MV-37 Peregrine VTOL Transport

MV-37 "Peregrine" VTOL Transport

The Peregrine is the immediate successor to the ill-fated MV-22 Osprey project. When the military first created the Tilt-Rotorcraft it seemed like the perfect solution to the need for a high speed VTOL troop transport. Prior to the development of the MV-22, the Super Stallion family of helicopters was the premier troop transport, however its slower speeds (compared to a jet or even traditional aircraft) meant that ferrying troops in and out of high-risk situations was slow, at best. With the development of the MV-22 the military though they had found their answer. However the MV-22’s flight history is less then perfect. In the late 1990’s and early 2000 there were a series of fatal accidents and mishaps that plagued the development of the MV-22. Although it was put into full production, many pilots and crew felt the MV-22 was cursed.

With the development of advanced avionic systems and more powerful engines, then Department of Defense again addressed the issue of high speed VTOL transport. An open call for a new design was placed. Within 18 months the first XV-37 prototypes were beginning there initial test phase. Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works had managed to produce the first prototypes a full 10 months faster then there nearest rival (General Dynamics). When questioned how they managed to produce the unit so quickly, the senior designer simply said, “KISS”.

The trials for the XV-37 lasted over 2 full years, in which time the only flaw in the design was a faulty gyroscope that caused the XV-37-02 (2^nd prototype) to crash. The crashed did cause some damage to the engines, but they were repaired on the tarmac of the test field within 4 hours. The new gyroscope was installed and the 02 was flying again. Many military analysts think that Skunk Works staged the fault to demonstrating the easy repair and modular component design of the engine.

Needless to say, that after the 2 year test phase the XV-37 was accepted and recoded the MV-37 Peregrine. Its primary role is VTOL Transport with support fire operations capability. However the Peregrine has functioned so well that a few variants have begun to crop up, not the least of which it light Exo transport, and gunship.

When the internal cargo bay is cleared of seats and miscellaneous storage compartments the Peregrine is capable of carrying a single small Exo (one Puma, Jaguar, Panther or Tiger). With the Peregrines ability to hold an Exo and its weapons, the armed forces instantly had a means to deliver Exo’s to and from the battlefield is a timely manner. A military edge that the Axis, to this day, has still not perfected.

The second common variant is the MV-37 Peregrine Falcon Gunship. The internal cargo bay is reduced and weapons emplacements are added. The rear door (ramp) of the standard Peregrine is redesigned, mounting a pair of gun turrets. The front canards have a pair of FFARS pods (or Hellfire missiles) mounted, and a small bomb bay is added to the belly.

Regardless of the Peregrines configuration, the military has been very pleased with the airframe. Its radical departure from traditional airframes has opened a new direction in aircraft design and research. Many companies have begun developing their own versions of the Peregrine. Companies such as Boeing and McDonnell Douglas have purchased models for cargo transport, and some have even made it into the private sector and corporate ‘garage’.

MV-37 "Peregrine" HMMWV
Name:		Peregrine or MV-37.
Production Code:		MV-37 Peregrine. MV-37-E Peregrine Exo Hauler MV-37-G Peregrine Falcon Gunship
Production Type:		Mass Production.
Class:		Vertical Take off and Landing Transport.
Crew:		2 (tandem cockpit). One Pilot, one co-pilot/navigator. Cockpit has room for 2 additional passengers (usually a weapons officer and communications operator).
Troop Capacity:		24 fully equipped Infantrymen with all weapons and equipment. Can carry up to 36 people total, but very cramped.
S.D.C. By Location:
	*	Searchlight	25	S.D.C.	(x 2)
	*	Retractable Landing Gear	30	S.D.C.	(x 3)
	*	Control Canards	50	S.D.C.	(x 2)
		Armored Canopy	100	S.D.C.	(x 1)
		Cockpit	150	S.D.C.	(x 1)
		Chin Gun Turret	80	S.D.C.	(x 1)
		Main VTOL Engine (Wings)	175	S.D.C.	(x 4)
		Vectored thrust Engines (Tail)	175	S.D.C.	(x 2)
		Armored Troop Bay	100	S.D.C.	(x 1)
		Troop Deployment & Cargo ramp	65	S.D.C.	(x 1)
	**	Main Body	325	S.D.C.	(x 1)
Peregrine Falcon Gunship Variant S.D.C. By Location:
		Ammo Drum	60	S.D.C.	(x 2)
	*	Bomb Bay	110	S.D.C.	(x 1)
	*	GAU-8A Weapons Turret	130	S.D.C.	(x 2)
	*	Optional Canard FFARS Pod	75	S.D.C.	(x 2)
	*	Optional Canard Hellfire Rack	65	S.D.C.	(x 2)
	*	A single asterisk indicates a small and difficult target to strike, requiring the attacker to make a “called shot”, but even then the attacker is –4 to strike.
	**	Deleting the S.D.C. of the main body will cause the Peregrine to crash. The resulting explosion will cause 2D6 *100 points of damage to everything within 50 feet (16.1 m) and set anything flammable ablaze.
Speed
Flying:		650.0 mph (1040.0 km) maximum. The cruising speed of the Peregrine is a more reasonable 350.0 mph (560.0 km).
Hovering:		The Peregrine can hover as close as 8 inches (20.3 cm) off the ground, or as height as 35,000.0 feet (10,606.0 m), the Peregrines maximum service ceiling
Driving on Ground:		Although not meant to, the MV-37 can drive on the ground with its Landing Gear at a speed of 10 miles (16 km) per hour.
Statistical Data:
Height:		45.5 feet (14.7 m) from the belly to the top of the rear thrust engines.
Width:		24.9 feet (7.2 m) from VTOL Engine at the wingtips.
Length:		67.5 feet (20.3 m) from the tip of the chin cannon to the vectored thrust nozzles of the rear engines.
Weight:		18,700 lbs (8,500 kg) without the addition of weapon and ammunition or personnel.
Physical Strength:		Equal to a towing P.S. of 60.
Cargo:		Extensive, enough for 24 additional passengers or equivalent cargo. One ‘smaller’ Exo as the Exo-Hauler variant. The Peregrine Falcon Gunship variant has enough cargo space for only 8 additional personnel (the remaining space is converted for weapons). Also the Peregrine can carry an additional 10,000.0 lbs (4545.5 kg) slung under the main body using lift hooks and line.
Power Systems:		Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Vectored Thrust Turbines (x6).
Range (Per tank of Fuel):		The Peregrine has several ‘ranges’ based on the configuration. As a standard troop transport with a full compliment, the Peregrine can travel 2,100 miles (3,360.0 km). Without troops in the cargo hold, the range is doubled to 4,200.0 miles (6,720.0 km). The first variant, Exo-Hauler reduces the range of the Peregrine to 500.0 miles (800.0 km). As a gunship with a full weapons load the Peregrine has an effective combat range of 1,000.0 miles (1,600.0 km). In flight refueling effectively makes the range unlimited, however crew fatigue may limit the flying time of the MV-37.
Construction Cost:		$33,261,000.00 dollars for a new, undamaged, full equipped standard Peregrine with all standard weapons and equipment.
Weapons:
1. 20mm Turreted Cannon (x1): The Peregrine salvages the main gun of the phased out AS-1W Super Cobra. Since these dated assault helicopters are being phased out of the military inventory, Lockheed Martin cannibalized the stockpile of weapons for the Peregrine. Like the AH-1W Super Cobra, the 20mm cannon is turret mounted on the chin of the Peregrine. The only difference between the two, is the Peregrines updated electronics (targeting system) and increased ammunition supply. The turret has a 220 degree rotation, and a –30 to +20 degree arc of fire. Purpose: Anti-Armor Weight: 1,500 lbs (681.0 kg). Damage: 2D6 10 per round 10 round burst. Rate of Fire: Fully automatic. Able to fire single shots, short bursts (5 rounds), long bursts (10 rounds) and sprays (25 rounds). Equal to the combined number of hand to hand attacks per melee of the gunner. Effective Range: 6,000 feet (1,830.0 m). Payload: 3,000 rounds are carried in an armored ammo container. Replacing an ammo container requires properly trained personnel, tools and a P.S. of 30 or better.
2. Sensor System Note: The Peregrine has a full communications suite, optical enhancements, Radar, Ladar, Infrared sensors, Chaff, Flares, etc. All systems common to military aircraft are also included in the Peregrines electronic arsenal. Some units have been upgraded to include ECM/ECM and Electronic Warfare systems. Sensor Bonuses: +1 to strike from optics and sensor systems. The position of the engines also gives the Peregrine a +2 to Parry and Dodge incoming fire when airborne.
Peregrine Falcon Gunship Variant:
The following weapon systems are in addition to the 20mm turret of the standard Peregrine. They are only available to the Gunship variant of the Peregrine. The addition of these weapons increases the production cost of the unit to 41,247,000.00 dollar for a new fully loaded and undamaged unit.
1a. Canard Hard Point Option 1: FFARS (x2): The forward canards of the Peregrine Falcon have two possible weapon configurations; the first is to mount a pair of high capacity FFARS pods. The Folding Fin Aerial Rocket System (FFARS) allows the Peregrine to carry a large number of unguided munitions into battle. The rockets are not very accurate, and a designed more for saturation bombardment, then tactical assault. The Peregrine carries a pair of the Type #2 FFARS pod, with a rocket capacity of 19 per pod, for a total capacity of 38. Click here to jump to weapon system
1a. Canard Hard Point Option 2: Hellfire (x2): The second option for the Peregrine Falcon Gunship is a pair of quad racks for the Hellfire Anti-Tank armor. Although officially classified as an Anti-Tank weapon, the Hellfire is equally well equipped to deal with almost all armors and Exo’s. It is quickly becoming the favorite ‘missile’ option for the Peregrine. The Peregrine carries a pair of Quad-Racks for a total capacity of 8 Hellfire missiles. Click here to jump to weapon system
2. Bombay Hard Point: Paveway Mk I Gravity Bomb (x1): The belly of the Peregrine has been converted to hold a rack of Mk I Paveway Gravity Bombs. The bombs are designed to saturate an area, destroy enemy instillations, and emplacements in order to allow allied troops to advance. Or to allow other Peregrines to land without fear of heavy weapons fire from enemy weapons emplacements, foxholes or other traps. Purpose: Bunker Buster. Weight: Each bomb weights 100.0 lbs (45.0 kg), the Peregrine carries 12 bombs in the bay for a total of 1,200.0 lbs (540.0 kg) of high explosive ordinance. Damage: 1D6 *100 per bomb. Rate of Fire: Can be dropped 1 at a time or in any volley up to the Peregrines capacity in one melee action. Each drop of a bomb or volley counts as 1 melee action of the gunner. Effective Range: Drop range is equal to the height of the Peregrine at the time of release. The Paveway’s have a blast radius of 50 feet (16.1 m). Payload: The Peregrine carries 12 Paveway Mark I’s maximum.
3. GAU-8A Avenger Weapons Turret (x2): The last weapon to be added to the Peregrine Falcon Gunship is a pair of power assisted GAU-8A Avenger gun turrets. The same heavy cannon mounted in the nose of the A-10 Warthog, the GAU-8A is the largest, heaviest gatling cannon in the Department of Defense’s inventory. The GAU-8A’s of the Peregrine fires armor piercing 30mm rounds, capable of penetrating heavy tank armor in a single round (in most cases). The pair of GAU-8A’s are mounted on power-assisted turrets to allow the gunners easy and smooth movement while firing. The gun turrets are mounted on the rear of the Peregrine, and are capable of firing straight back through to 110 degrees to the side (providing both turrets with a 220 degree arc of fire). As well as being able to fire in a +15 degree to –60 degree arc of fire. Purpose: Anti-Armor. Weight: 1,500.0 lbs (681.0 kg) per turret, for a total weight of 3,000.0 lbs (1,362.0 kg). Damage: 4D6 *10 per round! Rate of Fire: Each turret is fully automatic and capable of singe shots, bursts, sprays and ‘wild fire’, see modern combat rules for details. Each pull of the trigger counts as one melee action of the gunner. Each turret is individually manned, and con not fire simultaneously at one target. Each gunner can target the same enemy, but each uses a melee action to attack. Effective Range: 11,000.0 feet (3,355.0 m). Payload: Each turret has a ammunition drum containing 1,152 rounds, for a total of 2,304 rounds. Each drum requires tools and a field mechanic or ammunition specialist to rearm. The drums can be reloaded in about 20 minutes (each) and are a fixed part of the aircraft; they cannot be swapped out.