United States Colonial Marines Organization 
The United States Colonial Marine Corps is broadly split into two parts: the supporting establishment and the operating forces. The supporting establishment includes recruiting, training, research and development, administration and logistical support. This essentially non-fighting part of the Colonial Marine organization is essential of the Corps is to perform its mission. The operating forces are the fighting arm of the Marines, organized and maintained as a force in-readiness. Some 58% of all Marines operating in the forces.
The operating forces are under the direct orders of US Space Command, with command posts at Houston, TX and O'Neill Station, L-4 Earth-Lunar system. To enable it to project figting power to the frontiers of the ISC Network and beyond, the Colonial Marine Corps is organized into Marine Space Forces. There are three in all: Marine Space Force, Sol, with responseability for operations throughout the core systems; and Marine Space Force, Eridani, operating out aling the American and Chinese colonised arms; and Marine Space Force, Herculis, with responseability for the Anglo-Japanese arm up to the fringes of the Network. In practice, these are administrative designations, the practicalities of frontier operations requiring the breakdown of forces into autonomous taskforces of regimental size or less. Additionally, astrometrical realities of colonised space mean that the operating area frequently intertwine and overlap, so that combined operations between the Space Forces are a day-to-day necessity.
The Colonial Marine Division is the basic ground element of the Marine Space Force (although MSF, Sol, consists of two divisions). It is essentially a balanced foce of combat, support and service elements. Organized around three infantry regiments, the division is especially designed to execute the orbital assault missions, and is capable of sustained surface operations.
Rifle Platoon Organization USCM doctrine stresses the need for small, autonomous infantry units capable of operating with or without higher level support on the non-linear battlefield.
The units must be capable of moving great distances rapidly using its own transports and must at the same carry its own heavy weapons support and sensors. The current colonial marine rifle squad and platoon reclect the ultimate development of this doctrine.
A rifle squad consists of four marines, including a Corporal, a Lance-Corporal and two Private/Private First Class. Each squad divides into two man fireteams. The Rifle Team and the Gun Team. The Rifle team consists of a pair of riflmen assigned together both equipped with the M41A rifle. The Gun Team is made up of a rifleman with an M41 and a machine gunner carrying the M56 Smart Gun.
Two squads (8 soldiers) are lead by a Sergeant riding an M577 APC make up a section. In a drop operation, a UD-4 Dropship is attached to the section from the aerospace company team.
Two sections, led by a lieutenant, form a rifle platoon, for a total paper strength of 25 marines including APC and the Dropship crews.
One or two synthetic persons are usually attached to to the platoon for technical or scientific advice - also doubling as a medic or backup drivers/pilots.
Recruitment and Training To be eligible to join the Colonial Marines, a potential recruit is required to be a high school graduate (or the equivalent), have a clean police record, be between 147cm and 200cm tall, and pass a physical examination and some simple written tests. Basic training has changed little in three hundred years, and the Colonial Marines still maintain boot camps for recruit basic training at Parris Island, SC; San Diego, CA; and Guantanamo Bay, CB. Statistics show the average recruit is 177cm tall, weighs 72kg, and is a high school graduate.
The ration of women to men in the Corps is approximately 1:2.6. Of the thousands of recruits that apply to the Corps every year, some 24% fail to make the grade.Officers are inducted at the Officer’s Candidate School at Camp Barrett, Quantico, VA, though the Colonial Marines continue the ancient tradition of accepting officers from the “Blue Water” naval academy at Annapolis, as well as the USASF Aerospace School at Gateway station. After basic training, officers pursue their military specialty. Aerospace crew go to the Aerospace schools at Gateway station or Kennedy ASFB, FL; artillery officers go to the Army field artillery school in Fort Sill, OK; armor specialists go to Fort Knox, KY; however, infantry officers take the specialized infantry course at Quantico and an advanced hostile environments course at Camp Kanneken, Valles Marineris, Mars.
United States Colonial Marines Equipment The US colonial Marines employ a vast arsenal of weapons, equipment and vehicles. From Battlecruisers down to small hand portable welding devices. From Pulse Rifles to M22 Jackson tanks. A few weapons, equipment and vehicles of interest are briefly touched here.
Weapons M41A1 Pulse Rifle The Armat M41A is a 10mm pulse-action air-cooled automatic assault rifle, which over the last eight years has become the basic rifle of the US colonial Marine Corps and the US army. The standard service variant has an over-and-under configuration incorporating a PN 30mm pump-action grenade launcher. The basic design is similar in concept to the harrington automatic rifle of the early '60s, though incorporating many improvements due to the advances in materials technology.
