Kobolese Confederation.	CSS-228 Raptor Combat Shuttle.		Kobolese Confederation.
Discussion The Spaceways Patrol And Enforcement Services and Marine needed a "go anywhere, do anything" shuttle for general purpose mission support, ranging from ENLINT to infantry insertation to Raptor Combat Shuttle. Production Information Model: CSS-228 Raptor. Class: Combat Shuttle. Technical Specifications Armament: Assault Crew; Wing Pods; Full-Force Barrier Field. Crew: Pilot; Copilot; Sensor Operator; Weapons Specialist. Usage Roles: Assault; Rescue; Resupply; Surveillance; Research. Affiliations: Kobolese Republic; REF Marine; REF Patrol; Law Enforcement agencies (modified). forcible boarding missions; Unfortunately, they didn't have one. Galactic Engineering came through with the ungainly, box-configuration CSS-228 Raptor Assault Shuttle, basically a flying box with grav pods and an engine. The CSS-228 configuration makes them especially ideal for trainer craft, since they're easily and highly forgiving- A good quality for an assault shuttle, entering in possibly under fire, to insert infantry personnel and possibly extricating injured personnel. They are also equipped with a basic FTL hyperdrive generator, capable of one jump per every spoolup. This allows them to make stealth insertion, but the limited jump capability restricts them to not more than a few systems away from final target, without having to stop for up to 24 hours to rebuild the spools. A simple defense, then, is to position sensor buoys in the next system over, then watch for a ship out-jumping or defolding. The Raptor is pretty crapped inside, and the number of mission crew quickly effects the number of assault troops; Though the Raptor 'can' carry up to 4 crewmen, each crewman means 1/3 less of a trooper, or 1/4 less of a power armor; With all four crewmen, a Rapotr can carry only ONE power armor safely. There is an infamous case of a Raptor that loaded up 22 children, but the Board Of Inqury afterwards was closed, the records sealed, and the pilot eventually incarcerated under several highly unusual conditions. No one is clear exatly why- Onl the members of the BOI and the pilot know and understand all the facts, and they are sworn to silence. After 15 years of service, new computer systems came on-line allowing the Raptor's instrumentation panel to be rotated 90 degrees along the aft panel and even folded away, increasing the available deck space by 25%; though this did nothing to increase crew space, it did allow the installation of a second exit hatch, allowing the assault crew to exit on the starboard side and the door gunner to lay down suppression fire out the port side, rather than forcing the assult team to wait until the door gunner could clear out of the way or accept ground fire witout response in kind. This improved assult capabilities 150%, and rediuced exposure time by at least 50%. The old style are still around, but the intention is to replace and/or upgrade all of them within 18 months. Other Uses As already discussed, the Raptor's forgiving nature allows them to be used as trainers- Even for FTL flight. They can also be used as essentially floating sensor platforms, as they can carry up to one weeks worth of rations if restricted to only a pilot/sensor operator and copilot/sensor operator. This ability proved itself in spades during the hunt for the malcontent group New People's Liberated Forces, where a Marine Raptor sat, dead quiet, for CLASSIFIED PERIOD OF TIME waiting for NPLF ships to enter the CLASSIFIED LOCATION. When they did, the Raptor crew waited until the NPLF ship entered her hidden spaceport, then reported their observations to higher command. Within hours, a full Spacy Battle Fleet de-folded practically on top of the asteroid and blasted it into space dust. The Raptor can also be used for extrication, but generally are not used to move critically injured personell and hostages unless the op area is totally secure; When it is not, which is ops nml, MG-8 Phantom Guardians are used instead. Finally, the Raptor can play nice with their friends; They can be used as a sensor platform for other elements to find targets, as dedicated insertion or extrication platforms, as dedicated fire-support units, etc. Why the Spacy continues to pass on the design is unclear, but GE and the Spacy have had a long history of animosity after a bid failure. That the Sky Master already fills this role doesn't help matters any. Name: CSS-228 Raptor Combat Shuttle. Vehicle Type: Combat Shuttle System. Crew: 2-4. Passengers: 5-8 combat, 10-15 civilian. MDC by Location:
*Fuselage Cockpit Thrusters (2)	200 150 150 each	Hatches Tailerons (2)	100 each 50 each
Note: * Destruction of the Fuselage will destroy the shuttle. Speed and Statistical Data:
Speed: Mach 3.8 (2,593 mph/1,621kh). Operational Ceiling: Fully Trans-Atmospheric; The craft can enter and exit a gravity well at will. Height: 17 ft (5.2 m). Wingspan: 20 ft (6 m). Length: 16 ft (4.9 m).		Weight: 14 tons. Cargo: About one ton or passengers. Powerplant: FTT-061 fusion reactor; Output: 21,000 KWh; Range: 48 thrst-hours. Trust System: Bleedoff from the powerplant. Flight System: Grav Pods.
