US Navy; Pre-GCW.	S/EA-6B Prowler.		US Navy; Pre-GCW.
An S/EA-6B Prowler Forward Air Controller. The Robotech Expeditionary Forces and various Robotech Defense Forces' Aero-Space Forces have the EC-66 God's Eye AWACS; The REF wanted to try a smaller platform to do the same thing. With the start of testing into the S/A-6E, the decision was made to also test another, similar idea- The S/EA-6B Prowler. Replacing the powerplant and avionics were the only original plan, but after the Atorians War the REF came into possession of advanced grav pods and tractioning drives that would replace the Prowler's original flight and thrust systems. The idea was to develop the two programs side-by-side; Once deployed, one Prowler would take command of as many as ten S/A-6E Intruder's on an attack run; In field testing, before full development was complete, the platforms were proven to be VERY effective; A S/EA-6B even led a Veritech Squadron as the Forward Air Controller (FAC) and that squadron suffered 1/4 the number of surprise attacks and friendly-fire related accidents. The Prowler promises to be in the REF's inventory as a FAC for many years to come, despite the eventual decision NOT to acquire the S/EA-6B. The Prowler is all-weather, four seat, subsonic, transatmospheric, Command, Control, and Intelligence (C3I) aero-space craft. It is equipped with a single, macro-micronized digital integrated search and track radar/computer, fly-by-wire control, and tractioning drive. The Advanced Third-Generation Target Recognition/Attack Multi-Sensor (A3TRAM) version of the S/A-6E was introduced to the fleet in 2070. Though the Prowler has grav pods and tractioning drives, most pilots continue to use airfoil and jet thrust for flight; Most Prowler pilots in fact still use the electromagnetic catapults not just to stay in practice but as a practical matter, since some of the sensors on the Prowler are adversely effected by grav pods and tractioning drives, and the airframe is too small to gain sufficient separation between the two. However, they usually land via grav pods; There were proposals to replace the wheels with struts, but this was nixed when pilots objected to the plan for safety reasons, the Council's Defense Appropriations Committee object to cost, and both objected to lack of necessity. (Landing struts cost the same, but retrofitting the fleet would have been costly; the only advantage was that pilots would have spent 5 minutes per flight less by not checking tire pressure and Delta Pin settings.) Retrofitting the fleet to Dual Phase Aeration however was unanimously approved. Name: S/EA-6B Prowler. Model Type: Command, Control, and Intelligence (C2I) aircraft. Crew: Four. Passengers: None. MDC By Location:
Fuselage- Cockpit- Radar Pod-	200 150 75	Landing Struts (3)- Thrusters- Full-Force Barrier Field-	30 each 75 each 500
Speed and Statistical Data:
Maximum Flight Speed: 710 knots; Range: 700,000. Can be refueled in the air. On the Ground: .1 MPH Range on the Ground: 1 mile max. Operational Ceiling: Transatmospheric. Height: 16 ft, 3 inches. Wingspan: Wings Up: 15 ft. Wings Down: 25 ft, 10 inches. Length: 59 ft, 10 inches Weight: 57,019 pounds. Cargo: Pilot and crew supplies only.		Power System: Twin Pratt & Whitney JR25-P-408 Dual-Phase Aeration Hydro Cell Thrusters (originally P&H 408 jet engines); Output: 235 KWh at 25,000 hsp, 112,000 pounds thrust each; Lifespan: 20,000 flight-hours. Flight System: Primary: Aero-Foil and Thrust. Secondary: Grav Pods Thrust System: Primary: Bleed off from power plant. Secondary: TRXA-41 Tractioning Drive. Cost and Availability: 43,000credit; Regularly available. Note: There is no "black (nor grey) market for this platform.
Weapons Systems:
1. Decoys: A combination of the Launched Decoy Pods and Anti-Missile Chaff/Flare Dispenser systems, these simpler decoys were originally used on the Steiner Starfighter; The decoys themselves are specially modified Mini-Missiles that produce burning globs of magnesium/aluminum alloy to confuse both radar AND heat sensory systems, as well as creating a lot of smoke to obscure the fighter. Especially aggressive Prowler pilots have been known to rush down and use their decoys to help damaged ships under their control to escape before they are destroyed, and/or throw out coverage for ejected comrades in the area. Reduce effects by 20% against smart missiles (add +20% to rolls for smart missiles). Effect: 01-50: Enemy missile or missile volley detonates in chaff cloud- Missiles are all destroyed. 51-75: Enemy missile or missile volley loses track of real target and veers away in wrong direction (may lock onto another target). 76-00: No effect, missile is still on target. Also note that the chaff cloud will also blind nearby heat sensors (and optically based sensors at night) for 1 melee. They will suffer the following penalties: Reduce melee attacks/actions, and combat bonuses by half. Also, a cloud of smoke approximately 252 ft. Duration: 1D4 melee rounds. Rate of Fire: Once per melee. Payload: 6 chaff/flares.		2. Hardpoints (4 wing, one fuselage): The Prowler has 5 hardpoints total compatible with any standard UGC pod except the Syncro Cannon, though gun pods are not used. The EAG-81 Malcorn JSTARS Guardian's Combined Unit/Laser-8 (track reconciliation) is especially popular, though the Prowler doesn't use the wire-guide option very often as this is too short for them to effectively utilize (at least, not without practically stopping), The C-441 Canister and M-12 Fuel Pods are "rarely" carried, the TM-14 Sonar Pod carried only when submarine activity is expected (in other words, not in over land sorties), A-11/a Anti-Rad and A-11/v Rad Pods only in anti-missile defense missions (which are typically taken by A/BG-20's), but any type of pod "is" possible (except as stated). NOTE: The Prowler doesn't carry guns in any configuration. This is one of the very few front line aero-space craft specifically designed against gun pods, since they should never be in a position to use them. Pilots and crews still wear body armor and flight suits (space suits as appropriate), and carry sidearms (typically the Gallant H-90), but nothing else.
