Z-Wing Atmosphere Combat Starfighter

[garhkal]

Possible. BUT then the consumables would drop as more fuel is sucked cause of them..
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[CRMcNeill]

I know it's been a while since I posted this, but I've been mentally revisiting it, and I have some modifications in mind:

-Replace the triple blasters on the wingtips with single lasers at SF-scale for use against SF and Walker scale targets during atmosphere combat.

-Add a pair of hammerhead-style outriggers to the ship's nose and make them part of the ship's enhanced atmospheric maneuvering capability.

-Put the triple blasters on the outside edges of the outriggers and downgrade them to speeder-scale for use against smaller targets.

-Use the Headhunter Trainer as the base platform for the modifications (or stretching standard Z-95's to make room), replacing the second seat with equipment to make room for the hyperdrive and the nav computer.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Fallon Kell]

[CRMcNeill]

[Fallon Kell]

[CRMcNeill]

Based on a discussion occurring under another topic, I decided to update the Z-Wing as proposed, based on discussion up to this point. Here it is:

Z-Wing Close Air Support Starfighter

Close Air Support is a mission that is often overlooked in the development of aerospace combat, and yet it is one of the most potent applications of starfighter combat power. The Empire's fleet-based starfighter pilots deride their Army Support Wing counterparts as second-rate fliers, not up to the standards of fleet combat, while the Alliance has made token efforts in the area of close air support, in the form of the T-47 combat airspeeder.

The Battle of Hoth was a wake-up call for Alliance Command. While the T-47 was well suited for reconnaissance and light combat against Imperial Army Line and Mobile units, it was clearly outmatched by the heavy guns and armor of the AT-AT units. Losses were high and much valuable equipment was abandoned, unable to be loaded onto the transports in time for the evacuation.

Alliance Command devoted intense study to the harsh lessons of Hoth, wanting to insure sure such a defeat never happened again. One of their conclusions was that the Alliance needed a combat vehicle that could successfully engage Imperial Walkers and other armored units, providing effective cover throughout the course of the evacuation, and then extract itself from combat, rather than waiting to be loaded on a transport. These same features would also permit the vessel to act offensively in support of the ground assault combat that would become necessary when the Alliance advanced to the liberation phase of the rebellion.

A common feature of most Alliance technical innovation is that, if something is needed, it is more cost effective to modify an existing vehicle than to design and build one from the ground up. Although the X-Wing, A-Wing and B-Wing were purpose built craft, the Y-Wing was a Clone Wars era military starfighter, and much of the Alliance's ground equipment and capital ships were either military surplus or converted civilian vehicles. Following this trend of converting existing vehicles, the Alliance selected the Z-95 Headhunter for conversion, and the Z-Wing was born.

The Clone Wars-era Z-95 Headhunter was a successful fighter in its prime, but now, twenty years later, it was outclassed by more advanced Alliance and Imperial starfighters. With the introduction of the X-Wing and A-Wing, the Z-95 was rapidly being relegated away from front-line duties, or taken out of service entirely. As a result, there was a surplus of Z-95's available for conversion once the fighter was selected as the base template for the Z-Wing.

The Z-95 proved to be the perfect ship for the job. It was aerodynamic, maneuverable, durable and well armed, and easily accepted the modifications required to convert it into the Z-Wing. Major modifications included replacing the Z-95's stock repulsorlift system with a much more powerful model pulled from a combat cloud car, the addition of a lightweight hyperdrive with a basic navcomputer, and the addition of general purpose warhead launchers capable of delivering a greater variety of ordnance than the stock concussion missile launchers, as well as augmenting the existing triple blaster cannon with a pair of fire-linked laser cannon for greater weapon versatility.

A key component of the new Z-Wing (as well as one of the main components of its system upgrades) is the addition of a pair of outrigger wings on either side of the Z-Wing's nose. The stubby wings contain both the maneuvering components of the upgraded repulsorlift system, and the primary sensors of the ship's terrain following system.

