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There are numerous 5-ton small craft in service, primarily used by small starships and small installations. The three below are the most common. A fighter variant was designed, but performance was very poor and the project was abandoned.
Lifepod
This is an escape craft for use with large starships. It is fairly
small
and cheap, the main drawback being that it is a little slow to
be filled during an emergency. Also, while it has a nominal crew of
two, both must enter a low berth as quickly as possible, unless the
craft
can make planetfall within 48 hours. There are 16 survival kits on
board
(see p.GT:FT70, sidebar).
5 ton SL hull, DR 100, cockpit, 1 maneuver, 4 low-berth (16 people)
Statistics: LMass 23.5 tons, Cost MCr 3.684
Performance: Accel 1.7 Gs, no Jump, 1581 mph
Cargo Pod
A variant of the lifepod, it serves as a very light cargo hauler for use on airless worlds or planetoid belts or a cargo shuttle with small starships.
5 ton SL hull, DR 100, cockpit, 1 maneuver, 2 cargo
Statistics: EMass 15.5 tons, LMass 25.5 tons, Cost MCr 2.804
Performance: Accel 1.57 Gs, no Jump, 1581 mph
People Pod
Another variant, this serves as a light shuttle.
5 ton SL hull, DR 100, cockpit, 1 maneuver, 2 passenger couches (24 people)
Statistics: LMass 16.58 tons, Cost MCr 2.954
Performance: Accel 2.41 Gs, no Jump, 1581 mph
This was designed to replace the larger 40-ton fuel skimmer. The 30-tonner hold the same amount (actually 1 dton more) of fuel in a smaller hull, but suffers from being much slower. It is, however, some MCr 2.5 cheaper. The craft has been slow to catch on and production may cease by the end of the year.
Crew: Pilot, Engineer
Design: 30-ton SL Hull, DR 100, Modules: 1 Basic Bridge, 1 Engineering, 3 Maneuver, 16 Fuel, 0.5 Cargo
Statistics: EMass 68.8, LMass 71.3, Cost MCr 8.682, HP 6000, Size Modifier +7
Performance: Accel 1.68 Gs, Air Speed 1500
Similar to the 30-ton skimmer, this craft was meant to compete with the 50-ton modular cutter with fuel module. While it carries 20% more fuel, it is much slower and only about MCr 1 cheaper. Still, designed to the same dimensions as the cutter so as to fit in vehicle bays designed for the multi-purpose craft, the 50-ton skimmer has seen enough use to keep in in production.
Crew: Pilot, Engineer
Design: 50-ton SL Hull, DR 100, Modules: 1 Basic Bridge, 1 Engineering, 6 Maneuver, 29 Fuel, 1 Fuel Processor, 0.5 Cargo
Statistics: EMass 110.9, LMass 113.4, Cost MCr 11.537, HP 9750, Size Modifier +7
Performance: Accel 2.12 Gs, Air Speed 1664
Crew: Pilot, Navigator, Engineer, 4 Survey Specialists
Design: 30-ton SL Hull, DR 100, Basic Stealth, Basic Emission Cloaking, Modules: 1 Basic Bridge, 1 Engineering, 1 Utility, 5 Maneuver, 2 Bunkrooms, 1 Probe Module, 1 Survey Module, 1.5 Cargo
Statistics: EMass 83.4, LMass 90.9, Cost MCr 37.22, HP 6000, Size Modifier +7
Performance: Accel 2.15 Gs, Air Speed 1936
This is a basic heavy fighter. A bridge was chosen over a cockpit to allow for slightly better sensors and since there was room for it.
Crew: Pilot/Gunner, Navigator/Sensor Operator
Design: 50-ton SL hull, DR 360, Heavy Compartmentalization, Basic Stealth, Basic Emission Cloaking, two 250-MJ lasers, heavy missile rack (8 heavy missiles); Compact Basic Bridge (Hardened), Small Craft Bridge Add-on, 67 Small Maneuver, Utility
Statistics: EMass 266.73 stons, LMass 266.73 stons, MCr15.12, HP 7,650, Size Modifier + 7
Performance: Accel 5.02 Gs, Air Speed 4440
This variant of the Cobra replaces some of the thrusters with a stateroom to allow extended patrols. Crew is normally four, with two off-duty, two on-duty at any one time. For better comfort, a three man crew is sometimes used.
Crew: Pilot/Gunner, Navigator/Sensor Operator, Co-pilot, Co-navigator
Design: 50-ton SL hull, DR 370, Heavy Compartmentalization, Basic Stealth, Basic Emission Cloaking, two 250-MJ lasers, heavy missile rack (8 heavy missiles); Compact Basic Bridge (Hardened), Small Craft Bridge Add-on, 66 Small Maneuver, Utility, Accomodation
Statistics: EMass 268.58 stons, LMass 268.58 stons, MCr15.08, HP 7,650, Size Modifier + 7
Performance: Accel 4.91 Gs, Air Speed 4406
This Cobra variant mounts the most powerful beam weapon possible in the fighter. Because of the very short range of the weapon, armor was greatly increased. Anaconda's are often escorted by Cobras to protect them from faster, more nimble fighters.
