Krayn
The Messenger
Affiliation: The First Order
Manufacturer: Siener-Jaenus Fleet Systems
Model: First Order Atmospheric Assault Lander (FO/AAL)
Modularity: No
Production: Mass-Produced for the First Order
Material: Durasteel
Classification: Troop Transport
Length: 17.83 Metres
Height: 6.25 metres
Width: 4.25 Metres
Crew: 1 Pilot, 1 Gunner, 20 capacity for troop transport.
Armament: The FO/AAL is equipped with simplified weaponry to match it’s ability as a forward deployment vehicle:
Elevated Anti-Personel Turret (crewed by FO/AAL’s Gunner from hard point or remote control from within transport interior.)
Squadron Count: The FO/AAL can operate independently due to it’s simplified purpose, but a usual flight of these transports can consist of anywhere between 3 to 6 transports.
Special Features:
Smooth Armoured Hull.
Inert Gas Dampening Pockets
High-based Cockpit position
Deflector Shield
Forward Deflector augmenter and sensor array
Remote Searchlight
Transport Capacity for 20
Fully equipped armament racks
Maneuverability Rating: 12
Speed Rating: 10
Hyperdrive Class: None
Strengths:
Highly armoured and shielded
Specially designed for speedy delivery of two Stormtrooper squadrons
Simplified Design for easy replacement and repair
Weaknesses:
Lightly armed and limited attack angles
No Hyperdrive
No Shields on Rear and Exposed Rear Systems
Description:
The FO/AAL was one of the first items commissioned to Sienar-Jaemus through their contract with the First Order in preparation for their mobilisation for war.
The design premise was simple, a transport ship that could depart from an orbiting Star Destroyer and deploy a force of Stormtroopers without the need for heavier deployment from dedicated Consolidator-Class Transports and through a quick succession of developments Sienar-Jaemus managed to create several prototypes that were displayed to the First Order Hierarchy.
Each were thrown out as in extensive operations they proved to be too fragile.
Ileris got involved himself and brought the ship back to the drawing board.
He threw out nearly everything, bringing it right back down to a skeletal construction, his emphasis moving onto the sheer resistance of the craft rather than all the fancy sensors and flashy systems of landing.
By removing anything that wasn’t necessary it gave Ileris more chance to develop what he wanted to; the armour.
The hull was made by machining the hull down to a near smooth finish, the front of the craft wedged as such to deflect blaster fire that were angled as such to simply bounce off rather than make a glancing hit.
One drawback from this was that when a shot did hit, it sent a distortion through the panel work itself.
One of Ileris’ developers came forward with an idea he had gained by studying the way that the Mon Cal developed their water filled cruisers. By inserting specially designed and spaced pockets throughout the armour panels and filling them with an inert gas they created a cushioning layer that managed to aid with the dispersal of blaster energy as it impacted against the craft.
Once the armour plating issues were finally fixed Ileris set forth the forging of the main hull that would become the body of the AAL. The teams then moved onto the separate individual systems that would make the remaining operation for the transports.
Deflector shields were added, along with a forward deflector augmentation system that pulled all the energy provided and pushed it to the forward facing of the transport as it headed towards the enemy as intended. It could theoretically be disengaged and allow the ship to be shielded completely but no manual control for such a system was developed into the final model.
The weapon systems were designed purely for quick defence in the short time the ship would be on the ground and comprised of a simple anti-personnel blaster cannon mounted at the top of the craft that could be controlled by the dedicated gunner with a simple 280 degree firing arch or remotely from within the hull of the transport itself.
In a non-routine method the pilot was placed into a standing cockpit at the very top of the craft. This was a simple reason to allow complete and unrestricted vantage over the deployment zone. Finally the craft was placed under production and a series of twelve were created for field-testing.
Field testing proved a hit and the First Order managed to prove that a ship could land, release twenty Stormtroopers and extract within a 30 second window, which got the vote of approval.
The ground facilities of Sienar-Jaemus on Rothana immediately started to produce the landing ship in bulk with the first shipments being dispatched to Dosuun and the First Order within a week of the order being placed.
Development Thread:N/A
Intent: To Create a Chaos version of the AAL and give the First Order a dedicated landing shuttle.
Who Can Use This: The First Order
Primary Source: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Atmospheric_Assault_Lander
