D77H-TCI PELICAN

Craft: Misriah Armory D77H-TCI Pelican Dropship
Type: Multi-role transatmospheric dropship
Scale: Starfighter
Dimensions:
-Length: 30.5m
-Wingspan: 23.4m
-Height: 10m (10.5m with landing gear)
Skill: Aircraft piloting: Pelican
Crew: 3 (pilot, co-pilot, crew chief)
-gunners: 1 (pilot or co-pilot); or 2 (crew chief)
-skeleton: 1/+5
Crew Skill: Firearms 4D, space transport piloting 4D+2, starship gunnery 3D+2
Passengers: 10 (+5)
Cargo Capacity: 10 metric tons
Consumables: 1 week (emergency rations)
Cost: 90,000 cR (new), 60,000 cR (used)
Nav Computer: Yes
Maneuverability: 3D+2
Speed:
-Space: 7
-Atmosphere: 350; 1,000 kmh
Hull: 4D
Sensors:
  Passive: 20/1D
  Scan: 40/2D
  Search: 80/3D
  Focus: 3/3D+2

COMPLIMENT:
   Tail-Mounted Magnetic Clamps (one of the following)
      1 Warthog FAV
      1 Scorpion MBT
      1-2 Mongoose ULATVs
      4-6 Resupply Canisters
   Troop Bay
      10 Troops (see above)
      1-2 Mongoose OR 5 more troops

WEAPONS (Optional Chin-Mounted):
   70mm Chain Gun
      Location: Chin-mounted
      Fire Arc: Front
      Crew: 1 (pilot/co-pilot)
      Skill: Aircraft gunnery
      Scale: Starfighter
      Fire Control: 3D
      Space Range: 1-3/9/18
      Atmosphere Range: 30-300/900/1.8km
      Damage: 4D
      Ammo: 150 (70mm rounds)
      Rate of Fire: 3
      Special: Automatic

   40mm Chain Gun
      Location: Chin-mounted
      Fire Arc: Front
      Crew: 1 (pilot/co-pilot)
      Skill: Aircraft gunnery
      Scale: Walker
      Fire Control: 3D
      Space Range: 1-3/9/18
      Atmosphere Range: 20-300/900/1.8km
      Damage: 4D
      Ammo: 150 (40mm rounds)
      Rate of Fire: 3
      Special: Automatic

   M638 20mm Autocannon
      Location: Chin-mounted
      Fire Arc: Front
      Crew: 1 (pilot/co-pilot)
      Skill: Aircraft gunnery
      Scale: Speeder
      Fire Control: 3D
      Space Range: 1-3/6/15
      Atmosphere Range: 3-30/60/150m
      Damage: 5D
      Ammo: 300 (20mm rounds)
      Rate of Fire: 5
      Special: Burst

   Rotary Machine Gun
      Location: Chin-mounted
      Fire Arc: Front
      Crew: 1 (pilot/co-pilot)
      Skill: Aircraft gunnery
      Scale: Character
      Fire Control: 3D
      Space Range: 1-2/3/4
      Atmosphere Range: 2-200/300/400m
      Damage: 5D
      Ammo: 500
      Rate of Fire: 5
      Special: Automatic
      Options: Fire-linked (2)

WEAPONS (Optional):
   AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun
      Location: Mounted in rear/troop bay
      Fire Arc: Rear
      Crew: 1 (crew chief/passenger)
      Skill: Firearms
      Scale: Character
      Fire Control: 2D
      Range: 10-50/100/300m
      Damage: 5D
      Ammo: 200
      Rate of Fire: 4
      Special: Automatic

WEAPONS (Standard):
   2 ANVIL-II Missile Pods
      Location: Mounted under wings
      Fire Arc: Front
      Crew: 1 (pilot/co-pilot)
      Skill: Starship gunnery
      Scale: Starfighter
      Fire Control: 2D
      Space Range: 1/4/8
      Atmosphere Range: 5-100/400/800m
      Missile Speed: 800m per round
      Damage: 6D/5D/4D (single missile)
      -Volley: Up to 10D+1
      Blast Radius: 0-2/4/6m
      Ammo: 12 (ANVIL-II ASM, 6 per pod)
      Rate of Fire: 1 (volley 12)
      Special: Volley

DESCRIPTION:

   The D77H-TCI Pelican, formally known as the Dropship 77 Heavy-Troop
Carrier/Infantry and more commonly known as the Pelican, is a newer model of the
D77-TC Pelican dropship. It was apparently introduced into service within the
United Nations Space Command Marine Corps and Navy in late November 2552 as a
full-scale replacement of the original D77-TC model.

- - - - - - - - - -

-GAME NOTES-

AIRLIFTING: The Pelican Dropship can carry vehicles and equipment as well as troops.  Its rear hull section has tail-mounted magnetic clamps that can hold an M12 Warthog FAV, M808B Scorpion MBT, one or two M274 Mongoose ULATVs, OR four to six resupply canisters (containing weapons, equipment, etc.).  The Pelican can also hold either one/two Mongoose inside its troop bay OR five extra troops (15 total).

