MELTRAN HEAVY FRIGATE

BACKGROUND

The Meltrandi Heavy Frigate is a medium size warship and a mainstay of the Meltran Fleets commonly serving as a picket ship along side the much smaller scout ship. Despite it being smaller than many of the other Meltran ships it is still larger than any Earth constructed ship and slightly larger than the Zentran Thuverl Salan Destroyer allowing it to more than capably handle itself in any battle. The Heavy Frigate like all Meltran vessels has plenty of ship borne weapons, and has hundreds of Queadlunn-Rau Power Armours in addition making it more than a match for any comparably sized vessel.

RPG STATS

Vehicle Type: Meltrandi Heavy Frigate
Government: Laplamis Space Military
Manufacturer: Optobectra 194743215th Meltrandi Fully Automated Armoury Planet
Crew: 3400

MDC BY LOCATION:

(1) Forward 1/3 of Ship (Heavy Particle Cannon, Command Center)   6,000
(2) Middle 1/3 of Ship (Crew Quarters, Landing Bays)              7,000
(2) Rear 1/3 of Ship (Main Engines, Engineering)                  7,000
    Sensor Array                                                  1,000
(3) Main Thruster                                                 6,000
(3) Auxiliary Engine                                              2,000
    Heavy Laser Cannons (3)                                         700 each
    Retractable Laser Turrets (20)                                  150 each
    Retractable Missile Turrets (40)                                100 each
    Airlocks/Access Hatches (100)                                   200 each
    Armored outer hull (per 40ft area)                              300
    Interior walls (per 20ft area)                                   20

NOTES:

1. The Command Center is located here and destroying it will likely kill the command staff (90% Chance) and will force the ship to use the Sensor Array for all forms of long range communications, radar and targeting. The ship can still operate, but is at -1 on initiative, -1 to strike, and the number of attacks per melee of the weapon systems are reduced by one fourth. Destroying the main sensory array will have the same effect, but the command staff will not be killed instantly. Destroying both will deprive the ship of all forms of long range communications, radar and targeting. The ship can still operate, but is at -3 on initiative, -3 to strike, and the number of attacks per melee of the weapon systems are reduced by one half.
2. Depleting the MDC of the middle 1/3 or the rear 1/3 of the ship will destroy the battlecruiser. All power systems, thrusters, weapon systems, and life support will fail, and (2d4x10)% of the crew will be killed instantly by explosions, debris, and loss of atmosphere. There is a 70% chance the ship will violently explode. That's an explosion inflicting 1d4x1,000 MD to any object within 4 miles. If the ship does not explode, then the ship will be a salvageable wreck (though the space wreck may still be valuable because of the technology contained within the remains).
3. Depleting the MDC of the main thrusters will force the ship to rely on its secondary thrusters. Depleting the MDC of the main AND secondary thrusters will leave the ship adrift in space. In an atmosphere, the battlecruiser will still be able to land and achieve orbit using antigravity generators. The maneuvering thrusters will propel the ship at 10kph in any direction.

SPEEDS:

Speed (Sublight): 0.29 speed of light
Speed (Auxiliary Drives): Mach 4.0
Speed (Space Fold): 1 light year every 6 minutes
Planet bound: Can land and take off if necessary but not designed to maneuver in an atmosphere for extended periods of time.

Maximum Range: Unlimited (estimated life span unknown)

STATISTICAL DATA:

Length: 2032 m
Width: 700 m
Height: 853 m
Weight: 77,000,000 tons (standard)

Fold System: Optobectra Fold System Cluster

Sublight Drive: Optobectra Impulse Drive Cluster

Gravity Control System: Internal
Auxiliary Engine: Optobectra Rocket Motor Cluster

Sensor System: Optobectra Standard Tracking Cluster

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. HEAVY LASER CANNONS(2): Located on the wings, on either side of the primary hull, the Heavy Laser Cannons are designed as a primary anti-ship weapon for the frigate.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
   • RANGE: 100,000 miles in an atmosphere. Double in space.
   • DAMAGE: 1D4x1000 M.D.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Once per round.
   • PAYLOAD: Unlimited.
2. RETRACTABLE LASER TURRETS (12): The primary anti-warship weapons, (not including the Heavy Laser Cannon,) are the retractable laser turrets positionaed across the hull of the ship behind armoured sliding section of the hull. Due to turrets size and lack of agility the laser turrets have great difficulty in attempting to hit variable fighters and other mecha, and have a -12 to hit against mecha, and gain an automatic dodge against blasts from this weapon.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship/Anti-Planet
   • RANGE: 100,000 miles (160,000 km) in an atmosphere. Double in space.
   • DAMAGE: 1D4x100 M.D. per turret
   • RATE OF FIRE: Twice per melee
   • PAYLOAD: Unlimited.
3. RETRACTABLE MISSLE TURRETS (90): These are very similar to the Laser Turrets except that they fire missiles instead of laser beams. They can use several types of missiles according to the mission at hand. Each turret is capable of 360* rotation with a 180* arc.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Aircraft
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Defense
   • RANGE: Varies with warhead used.
   • DAMAGE: Varies with warhead used.
   • RATE OF FIRE: Each turret can fire once per melee, and can be combined in any volley combination of at least 10 or more, up to 30 missiles. Volleys can be directed at different targets.
   • PAYLOAD: Effectively Unlimited.

SYSTEMS OF NOTE:

• ANTIGRAVITY PROPULSION SYSTEM: The Heavy Frigate was equipped with an anti-gravity propulsion system used for planetary landings and liftoffs. The system is good for vertical ascent/descent only and can lift the ship at speeds of up to 1,320 feet (400 m) per minute. The system will function so long as the main energy system (in the rear 1/3 of the ship) can supply energy to it.
• LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS: The Heavy Frigate had sufficient life support to provide breathable air and comfortable temperatures for up to 3,000 people for up to 20 years (air was recycled). In an emergency the life support system could support up to 5,000 people at one time. The ship contained enough food and water onboard to support the crew for up to 5 years (with recycling).
• LONG-RANGE TRACKING SENSORS: The Heavy Frigate Command Center was equipped with a complex sensor system that could track and identify up to 1,500 craft simultaneously. The system had a 2,000-mile/3,200 km range.
• SPACE FOLD SYSTEM: For FTL propulsion, the Heavy Frigate was equipped with a fold system capable of propelling the ship through hyperspace at speeds up to 3.28x10^10 mps (5.25x10^10 kmps), or 1 light year per 6 minutes. The range of the fold drive is theoretically unlimited except by the life expectancy of the spacecraft (which is unknown).
• SUBLIGHT ENGINES: As a backup to the Fold System, the Heavy Frigate was equipped with impulse engines that could propel the craft at speeds up to 0.29 speed of light in space. Note that these engines were mainly intended for rapid movement inside a planetary system and are not suited for long voyages between star systems. In a planetary atmosphere the ship is limited to speeds of Mach 4.0 maximum due to hull stress.
• SUBSPACE MASS SENSORS: As part of the Heavy Frigate's sensor systems, it was equipped with subspace sensors that could essentially instantly detect mass readings and movement of objects up to 1 AU (93 million miles) distant from the carrier. Readings taken with the subspace sensors are not very detailed (-25% penalty when trying to identify a detected object) and cannot detect objects of less than 60,000 kg (this includes most Meltrandi and UN Spacy mecha).

MECHA COMPLEMENT:

• Quadlenn-Rau Female Power Armor: 2000
• Theatre Scout Recon Pods: 5
• Recovery Pods: 10
• Reentry Pods: 5
• Shuttlecraft: 8
• Hover Platforms: 120

REFERENCES USED IN THIS DESIGN