Dart

“I always liked the saying: “too much, too early”. That’s what this is, unmanned star fighters that will bolster our numbers and that can be sent on suicide missions. But they won’t be suicide missions, attrition wise they will insure that we can beat them thru numbers. Sure they can use those fancy Star Hornet weapons but the main thing is that they’re so many of them.”

NCO explaining his views on what makes the Dart a good addition to the Grand Alliance forces.

Speed: Mach 20

Length: 20 meters

Armour: Duratanium

Reactor: 2 cold fusion reactors (1 in engine pod, 1 in main body)

Combat range: 10,000 km

Weapons fixed: 2 medium plasma cannons (mounted under the nose of fighter, uses charge pods for each shot, can carry 300 pods for each gun)

Weapon options: Any weapon system that can be mounted on a Star Hornet.

Created almost last minute a scant 2 weeks before major offences began, the Dart is an unmanned light assault fighter. Preliminary sorties be Grand Alliance star fighters and mecha proved that the enemy was tougher then originally planned for. Even with heavy and even mega class mecha it would be not enough to win. The war would be one of numbers as well as advance technology. As with Project Ares, Project Checkmate was an attempt to field a large number of fighters as fast as possible. The additional requirement was that these new fighter be unmanned.

By using common parts and weapons with the Star Hornet the production of Darts could begin immediately and soon production lines for Darts were outpacing Star Hornet production by 10:1. By using advances in AI as well as remote piloting a large number of Darts could be fielded without the need for pilots to pilot them all. For every Dart that is remote piloted 40 Darts are AI controlled.

The Dart is a relatively simple machine with 2 cold fusion reactors. Without a shielding system and a plasma gun that is powered by separate ammunition these generator were more then enough to power the Dart. Any weapon the Dart could equip would have its charge time cut in half. The charge pod were solid pods which could store a large amount of energy and discharge them when need be. This meant that the Dart didn’t need a power generator exclusively for the plasma gun; the charge pods act like limited use ammunition. Consequently the Dart had a limited amount of shots.

Due to the lack of shielding the armour on the Dart was increased 20% over the Star Hornet. This still meant that it could take 3-4 shots from a light mech but could have more armour slapped on for a repair. This also meant that the Dart was actually lighter then a Star Hornet, and with the 4 manuver thrusters it was equally as manuverable. The smaller rear thrusters meant that the Dart was 6 mach slower then the Star Hornet.

The ENABLED ability was the multi directional attack arms, like the Star Hornet they could be used to point weapons at many different angles. The two top attack arms could only mount light weapons such as the ones that were attachable to the underside of a Star Hornet. The lower attack arm was used to mount the heavy weapons such as cannons or sniper rifles. In attack mode the Dart was a fearsome opponent that could aim at multiple targets and get away fast. Cruise mode was use for storage as well as ferrying purposes. Its weapons were limited in the range of movement they had.

Armour mode was used for atmospheric re-entry as well as insertion into intense combat zones. The Dart could not attack in this mode but had armour heavy enough to withstand a single blast from a cap ship. This mode was useful for deep strike tactics.

Experimental weapons:

With the war in progress the prototype weapons intended for the Star Hornet were rushed into development. They are now being field tested on the Dart to see if they will be any use to Star Hornets.

(From left to right)

Designation: EMP plasma laser

Nickname: Shocker

Attachable: yes

An experimental plasma laser, which has 10% more punch then, the Fryer but more importantly acted as a conduit for an EMP. This laser could still slice thru light mechs but it could also disable mechs, which it couldn’t take out in one shot. Paired with another powerful weapon this weapon looks like it could give some versatility to the Star Hornet’s arsenal. As a last bonus the charge time is half of the Fryer’s charge time.

Designation: Mega Gun Cluster

Nickname: Bang and Fry (B’n’F)

Attachable: No

This weapon consist of two 45 mm gatling guns and two mega pulse lasers. The pulse lasers have a fire rate of 2 shots a second and the gatlings fire at the same rate as an avenger cannon. The pulse lasers have 50% of a Fryer’s power and the 45 mm are slightly weaker then 60 mm rounds. What this means is that in one burst a medium even a heavy mech can be severely damaged. The bad news is that while the pulse lasers have virtually unlimited ammunition the 45 mm do not. Even with an enlarged carrying capacity it is only possible to fire continuously for 40 seconds. This mix of unlimited fire time and limited ammo for the 45 mm make this weapon system a mixed blessing.

Designation: Mega magnetic torroid barrier system

Nickname: Panzer’s shield

Attachable: no

This improved shield generator can match the shielding found on Grand Arms Panzer. This essentially gives any unit capable of equipping this weapon a shield of a heavy mech. Unfortunately it takes up a weapon slot on a Star Hornet. However for Darts with 3 active weapon hardpoints this is of a little consequence. Thus Darts can have heavy shielding and sufficient heavy firepower if equipped right.

Designation: Enhanced optical sensor/ multiwave floodlight unit

Nickname: Opera glasses

Attachable: no

This system enhances the capability of the magic eye attachment. This system increases visual acquisition and paints a target in electromagnetic waves. In other words this system makes a mech see farther and better in adverse conditions. For Star Hornets this would turn them into light recon mechs. A situation most pilots don’t want to be in. For Darts this means they turn into very fast, very sensitive long rang probes. Since Darts are expendable this would seem to make more sense to equip them with the full recon package. A Panzer’s shield on top of this would make them very durable probes as well.