Banshee Class Light Cruiser
The Banshee class was one of earth's first warship designs after the end of the 1st Robotech War. Originally created as a non-fold capable patrol vessel, small enough to navigate the orbital debris ring around earth, and the range to reach objectives in the inner solar system and asteroid belt. The design was created with heavy firepower and mecha capacity for its size, capable of engaging small Zentreadi warships. This firepower and mecha compliment came at the expense of cramped crew spaces and limited supplies. The Banshee Class proved very adept at rooting out Zentraedi remnants in the debris ring and inner system, and in supporting allied Zentraedi in combating renegades in the outer system. By 2018 there were nearly a hundred of the vessels, and ship based renegade Zentreadi had become a rare sight. The class was refitted to include fold capability in 2019, and established as the Standard escort cruiser of the UEDF and UEEF. While the UEEF took most of the existing vessels with them to Tirol when they left in 2022, the ASC would build dozens more, to expand their fleet and secure earth against threats. The UEEF would use the vessel largely in reconnaissance and special operations roles, surveying enemy held systems and inserting teams of Marines and Special forces to perform covert missions.
Model Type: Super Dimensional Light Guided Missile Cruiser (SDCLG)Class: Banshee ClassShip's Complement:Ship's Crew: 60 total, not counting the air group personnel.
Bridge Crew: Ship's Captain (1), Executive Officer (1), Navigation (2), Communications/Sensors (6), Fold Ops (2), Security (2 Security Corpsmen with environmental armor and Carbines)
Combat Information Center: Operations Commander (1), Commander's Aides (2), Military Advisors (2), Ship's weapons (6), Comms (4), Security Team (4 Security Corpsmen with environmental armor and carbines)
Ship's Operations: Engineering (8), Medical Team (5), General Enlisted (14)
Air Group: 12-24 Pilots, and 50 support and maintenance staff.
Mecha Compliment: The Banshee class is equipped with an internal hanger bay and a connected ventral launch bay. The complement of the ship's fighter wing will vary based on the needs of the ship and the size of the Mecha and Fighters carried. When first deployed, standard complement was one squadron of 12 VF-1 Valkyries, or a mixture of eight (8) SF-3 Lancer Fighters and four (4) QF-3000 Drones. In ASC service it was commonly fitted for two squadrons (20) of VFA-8 Logan Fighters, while during the war against the Robotech Masters many were configured to support a single squadron (10) of VFH-10 Ajax, or one squadron (20) of VHT-01 Spartas Hovertanks. UEEF Banshee's were typically assigned one squadron of 12 SF/A-5 Conbat Strike Fighters, or a reinforced squadron of 12 VF/A-6 Alpha Fighters and 2-4 VF/B-9 Beta Fighters. MDC by location:Interior bulkheads per 10ft (3m) section – 100Interior hatches – 45 eachExterior hatches – 45 each Forward Torpedo Tubes (4) – 100 each Anti-ship Missile Launchers (2) – 450 each CIWS Lasers (6) – 100 each CIWS Missile Launchers (6) – 220 each
Mecha Launch Bay – 600
Forward Sensor Array (2) – 300 each
Sensor Array Antennae (4) – 100 each
Main Thrusters (2) – 800 each
Maneuvering Thrusters (8) – 250 each
*Forward hull section (1/3) – 900
**Midships Hull Section (1/3) – 900
***Aft Hull Section (1/3rd) 900
****Hull per 40ft (12.2m) area – 150
*Destroying the forward section of the hull will destroy the torpedo tubes and the forward sensor array.
**Destroying the midships hull section will destroy the midships hull section will destroy the bridge and command deck, and eliminate all weapon controls, rendering the ship flyable but unable to fight.
***Destroying the aft section of the hull will destroy the engines, setting the ship adrift. It will also destroy or render inoperable both anti-ship missile launchers and all four CIWS missile launchers.
****Punching holes in the hull will cause the damage control system to automatically seal off whatever compartment has been exposed to vacuum. Ships are highly compartmentalized to prevent decompression of the whole ship.
