Havoc Gunship

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Spacecraft Registry

Havoc Gunship
Spacecraft Characteristics
Base Hull	Modified Mil 28
Length	17.01 m
Width	Rotor diameter 17.154 m
Height	3.9 m
Mass	8,512 kg
Drive Type	Speed: Gravity-rotor.
Drive Rating	0.065c Max
Armament	Chin-mounted 20mm autocannon, 4 underwing hardpoints capable of mounting standard OGJ stores.
Primary Manufacturer	Jet Jaguar,Ford Sierra
Owner	Survival Shot
Flag of Record	Port Phobos
Faction	Gearheads
Registry Number	Gr-02#
Launched	Dec 2021 (Prototype)
Purpose	Attack spacecraft
Primary Crew	1 Pilot (humanoid)
Other Crew	1 Gunner/navigator room for 3-5 in a compartment in the hull.

The first spacecraft wholly built on 77 Frigga, the Gr-02 Havoc is unusual in that it is based off of a helicopter frame. It originated partly as a Friday project of Jet Jaguar’s, with the original intent being to save money over buying fully-capable combat craft for Survival Shot's OpFor. Outright speed and combat range weren’t an issue when it was launching off the asteroid it was designed to attack.

The Gr-02 began with the Gr-01 testbed, a waved Mi-24 picked up cheap from somewhere in Ukraine where it had been left sitting in a field slowly decaying for about 35 years. The testbed was successful, if slow, but was much harder to control than the average Fencraft. Nevertheless it proved itself rugged enough to handle tough test flights, despite the tendency to phosphoresce in low-light conditions. Compared to background, the radiation dose is negligible.

The Havoc built on the Gr-01, using a rotating, variable drive field to power it through space with the rotors themselves being essentially a massively upscaled variant of the lifting drives on a motoroid. This arrangement gives the spacecraft an almost unparalleled maneuverability at the expense of outright speed and range. A secondary tail rotor generating a second drive field counteracts the torque the rotary field generates and keeps the Havoc from spinning like a top as it flies. The Havoc flies and maneuvers by varying the strength and direction of both drive fields at the command of the pilot.

The Havocs have been described as being something of precision-machined battleaxes, being designed with ruggedness and ease of maintenance and repair in mind. The cockpit and main systems are armoured, with the cockpit windows being made from laminated transparent carbon. Most main systems have some form of onboard redundancy, or the ability to fail gracefully and tolerate damage. Outside the bought-in weapon controls and radar, the Havoc lacks complex computers. There is no onboard AI assistance, just a basic course-following auto-pilot. Switchgear and controls are heavy but positive in action, and easy to use with thick-gloved hands. Instruments are a mix of analogue gauges and glass-cockpit displays where needed. No touchscreens are fitted.

The Havocs have four standardised GJ hardpoints and a chin-mounted autocannon. In general the Havocs only mount simulated weaponry for exercise reasons, but can be retrofitted fitted with real weapons in a pinch. Each one is fitted with a grab handle on the landing struts, allowing it to be transported by the Dragon Wagon II as a parasite.

The Havoc takes it’s name from the NATO reporting name for the Mi-28, which it was deliberately designed to mimic the external appearance of. Like it’s parent, it takes up to two crew, a pilot and a gunner/navigator. It can be flown singularly, provided the pilot can handle the workload. The Havoc also has a small aft compartment capable of carrying a cargo load, or transporting up to 5 individuals.

Currently, there are two, both Frigga-built. Jet is trying to hire a flight crew for them, and find somewhere that'll put together another pair of them for a reasonable price.

Attributes.

Fly like a Dragonfly: The Havocs are amazingly maneuverable, even for a fencraft. They can spin on a pinhead, translate along any axis at near full speed, and generally pull off some spectacular aerobatics in the hand of a skilled pilot.

Sting like a Hornet: Havocs can mount a heavy armament for something their size. Guided missiles, rockets, guns are all available.

Take a punch like a brick wall: Havocs are tough, capable of shrugging off hits that would knock out similar-sized spacecraft.

Quirks

Short-legged:. The large frame interface distortions put out by the rotor sap power and make for an extremely inefficient drive. It's difficult to get them up to any sort of speed and they guzzle fuel. They have trouble breaking .065C, or going beyond 2 AU. Although hyper-maneuverable, they’re generally too slow to be much use in a dogfight.

Brownout: Havocs tend to whip up debris as it gets caught in the field wash coming off the rotors, picking it up and flinging it around before it drops out. They also disrupt the drive fields of any fencraft getting close(10-20meters), especially those above and below the craft, and craft that are similar sized. It tends to repel both spacecraft from each other.... not hard enough to stop a determined collision, but enough to make formation flying a fine art.

UNIX user friendliness: The Havocs are user friendly, they're just very particular about which users they're friendly with. With basic controls and no AI-assistance, they require a pilot with skill, experience, coordination, and excellent spatial awareness.