UCI 'Icarus' Multipurpose Airship (TL8) Copyright (C) 1996 by David Ralston The UCI airship Icarus is an extremely versatile vehicle. With all 5 propellers running it can go up to 60 mph. With a total cost of over $1 million, it has the electronics and weapons to defend itself (though without the expensive electronics, it might be cheap enough to be expendable :) It even has air to surface missiles and bombs to support ground operations. Its primary role, however, is not as a combat vehicle. A helicopter would be much more effective, and the 1.5 million cubic foot gas bag is hard to miss, even without an aimed shot. It has 4 separate fuel tanks: diesel, gasoline, aviation gas, alcohol. The ceramic engines could use any of these fuels, but they are for refueling purposes. Each of the fuel tanks has both a refueling drogue and probe. The airship is not intended to land, so it must refuel in the air. It can also refuel stranded land vehicles, or even helicopters in mid-flight, with the appropriate equipment. It has a vehicle bay just large enough for a normal sized utility helicopter, which is used for cargo transportation, munitions replacement, crew exchanges, etc. There are no quarters (except 1 bunk for emergencies), so the crew must board and disembark daily, being replaced when they leave by the next shift. Also, it has very sophisticated scanning equipment and cameras. You are never completely along if you're out in the open. The Icarus airship could be watching you. Of course, the public doesn't know most of this. They know it as an airborne refueling station for helicopters and as a publicity thing like the Goodyear blimp. Even though it is corporate owned, in most cyberpunk worlds the government would go along with its existence in exchange for its use in an emergency. IN a campaign it is useful as primarily a surveillance device. The players speed away in their car, confident nobody caught the plates. The security calls in for a picture. The airship receives the message, finds the car, and snaps a picture. Even thousands of feet in the air its recon camera could read the ingredients in a pack of breath mints. If you decide to call in the airship to attack the players, that's a big move. Attacks against the airship could be successful, as it is very lightly armored. However, it has the electronics and weaponry to repel any single attackers. A large organized attack, though, would overwhelm its defenses. For this reason, it usually has 1 or two helicopter escorts with it. The crew of ten includes 5 people with interface jacks: pilot, copilot, navigator, gunner, camera operator. The full crew includes: pilot, copilot, navigator, gunner, camera operator, 3 gas bag operators, mechanic, and medic. With only one gunner, only one weapon at a time may be controlled. With the interface, though, the gunner could quickly decide whether he was using the front/bottom mounted machine gun, the rear air to air missile, or the bomb bay, for example. Structure: 2000 c.f. light body, expensive materials, with 30 degree slope on the bottom. Max load 50,000 lb., 1000 HT. Propulsion: 1.5 million c.f. gas bag, rigid helium gas bag provides 52,500 lb. useful lift. Gas bag has 12K HT and natural DR of 12. 5 200 kW aerial propellers (ducted fans) with 5 200 kW ceramic engines. 4 fuel tanks, all self sealing 300 gallons: alcohol (lasts 6.6 hr., fire 7), gasoline (lasts 20 hr., fire 8), aviation gas (lasts 20 hr., fire 10), diesel fuel (lasts 20 hr., fire 6). Each fuel tank is connected to both a refueling probe and drogue. Accommodations: 10 internal normal seats, few windows, 1 cramped quarters. environmental control for all seats. Crew requirements: pilot, 3 gas bag crew required. also copilot, navigator, mechanic, gunner, camera operator, medic. Armor: 100 pt. advanced armor. DR 20 an all sides except top (covered by gas bag) gives: F4/20 B4/20 L4/20 R4/20 T0/0 U5/30 Weaponry: 2 15mm Hvy. Machine guns, aircraft variant, each with 240 shots. 1 front, 1 back cyberslave mounts, 12d damage, Rof 16 4 Lt. AAGM missile tubes, each 1 missile. 2 front, 2 back 6dx8 (10) dmg 4 Lt. SAAM missile tubes, each 1 missile. 1 each side. 6dx10 [8d] 10 500 lb. bombs in internal bay. 2 normal, 2 APE, 2 cluster, 2 napalm, 1 FAE, 1 leaflet (probably 'disperse or you will be fired upon' for those unruly crowds) Accessories: compact fire extinguisher, IR missile jammer, medium radar jammer, basic sound baffling, short range ladar, ALLTV system, virtual panorama (goes to neural interface of camera operator), HUDWAC for gunner, short (100 ft.) anchor, recon quality camera, 2 normal vehicle cameras, microframe computer (complexity 4), dual controls, global positioning system, 5 neural interface jacks, tactical radio, 2 searchlights (1 front 1 back), 1 600 c.f. vehicle bay, big enough for a 400 c.f. utility helicopter, advanced controls. Software: Routine vehicle operation, 2 targeting (1 for each machine gun) Statistics: Cost $1,440,050, design mass 42,260 (10 200lb people plus 1000 lb. cargo(+42000lb gas bag)), max. payload 7,740 lb. Ground/Water performance: none Aerial performance: top speed 30 mph., accel. 2.5 mph/s, MR .25, SR 6. Ceiling 3242 yd. Size modifier: +5 for cabin, +12 for gas bag Radar sig.: +12 IR sig.: +7 for cabin, +8 for gas bag Acoustic sig.: 0