Gazelle

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Gazelle
Production information
Manufacturer Deller-Bingham-Fouts[1], New Syrtis Shipyards [2], Federated-Boeing [3]
Production Year 2531[4]
Use Troop carrier
Type Military Aerodyne
Tech Base Inner Sphere
Technical specifications
Mass 2,900 tons
Structural Integrity 8
Length 79 meters
Width 73.2 meters
Height 28.1 meters
Drive System Star League V95
Safe Thrust 2 g
Max Thrust 3 g
Fuel (tons) 209 tons
Fuel (days) 113.6 days
Armament 2 x PPCs
1 x LRM-20
1 x AC/5
2 x SRM-6s
1 x Large Laser
10 x Medium Lasers
Armor 29 tons Standard
Fore: 14
Sides: 12
Aft: 11
Crew 10
Escape Pods/Life Boats 0/4
Heat Sinks 70
BV (1.0) 2,399[5]
BV (2.0) 2,355


Description

One of the smaller armor transport DropShips in use, the Gazelle-class generally operates alongside the Fury and Leopard and is capable of carrying a complete 15 vehicle company of armored fighting vehicles.

When it was first designed, the Gazelle was intended to operate with smaller and lighter combat vehicles designed prior to the Succession Wars. Later, it was modified resulting in the hold in the craft's nose being enlarged to cope. These modifications came at the cost of the crew quarters and cargo capacity, greatly reducing comfort and inhibiting the design's endurance on longer missions.

Armament

Like many troop transports, the Gazelle features a relatively limited defensive array of weaponry. Twin Medium Lasers, an Autocannon/5 and LRM-20 fill the nose bays, while a PPC, SRM-6 and a trio of medium lasers are fitted in forward facing mounts in each wing. To discourage pursuit, a single Large Laser and a further pair of mediums are carried directly aft. A single ton of autocannon rounds, four tons of long range and two tons of short range missile reloads are generally enough for the shorter duration missions the decreased cargo load enforces.

Cargo

The Gazelle's 950 ton primary cargo bay, 60 meters by 12, is accessible via a single ramp in the craft's nose. The single ramp and very cramped bay hinder vehicle unloading, to the point that the majority of Gazelles lost during the Succession Wars were destroyed not in flight but on the ground while unloading in hostile landing zones.

Variants

  • Original 
    The original Gazelle was designed to accommodate only lighter vehicles, but boasted somewhat more comfortable crew quarters and a larger cargo capacity.
  • Upgrade 
    Introduced by New Syrtis Shipyards in 3055, the upgraded Gazelle weighs in at 3,400 tons, an increase of 500 tons. The increased tonnage goes toward greater cargo capacity, now split between carrying a company of heavy tanks in nose, and a short lance of lighter vehicles further back, reducing the bottle neck problems of the standard model. The weapon array received minor modern touches, switching the PPCs and large laser for extended range variants adding Artemis IV FCS to enhance the missile racks, with a reduced number of Double Heat Sinks still boosting heat dissipation. BV (1.0) = 2,539[6], BV (2.0) = 2,498

Gazelle Ship Gallery

References

  1. Dropships and Jumpships, p.17
  2. Handbook Davion p.183
  3. Handbook Davion p.181
  4. MUL online date for the Gazelle
  5. AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 211
  6. AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 212

Bibliography