Starfleet Troop landing craft

Showcase your own starship and weapon designs or other creative artwork
User avatar
Graham Kennedy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 11561
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:28 pm
Location: Banbury, UK
Contact:

Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Graham Kennedy »

Lately I've been toying with ideas for Starfleet amphibious ships. This is one I doodled up. Lots of decisions still to be made, but I see this as a midsize ship, in the region of 450 m long, which makes the landing craft about 50 m long (compared to about 75 m for a Boeing 747, though these are lots wider). There is space for two layers of landing craft one above the other; 14 craft in all. The row of bubbles along each side of the spine are small phaser banks, Type V; not powerful and with crappy fields of fire, they are used for surface bombardment. There's two small Type VIIIs on the saucer for self defence.

Image
Give a man a fire, and you keep him warm for a day. SET a man on fire, and you will keep him warm for the rest of his life...
User avatar
McAvoy
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Posts: 6225
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:39 am
Location: East Windsor, NJ

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by McAvoy »

Nice. But there is no reason why they have to be in the same of a circle. Some fan made ships I have seen basically have a block with a bridge and nacelles attached to it. But more or less what you got.

Type V phasers? Why so weak?

I take it by looking at the nacelles, that this is built in the 2370's?
"Don't underestimate the power of technobabble: the Federation can win anything with the sheer force of bullshit"
User avatar
Graham Kennedy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 11561
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:28 pm
Location: Banbury, UK
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Graham Kennedy »

From what we have seen of Starfleet ships, this kind of hull configuration is efficient for warp flight; there must be a reason they use it! So whilst a big blocky thing may be possible, this is likely a better shape. Plus I like the aesthetics of it.

Type V phasers because it's role is to act as artillery to support ground troops, not to blast the crust off the planet. In a Voyager ep we saw a shuttle blow a truck apart, with what was likely a Type IV. These phasers would be one step up from that, able to take out a building or perhaps a city block with with one shot.

Nacelles are Sovereign style but I don't really have a specific timeframe for it. If I went with Sov nacelles then the saucer really needs to be elliptical. I might go with an earlier design and make the nacelles recent refit items... or just use an earlier nacelle design. Haven't decided.
Give a man a fire, and you keep him warm for a day. SET a man on fire, and you will keep him warm for the rest of his life...
User avatar
McAvoy
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Posts: 6225
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:39 am
Location: East Windsor, NJ

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by McAvoy »

TNG nacelles would look nice on it. I'd use a modified version off of one of the Nova class concepts in the TNG TM.

Is this just a troop landing ship or is a amphibious? Because it's the later, you might need a bigger shuttle bay, for fighter/shuttle support.
"Don't underestimate the power of technobabble: the Federation can win anything with the sheer force of bullshit"
Mikey
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 35635
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:04 am
Commendations: The Daystrom Award
Location: down the shore, New Jersey, USA
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Mikey »

I'd rather see some more anti-ship weaponry, as I could see a vessel like this having to operate without close support and having to defend itself while delivering its packages. Other than that, I like the design. Is the primary hull strictly landers and support, or is the bridge etc in there too?

Also, have you spec'd the landers yet? I'd be interested to see, for example, if the landers themselves are strictly atmospheric and the ship must enter the atmosphere, or can they be launched from orbit or even intra-planetary space?
I can't stand nothing dull
I got the high gloss luster
I'll massacre your ass as fast
as Bull offed Custer
User avatar
Graham Kennedy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 11561
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:28 pm
Location: Banbury, UK
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Graham Kennedy »

I don't like "can do everything" ships. There is no way you can make this ship as good in ship to ship combat as one of equal size designed for that purpose. So why bother to go to the expense of making it with 70% of that capability when it still means it's on the losing end? If it's going to be no good in that role then it's a waste of time putting resources into that role.

It's rather like saying you're going to hang sidewinders and AMRAAMs off a C-5 so that it can take on any fighters it meets. There's just no way a C-5 is going to beat a fighter, so you don't bother trying. You just send a fighter escort instead. This thing would only operate in an environment where there's no ship opposition, or where it has support to keep it safe.

The bridge is atop the primary; I haven't detailed it much as I'm not 100% on the scale of components yet.

The landers would be launched from orbit. Sublight only, no warp drive on them. I suppose they might undertake short interplanetary missions, but that wouldn't be a regular thing at all. Straight from orbit down, fly around in the atmosphere as needed, back up to the ship again.
Give a man a fire, and you keep him warm for a day. SET a man on fire, and you will keep him warm for the rest of his life...
Mikey
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 35635
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:04 am
Commendations: The Daystrom Award
Location: down the shore, New Jersey, USA
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Mikey »

I wasn't suggesting trying to turn this into a ship-of-the-line; I just don't see it as any great expenditure to maybe give it slightly more ship-to-ship defensive properties, because this thing is going to have a screaming bull's-eye on it as it's launching the landers.
I can't stand nothing dull
I got the high gloss luster
I'll massacre your ass as fast
as Bull offed Custer
Aaron
3 Star Admiral
3 Star Admiral
Posts: 10988
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:01 pm
Location: Timepire Mobile Command Centre
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Aaron »

