Developed by Clan Diamond Shark the Airavata was designed to produce a modern DropShip that could carry a large amount of cargo in safety, able to defend itself from Bandit Caste raids or the predations of overly aggressive Clans. Heavily influenced by the SLDF's CargoKing class that was just entering service at the start of the Amaris Crisis the schematics were found in a near forgotten database. With over 9,000 tons of cargo onboard the new design carries more than a Mule and has a far better internal layout to load and unload cargo, with loading times reduced by up to 15%. Although called the Airavata, named after a Hindi God's Elephant mount, the unofficial name that stuck was 'CargoKhan'.
The considerable armament also worried some Warriors in other Clans and they demanded that a less well protected ship be built out of fear of arming Merchants and other Lower Castes. This variant stripped armament down to a battery of ER Small lasers that were more of a deterrent than a real offensive weapon. But the cargo space jumped up to 9105 tons vs 9020 tons on the better armed Mk 1 CargoKhan. The Mk II is also cheaper to produce and is being produced in large numbers for the Free Guilds and is a common sight in Clan Space.
The introduction of the CargoKhan allowed the Clans to start replacing their oldest transports and those that were in the worst material condition, the older DropShips would be scrapped and recycled, allowing the materials used in their hulls to be used in the construction of new ships, Mech's or other important materials.
Airavata 'CargoKhan' Dropship
Base Tech Level: Standard (Clan)
Level Era
-------------------
Experimental -
Advanced -
Standard 3145+
Tech Rating: F/X-X-X-D
Weight: 12500 tons
BV: 4,528
Cost: 301,830,032 C-bills
Movement: 3/5
Heat Sinks: 128 [256]
Fuel Points: 0/10830 (361.0 tons)
Tons Per Burn Day: 1.84
Structural Integrity: 21
Armor: 349 (Ferro-Aluminum)
Armor
-------------------
Nose 94
Left Side 86
Right Side 86
Aft 83
Weapons Loc Heat
-----------------------------------
Laser Bay NOS 24
ER Large Laser
ER Large Laser
PPC Bay NOS 45
ER PPC
ER PPC
ER PPC
Laser Bay LS 12
ER Large Laser
PPC Bay LS 15
ER PPC
Pulse Laser Bay LS 8
Medium Pulse Laser
Medium Pulse Laser
Laser Bay RS 12
ER Large Laser
PPC Bay RS 15
ER PPC
Pulse Laser Bay RS 8
Medium Pulse Laser
Medium Pulse Laser
Pulse Laser Bay (R) LS 8
Medium Pulse Laser (R)
Medium Pulse Laser (R)
Pulse Laser Bay (R) RS 8
Medium Pulse Laser (R)
Medium Pulse Laser (R)
Laser Bay (R) LS 12
ER Large Laser (R)
PPC Bay (R) LS 15
ER PPC (R)
Laser Bay (R) RS 12
ER Large Laser (R)
PPC Bay (R) RS 15
ER PPC (R)
Laser Bay AFT 12
ER Large Laser
Pulse Laser Bay AFT 8
Medium Pulse Laser
Medium Pulse Laser
Carrying Capacity
-----------------
Cargo Space (2 doors) - 2,280 tons
Cargo Space (2 doors) - 2,280 tons
Cargo Space (2 doors) - 2,230 tons
Cargo Space (2 doors) - 2,230 tons
Crew
---------------------
Officers 0
Enlisted/Non-rated 7
Gunners 5
Bay Personnel 0
Airavata 'CargoKhan' Dropship Mk II
Base Tech Level: Standard (Clan)
Level Era
-------------------
Experimental -
Advanced -
Standard 3145+
Tech Rating: F/X-X-X-D
Weight: 12500 tons
BV: 1,217
Cost: 192,028,032 C-bills
Movement: 3/5
Heat Sinks: 124 [248]
Fuel Points: 0/10830 (361.0 tons)
Tons Per Burn Day: 1.84
Structural Integrity: 21
Armor: 349 (Ferro-Aluminum)
Armor
-------------------
Nose 94
Left Side 86
Right Side 86
Aft 83
Weapons Loc Heat
-------------------------------
Laser Bay LS 6
ER Small Laser
ER Small Laser
ER Small Laser
Laser Bay NOS 6
ER Small Laser
ER Small Laser
ER Small Laser
Laser Bay RS 6
ER Small Laser
ER Small Laser
ER Small Laser
Laser Bay (R) LS 6
ER Small Laser (R)
ER Small Laser (R)
ER Small Laser (R)
Laser Bay AFT 6
ER Small Laser
ER Small Laser
ER Small Laser
Laser Bay (R) RS 6
ER Small Laser (R)
ER Small Laser (R)
ER Small Laser (R)
Carrying Capacity
-----------------
Cargo Space (2 doors) - 2,280 tons
Cargo Space (2 doors) - 2,280 tons
Cargo Space (2 doors) - 2,280 tons
Cargo Space (2 doors) - 2,265 tons
Crew
---------------------
Officers 0
Enlisted/Non-rated 7
Gunners 5
Bay Personnel 0
