extremes - it is the longest, heaviest and most massive tactical attack craft ever carried by a Coalition vessel, and is capable of
carrying a greater weight of firepower over a longer distance than any other tactical subship in Coalition history.
The layout is relatively conventional, with a bulbous forward fuselage housing the twin tandem cockpit, computer systems, fuel
tanks and the power core. As is usual for Coalition fighters the cockpit is a self-contained escape and survival pod capable of
supporting the occupants in a semi-hibernation state for up to two weeks. The narrow rear fuselage section contains the
ZPEX / power conversion tower. The midspace shunts are contained within nacelles flanking the aft fuselage. Like all modern
shunts the TX-135s use neutronium antenna held rigid by a forcefield system generated by a condensed matter jacket. They
are designed for high efficiency in a sustained cruise mode; thrust response, acceleration and agility are all relatively
poor.
Like most attack craft the Massacre is not fitted with a cannon, relying purely on ECM and shielding to resist enemy fighters
and torpedoes. The two hardpoints can each carry 35,000 kilos, and a typical load would comprise up to twelve Type 29 or
two Type 28 drift bombs, or six Scorpion anti ship
torpedoes.
Maximum speed is 550 kc, which is relatively high, but top speed is of little importance to an attack craft because travelling at
full throttle burns up fuel to little gain. Far more important is minimum speed; lower speeds extend the range, and in theory
a subship could cruise almost indefinitely at just above the speed of light. Unfortunately, below a certain point the power core
produces too little energy to keep the zero point energy multiplier operating. The minimum operating speed needed to
avoid stalling the power system is 300 kc for the Massacre. The endurance at this speed is five and a half hours, giving a range
of some 1,600 kLH. Carrying a maximum warload on the outward leg cuts the speed to 216 kc, and this gives a theoretical
combat radius of 682 kLH. Even when taking into account time spent in marshalling formations and landing back at the parent
ship, the Massacre could comfortably strike at ranges of 600 kLH, which is well over double the radius of a Samurai class
fighter/attack craft! The Massacre thus provided the Coalition Navy with a truly awesome combination of reach and punch.
The Massacre was initially somewhat unpopular with its crews, largely due to the cockpit design. The crew compartment is
extremely cramped, so much so that it takes considerable effort for an average sized Human to climb in and out of one.
Once inside many find the close quarters extremely oppressive, especially on a mission which can last five and a half hours.
The handling was famously described as "fine but utterly boring" by one of the test pilots, and the craft certainly isn't going to
win any dogfights; it takes minutes to accelerate from stall to maximum speed, and the turning radius is huge by the
standards of most subships. Although it is easy to fly, transitioning into the Massacre tends to be a somewhat daunting experience.
The flight systems are extremely complex to operate - the phis sensor alone has twenty six operating modes. As a result the
failure rate for new crewmembers tended to be noticeably higher than average. Despite this, once in service the Massacre
promptly begin scoring more hits at longer ranges than any other craft in the fleet. As the Massacres began notching up kill
after kill, so the pilots grumbling began to turn into respect and then admiration. The Navy brass, who of course never
had to sit in a cockpit, was delighted with their new acquisition from the start
Over the years the Massacre has been progressively updated, with most changes concentrated on the computer and sensor
systems. Currently it totes a long range tachyon scanner, a short range high resolution tachyon scanner, a navigation ladar,
and a phis sensor. The latter is one of the better models in service, and allows the Massacre to conduct detailed surveys of
the major internal systems of a spacecraft from distances of about 5 kLH, allowing target identification and classification.
Recently there has been speculation as to a successor, but the Navy is so happy with its Massacres that it has never yet put
in any formal request for a replacement - and indeed has opposed moves to replace the Massacre with a new attack craft!
External view :
Internal systems : Note the gigantic fuel tank.
To scale with a Deathdealer :