Rifle without magazine and sling: 3.2 kg
Full magazine (100 rounds): 1.5kg
Sling: 0.2kg
Firing weight: 4.9 kg
Length of rifle: 69.5 cm
Length of rifle: 84 cm *
Muzzle velocity: 840 m/s
Maximum range: 2.100 m
Maximum effective range: 500 m
Cyclic rate of fire: 900rpm
* = Stock extended
Lightweight and rugged, the M41 is constructed largely from ultra-light alloy precision metal stampings. The outer casing is made from titanium alumide alloy and many internal parts are molded from high-impact, temperature resistant plastics. Layout is conventional, and a spring loaded retractable stock allows the rifle to be used either in carbine format (with stock retracted) or as a rifle, with the ' in-line ' stock extended for greater stability during automatic fire from the shoulder. Sighting is made down a grove in the carrying handle, with and adjustable tangent leaf backsight positioned in the rear slot. A 3x power AN/RVS-52 CCD television sight can optionally be fitted to the carrying handle for accuracy at range and under low light conditions.
The M41 Fires the standard US M309 10 x 24 round. This ammunition comprises a 210 grain (13,6 gram) projectile embedded within a rectangular caseless propellant block of Nitramite 50. The propellant content is small but highly efficient, generating muzzle velocities in the order of 840 meters per second. The round is steel-jacketed and explosive tipped, with impact fusing which is preset during manufacture. Terminal ballistic characteristics have been optimized for maximum lethality against infantry wearing personal armor. The round is designed to penetrate the armor, exploding just after impact to inflict lethal internal damage. The standard M41 ammunition clip will hold up to 99 M309 rounds in an 'U' bend conveyor, which feeds the rounds mechanically into the rotating breech mechanism. However, in practice the clips are only filled to 95% capacity in order to reduce the autoloaders tendency to jam.
The underslung 30mm grenade launcher comprises a barrel, breech and a four round internal magazine which is charged by handloading individual grenade cartridges into the mechanism. A pump action is used to load rounds into the breech and c**k the firing mechanism. Once loaded, the launcher is primed to fire from a trigger positioned just in front of the magazine housing, which is used as a handgrip when firing a grenade
The most commonly used round in the grenade launcher is the M40 High Explosive fragmentation round which is marked with red plastic cap. It has a muzzle velocity of 78 m/s, an effective range of 400m and an accurate range of around 180m. The cartridge has a rimmed, separating base, and launches a projectile with and explosive element comprised of a notched steel wire wrapped around a filler of composition B15. When the round explodes , it spreads more than 300 fragments over a casualty radious of five meters. The M40 can b employed as an ad hoc hand grenade by flipping off its plastic cap and twisting the nose cap clockwise; this gives a five-second delay before the grenade explodes. Care must be taken not to strike or depress the nose cap, otherwise the grenade will go off immediately.
Other types of Grenades available.
M38 High Explosive Armor Piercing (HEAP) round.
Capable of penetrating 7 cm of homogeneous steel, the round bursts with a casualty radius of 5 meters. This round is marked with a green cap.
M51A Bounding Fragmentation round.
This blue-capped round is not point detonating like the M40 or M38. When the round impacts, a small charge propels it two meters into the air, where it airbursts for additional effect against troops in the open or in foxholes without overhead cover.
M108 Canister (Buckshot) round.
Essentially a large shotgun round with a range of 30 meters, this small cartridge with a flat, black nose, gives the Marines rifleman effective firepower for close-in engagements.
M230 Baton round.
Rarely issued to the Colonial Marines, this round fires a low-velocity plastic projectile capable of incapacitating or even disabling an unprotected human. Primarily used during civil disturbances.
M60 White Phosphorous Incendiary round.
This white-capped round contains a filler of white phosphorous which spreads up to 15 meters after impact, creating a rising smoke cloud and flame with a secondary incendiary effect against vegetation and material.
M71A1 Starshell.
Marked with an embossed letter “S” on the top, the M72A1 is fired 200 meters into the air where it releases a parachute and ignites, providing illumination of 50,000 candelas for approximately 45 seconds.
M42 Scoped Rifle The M42A is essentially a highly modified M41 Pulse Rifle, having been customized for use by the Marine Scout/Snipers. One rifle is issued per company, though normally it's used at the battalion level in groups of up to 4 Scout/Snipers.