Crew: Pilot/Gunner, Navigator/Sensor Operator
Design: 50-ton SL hull, DR 1030, Total Compartmentalization, Basic Stealth, Basic Emission Cloaking, one 860-MJ PAWS; Compact Basic Bridge (Hardened), Small Craft Bridge Add-on, 67 Small Maneuver, Utility
Statistics: EMass 439.32 stons, LMass 439.32 stons, MCr16.78, HP 7,650, Size Modifier + 7
Performance: Accel 3.05 Gs, Air Speed 4440
This Cobra variant goes for speed, even dropping one laser and half armor to do so.
Crew: Pilot/Gunner, Navigator/Sensor Operator
Design: 50-ton SL hull, DR 200, Expensive Frame, Heavy Compartmentalization, Basic Stealth, Basic Emission Cloaking, one 250-MJ laser, heavy missile rack (8 heavy missiles); Compact Basic Bridge (Hardened), Small Craft Bridge Add-on, 68 Small Maneuver, Utility
Statistics: EMass 219.39 stons, LMass 219.39 stons, MCr15.55, HP 7,650, Size Modifier + 7
Performance: Accel 6.29 Gs, Air Speed 4505
This is the most visibly different of the Cobra variants. Despite the extra cost and slightly lower armor protection, some users prefer it to the basic Cobra.
Crew: Pilot/Gunner, Navigator/Sensor Operator
Design: 50-ton SL hull, DR 250, Heavy Compartmentalization, Radical Stealth, Radical Emission Cloaking, two 250-MJ lasers, heavy missile rack (8 heavy missiles); Compact Basic Bridge (Hardened), Small Craft Bridge Add-on, 67 Small Maneuver, Utility
Statistics: EMass 241.22 stons, LMass 241.22 stons, MCr21.67, HP 7,650, Size Modifier + 7
Performance: Accel 5.55 Gs, Air Speed 4440
The Boa is a variant of the Rattler, designed to ferry a small number of men (24 regular infantry, 12 battlesuited Marines) to a planet's surface.
Crew: Pilot/Gunner, Navigator/Sensor Operator
Design: 50-ton SL hull, DR 320, Heavy Compartmentalization, Radical Stealth, Radical Emission Cloaking, two 250-MJ lasers, heavy missile rack (8 heavy missiles); Compact Basic Bridge (Hardened), Small Craft Bridge Add-on, 63 Small Maneuver, Utility, 2 Passenger Couches
Statistics: EMass 251.88 stons, LMass 251.88 stons, MCr21.36, HP 7,650, Size Modifier + 7
Performance: Accel 5.00 Gs, Air Speed 4305
This is essentially the Imrada-class fighter, swapping a plasma gun for the laser (and slightly reducing the M-drives to fit it in). It was designed for supporting ground troops, where the short range of the plasma gun would not be a factor. However, the armor is not really thick enough to protect against the myriad of air defenses present. However, it does have some value in supporting drop troops in an orbital assault, since it can more easily enter and maneuver in the atmosphere than grav tanks. The Rishars have also been used as assault fighters, but the problem is surviving to get within firing range of the plasma guns.
(Note: There has been some debate over the cost of the plasma gun; some claim that it costs 10x as much as it should, due to a misunderstanding on the part of the GT:SM authors. I have assumed this to be the case. For a more offical version, add MCr 6.7 to cost).
Crew: Pilot
Design: 10-ton SL hull, DR 200, Basic Stealth, Basic Emission Cloaking, 422 MJ plasma gun, Modules: Cockpit, 5.5 Maneuver
Statistics: EMass 62.4, LMass 62.4, Cost MCr 4.923, HP 3000, Size Modifier +6
Performance: 3.53 G, Air Speed 2872
Fast boats are ship's boats that have been optimized for speed (about 2.5 times as fast as a ship's boat) and one task. Two of the most common are listed below. A crew of two is used in most situations, although on trips of only a day or two the co-pilot can be left out. Fast boats are built to the same dimensions as ship's boats so they can use the same bays, if required.
Fast Boat, Long-Range Passenger
Capable of carrying up to 30 passengers, the passenger version is used to transport a maximum number of people from one planetary body to another. Generally, the shorter the run, the more people will be loaded. The crew uses two of the available 32 bunks. Cargo space is minimal.
Crew: Pilot, Co-Pilot
Design: 30-ton SL hull, DR 100; Modules: Basic Bridge, Small Craft Bridge Add-On, 10 Maneuver, Utility, 2 Bunkrooms, 1 Cargo
Statistics: EMass 94.66, LMass 99.66, Cost MCr 6.978, HP 6000, Size Modifier +7
Performance: 4.01 G, Air Speed 2739
Fast Boat, Cargo
Sometimes, a small cargo has to be moved in-system quickly. The cargo fast boat can carry medical supplies, replacement parts or other small cargos. To save space, a small stateroom was used (half the stats and capacity of a normal stateroom), which means only one crewman can bunk at a time.
Crew: Pilot, Co-Pilot
Design: 30-ton SL hull, DR 100, Modules: Basic Bridge, Small-Craft Bridge Add-On, 12 Maneuver, Utility, Small Stateroom, 6 Cargo
Statistics: EMass 88.06, LMass 118.06, Cost MCr 7.266, HP 6000, Size Modifier +7
Performance: 4.07 G, Air Speed 3000