Editing Scout (JumpShip class)

{{otheruses|the JumpShip class|other uses|Scout}}
{{InfoBoxJumpShip
| image = Scout JS TRO3057r.png
| Name = ''Scout''
| Manufacturer = [[Alliance Aerospace Group]]<ref name="FM:3145p187">''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 187: "Magistracy of Canopus"</ref>
----[[Dharma HyperSpace]]<ref name=DS&JSp15>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 15: "JumpShip and DropShip Manufacturers"</ref><br>
----[[Ioto Galactic Enterprises]]<ref name=DS&JSp15/><br>
----[[Irian Naval Systems|Irian Technologies]]<ref name=DS&JSp15/>
| Use = Exploration/Military
| Cost = 300,000,000 C-Bills
| Introduced = [[2712]]
| Tech Base = Star League
| Mass = 90,000 tons
| Length = 273 meters
| Sail Diameter = 890 meters
| Fuel = 46 tons (460)
| Drive System = K-F Mark IIb
| Burn Rate = 9.77
| Top Thrust = 0.2 Gs
| Sail Integrity = 3
| KF Drive Integrity = 3
| LF Battery = None
| Armament = None
| Armor = 40 tons
| DropShip Capacity = 1
| Crew = 18<ref name=TRO3057R>''Technical Readout: 3057 Revised'', p. 92: "''Scout'' JumpShip Profile"</ref><ref name="BSs51">''BattleSpace'' sourcebook, p. 51</ref><br/>
* 3 Officers
* 15 Enlisted
----
(Crew Types)<ref name="BSr63">''BattleSpace'' rulebook, p. 63</ref><br/>
*1 Pilot <br />
*1 Engineer <br />
*4 Secondary Engineers
* 1 Aerospace / Small Craft pilot<ref name=DS&JSp17>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 17 </ref><br>
----
Bay Personnel: 5<ref name=TRO3057R/>
| Grav Decks = None
| Escape Pods/Life Boats = None
| Heat Sinks = 158 (single)
| Structural Integrity = 1
| BV (1.0) = 560<ref>''AeroTech 2 Record Sheets'', p. 264</ref>
| BV (2.0) = 
}}

==Description==
The ''Scout'' class is the smallest [[JumpShip]] class still in common use. Its small carrying capacity (only one [[DropShip]]) means that it is primarily used for military operations or exploration. Due to the high cost of Jumpship operation, it is generally not desirable as a commercial hauler. Another notable drawback is the lack of a [[Grav Deck]]; the ''Scout'' can only produce gravity through acceleration, which requires large amounts of fuel.

However, there are also numerous benefits to the ''Scout'' design. The first is its tiny emergence signature which is difficult to detect, making the ship ideal for reconnaissance and surprise raids.<ref name=TRO3057R/><ref name=TRO3057>''Technical Readout: 3057'', p. 94: "Scout"</ref> The second is that it takes only 80% of the normal time required to quick-charge a ''Scout'' over an average-sized JumpShip. The third is that the [[docking collar]] is reinforced, allowing the ''Scout'' to thrust at 0.1 Gs acceleration even with a DropShip attached, provided that the DropShip is less than 25,000 tons in mass; without a DropShip, the ''Scout'' can accelerate at 0.2 Gs. The fourth is that the [[Jump Sail]] requires only 90% of the time to unfurl/furl compared to a larger sail and is less susceptible to rips and other forms of damage. 

The ''Scout'' features up-to-date medical and recreation facilities and notably comfortable quarters for 17 crew and an additional aerospace pilot. The bridge is quite modern in comparison to larger vessels. Finally, it is equipped with backup generators that can power the life support system for three months if the main fusion power plant fails.

==Armament==
This vessel does not feature any weapons. It is totally dependent on its DropShip for protection. Even then, the ''Scout'' is generally better served by the Inner Sphere custom of not attacking JumpShips.

==Cargo==
Depending on the source material the stated cargo capacity of the ''Scout'' is wildly inconsistent, ranging from only 26 tons to well over 1000 tons (see Variants below).