The M42A is configured in a bullpup style, having the 15-round magazine located behind the hand grip. The butt-plate can be adjusted on an individual basis using the 6 supplied spacers. A folding bipod is placed on top of the barrel hand guard to prevent it from affecting accuracy.
Rifle without magazine and sling: 2.76 kg
Full magazine (15 rounds): 0.8kg
Sling: 0.2kg
Scope: 0.5kg
Firing weight: 4.26 kg
Length of rifle: 101 cm
Barrel length: 81 cm
Muzzle velocity: 850 m/s / 950 m/s*
Maximum effective range: 2950 m / 3.800m*
Cyclic rate of fire: Semi automatic
* Using long range stabilized ball rounds
The M42A is essentially a highly modified M41 Pulse Rifle, having been customized for use by the Marine Scout/Snipers. One rifle is issued per company, though normally it's used at the battalion level in groups of up to 4 Scout/Snipers.
The M42A is configured in a bullpup style, having the 15-round magazine located behind the hand grip. The butt-plate can be adjusted on an individual basis using the 6 supplied spacers. A folding bipod is placed on top of the barrel hand guard to prevent it from affecting accuracy. Internal components are nearly totally compatible with the M41, though the M42 is chambered for match-grade ammo. The barrel is free-floating and protected with a ventilated hand guard; the barrel can also be fitted with a flash suppressor or muzzle brake depending on the situation.
Normal ammunition is the match-grade M252 HEAP round with a maximum effective range of 2,950 meters. A long-range ball round is also available with an effective range of 3,800 meters. The standard M250 Smartgun round can also be used with no modification, though its effective range is less than 2,000 meters; fuse adjustment is accomplished via a separate selector switch.
A combined multi-spectral 20x passive scope is mounted on top of the receiver. It displays a composite image based on visual, IR, and EM emissions. It can also be augmented with input from the local sensor matrix, such as motion trackers, radar, lidar, and IR sensors. A classified control system allows the Scout/Sniper to tie the rifle into the local sentry gun matrix and re-adjust sentry gun firing arcs as necessary.
M56A2 Smartgun The core of a colonial marine squad's fighting power is it's machine guns. More effective than a rifle, machine guns can sustain large volumes of continuous fire both in the attack and defense, and are frequently the most decisive weapon in an firefight. The M56 smartgun is the Colonial Marines primary squad machine gun. Lightweight, rugged and reliable, the Smart Gun is carried into battle on a self-aiming stabilized mount - so negating the need to position or set up the gun for full automatic fire - and is linked to an infrared target tracking system for accurate aiming. Flexible and powerful, the M56 system in now deployed in a variety of a combat theatres and environments.
Firing weight*: 17.82 kg
Length of gun: 122 cm
Maximum range: 3.000 m
Maximum effective range: 1500 m
Cyclic rate of fire: 1200rpm
* = With harness and articulation arm
The M56A2 is a 10mm general purpose automatic squad support weapon, effective out to 1500 meters. The pulse-action system employs a free-floating recoil-dampened motorized rotating breech mechanism chambered for the M250 series 10 mm x 28 caseless round. The gun also incorporates a muzzle booster to ensure the necessary operating forces from the large round. Cyclic rate is around 1200 rpm. The gun is constructed largely from molded carbon fiber and light alloy stampings, though some interior parts of the mechanism are made from plastic. The replaceable barre system is air-cooled, though a heat-sink attachment can be jacketed onto it. The system is mounted on an operator's harness and slaved to an infrared tracking system. The gun is self-steering on the mount, though firing must be commanded manually.
M240 Incinerator Unit The M240 is a lightweight, carbine-format flamethrower designed for use in close combat at the squad and fireteam level. Using pressured ultra-thickened napthal fuel as a base and ignited by the nozzle burner, the M240 can shoot flames at targets up to 30 meters. Once a target has been hit, fuel droplets form the flamethrower will stick and cpntinue to burn for approximately thirty seconds.
Firing weight: 2.7 kg
Length of gun: 88cm
Maximum range: 50 m *
Maximum effective range: 30 m
* = Firing at 45 degree angle
The M240 is undoubtedly one of the most fearsome weapons in the Marine inventory, and has proven especially useful in close combat and exomorph 'critter' cull operations. It is also ideal for use against fortifications because of the ability of the flame to be directed through defensive apertures. However, it is unpopular with many of operators, partly because of its short range, and also because of the tendency of the fuel reservoir to rupture violently when hit by shrapnel or small arms fire.