Speed: Hover: The ship can hover in atmosphere and is capable of VTOL launches thanks to its powerful thrusters and antigravity system. Atmosphere: Maximum atmospheric speed is 1,380 mph (2,209 kmh), or mach 1.8 Space: orbital cruising speed of 18,000 mph (18,800 kmh, or mach 23.5). maximum interplanetary speed of approximately 450,000 mph (724,000 kmh, or Mach 591) can be attained by three days of constant acceleration. Maximum Range: Limited only by supplies. The ship's reflex furnace has fuel enough for 5 years, although shipboard expendables are only good for four months of constant deployment with a standard crew and troop compliment. The fold array is good for jumps of up to 70 parsecs (228.3 light years), with longer trips requiring multiple folds. Statistical Data: Length: 640 feet (195.1 m) Beam: 168.6 feet (51.4 m) Height: 107 feet (32.8 m) with Antennae retracted, 379.3 Feet (115.6 m) with Antennae deployed. Weight: 72,000 tons full loaded. Power Source: One Reflex Furnace powering two capital class plasma thruster arrays and one Mk.II Sub-Capital Hyperspace Fold Generator. Secondary power is two SLMH fusion reactors (1 month supply of fuel) capable of powering the plasma thruster arrays and non-energy weaponry, but not the fold system.
Weapon Systems:
1. TDSH-4 Heavy Torpedo Array: Mounted on either side of the bow are two heavy torpedo tubes (4 total) firing 36 inch anti-ship torpedoes. Armed with proton or Reflex warheads, torpedoes are relatively short-ranged but are extremely deadly and designed specifically to breach hulls and break keels.
Primary Purpose: Anti-ship Secondary
Purpose: Anti-installation
Weight: Not applicable, part of the ship's hull.
Range: per Long range missile, typically 1000 miles (1600 km)
Mega-damage: Any long-range missile can be fired, but standard payload is Anti-ship torpedoes with the following warheads: Proton: 6D6x10 M.D. Or Reflex 6D8x10 M.D.
Rate of Fire: Singly or in volleys of 2 or 4.
Payload: 20 torpedoes in a dedicated magazine.
2. MDS-H-10 Anti-ship Guided Missile Launchers (2): These massive ten tube vertical launch missile silos are mounted dorsally on the engine sponsons, on either side of the command deck. Similar to the weapons mounted on the Oberth Guided Missile Destroyers from the 1st Robotech War, these launchers fire anti-ship guided tactical Reflex missiles. These missiles allow small squadrons of Banshee's to annihilate capital class ships.
Primary Purpose: Anti-ship
Secondary Purpose: Anti-installation
Weight: Not applicable, part of the ship's hull.
Range: per Long range missile, typically 1000 miles (1600 km)
Mega-damage: 1D4x100 M.D. Per medium Reflex warhead.
Rate of Fire: Singly or in volleys of 2, 8, or 10.
Payload: 10 missiles in each launcher.
3. CIWS-L-20 Point Defense Lasers (6): Spread around the ship's top and side hull are six rapid-fire, single barreled 20mm lasers in armored turrets. Each turret has 360 degree rotation and a traverse of 180 degrees, giving them a very comprehensive field of fire. These weapons are used primarily as anti missile and anti-mecha weapons, and are the main component of the the ship's Close-In Weapons System, although during the war against the Robotech masters, these weapons were sometimes ineffectively pressed into use as anti-ship weaponry. Primary Purpose: Anti-missile Secondary Purpose: Anti-mecha Weight: Not applicable, part of the ship's hull. Range: 4,500 feet (1,371 m) Mega-damage: 5D6 M.D. Per single blast, or 1D6x10 M.D. Per rapid-fire dual pulse at the same target. Rate of Fire: Each blast counts as one attack. Payload: Effectively unlimited.
4. MDS-L-10 CIWS Missile Launchers (4): In each of the aft engine sponsons are two vertical silo launchers for 190mm stand-off aerospace defense missiles. These weapons are used primarily in the anti-mecha role, and are part of the Ship's Close-In Weapon System. Each launcher holds thirty missiles at the ready, and ten more in an armored, autoloading magazine.