Mikey wrote:I wasn't suggesting trying to turn this into a ship-of-the-line; I just don't see it as any great expenditure to maybe give it slightly more ship-to-ship defensive properties, because this thing is going to have a screaming bull's-eye on it as it's launching the landers.
RL Gator Navy ships travel with an escort and have minimal defences. Just have this ship travel with a couple Defiants and a cruiser.
Mikey
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 35635
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:04 am
Commendations: The Daystrom Award
Location: down the shore, New Jersey, USA
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Mikey »

I think two or three extra arrays is a lot cheaper.
I can't stand nothing dull
I got the high gloss luster
I'll massacre your ass as fast
as Bull offed Custer
User avatar
Graham Kennedy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 11561
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:28 pm
Location: Banbury, UK
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Graham Kennedy »

If it's not going to be a ship of the line, then what is the point of trying to up arm it? Put two or three more arrays on... for what? An enemy cruiser is still going to kill it easily, so all you have done is wasted the cost of two or three arrays. Sending a cruiser with it may seem more expensive, but it really isn't because if all goes as planned, the cruiser doesn't get destroyed!

This is exactly what happens today. We don't put harpoon missiles on troop ships or amphibious assault ships, precisely because it would be a pointless expense that would achieve nothing.
Give a man a fire, and you keep him warm for a day. SET a man on fire, and you will keep him warm for the rest of his life...
User avatar
McAvoy
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Posts: 6225
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:39 am
Location: East Windsor, NJ

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by McAvoy »

GrahamKennedy wrote:It's rather like saying you're going to hang sidewinders and AMRAAMs off a C-5 so that it can take on any fighters it meets. There's just no way a C-5 is going to beat a fighter, so you don't bother trying. You just send a fighter escort instead. This thing would only operate in an environment where there's no ship opposition, or where it has support to keep it safe.
F/A-18E/F Super Hornets that are configured for tanking are now armed with sidewinders. I don't think a tanker's going to fight any fighters any time soon. More like drop the tanks and haul ass away.

Anyway, I can see one or two defensive arrays maybe along that 'spine' and a third on the bottom somewhere. But that's about it.
"Don't underestimate the power of technobabble: the Federation can win anything with the sheer force of bullshit"
Aaron
3 Star Admiral
3 Star Admiral
Posts: 10988
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:01 pm
Location: Timepire Mobile Command Centre
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Aaron »

Mikey wrote:I think two or three extra arrays is a lot cheaper.
Besides the points that Graham has made, there is the simple fact that if your landing troops then your probably going to have a fleet in system or on the way anyways.
User avatar
McAvoy
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Posts: 6225
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:39 am
Location: East Windsor, NJ

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by McAvoy »

Cpl Kendall wrote:
Mikey wrote:I think two or three extra arrays is a lot cheaper.
Besides the points that Graham has made, there is the simple fact that if your landing troops then your probably going to have a fleet in system or on the way anyways.
Good point.

I still think defensive phaser arrays wouldn't be a bad idea. If you really think about it, if a enemy fleet wanted to attack an orbiting invasion fleet, they would go after the troop transports first. Fleets are useless against planets if you can't occupy them. Sure orbital bombardment is one way, but it'll make whatever is usefull on that planet destroyed. Besides if that option is on the table, you don't need a troop transport. So even a Type VII might come in handy to ward off any stray ships that get close enough or delay them for one of your escorts to catch up.

What are those circles on top of the ship?
"Don't underestimate the power of technobabble: the Federation can win anything with the sheer force of bullshit"
User avatar
Graham Kennedy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 11561
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:28 pm
Location: Banbury, UK
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Graham Kennedy »

The Hornet is an interesting case, because it was one of the first fighters that was truly multi role, equally good at both air to air and air to ground. But even there, it is not as good at air to air as it could be if they removed the attack role, and not as good at attack as it could be if they removed the air to air role.

It's still better at either than most people's aircraft just because the US has a lot of money and technology to throw around, but to an extent it's a jack of all trades - and therefore master of none.
Give a man a fire, and you keep him warm for a day. SET a man on fire, and you will keep him warm for the rest of his life...
Aaron
3 Star Admiral
3 Star Admiral
Posts: 10988
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:01 pm
Location: Timepire Mobile Command Centre
Contact:

Re: Starfleet Troop landing craft

Post by Aaron »

McAvoy wrote:
Good point.

I still think defensive phaser arrays wouldn't be a bad idea. If you really think about it, if a enemy fleet wanted to attack an orbiting invasion fleet, they would go after the troop transports first. Fleets are useless against planets if you can't occupy them. Sure orbital bombardment is one way, but it'll make whatever is usefull on that planet destroyed. Besides if that option is on the table, you don't need a troop transport. So even a Type VII might come in handy to ward off any stray ships that get close enough or delay them for one of your escorts to catch up.

What are those circles on top of the ship?
Well, yeah. Give them the SF equivalent of a light gun or something to keep the enemy away, just one or two. I don't know what type is what though.

Think those top circles are for orbital bombardment.
Post Reply