Name: ULA Ship-Portable SuperLuminal Engine Block 23
Operators: American Union
Manufacturer: Union Launch Alliance (ULA): Hull / Drive system

Range: Up to 75ly per activation
Propulsion Capacity: 2 activations before refit required
Communications Capacity: ~10 activations

Originally developed in 2165, the ULA Ship-Portable SuperLuminal Engine had the goal of dramatically expanding the range of missions that ISOC could take on and allowing for a ship-surge to take place where ISOC's fleet could bring its fleet to any hot spot within Human Space in an emergency situation. While ultimately successful, the devices dramatically limited the size and shape of the ships that could be utilize them, which in turn would lead to the specific size and shape of the original Statesmen Class ships. Furthermore, the exotic material and upkeep requirements would ensure that the American Union would be the only supernation capable of fielding them when they were first produced.

But even the seemingly limitless budget of the American Union had its limits. Over the century efforts were largely placed towards reducing the cost over all else. As such the performance of the drive systems largely didn't improve beyond the initial requirements of 2 jumps at around 70ly each. What did improve was the amount of exotic material, cost, and maintenance requirement for the overall system. This would allow ISOC to move from fielding only a pair of statesmen in the late 2100s to squadron in the 2200s and eventually a full fleet of the craft by the 2300s.

The staggering cost of the SPSLE ensures that only super-nations can afford the design and production cost of the system, which in turn assures ULA doesn't have any competitors for production of the system as their client, the American Union, wouldn't try purchasing similar systems from other Supernations and simply can't afford a second SPSLE program using another vendor even if another vendor with the capability to make such devices did exist. Similarly, while the SPSLE was a one of a kind technological marvel in the late 2100s, systems with similar or better performance have proliferated to other nations by the 2300s.

The ULA's SPSLE was designed around the ability to sustain two trips at around 70lys. After two uses to propel the host ship the system requires extensive maintenance and calibration before use again.

The system is also capable of being activated for short durations at extreme low bandwidth settings so that a communications laser can be sent at extreme distances for communication.

The SPSLE utilizes a main core to generate the space-distortion field needed to allow faster than light travel, however to keep that field from obliterating the core and the ship it is attached to exotic material panels, control systems, and electronics have to be stationed throughout the hull of the ship.

This also happens to make the system very susceptible to damage, as even micrometeor strikes can be enough to affect the exterior panel's field control which can in turn place the ship in danger.