The M240 is 88cm long and weights 2.7 kg with full reservoir. A valve at the rear of the incinerator is used to refuel the weapon; alternatively the reservoir can be screwed off a refilled or replaced separately. A twist valve on the flamethrower regulates the fuel flow and a thumb switch on the handgrip electrically ignites the nozzles burner when depressed . The weapon is fired by squeezing the handgrip trigger, and will continue firing until the trigger is released. The range of the 240 can be increased by making a high angle shot, firing the flame unit up at an angle of about 45 degrees - the burning fuel then descends onto the target in an arc. In this way, shots can be made up to a range of 50 meters, though it is far less effective than direct fire in penetrating an armored firing slit or aperture.
VP 70 Pistol The standard hand gun of the USCM since two years back, gradually phasing out the older M4A3 pistol. The VP70 is (excepting barrel) completely made of nano bound hard impact plastics and synthetic materials, making it very light and extremely durable. The weapon uses a discarding over caliber fin stabilized SABOT type round. The barrel is made of the extremely tough tungsten-carbide metal and is of a smootbore type.
Ammo : 10mm round firing a 6mm SABOT
Wt : 0,7 kg
Mag : 11 box
Max Range: 50m
The VP70 has been criticized to lack stopping power, but the development of better personal armour made the U.S Colonial Marine chose the round because of its preferrable penetration characteristics. The VP70 uses brass casings with self contained atmosphere, making it possible to fire in vacuum. The weapon also works under water albeit range and performance is drastically reduced.
UA 571C Remote Sentry GunThe UA 571-C is a man-portable automatic perimeter defense system currently deployed by the US Army and the Colonial Marine Corps. A remote sentry unit weighs in a t 19.6 kgand can be assembled in under 150 seconds. The major components consists of a snap-open tripod mounting, battery pack, breech and barrel assembly, sensor unit and 500- round ammunition drum. A microwave datalink connects the sentry to a remote command console. Once emplaced, the system may be set to sweep wide arc sup to 360 degrees (subject to terrain and emplacement restrictions), though doctrine s to set several sentres to cover smaller, unterlocking fields of fire on a narrow frontage. The UA 571-C mounts a pulse action machine gun, using the M250 10mm x 28 HEAP round.
The UA571C has a cyclic rate of 1100rpm and is air cooled, with an automatic cutout preventing the loading of any more rounds into the breech should overheating cause a chance of ammunition 'cook-off'.
The sentry unit's sensor array is mounted above the barrel, aligned to cover a 60 degree cone in front of the weapon. If a targets visual or thermal profile is known the system may be set just to moniter these specific stargets using infrared or optical. However, the system us usally set to multi-spectral mode, where the sentry's software cross-correlates recieved data from the different sensors to obtain a full target profile.
If the sentry is set to 'auto-remote', it will interrogate all targets in its sensore cone, using an Identification Friend Foe (IFF) transponder. All Colonial Marine personnel and vehicles carry and IFF transponder in their communications gear which sends back a coded radio signal when interrogated. If the IFF return is positve, the sentry will let the solder or vehicle passs; otherwise it will open fire. If the system is set to 'manual ovrride' or 'semi-automatic', this information is flashed back to the command consile where the operate can decide whether or not to fire.
Gear Battledress Utilities Standard USCM battledress utilites (BDUs) are two-piece, lightweight polycoton coveralls with pockets secured by silent fasteners. BDUs are issued in seveal patterns for deployments to temperate,desert and jungle zones. The disruptive pattern of the fabric is printed in at least three colors, dependent on the design, and the different high-temperatures dyes used in the print process are each designed to absorb infrared radiation at different freuqencies, effectively breaking up the wearer's IR signature. The dyes' IR properties break down after time, especially after repeated washing, and so uniform utilities have to be replaced on a regular basis.
M3 Personal Armor With the devastating firepower now employed on the modern battlefield, personal protection for the Marine rifleman is essential. The major threat are not just from small-arms fire, but also from artillery blast and fragmentation. Marine combat armor is designed to balance lightness and comfort with optimum protection.
