Broadsword Heavy Dropship

The Broadsword  is the UK's new heavy container carrier dropship. Designed to transport a 40m or two 20m containers in to a hostile drop zone and extract again. The Broadsword relies on speed and armour to carryout the mission. Although they are used regularly in a combat situation the Broadsword is also used in times of peace as a transport. 

The Broadsword resembles the old skycrane helicopter and fulfils a similar role.

Battlebox storage

The middle of the Broadsword is used to carry the containers. They are mounted on a standard multi-container rack with twistlocks enabling the carriage of two 6m battleboxes or a single 12m container.

Drive System

The EMdrives on the Broadsword are mounted in four armoured pods. One to each forward wing tip and two either side of the tail boom. All four engine pods are mounted on all moving gimbal mounts making the Broadsword extremely manoeuvrable. 

All four engine pods are also used as the crafts landing gear. VTOL landing has all of the pods engines pointing down and their landing gear extended.

Cockpit

The cockpit is situated high up on the Broadsword nose. It has good visibility and a small crew amenities station.

Below the cockpit is a crew station where the load master is stationed. A toilet, washroom, and weapons storage compart are also on this deck.

Layout

Wings

The forward wings are high mounted anhedral design with a straight forward edge and a heavily tapered rear edge. They are thick and strong to enable fitting the engines to their wing tip.

Environmental Data

  • Atmospheric Density
        • 0 - 4 Atmos
  • Temperature Range
        • -120°c - +150°c
  • Toxic Environment Protection
        • Magneto-Gamma field system and polythelmic skin enables operation in a wide range of hazardous environments. Including highly aqueous and extreme heat, cold and pH environments. Excellent abrasive and high force/energy resistance.

Structure

  • Substructure
        • Titanium-steel composites
  • Hull
        • Kevlar/polymer/graphne honeycomb plating
        • Ring carbon outer layer
        • Diamond whisker sensor windows and cockpit glass
        • Block 2 polythelmic polymer and skin regeneration
  • Internal Damage Repair
        • Nanofoam breach sealant system
        • Block 2 skin regeneration
  • Length
        • 64 m
  • Span
        • 49m

Propulsion

  • Main Drive
        • 4 x RR Solstar EM Drive clusters mounted in to 4 all moving gimbaled pods.
  • Secondary Drive
        • RR Millipede Manoeuvering System EM panels
  • Range
        • 100000km
        • Space range limited by the pilot's endurance
  • Acceleration
        • 14g
  • Maximum Speed in an Atmosphere
        • MACH 3
  • Manoeuvring
        • RR Millipede Manoeuvring System
        • Integrated wing micro flaps
  • Faster than Light
        • None

    Energetics

      • Primary
          • Sunburst Fusion Power Plant
    • Secondary
          • Opal pack energetic hull wafers

    Defensive Systems

    • Primary
        • Towed array ECM/ECCM tactical pod. Designed to disrupt and to give false sensor hard images.
      • Secondary
          • 24 FictionFlock holographic micropods that when ejected emit a false, sensor hard image of the fighter
          • Chaff and flare dispensers
          • 12 x dragon fire laser PDS mounted in 70mm ball mounts covering 360/360 arcs. Multiple turrets can be brought to bear upon a single target making the dragon fire system capable of stacking more heavily armoured targets.
        • Tertiary
            • Defensive Aids Sub System (DASS)
            • Electronic Support Measures and Electronic Counter Measures (ESM/ECM)
            • Missile/Radar detection warners
            • Laser warners

          Detection Systems

          • Active
              • Captor-H AESA RADAR
                • Air/Space Modes
                • Air/Ground Modes
                • Ground map
                • High resolution ground map
                • Ground moving target identification and sea surface search track while scan
                • Fixed and moving target track
                • Air to surface ranging
            • Passive
                • Pirate Infrared Search and Track sensor with forward look capability
                • 360° IR camera system
              • Navigation
                  • Global/Spatial Positioning System (G/SPS)
                  • Laser gyro inertial navigation system (INS)

                Informatics

                • Crew
                      • Two crew
                        • Pilot
                        • Loadmaster
                      • Linked-in wetware control system
                      • Digital Fly-by-Light
                • Primary
                      • TAA-12 Tactical Analysis Array
                      • AI level 5 capable of fully automated flight and remote control
                • Secondary
                      • Active spatial awareness processor
                      • AI level 8 pilots resource kit

                Copyright RSF