Unreviewed Egret Assault Transport

[Mykel Dawson]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create an effective gunship and troop transport.
• Image Source: Edited image originally from here
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: Aquillian Gunship

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Silver Engineering Corps, Kiribian Systems Armory
• Affiliation: Silver Jedi Order, The Spare Fleet, Select Factions/Customers
• Market Status: Closed Market
• Model: Egret
• Production: Minor
• Material: Common Starship Materials, Reinforced Duraplast

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Gunship (Patrol, Assault, Picketing), Troop Transport
• Length: 23 meters
• Width: 47 meters
• Height: 16 meters
• Armament: High (Very Low when Soresu Mode is active)
  • 2x Rapid-Fire Light Turbolaser Cannons, Turreted (Dorsal Mounted)
  • 2x Agni Plasma Rail Guns, Turreted (Ventral Mounted)
  • 2x Tenjin Ion Energy Torpedo Launcher, Turreted (Ventral Mounted)
  • 2x Caltrop 5 Chaff Guns, Turreted, (Wingtips)
  • 3x Proton Shield Breaching Charges
• Defenses: Average (Very High when Soresu Mode is active)
  • Reinforced Duraplast Armor Plating w/ Ablative Coating
    • Light EMP/Ion Shielding (Duraplast)
  • Standard Deflector Shields
  • Electronic Countermeasures
    • Caltrop 5 Chaff Guns
    • Screamer Active Jammer
    • Hydra Mesh Networking Program
  • Mithril Security Software
• Squadron Count: Low - 8
• Maneuverability Rating: High
• Speed Rating: Average
• Hyperdrive: Yes - 1.0

STANDARD FEATURES

• Long Range Communications Array
• Standard Deflector Shield Generator
• Standard Hyperdrive
• Standard Ion Engines
• Standard Life Support Systems
• Standard Navigational Systems
• Standard Repulsorlift Engines
• Long Range Sensor Array
• Long Range Targeting Systems
• Memristor Droid Brain
  • Computer Guided Weapon Systems
  • Decryption Module
• Large Troop/Vehicle Bay
• Can Enter Atmosphere and Land
• Can Hover Within Gravity Wells
• Ejection System (Rescue Pods)
• Merlin Holographic Augmented Reality Display
• Mithril Security Software
• Docking Ring
• Hull Cutter
• Other Standard Ship Things

ADVANCED SYSTEMS

• Tractor/Pressor Energy Chute: A modified tractor/pressor system that projects an energy column to deploy and recover personnel, patients, and equipment without requiring the Egret to land or fly at dangerously low altitudes in situations with no air superiority. Inspired by the operation of Agni Plasma Rail Guns, the energy chute also projects a plasma veil around the column, providing light shielding that protects against enemy fire, debris, and other environmental hazards during transit.
• Soresu Mode: Named after the defensive Lightsaber form, it is a special protocol that transforms the gunship into an impromptu active protection platform, synchronizing all sensors, shields, and weapon systems to prioritize survival in high-threat environments. In this mode, onboard weapons are optimized for rapid interception, targeting incoming missiles, projectiles, and hostile craft before impact, while shield efficiency is dramatically increased through precise, real-time redistribution of energy to reinforce areas under the greatest stress. The system can also extend limited coverage to a designated ground area, allowing the Egret to protect one ground zone during deployment or extraction.
  
  Unfortunately, a key drawback of Soresu Mode is that it fully automates the Egret's weapons systems, removing direct guidance from the pilot and gunner. While active, all fire control is dedicated to interception and protection, prioritizing incoming threats over offensive targeting. The system will engage in limited counterfire, but only to neutralize immediate dangers or targets that breach the established defensive envelope. As a result, the Egret sacrifices offensive capability and target selection flexibility in exchange for maximum survivability and protective coverage.

STRENGTHS

• Flyswatter: Egret excel at engaging swarms of enemy attack craft or small escort ships like corvettes or frigates from short to long range with its balanced configuration of kinetic and energy weaponry.
• Flying Fortress: Activating Soresu Mode dramatically boosts defensive capabilities, enhancing survivability and providing strong coverage for ground forces in a limited scope.
• Rapid Deployment/Extraction: The tractor/pressor energy chute allows quick insertion or recovery of personnel and equipment at relatively high speeds, even under combat conditions. (The Egret can still land or hover at low altitudes for traditional rappelling.)

WEAKNESSES

• Low Squadron Count: Fewer units reduce operational flexibility and coverage.
• No Burst Damage: While capable of high sustained fire, Egret lack the extreme damage burst potential of dedicated bombers, making them less effective against large capital ships like Star Destroyers or heavily fortified space stations.
• Offensive Trade-Off: Soresu Mode greatly improves defense but sharply reduces offensive power, with the crew losing direct control over weapon systems.

DESCRIPTION

When the High Republic announced their competition for their next generation of gunship and troop transport, Mykel jumped at the opportunity. Supplying such a large and wealthy faction would generate a large steady revenue stream that he could funnel into the further development of the Spare Fleet and other humanitarian ventures.

To that end, he partnered with KSA to retool one of his father's legacy designs from the days of the Silver Jedi Concord: the venerable Aquillian Gunship. The original platform was fundamentally sound, but needed to be optimized for troop transport, and performing close air support and interception for said troops after they they disembarked. This redesigned export model was dubbed the Egret.

Weapons systems were pared down and internal accommodations like sleeping quarters were gutted to make room for a more generous storage bay that could house large numbers of troops and equipment. At maximum capacity, each Egret can hold about 30-60 troops depending on their equipment loadout. When configured for mechanized deployment, the bay can accommodate multiple small vehicles such as speeder bikes and their riders, or a single light armored vehicle like a Saber fighter tank along with its crew. The Egret can also be quickly configured in the field to carry up to 75 litter patients in a medivac capacity.

The original anti-piracy features of the Aquillians have been replaced with a suite of innovations tailored for rapid troop insertion and recovery in hotly contested environments. The Egret can deploy proton charges to breach planetary and capital ship shields for ingress or egress. A newly developed tractor/pressor energy chute system allows for rapid deployment and recovery of personnel without requiring full landing or dangerously low altitude passes.

To further increase the Egret's survivability under fire, Mykel devised a computer-guided defensive protocol known as Soresu Mode, which dynamically prioritizes and coordinates all onboard systems to create a layered envelope of aerial denial and point defense.

While optimized for troop transport and CAS, the Egret still perform well in an assault role despite lacking some of the original offensive punch of the more heavily armed Aquillians. They can shred through incoming dropships and fighters to achieve air superiority as the first line of defense against planetary assaults, raze enemy landing zones and vehicles/warbeasts. In fleeting engagements, they work well as escorts and can effectively engage in a picketing role.