Primary Purpose: Anti-mecha
Secondary Purpose: Anti-missile
Weight: Not applicable, part of the ship's hull.
Range: Per short range missile (typically 5 miles/8 km)
Mega-damage: Typically HE/F (High Explosive Fragmentation) short range stand-off missiles dealing 2D6x10 M.D. to a 30 foot (9.1m) radius.
Rate of Fire: Singly or in volleys of 4, 6, or 10.
Payload: 40 short range missiles in each launcher for a total of 160 missiles.
5. Forward Long-range Sensor Array: The Banshee class is fitted with an array of powerful sensors in its forward hull, giving it superior range and capabilities over standard ship sensors. The diverse set of sensor systems in each array are duplicated on each side of the hull, and have a 120 degree field of view. While this leaves large blind spots to the bow and stern of the ship (covered only by standard ship sensors), it does provide an effective recon capability.
AN/SPD-120 Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar: This system uses radar imaging to create a two dimensional image of the target. ISAR allows the vessel to visually identify a target at ranges where a standard radar would only display a featureless dot or point. It may also map the surface of a planet or moon even through a thick atmosphere. Effective range of 300,000 miles (482,803.2 km)
AN/SSQ-30 Differential Gravimeter: This system uses an array of special accelerometers designed to detect minute gravity changes, allowing it to measure gravity fields, and map the density of objects using the strength and shape of those gravity fields. This system allows for the ship to perform geophysical surveys, as well as potentially locate bases and hidden vessels inside wreckage or asteroids. (GM note: the Differential Gravimeter is also capable of detecting large vessels hidden by shadow cloaking devices (65% chance), although it is not accurate enough to allow such ships to be targeted accurately.) The Differential Gravimeter has a 360 degree coverage, and an effective range of 400,000 miles (643737.6 km)
AN/SAD-50 Infrared Scanning Parallax Camera System: This is an array of long range high fidelity infrared cameras, which can visually detect objects at extreme range, and determine the object's range, course, and speed. The system can additionally estimate the object's probable composition based on albedo and spectrographic analysis, and if the object is a ship, determine the vessels sublight drive type and power. The system has an effective range of 1,000,000 miles (1,609,344 km)
6. AN/SRQ-300 Electronic Signals Intelligence (ELINT) Suite: This is a powerful passive radio detection array comprises the four retractable antennae mounted on the aft third of the ship. Giving the vessel the ability to detect, triangulate, record, and analyze any radio or radar signal over a enormous range, the ELINT suite allows the banshee class to perform surveillance and reconnaissance duties across an entire solar system. The system can detect signals from a distance of up to 1 astronomical unit (92,956,000 miles/149,598,180.86km, or 8 light-minutes), even if that distance is far beyond the effective range of the radio or radar being detected.
7.RAM Stealth Coatings: The early production runs of Banshee class vessels were designed with an eye for stealth, fitted with hull coatings comprised of Radar Absorbent Materials that reduced the ship's ability to be detected on radar. In combat this made them more difficult to target (-4 to strike penalty applied to all incoming fire aimed by radar), and with the engines off and the power systems stepped down to minimum, made the vessel difficult to detect, although such a state could not be maintained for extended periods. This mode was referred to as 'silent running', and was sometimes used to perform surprise attacks on rogue Zentraedi forces in Earths debris ring and Saturn's Rings. (when in 'silent running' mode, the engines and weapons are disabled, and only passive sensors remain operational. During this time the ship is -40% to be detected by conventional sensors. Reactivating the engines and weapons takes only 15 seconds/1 melee, but will immediately negate the detection modifier. If any part of the main hull is reduced below 60% of its MDC the stealth bonus will also be lost. Silent Running mode can only be maintained for 24 hours, before the ship begins to overheat) Due to the increased maintenance requirements of these coatings, and the additional time and resources required to fit them, this feature was discontinued after only a few production runs. Less than 10% of Banshee class ships in ASC and UEEF service have this feature.
8.Ships systems of note: Advanced Avionics, launch and recovery system for fighter aircraft, targeting/IFF computers, damage control/fire suppression systems, tactical life support, and escape pods for the entire ship's complement.