Unreviewed MDL StratoFlow-P1 ‘Mainstay’ Ion Engine

[Dral-Kar'ta Saandyr]

MDL StratoFlow-P1 'Mainstay' Ion Engine

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OUT OF CHARACTER

• Intent: Create a common and adaptable ion engine for the open market.
• Image Source: [HERE]
• Canon Link: Wookiepedia
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: N/A

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Mando-De'Loren Multi Atmospherics
• Affiliation: Anyone
• Market Status: Open-Market
• Model: MDL StratoFlow-P1 'Mainstay' Ion Engine
• Modularity: Yes
• Production: Mass-Produced
• Material:
  • Agrinium
  • Chromium
  • Duralloy
  • Ferroceramics
  • Manganese
  • Titanium

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Ion Afterburner

STRENGTHS

• Reliable: Turn switch on, engine goes VROOM.
• Easy to Repair: - If engine not go VROOM, hit with spanner till it goes VROOM.
• Easy to Maintain: If still no VROOM go to any junkyard and get part that vaguely looks like part that doesn't work. Install part and repeat step #2 till engine goes VROOM.
• ECONOMICAL: Profit.

WEAKNESSES

• Conspicuous: As the engine is designed to maximize robustness and efficiency it has only minimum baffling systems. The signature of these engines is easily detected even by commercial scanners making it incompatible with any sort of stealth capability.
• Size Does Matter: These engines are scalable from models that are small enough to power a speeder truck to a system large and powerful enough for a starship.
• Size Still Matters: The StratoFlow-P1 tends to be physically larger than comparable engines of similar capability. While this eases maintenance it can cause issues in smaller craft where space is at a premium.
• Steady But Not Quick: The acceleration is sluggish and it takes awhile to warm up but once it does it will keep chugging as long as fuel is pumped into it.

DESCRIPTION

This product is MDL's initial foray in constructing ion engines in house. The remit was to design an ion engine using readily available commercial parts that was easy to assemble, robust, easy to maintain and repair and economical to operate. To achieve this goal MDL sequestered a team of Sullustan and a team of Ugnaught engineers in a room with a plethora of every major engine component commonly available on the commercial market and told them they had two Maridunian months to come up with a working prototype. Three weeks later they presented a prototype and in an additional three weeks refined the design and created a viable production line. Marketing took another 4 months to come up with the name "MDL StratoFlow-P1 'Mainstay' Ion Engine" and the finished product began to flow into the commercial market.

This is not the best engine made, it is not the fastest, it is not the most powerful. What it is is reasonably priced, it is bullet proof and utterly reliable, it is easy to maintain, it is economical to run, it will run on any type of star fuel and spare parts are readily available at almost any supply shop or junk yard.

This is a basic ion engine and does not try to be more. It has no bells and whistles which means there is less to go wrong. It would not be the first choice for a flashy smuggler but for an itinerate cargo hauler in the outer rim it may be what turns a marginal trade run into a profitable one.

They go not make engines like this anymore, or at least no one except MDL does and it is sure to be a staple in the Mid and Outer Rims for decades to come.