The M3 pattern personal armor is based on the French armed forces Cuirass de combat and consists of a sandwich of materials molded to form a rigid shell. The outer layer of the sandwich is a ultra-light titanium alumide alloy to provide structural strength and ablative protection against lasers. Beneath this is a core, consisting of a layer of boron carbide, resin bonded to a layer of graphite-composite carbon fiber. Boron carbide is an incredibly hard ceramic designed to shatter a bullet on impact while simultaneously forming a conoid base to absorb its energy.
Beneath this, the carbon-fiber layer provides ballistic protection at the point of of penetration by delaminating across a large area, so absorbing more energy. Finally. on the inside of the armor is woven liner made of 1500 denier Venlar fibers. This woven liner dissipates the remainder of the energy by deforming in the area of impact, and is also able to catch any spelling or fragmentation from the first three layers. Since any bullet fragment impact on the armor shell tends to compromise its integrity and ability to provide ballistic protection, it is standard practice to replace and affected section immediately.
Head protection is provided by the M10 pattern ballistic helmet, which incorporates a tactical camera, audo microphone, IFF transmitter and a PRC 489/4 reciever/transmitter system. In addition the helmet also mounts a passive infrared sight, which flips down over the right eye. This projects IR images from the thermal imaging facility built into the tactical camera, superimposing them over the background as in a Heads Up Display.
Motion Tracker The modern motion tracker is a simple surveillance device originally designed for use by rescue and police services. Essentially, it is a high-powered ultrasound scanner that uses doppler-shift discrimination to filter out moving objects from the stationary background.
A moving object is shown on the tracker's display as a series of contours of probably loci, with the range and bearing given to the target. Motion trackers are often emploted for perimeter surveillance, able to moniter movements of small animal-sized targets up to a range of 1000m in open country. The greatest advantage of the motion tracker is its ability to scan through objects; however, intervening terrain can cut this detection range quite drastically, and in built-up areas the presence of walls and partions can reduce the range to less than 20m.
Motion tracker operators must become familier with their limitations. First, they are active sensors, emitting thousands of high energy ultrasound burts every second, and can be easily located by enemy listening stations to serve as a target for enemy fire. Secondly, the tracker range gate function is calibrated to reject small or slight movements (such as bugs crawling, plants waving in the wind etc.), so that very slow-moving objects can infiltrate a trackers detection cone. Thirdly, trackers are vurnable to spoofing by ultrasound jammers or 'jumping jack' decoy devices.
IRC Mk.35 Pressure Suit Given the different standards of atmospheric in which the Colonial Marines have to operate, several models of environment suits exist in Marine service. The multi-purpose pressure suit MK.35. Bulky but well protected, the MK35 is a single element which requires no additional protective or thermal regulation garments.
The MK35 features constant-volume hard joints combined with flexible limb and torso elements allow for full mobility, even in a vacuum, and the suit includes the option for a 100% oxygen supply for use at low pressures, air for normal pressures or 2% oxygen supply with nitrogen and helium for operations in high pressure environments.
Though comfortable and easy to use the MK.35 is rarely used at low pressure and hard vacuum, partly because of the need to decompress the wearer to prevent the suit from "ballooning", and also because of the bulky life support system needed to maintain suit pressure.
Ghillie suit The ghillie suit was originally developed by Scottish gamekeepers as a portable hunting blind. The name derives from ghillie, the Scots Gaelic for "boy", in English especially used to refer to servants assisting in hunting or fishing expeditions. A ghillie dhu is a type of tree spirit that is supposed to disguise itself in leaves and vegetation.
The ghillie suit was originally developed by Scottish gamekeepers as a portable hunting blind. The name derives from ghillie, the Scots Gaelic for "boy", in English especially used to refer to servants assisting in hunting or fishing expeditions. A ghillie dhu is a type of tree spirit that is supposed to disguise itself in leaves and vegetation.
Each Ghillie suit is custom made for the wearer. Beneath the natural fiber camouflage is a suit made from radar absorbant materials. The Sniper carries a M42 Scope rifle and wears BiMex M3 day/night goggles with a magnification of 20x power. The pack to his left is a portable heat sink connected by a length of superconducting cable; this optional attachment helps regulate the suits thermal signature.
Vehicles UD4L 'Cheyenne' Dropship The UD-4 Cheyenne is a Dropship and tactical transport used by the USCM for a variety of roles. It has a primary place in the heart of an invading Marine Infantry Platoon. Entering into service at the end of the Tientsin conflict, the Cheyenne is a multi role light aerospace shuttle with a payload capability of 16,000 kg. It is ideal for it's role as a troop deployment weapon.