The ''Scout'' has a [[small craft bay]] that can accommodate one vessel, either a [[small craft]] or alternatively an [[aerospace fighter]].<ref name=DS&JSp17>''DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary'', p. 17 </ref>

==Variants==
Numerous variations of the ''Scout'' have been described in various sources, with a range of different masses and cargo capacity. Although they all describe the ''Scout'' as a relatively tiny 273-meter long JumpShip with a single docking hardpoint, there are significant differences among these descriptions owing to the inconsistent, contradictory, and often erroneous application of different rulesets at different times; such discrepancies may be viewed as legacy issues from earlier rulesets when JumpShip construction rules were not yet fully fleshed out, if at all.

*75,000 ton version with 121 heat sinks, unspecified cargo capacity (if any) (''[[AeroTech]]'')
*79,000 ton version with 121 heat sinks, cargo capacity 450 tons (''[[DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary]]'') 
*79,000 ton version with 158 heat sinks, cargo capacity 450 tons (''[[BattleSpace]]'' rulebook) 
*90,000 ton version with 158 heat sinks, cargo capacity 26 tons (''[[Technical Readout: 3057]]'')
*90,000 ton version with 158 heat sinks, cargo capacity 100 (written) or 1,037.5 tons (stats) (''[[Technical Readout: 3057 Revised]]''). Under the Total Warfare ruleset this is likely the fully rules-compliant version, since it can be assumed that the 100-ton number is due to most of the 1037.5-ton cargo bay being taken up by spare parts and various supplies. Note that even then, the ''Scout'' is still equipped with 67 tons' worth of extra heat sinks that it absolutely does not need.

Earlier rules from ''[[BattleSpace]]'' stated that DropShips required one hardpoint for every 60,000 tons (or fraction thereof) of mass for docking, which meant by extension that very large DropShips were not allowed to dock with the ''Scout'' as it has only a single hardpoint. This rule was omitted in ''[[AeroTech 2]]'', and was finally explicitly made obsolete in the [[TechManual]] rules. The ''Scout'' therefore occupies the unusual position of being one of the few JumpShips that can potentially accommodate a DropShip larger than itself.

===Quetzalcoatl===
One notable variant of the ''Scout'' class is the ''[[Quetzalcoatl (JumpShip class)|Quetzalcoatl-Scout]]'' refit that was first devised in [[2786]].<ref name=MUL>[http://www.masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/4885/quetzalcoatl-scout-jumpship-standard Master Unit List]: "Quetzalcoatl-Scout JumpShip (Standard)", ("Date Introduced")</ref> It replaces the docking collar with fighter cubicles, thereby enabling the ship to act as a fighter support carrier at the cost of its DropShip carrying capability. The first ship to undergo such a refit was the [[Capellan Confederation]]'s eponymous ''[[Quetzalcoatl (Individual Quetzalcoatl-class JumpShip)|Quetzalcoatl]]'', after it had suffered crippling damage to its docking hardpoint in an enemy boarding attempt. The refit proved successful and several other ships have been refitted in this way. The ''Quetzalcoatl''-subclass of the ''Scout'' is now considered a class unto its own.

==See Also==
* [[:Category:Individual Scout-class JumpShips]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Scout.png|Original ''Scout'' from ''[[DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary]]''
Image:Scout JS TRO3057r.png|''Scout'' from ''[[Technical Readout: 3057|TRO:3057]]''
Image:Quetzalcoatl.jpg|Image of variant ''Quetzalcoatl'' from ''[[Technical Readout: 3026, Revised Edition|TRO:3026 revised]]''
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[AeroTech]]''
* ''[[AeroTech 2 Record Sheets]]''
* ''[[BattleSpace]]''
* ''[[DropShips and JumpShips]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
* ''[[Master Unit List]]''
* ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental]]''
* ''[[Mercenary's Handbook 3055]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3057]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3057 Revised]]''


[[Category:JumpShip classes|Scout]]