OOC Writer Account
Left to Right: Hv-8 Gunship from the front with a polarised cockpit and a gunship cockpit with port and starboard airlock doors.
"Closing hatch, gunship command override confirmed. Emergency launch cycle initiated, airlock sealed, launch confirmed."
-Hv-8 High Altitude Gunship emergency airlock launch cycle
Source (x, x)
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Create the ubiquitous space-capable Gunship of the Imperial Security Force, an Imperial Gendarmerie and primary law enforcement organisation of the New Imperial Order.
- Image Source: Source.
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: Bowcaster.
- Manufacturer: Apex Manufacturing.
- Affiliation:
- Market Status: Closed-Market.
- Model: Hv-8 High Altitude Gunship.
- Other Name(s):
- HAG/le (Imperial Security Force Nomenclature).
- Wasp Gunship (Imperial Security Force Nomenclature).
- Spectre Gunship (Unofficial)
- Production: Minor
- Material:
- Classification: Gunship.
- Minimum Crew: 0 (Droid Brain).
- Optimal Crew: 2 (Pilot, Co-pilot/Air Combat Officer).
- Passenger(s): 4 (Seated).
- Length: 13 Metres/42 Feet.
- Width: 4.2 Metres/13.7 Feet (Widest point).
- Height: 4 Metres/13 Feet.
- Armament: High
- Barbette-Mounted:
- 2x triple-barreled plasma quarrel rotary autocannon(s):
- Ammunition Capacity: 2,648 Rounds.
- Barrel Length: 4.2 Meters/13.7 feet.
- Barrel Life: 100,000 Rounds.
- Cooling Method: Air-cooled.
- Elevation/Depression/Traverse:
- Elevation: +15 Degrees.
- Depression: -90 Degrees.
- Traverse: 45/45.
- Elevation Speed: 42 Degrees/Second.
- Depression Speed: 39 Degrees/Second.
- Traverse Speed: 40 Degrees/Second.
- Gyrostabilisation: Yes
- Mounting: Triple.
- Muzzle Velocity: 2.5 Kilometres per second/1.55 Miles per second.
- Projectile Calibre: 57x165mm.
- Projectile Mass: 210 Grams.
- Projectile Type: Semi-armor-piercing high-explosive incendiary.
- Rate of Fire: 1,400 Rounds/Minute.
- Range: 7.0 Kilometres/4.3 Miles.
- Traverse Speed: 5.4 Degrees/Second.
- 2x Foglight(s):
- Luminosity Power: 1800-8000 lumens.
- Beam Distance: 1,200 Metres/1,312 Yards.
- Luminosity Power: 1800-8000 lumens.
- 2x triple-barreled plasma quarrel rotary autocannon(s):
- Fixed-Mount:
- 1x Dorsal-mounted coaxial foglight:
- Luminosity Power: 1800-8000 lumens
- Beam Distance: 1,200 Metres/1,312 Yards.
- Luminosity Power: 1800-8000 lumens
- 6x Variable Payload Missile Pods (4 Missiles Per Pod):
- Detonation Mechanism: Programmable (Air-Burst, Proximity, Contact).
- Diameter: 81 Milimetres/3.1 Inches.
- Engine Type: Electrically-Vaporised Ionized Tibanna.
- Guidance System: Active radar homing, Imaging Infrared, Imaging Near-Infrared, Imaging Ultraviolet, Inertial Navigation System, Passive Radar Homing.
- Mass: 30 Kilograms/66 .lbs.
- Length: 1.2 Meters/~4 Feet.
- Range: 20 Kilometres/12.42 Miles.
- Velocity: 3.4 Kilometers Per Second/2.1 Miles Per Second.
- Warhead: Varies Pod to Pod.
- 2 TNT Tons (ACON).
- Airblast Radius (20 Psi Overpressure, Atmosphere Only): 30 Meters/32 Yards.
- Airblast Radius (5 Psi Overpressure, Atmosphere Only): 60 Meters/66 Yards.
- Airblast Radius (1 Psi Overpressure, Atmosphere Only): 150 Meters/164 Yards.
- Fireball Radius: 10 Meters/11 Yards.
- Thermal Radiation Radius (Burns): 60 Meters/66 Yards.
- 2 TNT Tons (ACON).
- 4x Variable Payload Bomb Rack(s) (6x Bombs per rack):
- Detonation Mechanism: Air-burst, Contact.
- Bomb Diameter: 230 Millimetres/9 Inches.
- Engine Type: Unpowered.
- Guidance System: Unguided.
- Bomb Mass: 44 Kilograms/97 .lbs.
- Bomb Length: 1.1 Meters/~3.6 Feet.
- Range: N/A.
- Velocity: Dependent on external acceleration.
- Warhead: Varies Pod to Pod.
- 45 Kilograms ethylene oxide (FAB).
- Fireball Radius: 18 Metres/59 Ft.
- Thermal Radiation Radius (Burns): 110 Metres/360 Ft.
- Vacuum Radius: 18 Metres/59 Ft.
- 45 Kilograms ethylene oxide (FAB).
