Directorate Officer
Image Source: Modified concept art of Star Citizen's Cutlass
Affiliation: Directorate, Lightside factions, Lucerne Labs customers
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Cyclone-class Bomber
Modularity: Bomb bay
Production: Mass Produced
Material: Ferrocarbon frame, Quadranium Armor Plating, standard starship components
Classification: Bomber
Length: 12 meters
Height: 3.5 meters
Width: 6 meters
Armament: Rating 12
-2 Forward Laser Cannons
-1 Turreted Dual Ion Cannon
-2 LLT-7 General Purpose Warhead Launchers
-1 Bomb Bay: (8 concussion missiles, 4 proton torpedoes, 8 light proton bombs, 6 orbital mines, 64 thermal detonators, or other equivalent)
Defense: 18
Squadron Count: 12
Special Features:
Basic Warheads Countermeasure Launcher (10 Chaff bursts or 7 Flares)
MC1003 Tetra-class Targeting/Tracking System
Standard Communications Array
Standard Communications Array
Standard Deflector Shield Generator
Standard Ion Engines
Standard Life Support Systems
Standard Navigational Systems
Standard Sensor Array
Standard Targeting Systems
Can Enter Atmosphere and Land
Manoeuvrability Rating: 6
Speed Rating: 4
Hyperdrive Class: x1
Strengths:
Modular Bomb Bay: The Cyclone has a bomb bay that is almost a direct copy of the main ordinance bay found on the venerable Tie Bomber. This allows the Cyclone to be adapted to perform different tasks on the battlefield from precision ground bombing to deploying defensive minefields.
Accurate Bomber: The Cyclone sports an advanced targeting system, which when paired with its highly stable frame, makes it exceptionally capable of conducting precision bombing runs.
Durable: The Cyclone is exceptionally resistant to damage because of its thick hull armor and compartmentalization features.
Weaknesses:
Reduced Cockpit Visibility: The Cyclone's far forward cockpit is excellent for observing terrain to conduct bombing runs, it also has terrible lateral and rear visibility. It's fairly easy for Cyclone pilots to lose track of small enemy craft in those areas, especially if there is any sensor jamming.
Low maneuverability: The Cyclone is not very maneuverable for its size because its center of gravity has been altered by its heavy armor plating and compartmentalized construction.
Description: The Cyclone-class Bomber is a versatile two-seat bomber designed to penetrate through withering enemy fire to effectively unload its payload on high-value targets. It is probably best understood as a spiritual successor to the aging Y-wing and K-wing designs.
The Cyclone is built off a sturdy ferrocarbon frame that is covered in a carapace of hardwearing quadranium steel plates augmented by a durable deflector shield system. Behind this outer defenses, the various components of the craft are segregated from each other in their own armored bulkheads. This makes maintenance a hassle and time-consuming, but it also increases the bomber's resistance to damage. Part of this compartmentalization concept encloses the tandem-seat cockpit, ensuring that a hit to one part of it will not immediately effect the other crewmember. This also means that the flight crew cannot touch or hear each other except through their headsets, which are inked to their helmet along with their HUD visor. Both the pilot and the weapons officer can access each other's controls in case one of them is incapacitated, though this dramatically cuts down on the ship's performance, as the pilot typically is not as skilled as a bombardier when it comes to using weapons, and vice versa.
The pilot typically only controls the ship's two laser cannons, which are used to defend the craft from enemy starfighters and warheads. Typically the other weapons are often considered to be offensive in nature, and come under the control of the weapon's officer. Since the weapon's officer doesn't have to concentrate on flying, unlike many starfighters, he can concentrate on using Mon Calamari Shipyard's gimballed mounted MC1003 Tetra-class Targeting/Tracking System to bring out of the best performance of his offensive weapons. The ion cannons are typically used to disable enemy targets or supplement the ship's anti-starfighter power much in the same way as the Y-wing did. The pair of general purpose warhead launchers can carry a variety of weapons and their loadout tends to be mission specific; it's not uncommon to see a squadron carry concussion missiles to help punch through thick enemy starfighter opposition on one mission only to see them refit the launchers to carry more space bombs for the next mission's heavy bombing run. The ship's ordinance bay is a near direct copy of the one found on the Tie Bomber. It consists of a ventral bay that can be fitted with a variety of bomb racks and attachment points for various ordinances. Again, the exact loadout tends to be highly mission specific. Unfortunately with this bay, there tends to be a brief delay between the crew firing the weapon and its actual descent from the bay. This typically isn't a problem for hitting static targets, but this can be problematic for engaging targets that are quicker or smaller than the Cyclone.
While the Cyclone lacks the maneuverability to rank among the better dogfighters of the galaxy, Lucerne Labs believes that its durability and flexibility in ordinance will make it a fairly popular craft among its customers. The Lucerne Labs itself tends to employ the craft with its security forces as a missile boat, filling it almost entirely with concussion missiles or other advanced air-to-air missiles so that it can lob multiple salvos missiles at standoff distances against convoy raiders. Many governmental groups use it as an actual bomber, however, filling it with proton bombs to destroy enemy industrial sites or carrying large numbers of thermal detonators to attack tactical elements of enemy armies.
Development Thread: Into the Deep Wealds (Field test of the first Cyclone Squadron)
Intent: To provide Lucerne Labs customers with a versatile fighter-bomber
Who Can Use This: Directorate; Lightside-aligned factions, Lucerne Labs customers
Primary Source: N/A
