Freelance Traveller

designed by Peter Gray

Overview

The RDA is briefly mentioned in MT's 101 Vehicles under the Astrid entry. Essentially it is a remotely or computer operated dropship designed to carry any combination of four 10 ton vehicles, though in the original TL-14 version this was primarily the Trepida and Astrid. Tens of thousands of these craft were built in all kinds of configurations for the Imperial Army and Marines, and were used extensively during the Rebellion/Civil War. Thousands more were built for colonial militaries, and this includes the version described below. This version reduces endurance in favor of additional cargo space for supply capsules, combat robots, targetting drones or deadfall and guided munitions. Other versions include jump troop carriers, decoy ships, bombardment hulks and normal infantry carriers. As with all vehicle carrying versions, the ship is overloaded during the initial descent stage, and does not maneuver except for simple evasion techniques.

The RDA is typically preloaded at a port, and then stowed in a larger assault ship for the journey to its target. No accomodation space is allocated for vehicle crews, and they must typically load through the shells two ventral airlocks to reach their vehicles. No internal life support system is fitted either, and during loading the main ship pressurizes the shell to facilitate loading without relying upon the Personal Life Support Systems of vacc suits or battle dress. The craft has limited range, and is usually released in a deadfall from thirty to sixty thousand kilometers from its target world. During the initial descent, it pops hundreds of decoys to throw off enemy sensors to its actual trajectory, and using its jammers to either throw off enemy missles or knocking out airborne and satellite sensors and communications. Once the craft reaches a safe descent altitude, the hull literally unhinges, splitting open like a clam; the sudden deceleration this creates is enough to dislodge the carried vehicles, spilling them into the atmosphere to continue their drop. Its mission now complete, the RDA using aerobraking to "skip" its trajectory, and uses its maneuver drive to return to the main ship.

General Data

Engineering

Power Plant

TL-15 78 MW Fusion (One Year Duration) (300 MW/Hit)

G-Rating

2G Heplar (30 MW/G), CG Lifters (Hi-Eff, 6 MW)

G-Turns

4 (3.75 m3 each)

Fuel Tankage

15 m3+7.8 m3 for power plant

Maint

43

Electronics

Computer

2xTL-15Fb (1.1 MW)

Commo

2x30,000 km Radio (1 MW), 2x30,000 km Maser (MW)

Avionics

Imaging EMS, Grav/Inertial Positioning

Sensors

None

ECM/ECCM

EMM (0.84 MW), 3000 km Area Jammer (1.08 MW), 30,000 km EMS Jammer (2 MW)

Workstations

None

Armament

Offensive

None

Defensive

Decoys (300 each of antilaser, antipassive and antiactive decoys; -2 DMs versus lower TL sensors, -1 DMs versus same TL sensors)

Fire Control

None

Accomodations

Life Support

AG/GC (6G, 4.2 MW)

Crew

None (1 Operator/Supervisor on the command ship)

Airlocks

2

Cargo

130.081 m3, Large Cargo Hatch/Launch Port

Small Craft and Launch Facilities

4x10 ton vehicles (Docking Ring), Clamshell Opening

Other Fittings

None

Features

None

1.52 MW Surplus

(Given the crafts specialised nature and fragility, the damage tables have been omitted)