Weapons Systems:
1. L-02a Rail Launcher (2): Part of the 2481 Upgrade program, the LIMA-02 (said "LEE-MA zero too") is fed from a 250-round magazine. The system is radar controlled and designed for Micro-Missiles. Purpose: Breaching Hulls/Fire Support. Damage and Range: Varies by type used. Rate Of Fire: Per gunner's attacks per melee. Payload: 250 micro-missiles. Bonus: No bonus on this platform. 2. Door Gunners: Each side of the helicopter has a heavy weapons mounting pintle; Any type can be used, though heavy energy weapons or the RG-41 rotary gun are preferred for these positions. Generally used for anti-power armor work. An E-cable provides unlimited capacity to energy weapons. Most such guns are on butterfly grips, though some remain on standard grips with shoulder stocks (to improve accuracy). Standard versions consist of the M-6 pedestal mount, though a 3-point sling mount for medium machineguns and similar weapons is also available, which "can" (has) but should not be used to lean outside the helicopter to the point the gunner can actually fire UNDER the helicopter. For projectile-based weapons, around 1,000-5,000 rounds are typically carried (depending on size). (Depicted is an M-31c, which differs in that is has three legs.) 3. TM-5 Plasma Launcher: A basic, ball-turret mounted plasma launcher. The weapon itself is based on the T'sentraedi plasma launcher, but has FAR superior range (due to a greater number or primer rings). The weapon is mounted on the nose. Purpose: Defense/Anti-Infantry/Power Armor MD: 5D6 Rate of Fire: Standard; Pilot or copilot can automatically use this weapon. Range: 6,000 ft Payload: Unlimited		4. Wing Pylon Mounted weapons: The Raptor can carry up to 3 types of weapons on its 6 wing pylons.
		A) TM-12 Fuel Pod: Essentially a modified version of the M-11 Torpedo Pod. In this case, however, it is used as a fuel pod to double the normal range of the craft. B) Type M-7 Rocket Launcher: 24 2-inch rocket tubes in 12 rows of 4 each. Each rocket tube has 4 rockets. Purpose: Heavy Assault MD: Each rocket does 2D6 MD Rate of Fire: Volleys of 6 or 12 times pilots attacks per melee. Range: 12,000 ft Payload: 96 per pod. Up to 6 pods can be carried. C) M-11 Torpedo Pod: An ASW torpedo pod. Carries the Mk-82 Airborne Torpedo, essentially a modified version of the Mk-81 Submarine Launched Torpedo. The initial launch is by a nothing so complicated as releasing it from the latches that hold it to the pylon. The on board hydro-cell motor then takes over as soon as the torpedo splashes. Each pod hold 3 Mk-82's. Purpose: Offensive/Anti-Ship MD: 4D6 times 10 per torpedo Blast Radius: 40 ft Maximum Range: 80 miles Minimum Range: 5 miles Rate of Fire: 1 torpedo per pilots attacks per melee. Payload: Each pod holds 3 Mk-82's. D) TM-9 Fixed Autocannon: A pair of fixed-forward autocannons; Most helicopters carry these units in pairs on the ends of their weapons pylons. Some pilots elect to use only this weapon, carrying up to 6; Others only carry 1, and use their remaining mounts for rockets and other weapons. MD: 1D4 times 10 per 40 round burst (can only fire bursts). Rate of Fire: Per Gunner's attacks per melee. Range: 9,000 ft. Payload: 600 per pod. E) External MRM launchers (4): Mainly for shooting down hostile aircraft, though are excellent for shooting down MRM's and LRM's. Primary Purpose: Anti-Aircraft Secondary Purpose: Anti-LRM. Damage: Varies by type used. Rate Of Fire: Volleys of 1, 2, 3, or 4 per pilots attacks per melee. Effective Range: Varies by type used. Payload: 32 (4 per launcher, 6 pods per wing).	G) A-11/a Anti-Radiation Pod: A radar and other detection system jammer. Effect: While active, enemy radar will have a "wash" effect, where a large, highly unstable cloud of radar paint will appear. An experienced (5ᵗʰ level and above) radar operator can SOMETIMES use the flow of the wash to narrow down the source of the jamming, but typically this does little good. NOTE: This IS a form of radar signal, and can therefore by tracked by some ESM systems (-10%). H) A-11/v Radiation Detector Pod: This pod passively detects various types of Radiation, most importantly radio signals (for eavesdropping). I) C-441 Canister Pod: Basically a hollowed out version of the M-7 pod, used to drop highly sensitive and extensive messages. A nose-mounted device using GPS or laser detection guides the pod to within 1/8 of an inch of the intended target. D) A-11 Tracker Pod: This simple 63 ft pod is an expanded version of the XTNDR RADAR/Radio Antenna Extender used on almost all UGC Destroids; The A-11 is a 25 lb. pod, released to fly independently within a 100 ft area of the Skymaster. A laser communications system relays the data collected from the A-11 Pod to the parent craft or to an EC-66. Because it is so much larger than the XTNDR Pod it can have a grav pod without interfering with sensors. MDC By Location: Pod: 70 Full-Force Barrier Field: 100 Grav Pod: 50 Effect: Effectively serves as a second EC-66, giving a second viewing area, doubling or tripling sensor area 3 to 4 times (or defeats other penalties in a 5 mile area). The A-11 has all the same sensors as an EC-66, except MRI and radar; The radar is a combat grade radar, with a range of 20 miles and tracking ability of 50 targets and an 80% reliability (10% against unfriendly stealthed vehicles). This system also gives a second view angle, so unfriendly stealthed vehicles can't hide AS easily (roll against the plane AND any pods in the air at +10% each). Due to the proximity of grav pods, MRI could not be installed.