- 1x Dorsal-mounted coaxial foglight:
- Barbette-Mounted:
- Defences: Average
- Canopy: 25.4mm/1 Inch Thick
- Tempered Glasteel.
- Hull:
- Active Protection System(s):
- Hard: Energy Shield Generator.
- Soft: Electronic Countermeasures.
- Countermeasure(s):
- 25.4mm/.50 Inch Thick Armour (Outside to Inside: Duravlex, Depleted Duranium, Alusteel, Air, Quadanium, Titanium, Duraplast, Turadium)
- Composite Laminated Armour.
- Spaced Non-Explosive Reactive Armour.
- Active Protection System(s):
- Canopy: 25.4mm/1 Inch Thick
- Squadron Count: Very Low (4)
- Manoeuvrability Rating: Very High
- Weight: 9,100 Kilograms/20,062 .lbs
- Independent Vectoring Thrusters: 3
- Speed Rating: Average
- Engine(s): 6
- 6x AM110 Hydrogen-Helium Fusion Engine(s)
- Peak Acceleration: 1.1 Seconds (0-903 Km/h).
- Peak Thrust: 570 Kilonewtons.
- Maximum Atmospheric Rate of Climb: 144 Metres Per Second / 518 Kilometres Per Hour / 321 Miles Per Hour (@Standard Gravity).
- Maximum Atmospheric Speed: 903 Kilometres Per Hour / 561 Miles Per Hour.
- Maximum Sub-light Speed: 100 MGLT.
- 6x AM110 Hydrogen-Helium Fusion Engine(s)
- Engine(s): 6
- Hyperdrive Rating: N/A (Hyperdrive not fitted).
STANDARD FEATURES
- Active Protection System:
- Communication System(s):
- Droid Brain:
- Flight Computer
- Fire Control System(s):
- Individual Field Disruptor
- Life Support(s):
- Sensor(s):
- Aural Sensor
- Cronau Radiation Sensor
- Dedicated Energy Receptor
- Electro-Photo Receptor
- Electromagnetic Spectrum Sensor (RD/MW/IR/VL/UV/XRAY/GRAY)
- Full-spectrum transceiver
- Hyperwave sigil interceptor
- Lifeform Indicator
- Lifeform Scanner
- Doppraymagno scanner
- Radiation Sensor
- Sensor Jammer
- Sonic Imprint Sensor
STRENGTHS
- Awesome firepower: Equipped with a pair of rotary autocannons, the Hv-8 High Altitude Gunship fires metal quarrel projectiles as its' main armament that are ignited in a field of superheated plasma, allowing them to burrow through heavily armoured vehicles and infantry, inflicting grievous injuries easily capable of dismembering any humanoid on impact with sufficient kinetic energy behind them to shred armoured vehicles. It is also equipped with air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles, which can track targets and be programmed to detonate on contact, proximity, or a timed fuse. The gunship is armed with a trio of foglights that can illuminate targets and frustrate attempts to observe the gunship.
- Droid Brain: Equipped with a sophisticated droid brain based on a quad-photonic chipset, the Hv-8 has a complex auto-pilot functionality where the aircraft's droid intelligence can not just follow a bearing based on an azimuth but execute manoeuvres to avoid obstructions and projectiles allowing it's pilot to relinquish active control over the throttle and stick if they need to abandon a stricken craft for example or perform some other activity. The droid brain can also be used to remotely recall a craft by its' dismounted crew, an especially useful feature.
- Individual Field Disruptor: An individual field disruptor features in the design and is capable of sending a current through the hull's surface that allows the gunship to penetrate deflector and energy shields designed to act as area denail weapons
- Sensor Jammer: Hv-8 gunships are equipped with a high-powered sensor jammer with discriminatory broadcast settings. However, the sensor jammer is a double-edged sword and can impact the gunship itself. It can selectively jam specific wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum by emitting massive amounts of 'white noise'; its' ability to detect and disrupt targeting communication technology begins with holonet based technologies up to archaic radionics.
- Super-manoeuvrable Airframe: The Hv-8 High Altitude Gunship is equipped with six different engines mounted on three independent floating vectoring pylons, which allows the craft to execute sophisticated and complex manoeuvres that are otherwise impossible with a ship that features fixed engines and therefore set vectors of thrust. The Hv-8 High Altitude Gunship can pivot and change its' course suddenly and at high speed. Its' onboard computer and pilot-assists can quickly compensate for severe cross-wind or turbulence in atmospheric conditions.
- Escape seat(s): There is no functionality for escape seats if the craft were to lose power or be so severely damaged that it loses its' ability to maintain lift. There is no allowance in design for rapid egress. The only means of escape would be to open either the port or starboard airlock door and leap from the gunship.
- Fragile Engine(s): Due to their placement, the unique fusion engines have their cowling vulnerable when the craft is viewed directly from the front and the rear. It is possible with concentrated small arms fire to damage these fusion engines sufficiently to cause the aircraft to lose thrust and therefore be robbed of its' ability to maintain lift when subjected to a standard gravitational field.