The UD4L Cheyennes main feature is it's ability to take off and land from unprepared sites. In addition to it's role as a transport, the Cheyenne can act as a gunship with it's weapons pods and fixed point rockets, as well as using it's internal cannon. All things considered, this is the ship of choice if you're getting into some heat.
The payload bay is a 9.5 l x 4.5 w x 2.4 h meter (102.6 m3) volume with a 3.92 meter wide deck ramp suspended from four dual-hydraulic assemblies. The deck ramp can comfortable carry a fully-crewed M577 APC (with turret stowed) or a HALOS stores pallet, and is able to raise the cargo completely into the payload space from ground level. Within the bay, latches are automatically activated, extending to hold cargoes in place when the deck is raised. A 20 cm cavity to either side of the payload bay separates the cargo volume from the outer skin and contains the main structural members, cable runs and the blower pipes from the forward turbines to the aft lift nozzles.
The spacious pressurized cockpit is accessed from the payload bay and features two crew positions, seated in tandem. Both crew sit in Martin-Siekert R2102 zero-zero ejection seats which are cleared for operation at any altitude below 10,000 m and speeds below Mach 1. In the event of an emergency, explosive cord blows the canopy off and the crew are ejected clear of the ship. Canopy transparencies are made from single-crystal quartz, flash coated with gold, germanium, molybdenum and iridium to provide protection against bright light and short-wavelength lasers. The coatings also act as a radar reflecting surface, preventing the entire cockpit volume from becoming a radar reflecting cavity.
The main fuselage also features the mounting points for the main weapons pods and the secondary weapons bay. The main weapons pods are attached to cross-folded pylons just forward of the ramrocket intakes, which at supersonic speeds, the 4.4 m pylons can be deployed crosswise to secure the ordnance within the pods. The total span of the pods when deployed is 15.3 m. The pods cannot be deployed at speeds above transonic because of the adverse effects of drag and the torsion caused by dynamic pressure on the pylons. The secondary bays also fold flush against the sides of the lifting body, and can be sprung out to expose all the weapon hardpoints and allow exhaust space for weapons launch. Unlike the main weapon pods, the secondary bays can be deployed at super-sonic speeds up to Mach 2.4 without adverse effects on dropship handling.
It must be noted that even light damage can prevent a dropship from lifting into orbit. A breach of the fuselage skin will seriously compromise the ship's high-speed thermal protection, and even a tiny hole can cause oxidation or 'burn through' when atmospheric speeds exceed Mach 5.0. To prevent such accidents, a sensor net is bonded to the inside of the skinning to monitor for breaches, differential hull temperature and ionization. If a breach is detected, a warning is flashed to the cockpit monitors to notify the crew.
The UD-4 is a reliable craft in all realms of it's aerospace operating platform, and is a popular craft with it's pilots. It handles well above the specific purpose for which it was designed, but with in the world of war, nothing can be expected to handle as it was designed, here the Cheyenne delivers above and beyond... but not as well as the pilots who push these craft to their limits would prefer.
At subsonic speeds the lifting body configuration generates little lift and the pilot becomes increasingly reliant on the flight software and lift from the vectored thrust engines to deep the dropship stable in the air. Stall speed is very high, and as the Cheyenne approaches the stall it tends to fly increasingly nose-high. As transition is made through the stall speed, vertical lift from the nose and stern nozzles are bled in to prevent departure. Though the airframe is nominally stressed to +6 g, maneuvers in conventional flight greater than +3 g are prohibited due to the excessive stall speed, which can cause the Cheyenne to prematurely depart controlled flight. When fully loaded, turns greater than +1 g are prohibited. At very low speeds and at altitudes below 500m, VTOL hovering flight is recommended. The Cheyenne is at it's nimblest in the hover; here, response is crisp in all axes and the dropship is a very steady weapons platform.
The Cheyenne has a crew of two, comprising a Pilot and a Crew Chief / Weapons Officer. Flight control is quadruplex digital fly-by-light with automatic self-monitoring and reversion to back-up modes, all handled through the Herriman-Weston 5 / 480 flight computer. There is no manual reversion since the dropship is too unstable to be flown with direct control inputs. Engine thrust and nozzle settings are automatically moved to their optimum positions depending on speed, altitude, throttle and stick settings. An intelligent autopilot facility allows the automatics to fly all phases of the mission profile, including ingress and egress to the target zone as well as landing and docking cycles.
Navigation combines an inertial system with ring laser gyros and strapdown accelerometers, backed up by Global Positioning from reference satellites where available. Dropship communications are handled through a AN / ASC-155 digital datalink offering HF, VHF, UHF and SHF broadcast options. The hardware includes two 12-channel receiver / transmitters with the associated antennae capable of establishing high performance voice, video or computer links in a stressed environment. Antijam features are classified, though they are known to include adaptive HF spectrum techniques to achieve a low probability of intercept and frequency hopping.
The Cheyenne is a very reliable and complex machine, not to mention a deadly weapon if deployed correctly. Information on this craft can be broken down into 2 categories, with 3 divisions within each category. The first, "Characteristics," gives a general description of the UD-4 as a combat unit. The second category breaks the craft down into individual systems, where the main focus is specific tasks or advantages. The menu to the right gives you the option of viewing any of these files. The UD-4 'Cheyenne' is a versatile dropship and tactical transport employed in a primary role in the United States Colonial Marine Corps. Derived from and original Department of Defense requirement formulated at the end of the Tientsin conflict for a multi-role light aerospace shuttle capable of lifting heavy payloads up 10 16,000 kg, the UD-4 has evolved into the definitive dropship design, influencing the shape of many derivatives and successors.
The Cheyenne's unique flexibility comes from its ability to lift itself into orbit under its own power from unprepared landing sites with the aid of its vertical takeoff (VTOL) capability. In addition to carrying its large payload, the Cheyenne can operate in the close-support gunship role by deploying weapons pods and hardpoints for rockets and missiles, as well as using its own internal gun.
Conestoga Class Light Assault Ship The Conestoga class vessels were originally designed as a troop and logistic transports with a limited defensive capability, however, this role has evolved over years of operational use from a fleet prime mover into that of a light assault ship with secondary responsibilities for space control and orbital bombardment support. Of the 36 Conestogas built, 27 remain in service at TL3, 35 at TL4, 25 at TL 5 and less than 10 at TL6, filling a niche in the CMC/Marine inventory that will not be filled until the commissioning next year of the first of the new Bougainville class attack transports.
Over 385 meters in length and massing some 78,000 metric tons, the Conestogas are designed to an 8-17-0 layout, an asymmetric configuration which offers the optimum cargo capacity within a compact and well-armored hull. The spaceframe extends forward and aft of the vessel's primary power system, a Westingland A-59 fusion reactor with a maximum generating output of 3.6 Terawatts. Like most military vessels, the Conestogas use a lithium-hydride or 'dry' fusion plant. The basic fuel for the plant is the crystalline powder form of lithium-hydride. The specific gravity of the fuel is 0.82 metric tons per cubic meter, making it extremely space efficient, avoiding the problems of cryogenic storage associated with civilian reactors fueled by heavy hydrogen isotopes such as deuterium and tritium. The LiH plant accepts the powder in very fine form, allowing it to be shipped and pumped as if it were a liquid, and administered into the powerplant as a blown dust. The powder must be stored in double-lined containers to prevent contact with water, otherwise it will dissociate and react violently.
All propulsion units are located aft of the Conestoga’s main reactor. All Conestoga class vessels employ a dual drive method for sublight and Faster Than Light (FTL) movement. To maneuver in realspace at sublight speeds, the Conestoga is equipped with four Gates-Heidman GF-240 rockets than derive power from the main reactor. At maximum power, each rocket provides a thrust of more than 35,100 metric tons. However, fuel consumption is astronomical, allowing maximum thrust for short periods. When FTL travel is necessary, the Conestoga employs a Romberg-Rockwell Cygnus 5 tachyon shunt hyperdrive. The normal cruising speed sustainable by these units is .74 light years per Terran day.
Spaceframe composition consists of bonded alloy and composite beams. These materials provide enough strength for massive acceleration while remaining flexible enough to withstand atmospheric re-entry. Hull armor consists of one armored skin, heavier than that on civilian transports. The armor is composed of laminated insulators, micrometeorite shielding, composite material, and aerogel. Protection against projectile weapons is limited, as with all spacecraft, but the aerogel is capable of dissipating radiation from lasers and particle beams. The hull is also covered with radar absorbent material. The engines vents are provided with infrared suppression/dispersion. The hull coating is laser absorbent to reduce lidar detection. The ship is colored in a dark charcoal scheme to reduce visibility. The foremost hull section provides the main cargo area for the Conestoga. Five 25x10 meter cargo doors on each side of the hull provide access. They have even been retrofitted into improvised dropship/shuttle launch bays. Underneath the cargo area reside the Conestoga's dedicated dropship/shuttle hangar with capacity for up to four UD-4L Cheyenne dropships.
