The Charger Class Dropship is a moderately armored and armed Mecha transport. Called a dropship due to its ability to land and conduct ground operations, the Charger is also unable to achieve FTL. The Charger requires a warship or a civilian foldship of sufficient size to transport the Charger from one star system to another.

With the original purpose to deliver a moderate sized force of Frames directly into combat, Blackwell Defense Industries, in 2318, took the ancient design and updated the chassis with modern parts to facilitate the original design.

Capable of carrying a full Mecha battalion and a squadron of Aerospace Fighters, as well as the technical support for both, the vessel can be called a dedicated combat transport. When grounded they often serve as dedicated command stations and resupply bases.

This ship has a multi-role specialization, allowing the Charger to fulfill several roles simultaneously.

• Combat Transport
• Mobile Resupply and Refit Base

Best described as an Egg, this ship appears to be a rounded ovoid tapering to a rounded nose. The Charger is balanced on either six squat pillar like retractable legs or atop six powerful thrusters. Several weapon turrets stud the surface of the ship, predominately focused on the sides of the ship. Six large armored extendable doors lead into the main cargo bays, each equidistant from the others. Thick, bulky armor plating covers nearly every inch of the ship, offering significant protection from ground and conventional aerospace assets.

WIP

With heavy armor, no shields, moderate thrust, and light armaments for its size, The Charger fits every definition of a transport dropship. Little more than a segmented Cargo hold containing the ships ground force payload, habitat and control module for the crew to live, and the handful of defensive weapon systems, this ship fulfills its role and little more.

* **Class:** BDI-1A Charger
* **Type:** Large Battle Transport
* **Designers:** Nagate Tahiro
* **Manufacturer:** Currently produced by Blackwell Defense Industries in the Reservoir system.
* **Fielded by:** Civilians/ Militaries

**Crew:** 43 crew members are recommended, 17 are required.

**Warriors and technicians:**
* Mecha Pilots: 36
* Mecha Technicians: 108
* Fighter Pilots : 6
* Fighter Mechanics: 24

**Maximum Capacity:** There are accommodations for 217 people. About 500 people can fit aboard in an emergency, but the ship would be extremely cramped.

* **Length:** 112 meters
* **Width:** 112 meters
* **Height:** 132 meters
* **Decks:** 44 (3 meters each)
* **Mass:** 10,000 tons

* **Sublight Engines:** .25c using a Generic Plasma/Ion Drive
* **Range:** 200 days at full compliment
* **Lifespan:** 50 years
* **Refit Cycle:** 5 years

* **Hull:** Medium Starship rated hull.

With the vast majority of the Charger's internal space taken up by Battleframe and Cargo space, the hallways and decks give a cramped feel.

The Charger has 44 decks.

^ Deck ^ Compartments ^
^ 1 | Armor Plating/Main Communications Array |
^ 2 | Main Bridge |
^ 3 | AI Servers |
^ 4 | Captain's Suite |
^ 5 | Captain's Wardroom |
^ 6 | Officer's Quarters |
^ 7 | Armory |
^ 8 | Armory/Munitions Dump |
^ 9 | Crew Quarters |
^ 10 | Crew Quarters |
^ 11 | Crew Quarters |
^ 12 | Medical/Infirmary |
^ 13 | Recreation Deck |
^ 14 | Recreation Deck, Mess Hall, Galley |
^ 15 | Launch Deck; Aerospace Fighter Cradle; Ship Cargo Bay; Main Central Lift |
^ 16 | Launch Deck; Aerospace Fighter Cradle; Ship Cargo Bay; Main Central Lift |
^ 17 | Launch Deck; Aerospace Fighter Cradle; Ship Cargo Bay; Main Central Lift |
^ 18 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 19 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 20 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 21 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 22 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 23 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 24 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 25 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 26 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 27 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 28 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 29 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 30 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 31 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 32 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 33 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 34 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 35 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 36 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 37 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 38 | Structural Reinforcements; Battle Frame Cargo Bays; Main Central Lift |
^ 39 | Fuel Storage Tanks |
^ 40 | Main Engineering Upper Level/Landing Gear |
^ 41 | Main Engineering/Landing Gear |
^ 42 | Main Engineering Lower Level/Landing Gear |
^ 43 | Main Drive |
^ 44 | Main Drive |

A list of the Compartments and their descriptions.

Equipped with one Armory, in the nose.

