OBT Forum

I always thought an equivilent to the Huey or Black Hawk Helicopter was missing from the universe.  when making a small TRO to suppliment our AU Book, we figured "Why not?"

Raven Helicopter
Mass: 30 tons
Movement Type: VTOL
Powerplant: DMC Verticell 160
Cruising Speed 108 kph
Maximum Speed 162 kph
Armor: Starshield VTOL  Standard
Armament: 1 Springfield Model 2 Maghot Gauss Rifle
2 Springfield M2 Machine Guns
Manufactuer: Nevermind Industries
Primary Factory: Elysium, Very Nice, Finmark, Asuncion
Targeting and Tracking: RadCom TXX
Communications: Datcom 18

Overview
Replacing no fewer than three helicopters used by the SLDF and House Amaris (the Cyrano, Strike Falcon and Iroquois XVI) the Raven is a 30 ton Medium Lift Utility helicopter provided by DeLorean Motor Company whose primary purpose is to deliver and provide aerial support to infantry troops, be they battle armor or conventional.

Capabilities
Unlike the Centaur, which was initially a failed design, the Raven was instantly a success.  Built around the principle of speed, the 160 Verticel Fusion Engine also provides the boon of running at half the decibel level of a flywheel powered helicopter, and at a nearly 40% reduction in thermal profile.

Despite these caps, the Raven can still travel at a speed of 160 KPH delivering troops more rapidly than land based APCs thanks to its VTOL nature, and extracting them just as quickly.

To fulfill its support role the Raven mounts an Magshot Gauss Rifle in the nose with a full ton of ammunition to feed it.  Furthermore, each side boasts a heavy machine gun that can be fired either by the ravens targeting computer or overridden and fired manually by the passengers.

The final component in the Ravens arsenal is a lift hoist that can permit it to haul up to 15 tons of cargo with no loss in performance.  In exercises as well as actual combat this has been used to haul portable bridges, Medical supplies, support vehicles for the infantry it hauls, and even at one point a Beagle Hovertank

Deployment
The Raven and its variants are found in every division and every militia, with only the Orbital Response Command not containing any, and that is merely because of the units charter.  Mirroring the former Free Worlds states and DCMS Ravens are traditionally attached to Infantry Regiments rather than armor.

Variants
Aside from mission specific ambulance, cargo/salvage, and SAR variations which strip everything out for specialized equipment, there is also the Kasatka Gunship variant, which removes cargo capacity and lift hoists to mount a quartet of Rocket Launcher 10s, 3 Clan made AP gauss Rifles and two hard-points designed to deploy bombs, anti radiation missiles, or two additional rocket pods

Raven Helicopter

Mass: 30 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Motive Type: VTOL
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: Dark Ages
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-E
Production Year: 3132
Cost: 3,518,500 C-Bills
Battle Value: 367

Power Plant:  160 Fusion XL Engine
Cruise Speed: 108.0 km/h
Flanking Speed: 162.0 km/h
Armor:  Standard Armor
Armament:
   1  Magshot
   2  Machine Guns
   1  Lift Hoist
   1  Infantry Compartment (6.0 tons)
   1  Guardian ECM Suite
Manufacturer:
   Primary Factory:
Communications System:
Targeting and Tracking System:

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard                      12 points                3.00
Engine:             XL Fusion Engine             160                       4.50
   Cruise MP:  10
   Flank MP:   15
Heat Sinks:         Single Heat Sink             10                        0.00
Control Equipment:                                                         1.50
Lift Equipment:                                                            3.00
Armor:              Standard Armor               AV -  71                  4.50

                                                     Armor     
                                                     Factor     
                                              Front     20       
                                         Left/Right   18/18       
                                               Rear     13       
                                              Rotor     2         

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat     Spaces     Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Magshot                                      FR        1         1         0.50
Machine Gun                                  LS        0         1         0.50
Machine Gun                                  RS        0         1         0.50
Lift Hoist                                   BD        0         1         3.00
Infantry Compartment (6.0 tons)              BD        0         1         6.00
Guardian ECM Suite                           BD        0         1         1.50
@Magshot Gauss Rifle (50)                    BD        -         0         1.00
@MG (1/2) (100)                              BD        -         0         0.50

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      2    Points: 4
10         1       1       0       0      1     0   Structure:  1
Special Abilities: ECM