a proper role to utilize the fighter.
Vipers were put aboard merchant ships to act as escort fighters to
convoys thus lightening the demand on escort vessels usable elsewhere.
It is this role in which it is most commonly found. Merchant ships
can
easily obtain a Viper, and considering that the agile Viper can keep
raiders at a distance from the slow merchantman it tends to keep
losses
down and is considered a fully viable alternative to arming the
hardpoints with turrets.
With an admirable service history in the Fifth Frontier War, the
Viper managed to live down the initial impression of the brass,
becoming a valued part of the Imperial inventory. Indeed, the opinion
of the fighter has swung around completely. The Viper has become the
symbol of Naval strength to many in its role as the fighter of choice
for the Imperial Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team.
Scott Kellogg
Viper TL15 Escort Fighter
CraftID: Light Fighter Type FF, TL15, MCr 7.29594
Hull: (3/7) Disp=3, Config=6AF, Armor=40G, Unload=47.1424,
Load=53.2869
Power: (1/2) 86.04 Mw Fusion, Dur=24hrs
Loco: (1/2), Agrav Manuver=6G, Agility=6 NOE=190, Cruise=2835kph,
Top=3780kph
Commo: Radio=System
Sensors: A-EMS=Planet, P-EMS=InterPlanet,
ActObjScn=Diff, ActObjPin=Diff,
PasEngScn=Rout
Off: Fusalage HPoints=3
Def: DefDM=+11
Control: Computer=3+0bis*2, HUD*2,
Accom: Crew=1, Seat=Roomy Extended, Rocket Escape Pod, Env=Basic
Env, Basic is, Extend Is, Inertial Comp, Grav Plate,
Other: Fuel=2.615Kl ObjSize=Small, EMlevel=Faint
Scott Kellogg
Viper TL14 Escort Fighter
CraftID: Light Fighter Type FF, TL14, MCr 8.18294
Hull: (3/7) Disp=3, Config=6AF, Armor=40G, Unload=302.54, Load=335.13
Power: (2/4) 126 Mw Fusion, Dur=24hrs
Loco: (1/2), Agrav Manuver=6G, Agility=6 NOE=180, Cruise=2835kph,
Top=3780kph
Commo: Radio=System
Sensors: A-EMS=Planet, P-EMS=InterPlanet,
ActObjScn=Diff, ActObjPin=Diff,
PasEngScn=Rout
Off: Fusalage HPoints=3
Def: DefDM=+11
Control: Computer=3+0bis*2, HUD*2,
Accom: Crew=1, Seat=Roomy Extended, Rocket Escape Pod, Env=Basic
Env, Basic is, Extend Is, Inertial Comp, Grav Plate,
Other: Fuel=1.68Kl ObjSize=Small, EMlevel=Faint
Scott Kellogg
Viper TL13 Escort Fighter
CraftID: Light Fighter Type FF, TL13, MCr 8.44194
Hull: (3/7) Disp=3, Config=6AF, Armor=40F, Unload=80.1116,
Load=86.2292
Power: (2/4) 126 Mw Fusion, Dur=24hrs
Loco: (1/2), Agrav Manuver=6G, Agility=6 NOE=170, Cruise=2835kph,
Top=3780kph
Commo: Radio=System
Sensors: A-EMS=Planet, P-EMS=InterPlanet,
ActObjScn=Diff, ActObjPin=Diff,
PasEngScn=Rout
Off: Fusalage HPoints=3
Def: DefDM=+11
Control: Computer=3+0bis*2, HUD*2,
Accom: Crew=1, Seat=Roomy Extended, Rocket Escape Pod, Env=Basic
Env, Basic is, Extend Is, Inertial Comp, Grav Plate,
Other: Fuel=1.68Kl ObjSize=Small, EMlevel=Faint
Scott Kellogg
*****End Part 12*****
- - --Name = STEPHEN SMITH Mailbox # = 68