- Ionic Threats: Ion-based energy weapons are effective against the Hv-8; sustained fire to the energy shields can rapidly deplete them and leave the gunship vulnerable. Ion-based energy impacts to the hull can trigger its' onboard circuit breakers and result in the gunship losing propulsion and its' targeting systems.
- Low passenger capacity: Due to the fuselage's low interior volume, the Gunship has a low ability for personnel transport and sports a modest seating arrangement for soldiers and their equipment. It is entirely inadequate and unsuitable for transporting cargo or crew-served weapons, limiting its utility as a multi-role airframe.
- Sensor Jammer: Sensor jamming is a brute-force tactic and indiscriminate in who it affects, blocking specific wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, radionic and Hyperwave technologies can impact the Hv-8's weapon and communication systems, forcing its' crew to be prudent in choosing the right tool for an engagement and may even force the team to consider de-activating their sensor jammer for a time so that they can exploit a particular weapon system feature.
- Small crew compartment: HV-8's are a relatively small airframe, and their crew compartment is quite narrow and vulnerable to damage. A penetrating impact to the fuselage from a high-explosive projectile will likely disable the airframe or incapacitate the crew. Additionally, the crew compartment is pressurised, so a penetrating impact at high terrestrial altitude or in the vacuum of space can cause explosive decompression and suck any unsecured crew clear of the airframe.
- Ventral-mounted explosives: Among the armament of the Hv-8 is four racks of high-explosive non-guided ordnance sitting in its' belly. Should these explosives be subjected to the volatile thermal energy of blaster fire, they will likely 'cook off', causing a cascade of explosions from high-yield military-grade explosives that is almost sure to cripple if not outright destroy the airframe.
The Hv-8 High Altitude Gunship is a super-manoeuvrable all-weather exoatmospheric-operations capable Hexa-engine spacecraft designed by Apex Manufacturing for the Imperial Security Force with the roles of aerial pursuit, direct-fire, close-air support and search & rescue in mind. It is a vertical take-off and landing platform. It can land or launch from virtually any solid surface prepared for that purpose or otherwise. It is crewed by a pilot who manoeuvres and controls the airframe and weapon systems using a hand-on throttle and stick arrangement. The Hv-8 is unusual among airframes in that it features six engines in total arranged in pairs along three floating guiding vectoring thrusters allowing for the aircraft to execute sophisticated and complex manoeuvres and better compensate for atmospheric flight conditions at speed such as cross-winds and turbulence and is superior to conventional fixed engine setups thanks to the ability to vector thrust at wildly different angles. The Hv-8 can easily maintain its' altitude and course in the most vicious of terrestrial storms.
In terms of its' fuselage design, the Hv-8 is vaguely insectoid in appearance. This is conducive to its' atmospheric flight performance, using curved surfaces to reduce drag at the cost of having a broader radar cross-section. The Hv-8 is heavily armed, with its' primary armament being a pair of air-cooled belt-fed rotary autocannons that fire super-heated metal quarrels. Secondary armament includes several missiles that can be mounted with variable payload warheads. Ventrally, the Hv-8 has four racks that can be loaded with unguided and unpowered fuel-air bombs. However, these can be replaced with other types of similar-sized munitions, such as chemical munition-laden bombs. The targeting system is advanced and can track approximately forty-eight targets simultaneously, allowing for rapid attack and re-engagement of all weapon systems. The weapon systems are operated by the "Air Combat Officer" who also functions as the co-pilot; both sticks for the pilot and co-pilot possess controls for the weapon systems, though given the complex manoeuvres the Hv-8 is capable of performing inexperienced, or rookie pilots would be wise to concentrate on controlling the craft.
There is a pressurised airlock door that opens upward like a butterfly-type airspeeder door on the port and starboard sides of the fuselage for access to the airframe. The airlock can be interacted with via a holographic panel that appears over the airlock door when the gunship is not in use and can receive authorised user biometrics from the customer organisation's servers. The gunship also can store encrypted biometric details for its' authorised users. There are advanced navigation and autonomous capabilities built into the design. There is a droid brain featuring a modern quad-photonic processor with its' primary role to provide an auto-pilot functionality allowing for the authorised organic pilot to remotely recall the airframe or leave the flight controls if it should be otherwise necessary, the droid brain is capable of executing complex manoeuvres with the airframe. It is even capable of engaging targets, although only in self-defence.
The user interface consists of several holographic touch displays which make up the avionics suite, the displays are arranged to the pilot's left and the co-pilot's right flanking them, the information on the displays can be re-arranged and customised to suit the aircrew's particular needs, requirements or personal preference. Interaction with the interface can also be achieved through voice commands to the droid brain from the aircrew. A heads-up-display projection projected against the inside of the canopy allows the aircrew to rapidly assess critical tactical information. The glasteel cockpit's canopy can be programmed to a certain level of polarisation to reduce glare, or the droid brain can be permitted to dynamically change the setting for maximum efficiency. The canopy can go from transparent to opaque within seconds. Due to the complex avionics suite, the aircrew can use their displays to search for targets through several different electromagnetic spectrums. Many discrete micro-cameras are scattered around the hull that the droid brain can access when searching for targets, providing unparalleled situational awareness to the crew.
Last edited:
