Now hold still this will only hurt a lot

[Knight26]

Well another old design is getting a total ground up redesign, I'm still working on the mosquito but I want to get some new ones started before my trip and I will detail them while underway. This time is the UCSB's heavy strategic dropship the syringe, designed for carrying large numbers of troops and supplies, or vehicles. The original was nice, but never was satisfied with it. It tried to find the original sketches and recreate it from there but those sketches have all been all but lost, bummed me out. Anyway I decided to start fresh and this new syringe is the product of that. Here is the original for a comparison.

[Knight26]

Here is the temporary textured undetailed version. The cargo bay is a little smaller, as is the whole craft, it is narrower for one thing and the whole length is not cargo bay like the original. I am liking how it is shaping up, the cargo bay is still large enough to hold a single tank or APC. I also decided to to give two different engine types, one for atmosphere, one for space. The main space engines are on the side and are shut off during atmospheric flight, when the wings are extended. It still needs detailing including a new chin turret, landing gear, bay interior, bay doors, etc... Here is the space flight configuration.

[Knight26]

And now the atmospheric configuration. As always any constructive critiscm is appreciated.

[Mellow Yellow]

Aww, when I read the thread title I thought someone one had invented a cool new star trek type hypo spray syringe thing for the real world lol

[EXO]

Hey Sean... looks like an Aliens Drop Ship ate thebatmobile...

[NERV]

definitly looks liek the alien dropship

[Max Jenius]

definitly looks liek the alien dropship

kinda, until you look at it...

[Stamen0083]

... the UCSB's heavy strategic dropship the syringe...

Eep.. When did my school (UC Santa Barbara) build this heavy strategic dropship? :-P

[Lightning]

nice, what program are you using?

[Knight26]

Okay I can the resembelance to the Aliens dropship, and maybe a little of the halo dropship, though it is significantly larger than both. But where in the world do you see the batmobile in it?

UCSB (Universal Confederation of Sentient Beings)

I'm using AutoCAD 2002 as always. ANy comments on the actual design though?

Edited May 15, 2004 by Knight26

[Commander McBride]

I think it needs bigger wings. Maybe lose the winglets on the rear (or make them above the wing only, instead of below). I'm thinking of a wing design somewhat similar to the one on the Pelican. (Halo dropship) I do like the way it looks like what it's supposed to be, a "fat" version of a normal dropship. But the wings would likely be inneffective at this size. Or how about replacing the wings with adjustable thrusters? (Sort of like an osprey)

Edited May 16, 2004 by Commander McBride

[Nilrem]

Okay I can the resembelance to the Aliens dropship, and maybe a little of the halo dropship, though it is significantly larger than both. But where in the world do you see the batmobile in it?

it's the vents and the dark grey/black at the front and rear.

it looks vaguley like an angular fat batmobile

[Knight26]

A quick update on the progress. I have hollowed out the main bay, added landing gear, doors, etc... I have also made it that the cargo bay will be a removable box, so I will add another set of landing gear to main portion of the ship. I also have to add doking hardpoints to the upper surface, access panels, etc... Here is a test render of the syringe in hanger dropping off a Confed heavy beam tank (old design, may be redone).

[Opus]

The cockpit area is kind of bland. It'd be cool if you worked an MI-24 vibe into it.

[Knight26]

Another quick update. This time I am showcasing the dropship landed with and without the main cargo bay. The wide stance of the landing gear without the cargo bay is to allow the bay to be fitted easily. The ship can kneel though, retracting its landing gear enough for the crew to climb out with out an extendable ladder. I've also fitted the chin turret, which is equipped with dual medium caliber gatling Plasers, primarily for enemy troop suppression not for attack fighters.

As for the cockpit, it may be updated further, but will not take on a hind like appearance, this is not an attack craft, more of a cargo ferry that can shoot back.

Edited May 16, 2004 by Knight26

[Commander McBride]

Cool, I like that the bay is detachable. Have you thought about making alternate payloads to attach in the same place? Maybe a deployable MASH?

[Knight26]

One more for tonight, the main boarding tube, able to cut through a ships hull for forced boarding if necessary.

[Knight26]

Ok, I lied, one more pic, this one of a syringe making a forced dock to a GF Galaxy III heavy dropship.

[Lynx7725]

Sorry man, I've got to be a bit blunt here. "Syringe" is a lousy name for this.. I understand your intent behind the name, but to be honest, Penguin is the first name to pop into my head when I saw your redesign.

Design-wise... Aerodynamic, this is not. Is there any real reason for an extensible wings? I mean, as I understand it, there is some justification for having verniers mounted on long extensions -- the force or moment generated by such a placement has more impact on the craft.

If so, why not simply leave the wings permanently stuck out? Extensible wings just means more things that can go wrong on an aerospacecraft.

Having the hard-docking point between the engine intakes might pose problem with FOD, especially if this craft is capable of intraatmosphere intercepts.

Overall, this craft looks and sounds like a brick.. that's fine, actually, as a troopship. It's just that with a name like "Syringe"... I expect it to be more slender, or more cylindrical in appearance.

[Knight26]

Well the name may change, just like the rest of the design, the name never fit, so the new name is up in the air, but penguin, eh, doesn't grab me.

The extendable wings may or may not stay, as they are to be used primarily for atmospheric control, not for space flight, that is one of the reasons why they pull in. The other is pretty obvious the main space engine exhaust would impinge on the rear wing otherwise. I have yet to add its control thrusters but they will be added.

Typically a craft using the hard docking point will not be going atmospheric. But I see your point, I am considering adding Fulcrum style intake shutters to the atmospheric engine intakes in order to accomodate that.

The ship is a brick, but as a cargo craft it doesn't have to be sleak and elegant, the important thing for the design is armor and capacity. So, does anyone have any suggestions as to a new name for it?

[warrhead]

One possible name could be "Trojan" as in the horse. If I were a grunt being deployed from this I may refer to it and it's crew collectively as "Mama Bear" since I came from it's belly, but it's still ferocious.

Design mods I would make to the dropship itself would put the turrets forward and under the wings so as not to obstruct their fields of fire (or on the wingtips perhapse) also I would have glass on the lower parts of the cockpit to give the pilot more visibility and thus a better grasp of the environment that he/she was "dropping" into as well dropping personell into. I would also include some anti-personell weapons (possibly armor components that fragment outward and downward in order to clear an LZ of enemy implacements, kinda' like ship mounted claymore mines or something) to key points of the ship's underbelly. And finally I would include bomb bays designed to deliver ordinance used for creating LZ's (different bombs for different environments: incendiary for a defoliant, etc.)

As for the detachable bay, It's needs LOTS of doors to give it versatility (for example, if the doors only open in the rear, and there were an enemy implacement in that direction, then every troop and vehicle being deployed is in that enemy's field of fire, but if there were mulitple doors, then the rear ones could be shut, the personell could regroup and deploy from the other side, only exposing themselve at a more advantageous time, and on their own terms. I would also heve these doors not only folding down to provide a ramp, but triple-redundant and folding out from each side to provide cover while exitting and entering.

Anyways, that's how I'D build it...

Edited May 17, 2004 by warrhead

[Knight26]

Warrhead:

The name will be changed, I have put together a list of possible new names to review, will post those at the end.

The turrets will likely stay where they are, their field of fire is actually quite good when in space, when the wings are folded in (if they stay that is). In atmosphere they would be used for clearing the LZ, so being limited to a downward firing angle will not impact them to greatly. AS for the a glass floor, there is no need for that, the ships is equipped with and SIS (Sensor Imaging System), basically think the floor and side panels on the YF-19. These panels are integrated into the entire cockpit allowing the crew to "see through" the walls and floor. I was looking at putting an actual window in the floor, but it would have been very obstructed, so the SIS, which is on many other craft as well, was a good idea.

The ship currently has an anti-personnel turret under the cockpit in a chin turret. Missile racks will be added to the main body, just have not determined or modelled their location yet. These missiles will be used for defense and LZ clearance.

As for the aby doors, more will in fact be added. The front will recieve at least two hatches under the landing legs, not enough room on the side right now. The ramp will likely stay but will get some modifications. There will also be iris hatches in the belly of the bay module that will allow for drop deployments, basically shooting the troops out of the belly during a high speed pass. I will probably add additional anti-personnel turrets to the rear to protect the main bay entrance though, through which tanks, and APCs will be deployed.

There will be multiple cargo packs, but I started with the largest one for carrying cargo so I could set the landing gears and their stance. A lower profile one will be used for human sized troops, expanding ones for construction, etc...

Now back to the name issue, the dropship is designed and produced by ASF, the same company that produces the Feral Bomber, so I decided that a similar name should be employed. I have come up with the following list, what name do you think would be best from it, or that is similar? Man I wish I could add a poll here, lol. Anyway onto the names:

Beast/Bestial:_____ Brute:_____ Corporeal:_____ Untamed:_____ Abominable:_____ Barberous:_____ Carnal:_____ Ferine:_____ Savage:_____ Lupine:_____ Predatory:_____ Relentless:_____ Vehement:_____ Voracious:_____ Fierce:_____ Vicious:_____

Edited May 17, 2004 by Knight26

[warrhead]

The turrets will likely stay where they are, their field of fire is actually quite good when in space, when the wings are folded in (if they stay that is). In atmosphere they would be used for clearing the LZ, so being limited to a downward firing angle will not impact them to greatly.

That may be, but they're still restrictive, maybe another turret placed on top to defend against enemy close air support? You need redundant fields of fire in case one of these turrets were taken out.

AS for the a glass floor, there is no need for that, the ships is equipped with and SIS (Sensor Imaging System), basically think the floor and side panels on the YF-19. These panels are integrated into the entire cockpit allowing the crew to "see through" the walls and floor. I was looking at putting an actual window in the floor, but it would have been very obstructed, so the SIS, which is on many other craft as well, was a good idea.

Sounds like a very complicated window; I'd love to take an EMP weapon to this while it was making it's approach. Survivability=redundancy and simplicity.

The ship currently has an anti-personnel turret under the cockpit in a chin turret. Missile racks will be added to the main body, just have not determined or modelled their location yet. These missiles will be used for defense and LZ clearance.

Will there be any weapons fixed to the actual bay for it to provide it's own defense once it is detached (I assume that it'll be detached ala Starship Troopers, right?)

Edited May 17, 2004 by warrhead

[Blaine23]

The ship is a brick, but as a cargo craft it doesn't have to be sleak and elegant, the important thing for the design is armor and capacity. So, does anyone have any suggestions as to a new name for it?

There you go.

Call it "The Brick." Seems fitting to me.

[Opus]

Those names are too agressive. Call it the "mule".

[Knight26]

That may be, but they're still restrictive, maybe another turret placed on top to defend against enemy close air support? You need redundant fields of fire in case one of these turrets were taken out.

I will consider the dorsal turret, however due to space constraints it will probably be similar to the chin turret, ball turrets need a lot more interior space. Either that or a smaller ball turret, probably mounted spine mounted, either in front of or behind the boarding tube.

Sounds like a very complicated window; I'd love to take an EMP weapon to this while it was making it's approach. Survivability=redundancy and simplicity.

If it takes an EMP all of its electronics will be dead anyway and it will be unflyable. The craft is somewhat EMP shielded though, the most critical components anyway. I may look back into viewports under the chin but I doubt they will do much good really. While a level of redundancy past the loss of the SIS is a good idea, it may be too restrictive in the long run unless a cockpit redesign is initiated. THat might not be a bad idea though.

Will there be any weapons fixed to the actual bay for it to provide it's own defense once it is detached (I assume that it'll be detached ala Starship Troopers, right?)

That is still an idea I am toying with, the question just becomes a matter of where, maybe a pair of small antipersonnal guns on the front and back, they would en closed at all other times though. And yes, the bay will be detachable, but it will have only limited power and locomotion capability, it will not be able to be used as an assault vehicle.

There you go.

Call it "The Brick." Seems fitting to me. 

Those names are too agressive. Call it the "mule". 

I would like to keep an adjective name, brick and mule may be good nicknames, but for an official ship class name an aggressive name would be more appropriate. Do you really think that any current aircraft really would have been appropriated if their unoffical nicknames were their official names? (Well maybe the Warthog, but that's it.)

Edited May 17, 2004 by Knight26

[Blaine23]

There you go.

Call it "The Brick." Seems fitting to me. 

Those names are too agressive. Call it the "mule". 

I would like to keep an adjective name, brick and mule may be good nicknames, but for an official ship class name an aggressive name would be more appropriate. Do you really think that any current aircraft really would have been appropriated if their unoffical nicknames were their official names? (Well maybe the Warthog, but that's it.)

True dat. But never forget, in certain circumstances, a brick can be an effective weapon!

[Knight26]

Guess what another update. I added the dorsal turret, it is one of the ball turrets, and four retractable anti-personnel turrets on the detachable bay. I also added a pair of doors to the front of the bay. I still need to add the upper docking mounts, lower iris hatches to the bay, and the bay interior, then the details and textures. I am also thinking about changing the shape of the forward engine mounts, make it so that the retro thrusters can be closed off during atmospheric flight. It is definitely coming along. I should have done this a long time ago considering how much of the books take place in these things. As for the name I am leaning towards either, Abominable, Ferine, or maybe Dromidary. Well keep the comments coming. Oh, and while a brick may be an effective weapon, it is not an effective weapons platform.

Edited May 18, 2004 by Knight26

[warrhead]

True dat. But never forget, in certain circumstances, a brick can be an effective weapon!

Reminds me of the personal motto of my buddies and me growing up on the warf in L.A... "always carry a rock."

[Knight26]

Just a quick update, other then the detail work only one major structure needs to be added, the upper docking mounts. I also need to add a small emergency hatch behind the cockpit, but that really is more of a detail thing.

Anyway first picture shows the interior of the main bay. There are now structural/cargo mounting girders on the side and foward walls as well as the ceiling. The mechanisms for lowering the lower ramp are also present. As well as the twenty four iris hatches in the deck for the drop tubes.

[Knight26]

This picture shows the under side. To the front of the bay you will see 24 iris hatches and 12 "glop" guns. These are used to fire troops into a hot LZ without the dropship coming to range of hostile fire. Basically the drop troops are fired out of the ship while encased in anti-inertial impact gel. The guns fire a blob of the sister component onto the ground that the main tube launches the soldier into, similar to what was seen in Final Fantasy Spirits Within. The second gel is a rapidly expanding type so even just a little dab will do you, lol.

[Knight26]

You could see it in the last picture but this one shows better that the retro thrusters are now covered during atmospheric flight, and the main wings have a longer chord. They will recieve a slight reshape and I am looking into how to lengthen them, have to make them retract into themselves for that otherwise they won't fit in the fuselage.

[Knight26]

The space configuration, the wings are now retracted, the atmospheric engine intakes closed, and the retro thrusters extended. While the retraction mechanisms may seem overly complex there are back up systems to extend or retract them pirotechnically just in case, and in case those fail, manually. As always comment are appreciated. I am still leaning towards Abominable or Ferine for the new name, any other suggestions? (and brick, rock, and mule have already been rejected folks)

[Knight26]

*trumpets and fanfare plays* Ladies and gentlemen except for the details and textures the dropship is completed. All the major structures are in place including the docking mounts. I actually like the temporary texture, will probably just tweak it. I will also be making seperate models for the cargo packs. Right now it has the standard large cargo pack installed. The Next will be the personnel cargo pack, it will be shallower, cutting off at the bottom of the engines, it will be short for many races except the human sized ones. Also, I have come up with the name, meet the new Ferine Class Strategic Dropship.