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traveller:spacecraft [2013/12/23 16:09] samtraveller:spacecraft [2019/11/10 11:18] (current) – [Civilian Starships] sam
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 The following lists commercial Solomani spacecraft common to each technology level. The following lists commercial Solomani spacecraft common to each technology level.
  
-===== Technology Level 9 =====+For related pages, see [[space stations]] and the [[./spacecraft/]].
  
-==== Albatross Freighter (80dt) ==== +===== Terminology =====
-{{ :traveller:ships:albatross.jpg?nolink&150|}} +
-A small conical hull with an engine on one end and a bridge and crew quarters at the front. Most of the rest of the ship is given over to cargo. In some designs the cargo area is left unpressurised. It is 30m long, 18m wide and 9m tall.+
  
-A simple intra-system transport freighter, typical of early pre-jump cultures. It was constructed in Solomani space towards the end of the Long Night, but prior to the formation of the Third Imperium.+==== Small Craft ====
  
-It is incapable of landing on most planets, and its slow drives make it unsuited for long haul in-system flights. As such it is only found in back water systems where the technology to support anything more complex doesn't exist. However, some variants replace the old style ion drives with updated plasma torch designs, which improves performance considerably.+//Small craft// are less than 100dt and lack a jump drive.
  
-==== Condor Heavy Lifter (50dt) ==== +=== Boat ===
-{{ :traveller:ships:condor.jpg?nolink&150|}} +
-A simple cheap transport to get cargo from surface to orbit. It is a streamlined box with limited aerodynamic capability. It is 22m long, 15m wide and 4m tall.+
  
-The //Condor Heavy Lifter// is simple transport designed to lift cargo from planet's surface to low orbitIt is an old TL 9 design, and has been superseded by newer transports on most worlds. It is still sometimes seen in the outer colonies however, where the availability of better craft is limited.+Anything designed for ferrying passengers and light cargo between ships, normally within few kilometres of each otherRarely have life support for more than a few days, and have less than 1km/s delta-v. They are often carried by larger ships.
  
-The Condor is the most well known example of transport vessels from this era, and pushes the bounds of the technology available at this time. Most other vessels were of similar size and capability. +=== Shuttle ===
-  +
-===== Technology Level 10 ====+
  
-Spacecraft which pre-date jump drives.+A small craft designed for ferrying passengers and cargo between a planet and low orbit. Similar to boats, with limited life support but considerably greater delta-v due to the need to reach orbit. Most shuttles have the ability to land on a planet and return to orbit, though this doesn't become possible until TL10+.
  
-==== Eagle Bulk Freighter (3200dt) ==== +=== Fighter ===
-{{ :traveller:ships:eagle.jpg?nolink&150|}} +
-The Eagle class Bulk Freighter is an ugly block design. The oversized engines at the rear, kept external to the hull to simplify shielding, are quite distinctive. It mounts two heavy turrets on top (one fore, one aft) for basic defence.+
  
-One of the earliest interstellar freighters that was built in Sol shipyards following the Long Nightthe Eagle class (and its many variants) stayed around for several hundred years before being superseded by newer and better designs.+A fighter is a small one or two man craftgenerally less than 20dt, designed for combat engagements. They have high acceleration and a delta-v in km/s or tens of km/s depending on tech level. A day or two of life support is common, though some can support missions of a week or more. They are heavily armed, often mostly with single shot weapons such as missiles.
  
-Capable of carrying 500dt of cargo, and having a jump range of 1 parsec, it was an expensive way to ship goods around, but it was the best available at the time.+=== Gunboat ===
  
-Fitted with two dorsal mounted heavy turretsthe //Eagle// has some defensive capabilityIt's low thrust and limited range greatly reduce it's ability to run from attackers however, and it was often seen as juicy target if found in less secure systems.+Larger than a fighterbut still smaller than 100dtThey have longer life support duration (weeks or months), and are designed for patrolling a star systemrequiring a high delta-v and moderate thrust. They normally support up to half dozen crew, so they can have multiple shifts.
  
-==== Heron Light Freighter (100dt) ==== +=== Yacht ===
-{{ :traveller:ships:heron.jpg?nolink&150|}} +
-The //Heron// is built around a cylindrical body with drive systems at rear, and living quarters up front. Cargo is stored centrally for easy access, with most of the central body opening for access. The total length is 20m, and it is 9m wide.+
  
-Based on a much earlier design from before the Second Imperium, the //Heron// is simply a box with an engine fitted to the back. Designed for interplanetary travel, it has no aerodynamic properties, and is incapable of landing.+A small civilian craft designed for interplanetary travel within a system. Have weeks or months of life support, and moderate delta-v and thrust. Generally unarmed and lightweight. Some of the larger varieties can be greater than 100dt in size, but they are rare.
  