			A C-441 Canister Pod (indistinguishable from TM-12 Fuel Pod, M-11 Torpedo Pod, and A-11/a Anti-Rad/A-11/v Rad Detector Pods).
Sensor Systems:
01. FLIR/SLIR: Forward and Side Looking Infrared. Allows pilot and weapons officer to get visuals on targets at night. 02. Video Recorder: Records from sensors and the cockpit itself. 500 hours of recording available. 03. 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. 04. Virtual Map: Displays a continuously-updating map of local terrain for the pilot. Takes data from and gives data to other friendly units in the area. Effective land navigation of 85% as updates come. Good to 500 miles. Specific range can be adjusted in 1 mile increments.		05. GPS: Standard tracking device. 06. ESM: Passively detects other radars being operated. 07. 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. 08. Radar: Combat grade radar. Range: 200 miles, can track up to 250 individual targets. 95% reliability (24% against unfriendly stealthed vehicles). 09. AJS: Anti-Jamming System. Reduces Electronics Countermeasure by 3/4 (decrease skill level appropriately). 10. Full Range Sensory Suite: Infrared, ultra violet, Magnification, night sight, color filters, thermal imager. Range is about 2,000 miles for MOST sensors.
Features: Reflects pilot/mission only systems; Though these systems might be reviewed later, they don't transmit in the here-and-now.
Blue Force Tracker: Identifies Friend from Foe. Overlays the information on both the radar and HUD, ensuring that friendly forces are not accidentally targeted. 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 leg red" badly damaged/destroyed, "head green" not damaged, etc). Displays this information as a pop up in the HUD on request by the pilot. LDP (4): Launched Decoy Pods. The Mecha can carry a special pod that carries four advanced decoy drones. These drones are launched to go where ever they want for 30 minutes. Each is a specially designed lure that mimic the Mecha. This system has been successfully deployed against SEVERAL alien radar-type sensors (including one that works off of sound), but does not work on Invid Protoculture sensors. MDC: 5 Effects: The decoy has a 98% chance of fooling ordinary non military radars and non smart guided missiles, and a 90% chance of fooling military grade radars and advanced smart missiles. Range: Released to go wherever it wants. Can fly independently for about 30 minutes. Rate of Fire: Per pilots attacks per melee. Payload: 8 decoys total. Smoke Dispensers (8): Throws out smoke flares capable of covering a 903 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. HUD: Displays maps, radar, targeting information, and any OTHER information the wearer wants directly in front of the user. 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). AMCFD (2): Anti-Missile Chaff/Flare Dispensers. Actually launches a glob of burning magnesium/aluminum alloy to confuse both radar AND heat sensory systems. Fires off 04 chaff/flares each time it is activated. The system is KNOWN to work on all KNOWN radar and infrared systems, but concerns continue that somewhere out there their MIGHT be a system that will be totally unaffected by the system. 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. Duration: 1D4 melee rounds. Payload: 60 chaff/flares. Each time the system is engaged, the system fires off 04 chaff/flares. 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 M.D.C. Repair Spray), sewing kit (a small spool of thread and 5 needles), 7 star flares (250' apogee), 2 white parachute flares (1, 500' apogee), 100' 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.
Combat Bonuses for the CSS-228 Raptor Combat Shuttle: 3 attacks per melee (plus those of the pilot). Add one additional action/attack at levels six and eleven. +4 on initiative. +3 to dodge. +3 to roll with a punch or fall with an impact, reducing damage by half. Critical strike same as pilot's hand-to-hand.