The Charger Armory is a rather basic compartment. It is a room, which has double layered walls in the event of a malfunction. It contains space for storing a large number of conventional weapons (rifles, pistols, Grenades) and a decent amount of compatible ammunition. Actual amounts stored depends on the size of the individual weapon. Any wishing to enter this room must have permission from either the ship's captain, XO, or Armorer.

The floor is a glossy, polished black and the walls are made of typical gray paneling. Specially designed racks and a mass of red straps and black buckles hang on the walls and ceiling where power armor would be if the ship is fully manned.

As the control center of the ship, the bridge has all the necessary stations in it: Tactical, Defensive Systems, Navigation, Science, Communications, and Operations (the Captain's). Indented into the floor are the pilots' pits, totally immersive control environments. Pilots fly the ship using an advanced neural interface. At the center of the room are two stasis pods with neural interface plugs which is used for skeleton crews. A pilot and co-pilot can be placed in a physically unconscious state, allowing them to free up as much of their minds as possible to concentrate on ship operations. Even a single person can directly interface with the network, not unlike an AI, and operate the vessel through control algorithms. The shipboard AI construct may also command the vessel in a similar manner.

The captain's suite is a very functional room. Its size depends on the size of the ship it is in, but it is usually larger than all other personal rooms on the ship. It has a personal restroom with a toilet, a shower/bathtub combo, and a sink with swing-away mirror/medicine cabinet above the sink.

Features include:
*Large bed
*Computer
*Mini-office/desk
*"Executive" type chair
*Closet
*Large viewscreen
*Titanium lock box

The Charger has five cargo storage areas in the lower decks, all accessible by a large cargo lift.

* The first is a general cargo bay for ship stores, including additional munitions for the ship weapon systems, as well as food, water, spare parts, and other non specifics goods.

* The second bay contains launching and recovery cradles for 6 aerospace fighters. Most major refueling and refitting, including armaments, can be completed in this bay. Six Armored external doors allow for the launch and recovery of all the ship's Aerospace assets simultaneously.

* The third bay carries twelve Mecha. Mecha storage, containing space and weight allocation for 12 Mecha cubicles as well as additional parts, ammunition, weapons, fuel, and coolant can total no more than 150 tons per cubicle. Most repairs and refits can be completed by the dual purpose retractable storage scaffolding by the onboard technicians.

* The fourth bay carries twelve Mecha. Mecha storage, containing space and weight allocation for 12 Mecha cubicles as well as additional parts, ammunition, weapons, fuel, and coolant can total no more than 150 tons per cubicle. Most repairs and refits can be completed by the dual purpose retractable storage scaffolding by the onboard technicians.

* The fifth bay carries twelve Mecha with six large access doors on the sides of the ship. Mecha storage, containing space and weight allocation for 12 Mecha cubicles as well as additional parts, ammunition, weapons, fuel, and coolant can total no more than 150 tons per cubicle. Most repairs and refits can be completed by the dual purpose retractable storage scaffolding by the onboard technicians.

Many of the walls have been stripped bare to install micro-gravity sleeping tubes, which are horizontal tubes with a lockable hatch not unlike a torpedo tube. Each of these pods have a padded interior, with a computer interface, retractable drawers, and internal lighting. While sleeping in such a place may stir feeling of claustrophobia in some, they are actually much safer than traditional beds; a fully enclosed padded design allows for safe sleep even in micro-gravity, and the sealed hatch and honeycomb structure of the pods will allow sleeping crew to survive even a direct hull breach to the room. But for those who perhaps don't like enclosed spaces, there are usually a number of hammocks strung up in the corners of the room.

The Charger features a large, self-service mess hall, with long benches, automatic beverage dispensers, and buffet-style tables carrying large, communal dishes. There is a large, fully equipped kitchen adjoining the mess hall. The dishes offered vary wildly in style and cultural influences, and are meant to please as many palettes as possible.

Meals are served during regular meal times. Made-to-order dishes could be requested during off-peak hours, if there is still a cook on duty. Even when no one is on duty in the kitchen, plenty of snacks and beverages are available. One would expect to find at least a few off duty crewmen inside the mess hall during all hours of the day.

The Charger's recreational facilities consist of a large room with exercise equipment, with adjoining laundry and shower facilities.

The Charger employs a single torus fusion reactor to provide the abundant power consumed by the other ship's systems.

The Charger contains a well-equipped medical bay includes all the typical resources available to typical civilian vessels, such as nodal support for the creation of medicines and tools. The unusual commodities of this med-bay include far more extensive tools geared toward implanting of various cybernetic and electronic equipment. Between each of these features is a collapsible wall which provides privacy and when properly sealed, prevention of contamination.