In space, the Z-Wing is still outclassed by modern starfighters, but it is in the atmosphere where the Z-Wing truly comes into its own. Since the ship's stock triple blasters lacked the power to penetrate the armor of the AT-AT, as well as other Imperial Army GAVs, the Z-Wing was upgraded with a quarter of heavy blaster cannon, as well as a pair of proton torpedo launchers and a bomb launcher. This allows the Z-Wing to carry a wide variety of ordnance, from standard proton torpedoes to heavy rockets, cluster bombs and sub-munition dispensers.

When used defensively, Z-Wings generally deploy from a surface base and engage attacking enemy fighters and ground vehicles, usually just to give the base personnel enough time to evacuate. The Z-Wings provide cover throughout the course of the evacuation, then fly out in formation with the final transports, with X-Wings or A-Wings providing protective escort. The Z-Wings will then jump out of the system to a preprogrammed rendezvous location, where they will land aboard a transport and continue on to their next assignment. In offensive combat, Z-Wings are generally deployed with an escort of A-Wings or X-Wings to protect them until they enter the atmosphere of the target planet, at which point the Z-Wing is more than capable of looking after itself. Z-Wings are commonly deployed on a planetary surface for extended periods of time in support of Alliance ground operations. Their simple and rugged design permits them to operate in harsh conditions with minimal support and personnel, often little more than a clearing covered with camouflage netting and a few crates of tools, spare parts and ordnance reloads.

After Endor, the Z-Wing truly came into its own as the Alliance shifted into offensive operations, performing more and more invasion operations where the Z-Wing proved its worth time and time again. It's a tribute to the ingenuity of the original designers of Incom and Subpro that their aging starfighter is still operating successfully in front-line combat situations decades after the design first came off the drawing boards.

Craft: Incom/Subpro Z-95 Headhunter Mk. III (Modified)
Type: Close Air Support Starfighter
Scale: Starship (+6D)
Length: 11.8 meters
Skill: Starship Piloting: Z-Wing
Crew: 1
Crew Skill:
Astrogation 3D
Gunnery 4D+2
Piloting 4D+2
Shields 4D+1
Sensors 4D
Cargo Capacity: 40 kilograms
Consumables: 2 days
Hyperdrive Multiplier: x2
Nav Computer: Limited (2 Jumps)
Maneuverability: 2D (4D in Atmosphere)
Space: 6 (3D)
Atmosphere: 450; 1,300kph (6D)
Hull: 4D
Shields: 1D
Sensors:
Passive 15/0D
Scan 25/1D
Search 40/2D
Focus 1/2D
Terrain Following Sensors: +2D to Piloting rolls if at or below 50 meters of altitude, and +1D to Gunnery rolls if target is at or below 50 meters altitude.
Weapons:
2 Dual Heavy Blaster Cannon (Fire-Linked)
Fire Arc: Front
Skill: Starship Gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Range:
--Space: 1-5/10/17
--Atmosphere: 100m-500m/1km/1.7km
Rate of Fire: 2D Auto-Fire
Damage: 5D
2 Warhead Launchers
Fire Arc: Front
Skill: Starship Gunnery
Rate of Fire: 1
All Other Stats vary by Weapon Type
Capacity: 4 rounds per launcher. May select any Weapons from this list, depending on Availability.
1 Bomb Launch Chute
Fire Arc: Front (Ventral)
Skill: Starship Gunnery
Rate of Fire: 2D (expends 4 bombs, 1 time/round)
All Other Stats vary by Weapon Type
Capacity: 16 rounds. May select Gravity Bombs or Space Mines from this list, depending on Availability.

House Rule Notes:

SHIELD & SHIELD CONTROL: 1D @ 1D
VELOCITY MODIFIER: 3D Flight (1D+2 in Space)

Author's Note:
I originally intended this as an homage to the US Air Force's A-10 Thunderbolt, arguably the greatest CAS aircraft of all time. However, as things progressed, it ended up being more of an homage to the A-1 Skyraider, which saw extensive use as a CAS platform, even though that was not the mission for which it was originally designed.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index