Features:
Radar: Combat grade radar. Range: 200 miles, can track up to 250 individual targets. 95% reliability (24% against unfriendly stealthed vehicles). ESM: Radar Detector. Passively detects other radars being operated. Full Range Sensory Suite: infrared, ultra violet, Magnification, night sight, color filters, thermal imager. Range is about 2,000 miles for MOST sensors. Motion Detector: Activates a loud wailing when an object is coming at the user fast, and a soft ringing if it's coming slowly. Activation ranges must be specified by the pilot. FLIR: Forward Looking Infra-Red. Allows pilot and weapons officer to get visuals on targets at night. Video Recorder: Records from sensors and the cockpit itself. 500 hours of recording available. HUD: Displays maps, radar, targeting information, and any OTHER information the wearer wants directly in front of the user. AJP: Active Jamming Pod. Causes-25% to detection but when it is active, other vehicles/bases can detect that it is jamming, and some missiles will home in on jamming signals. Jamming also causes a-4 penalty to all radar guided weapons. Anti-Jamming System: Reduces Electronics Countermeasure by 3/4 (decrease skill level appropriately). Electronic Counter Measures (ECM): These systems disrupt enemy radar and tracking systems, making it difficult for them to lock onto the ship with weapons. The countermeasures give the Mecha a +3 to dodge, +2 to strike and +1 on initiative in combat. NOTE: This is carried ALONG WITH the Steiner-designed decoys. Grav Clamps: Reversing the polarity of the grav pods allow the planes to adhere to the hulls of warships and the exteriors of SOME buildings. MRA 6 Radios: Allows real time, continuous radio link up with friendly forces in the area via satellite relay over laser radio signals, preventing jamming, and automatically encrypts/decrypts same to prevent eavesdropping. Type-11 wide band radios: Effective 10 mile range, auto encrypt/decrypt. Works on standard radio band wavelengths, so it can still be jammed (if the enemy knows the frequencies). Smoke Dispensers (8): Throws out smoke flares capable of covering a 2503 ft area. Special chemicals in the smoke obscures IR and heat sensors, and defeats visual tracking of the vehicle. Note that it DOESN'T make the vehicle invisible, but simply negates ALL bonuses to strike. Blue Force Tracker: Identifies Friend from Foe. Overlays the information on both the radar and HUD, ensuring that friendly forces are not accidentally targeted. Vacuum Seal: Permits the fighter to be used in hard vacuum (such as outer space), and other hostile environments.		CBR Protection: Complete chemical, biohazard, and radiological protection. Internal Temperature And Humidity Control: Automatically maintains users desired heat, humidity, and other personal comfort settings. Heat And Radiation Shielding: Special shielding prevents the penetration of life threatening heat and radiation. Variable Tint Cockpit Canopy: Adjusts tinting to light conditions, up to an including a black dot if the sun is directly on the pilots face (only covers eyes). Combat/Targeting Computer: Records all enemy and friendly activity over the course of time; Can replay that activity for the pilot, assign target designation numbers, and track likely damage based on mathematical formulas (i.e. "Right wing red" badly damaged/destroyed, "rudder green" not damaged, etc). Displays this information as a pop up in the HUD on request by the pilot. Survival Pack: A pack of simpler emergency survival supplies: Pup tent, sleeping bag, black light, GPS, first aid kit (bandages, gauze, bandage tape, pads, antiseptic/analgesic), plasma torch (for small repairs and starting fires), repair kit (with MDC Repair Spray), sewing kit (a small spool of thread and 5 needles), 7 star flares (250 ft apogee), 7 white parachute flares (1,500 ft apogee), 100 ft of black or brown parachute cord (150 lbs tensile strength), 2-5 days rations, 2 gallons water, water purification kit (good for about 10 gallons), manual-inflating liferaft (for at-sea abandonment), self-inflating lifevest (15# buoyancy). The liferaft can also double as a Pup Tent if so desired (though most pilots prefer to use a parachute for that, if anything, due to the fact that it is easier to hide). Oxygen Rebreather System: Extends pilots air supply to 100 hours; Cartridge MUST be replaced after that period of time. GPS: Standard tracking device. Virtual Map: Displays a continuously-updating map of local terrain for the pilot. Effective land navigation of 85% as updates come. Good to 50 miles. Specific range can be adjusted in 1mile increments. XTNDR Pod: Originally designed for use on ground vehicles and fixed stations, the XTNDR Pod has been adapted for use by spacecraft. The normal balloon is removed, and the pod simply drag behind the craft. Can only be used in space. MDC By Location: Pod: 50 Fiber Optic Cable: 10 Effect: Extends range of any sensors 10 times (or defeats other penalties in a 5 mile area).
Combat Bonuses from S/AE-6B Intruder Combat Elite: 2 additional attacks per melee +3 roll. +5 Strike. +3 Parry and dodge. One additional attack per melee at levels 6 and 11.