There are many hallways, which run from from the front to the rear of the ship, connected by occasional passageways across and by a system of elevators. Control panels in the halls can give the crew status-updated maps should they need them.

The other way of moving from place to place on board the ship is to use the network of access shafts and crawl-ways which run the length of the ship. Technicians often hang out in these tubes.

Though called a wardroom by some, it is closer to a mess hall. It is often used as everything from the usual mess hall to a meeting room. Some people may call it a "multipurpose" room because of its all around usefulness. The wardroom contains the following things:
*Large Table(s)
*Rolling, padded chairs
*Direct access to the kitchen
*Several viewscreens, number depends on size of room.
*recycle/waste bins

Descriptions of the ship systems.

With the original hulls built out of aged steel, The former hulls have been stripped away. In their place is a double hull made of titanium carbide nanotubes reinforced by a Phenolic-Fulleride layered mesh that acts as both a means to absorb energy and release a high-capacity discharge designed to disrupt particle beams, plasma bursts, and even vaporize solid munitions.

Over the second hull is a five meter thick layer of energized tungsten armor, which provides ample, if low tech, protection.

Energized armor is composed to two separate plates, separated by an insulating material. One of the armor plates holds an enormous electrical charge, while the other acts as a ground. When a penetrator pierces the insulating material, a connection is formed between the charged plate and the grounded plate. This releases the enormous electrical charge through the penetrator, causing it to vaporize instantly. Converted to a heated gas the, penetrator becomes effectively harmless.

Lower capacitor charges can vaporize pre-heated matter, such as explosive shaped charges and certain plasmas. At higher charges, the discharge can also vaporize solids such as projectiles. Unfortunately, energized armor offers little in defense against energy and massless weapons.

In an attempt to compensate for this weakness, Blackwell Defense Industries has began manufacturing energized armor with tungsten composites. Tungsten has a higher melting point than any other non-alloy in existence, as well as robust durability on par with that of depleted uranium. By using tungsten composites, energized armor has a much higher resistance to energy weapons than it would otherwise, as well as a healthier defense against projectiles.

The end result is known as Energized Tungsten Armor. The relatively low cost of tungsten combined with the simplistic design of energized armor results in a cheap and easy to produce defense superior to other lo-tech armors. While not a widespread technology, it is an excellent alternative to more advanced technology

The AI system suite provides the ship with the necessary automated functions as well as with advanced computing, sensors, communications, and targeting control systems.

The following is a list of emergency systems used by the Charger.

Located on all decks of a ship, and traditionally every twenty feet, are small damage control clusters that house repair parts and fire-fighting gear. Blast Fire Doors can only be disengaged by authorized crewmen, including officers and engineering staff.

Blast Fire Doors are doors designed not only to provide containment in the event of a hull breach but also resistant to fire, allowing them to also isolate fires from spreading. Blast Fire doors are not just located in the ship hallways but also within maintenance conduits to provide complete isolation and compartmentalization.

The FSS is the primary means for starship crews to fight fires. It is purely a gel based system to help smother fires. In conjunction with a ships life support systems, the ACS can also isolate fires from rooms by shutting off all oxygen producing plants or even closing off vents.

Required on all ships, in the event of ship loss or extreme failure of ship systems and the risk of destruction, are escape pods.

• 30 Escape pods.

The ship has a very thorough recycling system which breaks down anything classified into "waste" into its atomic components. The air recycling system (which is segmented and highly monitored for security reasons) can support up to 500 personnel up to twenty years. Water can be recycled for twenty years as well.

The Charger uses a Sextuple Plasma/Ion Drive for its primary thrust, with high-performance Ion thrusters for backup STL propulsion and maneuvering.

The Charger is unshielded, instead relying on its immense amount of thick armor plate and double hull for defense.

The weapon systems on the Charger place emphasis defense, lacking a dedicated anti-starship weapon system.

• 6 x 125mm Gauss Cannon Turret mounted equidistant around the forward flanks in raised blister turrets.\\

• 12 Quad 75mm Gauss Cannon Turrets located on the upper and lower flanks of the ship to allow for full 360 x 360 degree coverage while either in space or grounded.

The total compliment of onboard vehicles

36 Mecha of a variety of makes and models.

6 Aerospace Fighters of a variety of makes and models.

Bullroarer created this article on 2018/05/06 10:44.

Art by Uso using DOGA.

"Grandfathered" by Bullroarer on 2019/12/07.

Taken from [[https://www.catalystgamelabs.com/battletech/|Battletech]]. All rights reserved to The Topps Company, Inc..