To reduce crew workload, and increase efficiency and safety, operation of the ship is fully automated. The Conestoga is equipped with a 28 Terabyte, carbon-60 based core mainframe. In effect, the ship could pilot itself and fight a space battle even if the crew were all dead or in hypersleep. However, at any time, combat or navigational decisions made by the ship can be overridden by the commanding officer. Backup is provided by an 8 terabyte mainframe and local terminals dispersed throughout the ship. Most damage control is automated by the Conestoga's mainframe. If the reactor suffers severe damage, the entire assembly can be jettisoned before an explosion occurs. If the vehicle is damaged to the point it becomes untenable, emergency evac is prompted by the CO or automated systems. The Conestoga carries 8 type 337 emergency escape vehicles. If the crew is in hypersleep, their capsules will be loaded by the automatic systems. The ship may also be scuttled by the CO. Self-destruct protocols are initiated manually, causing the reactor to go supercritical fifteen minutes after initiation.
The Conestoga carries a light complement of weaponry that allows it to function as a light cruiser. The main space-to-space punch is provided by eight XIM-28A Long Lance ASAT missiles within a dorsal launch bay. The missile is self guiding, and is capable of homing through the reception of several different formats of energy emission from the target. Its warhead is a forged fragment ring that creates a lethal burst of fragments. Secondary punch is provided by several systems. Twin 800 megavolt particle beams run parallel to the ship's main axis. These weapons are powered from storage cells between the main reactor and the weapons. For close combat, the Conestoga mounts twin railguns in dorsal and ventral turrets. Muzzle velocities exceed 12 km per second, with a practical range of 100 km. A single hit from a railgun round is often enough to cripple a ship. Close-in defense is handled by port and starboard laser turrets.
The Conestoga mounts 80 megawatt infrared lasers capable of vaporizing railgun fire or crippling incoming missiles and fighters. A ventral launch bay carries 60 orbital mines, enough to deny low orbit to large ships. A dorsal bay amidships also carries 20 decoys designed to present a radar signature mimicking the Conestoga's. There are also two maneuvering drones designed to confuse enemy spacecraft. Space-to-surface capability is provided by a magazine below the cargo bay and forward of the dropship hangar. 80 free-fall, self-guiding re-entry vehicles are carried. The armament carried by the Conestoga enhances her flexibility, allowing her to function as a multi-role platform independent of a fleet or taskforce. She can carry a sizable Marine complement while defending herself from attack, or provide orbital bombardment in support of a Marine landing or planetary action. This has made the Conestoga the prime movers of the Marine fleet for almost two decades.
M577 Armored personnel carrier The M577 is a lightweight, low-cost, and well-armed armored personnel carrier that was designed to fill the need of a dropable APC that could quickly deploy marines into a battlefield. Its design makes it a great multi-role vehicle, and has the capability to fill all needs. The M577 was designed to be as sturdy as possible, while keeping a combat weight of below 15,000 kg. The chassis was designed after the M570 family of vehicles whose main roles were primary transport and mortar platform. The APC is built around a 4 x 4-wheeled layout, powered by a 286 kW multi-fuel gas turbine engine that generates a power-to-weight ratio in the region of 19.7 kW/kN. Although the wheel configuration does not provide as rugged a cross-country performance as a tracked vehicle, it does offer considerable savings in terms of weight penalties and reliability.
The main feature of the M577 are the massive 159-cm diameter wheels, each receive independent power from the engine via a fully automatic, electronically controlled transmission system. The tires are armored plated to prevent penetration by ground debris or small arms fire, and are pressure regulated by the driver, allowing him to deflate and inflate them depending on the terrain condition.
The M577 is operated by two crew (the driver and section commander) and allows twelve positions for passengers, all equipped with yoke harness restraints for orbital combat drop. Entry is made via the main starboard sliding door or port side drivers hatch. The interior is spacious despite the vehicle being visually small, and allows for plenty of weapons and equipment storage. In the rear of the APC is the audio and video linkups so the section commander can keep contact with the vehicle's infantry complement via real-time video and battle management displays.
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