Grand Admiral, First Order Central Command
Intent: To create a large dropship to support the Helldivers in combat and landing heavy equipment.
Development Thread: N/A
Manufacturer: Shadowline
Model: UA-50 'Thunderbird' Dropship
Affiliation: Shadowline/Helldivers
Modularity: N/A
Production: Minor Production
Material: Durasteel, Transparisteel, etc.
Classification: Heavy Dropship/Gunboat
Height: 11.4 meters
Length: 59 meters
Width: 39 meters
Minimum Crew: 2 (Pilot and Copilot)
Optimum Crew: 5 (Pilot/Copilot, Gunner/Assistant, Crewchief)
Propulsion: Repulsorlift, Ion Afterburners
Armaments:
Ventral Mass Driver Cannon
6 Fast-Tracking Repeating Laser Cannons
Tail-mounted Heavy Laser Cannon
Cargo Capacity: ~100 tons
Misc. Equipment:
Standard Countermeasure Package (Flares, Chaff, ECM)
Nose Mounted Thermal, IR, Nightvision, DER's, and Laser Designator Combined Sensor Pod
Maneuver Thrusters (combined with Ion Afterburners)
- Standard Communications Suite
- Holonet Transceiver
- Standard Deflector Shield Generator
- Standard Life Support Systems
- Standard Navigational Systems
- Standard Sensor Suite
- Standard Targeting Systems
Speed Rating: 6
Strengths:
- Very maneuverable
- Reasonably Tough
- Moonlights as a Gunboat
- Slow for its size
- Downright sluggish in space
- No Hyperdrive - has to be carried
The Helldivers are designed as a rapid reaction shock force. The kind of unit you send in to capture bridges, bust open bunkers, and otherwise clear the way for the main assault force. As a general rule, they lack the heavy equipment and siege weapons necessary to do 'grunt' work. However it soon became clear, even when they were still Imperial Force Recon, that the UA-101 wasn't entirely suited to every role necessary. While small and quick, it is primarily a gunship, with limited transport capability. As the role of the Helldivers expanded with the creation of Shadowline, so too did their need for larger transports.
The UA-50 Thunderbird is designed to meet that need. While based off the UA-101, the UA-50 doubles as a dropship and gunship and is capable of trans-atmospheric flight. Visually, it is a clear 'big brother' to the Hell Hawk. Unlike the 101, however, it is designed from the ground up for transport. Past the cockpit there is a long 'neck,' which is a sealed troop compartment, capable of carrying twenty soldiers with full gear. The neck connects to a large hanger, which can be configured a variety of ways.
For pure troop transport a false floor can be extended, allowing the UA-50 to move another 60 soldiers. Alternatively, it can be configured to transport one or two smaller vehicles, battle droids, or extra equipment.
Armament wise the UA-50 mounts a set of six fast-tracking repeating laser cannons for defense. There is also a heavy laser as a tailgun, to deter pursuers. Finally there is a large mass driver cannon mounted on the bottom of the craft, giving it some utility as a gunboat. The cannon can fire a variety of types of shell (high explosive, APFSDS, Plasma, Fragmentation, etc.), and is generally used to clear buildings or destroy enemy armor and emplacements. Because of its size and comparatively slow speed, the UA-50 is normally only employed as a gunboat if air superiority has been achieved (similar to a modern AC-130).
Otherwise the systems on the craft are unremarkable, being more or less copied (and appropriately sized-up) from the UA-101. As it is primarily designed to ferry soldiers to and from orbit, it is rather sluggish and un-maneuverable in space.