-Because of the simplicity of design, modern versions sometimes replace the primitive ion drive with a plasma torch. This is a simple design change, which greatly improves speed and range.+==== Civilian Starships ====
  
-==== Olympus Frigate (450dt) ==== +=== Free Trader ===
-{{ :traveller:ships:olympus.jpg?nolink&150|}} +
-The Olympus is a typical TL 10 design, a 50m long cylinder 12m in diameter, with main drives at the rear and command and control in an external bridge towards the front. Weapon systems are arrayed along the length.+
  
-It is a combat vessel designed for escort and support duties within a system. Lacking a jump drive, it must rely on jump tenders to reach other systemsIts combat effectiveness is much higher because of this however, and it was one of the most common light military vessels of the period.+jump capable craft generally up to about 300dt in sizeThe fact that the crew are also the owners tends to be the main definition of a //Free Trader//.
  
-Later variants tend to swap rail guns and mass drivers for laser weapon systems, or possible extra missile launchers. Early in TL10, lasers were still expensive and mostly untested in real combat. Having such a wide range of different weapon types in such a small ship increases maintenance and supply costs.+=== Light Freighter ===
  
-==== Zeus Heavy Cruiser (2500dt) ==== +A jump capable cargo freighter up to 1,000dt in size.
-{{ :traveller:ships:zeus.jpg?nolink&150|}} +
-The //Zeus// is a bulky cylindrical design80m in length, 32m wide and 16m tall. The bottom of the ship bristles with heavy missile turrets, with beam and rail guns mounted on the side and top respectively.+
  
-One of the largest type of military craft available at this technology level. It is a cruiser class vessel, designed for deep patrol and rapid response.+=== Medium Freighter ===
  
-It's main armament consists of 8 missile launchers, with a total of 64 heavy missiles. General tactics are to try and destroy targets at a distance with missiles, before closing to use beam lasers and rail guns. Designed to use these sorts of tactics makes it strictly a military vesselnot designed for boarding actions or customs checks.+A jump capable cargo freighter up to 10,000dt in size.
  
-===== Technology Level 11 =====+=== Heavy Freighter ===
  
-==== Cormorant Freighter (400dt) ==== +A jump capable cargo freighter up to 30,000dt in size.
-{{ :traveller:ships:cormorant.jpg?nolink&150|}} +
-The //Cormorant// is a medium Jump-1 freighter, easily recognised by the double domed front and staggered block design. It is 38m in length, and 17m wide.+
  
-One of the earliest Terran Jump-1 medium freighters, the Cormorant made use of the smaller and more efficient jump drives that were the mainstay of TL 11 ship design. Affordable by small companies, it was ships like the Cormorant that revolutionised interstellar economics, by making frequent, tramp trade possible.+=== Super Freighter ===
  
-The next big jump in trade would be the small 100t free traders capable of Jump-2not possible until TL 13. Until then though, ships like this were a common sight.+jump capable cargo freighter over 30,000dt in size. 
 +==== Military Starships ====
  
-==== Eagle II Bulk Freighter (3200dt) ==== +Military terminology has been inherited from the ancient wet navies of various civilisations. The design and use of spacecraft doesn't map one to one to wet navy craft, so though many terms are the same, their meanings are often different.
-{{ :traveller:ships:eagle.jpg?nolink&150|}}+
  
-The Eagle II class Bulk Freighter is an ugly block design. The oversized engines at the rear, kept external to the hull to simplify shielding, are quite distinctive. It mounts two heavy turrets on top (one fore, one aft) for basic defence.+=== Cruiser ===
  
-Upgraded in early TL 11 to take advantage of the improvements to Jump drive technology, the Mk II Eagle was superior in almost every way to the initial variants. Though it was still only capable of Jump-1, the drive was smaller and more efficientallowing extra room for reaction mass and cargo.+Tend to be lightly armouredoptimised for long range patrols and prioritising a large delta-v other high thrustEquipped for long range combat, they make heavy use of missiles with a few long range direct energy weapons. Point defence capability tends to be high
  
-Cargo capacity was upped to 700 dt, and range was more than doubled, with a 50% increase to accelerationSome variants swapped cargo for reaction mass (or vice versa) depending on requirements.+=== Destroyer === 
 + 
 +A heavily armed and armoured spacecraft which prioritises thrust over delta-v. They tend to prioritise short term engagements rather than long term patrols. 
 + 
 +=== Frigate === 
 + 
 +Designed for use close in to worlds, or escorting transports. They tend to be moderately good at multiple roles, rather than being heavily specialised. They tend to be smaller craft, generally less than a 1000dt.
  
-Fitted with two dorsal mounted heavy turrets, the //Eagle// has some defensive capability. It still had a low thrust compared to the sort of ships used by pirates, but Q-ship variants could be heavily armed and armoured. 
traveller/spacecraft.1387814967.txt.gz · Last modified: 2013/12/23 16:09 by sam