Craft (UFOAI)
Research entries of UFO: Alien Invasion's Aircraft.
Aircraft
Firebird
"Aircraft Evaluation -- Firebird-class Dropship CLASSIFIED LEVEL BLACK PHALANX Extraterrestrial Response Unit Technical Document, Sigma Clearance -- Commander's Eyes Only Filed: 17 March 2084 By: Cdr. Paul Navarre, R&D: Engineering Division, PHALANX, Atlantic Operations Command Overview Commander, I've been over these old files before you, and I have decided to replace them with my own assessment and conclusions about our choice of dropship. Apologies if I'm overstepping my bounds, but the old PHALANX dropships in storage are simply not up to modern spec. None of them even got out of the prototype stage when they were new. There are only two surviving examples, and both of those ships have been left mothballed in government warehouses for the past 60 years, not worth the trouble to dig out of storage. We've inherited a real mess with regards to equipment, I can't even find half the stuff that's supposed to be waiting for us. I'm doing my best to find superior alternatives for gear that just isn't up to the task. The one bit of good luck in this dropship mess is that I managed to persuade our UN rep to earmark some budget for a new ship, and I think you'll like it. The Galeoth Firebird VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) is the best aircraft we can hope to employ in our dropship role. It was designed as a cargo hauler, but has quickly been picked up and adapted into a troop transport by military contractors. It has since become a popular alternative to helicopters in both the military and civilian worlds due to its four HM-5600 pulse detonation engines, which provide the Firebird with VTOL capability and achieve good fuel-efficiency with far fewer moving parts than any helicopter engine. This increases reliability across the board and makes for a vastly faster aircraft partly due to the lack of rotor blades. The HM-5600s are still very thirsty engines, however, and the high-powered aviation fuel can be too expensive for civilian applications. The Firebird's cruising speed is Mach 0.74. At a maximum velocity of Mach 1.03 it can just barely squeak through the sound barrier, but this causes a lot of stress on the airframe and should be avoided outside of emergencies. It has one variable weapons hardpoint located on its nose. It can also carry additional equipment to improve its flight characteristics and combat performance. There are acceleration harnesses for up to 8 soldiers. There is nothing else in the sky as well-suited to our dropship role as the Firebird. It is faster than any helicopter, more manoeuvrable than any fixed-wing aeroplane, and it can respond quickly and efficiently to threats all over the world. The Firebird requires 1 Large Hangar for storage, maintenance and deployment. It has 1 light weapon hardpoint located in the nose. Recommended Doctrine The dropship is what will carry our troops around the world, in order to respond to alien attacks on the ground or to clear UFO crash sites for recovery. It should be deployed immediately to sites of alien activity and to recover downed alien craft. While armed, a Firebird-class dropship is not able to stand up to dedicated fighters, and it should never be sent as the sole interceptor to any UFO sighting. Addenda None."
Herakles
Commander, I'm submitting this proposal for the research and development of a new dropship after we learned the purpose of the Supply UFO.
If the aliens are stockpiling assets and personnel on earth's surface, we'll need to be able to deploy larger assault teams. We have preliminary design ideas for a new heavy-class troop transport vehicle that could allow us to expand the size of the squads we are putting into battle.
Give me the brainpower and the time to make this a reality. Your soldiers will need the extra support on the ground.
Cdr. Navarre
"Commander, I'm pleased to present the schematics for the Herakles-class Heavy Lifter. To speed the development of this dropship, we adapted the design from an existing airborne lifter vehicle that is used in the civilian sector for the movement of extremely heavy goods. The craft consists of a lifting vehicle and a dead pod -- an inert cargo container that we have converted to house up to 12 troops. The craft has VTOL capabilities, but we've upgraded the propulsion systems to achieve faster cruising speeds. We've also encased both the vehicle and the pod in advanced armour plating that relies on human-sourced materials to keep costs down. The Herakles should get our soldiers on-site faster and safer than the firebird. Like the Firebird, we have incorporated a single light weapon hardpoint in the nose, but this is only for last-ditch defensive efforts. The Herakles is a troop transport and should be kept safe from any armed UFOs. We should get at least one of these built as soon as possible. We won't need the larger ground assault force for every mission, but if we're going to take down an alien installation we'll want the extra firepower. Cdr. Navarre"