MODIFICATIONS: The Pelican is from the Halo video game series, and some people
may disagree with some of the rules above, most notably the scale of the vehicle
(Starfighter) or the skill used to operate it (Aircraft Piloting).  Starfighter
scale was used to show how the Pelican is capable of space flight, and also
howit sometimes makes for an easy target when in tight situations.  If desired,
this could be altered to Walker or Speeder scale (Hull Dice adjusted accordingly
at +2D per lower scale).  The skill Aircraft Piloting was used to reflect how
the Pelican's operation is still similar to other human aircraft, much like the
NASA space shuttle.  If desired, this can be switched to Space Transport
Piloting.

AUTOMATIC WEAPONS: Some weapon(s) listed above can fire on automatic (or
auto-fire), meaning several shots can be fired with a single attack.  The listed
Rate of Fire represents a short, controlled burst.  To fire more shots, increase
the Range Difficulty by +1 level (Easy to Moderate) for every +1 to the Rate of
Fire.  If the attack skill roll fails the increased Difficulty but succeeds the
normal Difficulty, then 1 shot hits while the others miss and are expended.  
This represents the inaccuracy of automatic weapons at range.  If the attack
skill roll fails the normal Difficulty, then all shots miss, as normal.

BURST WEAPONS: Some weapon(s) listed above are burst weapons (or burst-fire),
which fire a set number of shots per attack.  These cannot be increased like
automatic weapons, but make up for this with how many shots they can fire in a
burst.

VOLLEY WEAPONS: Some weapon(s) listed above are volley weapons (or volley-fire),
and can fire several shots that combine Damage like fire-linking (see Star Wars
D6 RPG book).  Unlike normal fire-linked weapons, the amount of shots fired to
combine Damage is selectable by the gunner, within a set limit detailed by the
weapon.

- - - - - - - - - -

DESIGN DETAILS

   The D77H-TCI Pelican is the primary tactical support aircraft of the UNSC.
Like the previous model, the D77H-TCI Pelican serves a multi-role purpose. The
dropship is fully capable of atmospheric flight and can land almost anywhere
without difficulty. It is also capable of limited spaceflight, making it the
prime troop transport of the UNSC.

   There are several interior and exterior design differences between the D77-TC
and D77H-TCI models. The most notable difference is in the cockpit area. Instead
of the pilot and co-pilot sitting next to each other, the co-pilot is seated
behind and above the pilot, and the controls and instrument panels are
rearranged and upgraded. A small holotank is installed in the cockpit, allowing
an artificial intelligence to project its holographic avatar to the craft's
pilots.

PAYLOAD CAPACITY

   There are also differences in the bay of the craft: the so-called "Blood
Tray". Although the D77H-TCI Pelican carries the same number of passengers as
its predecessor, its troop-bay is more flexible, able to carry up to two M274
Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicles internally, in addition to ten passengers. Like
the original models, the D77H-TCI's tail-mounted magnetic clamps are capable of
carrying an M12 Force Application Vehicle, an M808B Main Battle Tank, or several
resupply canisters.

ARMAMENT

   The D77H-TCI Pelican, like its predecessor, can be armed with a 40mm or 70mm
chain gun, an M638 20mm autocannon, a rotary machine gun, or a pair of
twin-linked rotary cannons. The Pelican is also able to mount a machine gun -
typically an AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun - in its troop bay for supporting ground
teams and covering the departure of its passengers, although this prevents it
from carrying a vehicle internally. The D77H can also be equipped with ANVIL-II
Air-to-Surface Missile pods; rather than being externally mounted to the wings,
these pods are integrated seamlessly into the fuselage. The ANVIL pods can fire
up to twelve missiles at once, six from each pod. A gunship version of the D77H
is in service as well; this heavily armed version is equipped with more
chainguns, missiles, and a large cannon mounted at the ventral-fore of the
dropship.

PROPULSION

   The main engines are mounted in pairs in four nacelles, with one situated on
each wing and two at the rear and posterior. The nacelles can articulate
independently, thus altering the direction of thrust, referred to as vectoring
in aviation; this improves the Pelican's low altitude maneuverability. Four
ventral thrusters are identified by markings and a rendered thrust effect, one
on each wing nacelle and one on each aft nacelle, allow the drop ship to land
and take off vertically. These engines are capable of both space and atmospheric
operation. It has eight jet intakes, three on each side and two on top, though
intakes are obviously not able to function in a vaccuum. The D77H-TCI, like the
D77-TC, although fully capable of orbital insertion, is too small to be equipped
with a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, and thus is incapable of Slipspace
travel.

   The Pelican's wings seem too small to support the weight of the dropship, if
not the payload alone. It is likely that the Pelican utilizes lifting body
principles, using its own hull to create most of the lift necessary for flight.
It may also be that the Pelican partially relies upon thrust vectoring, as
downward aiming jets can be seen on the bottom of the thruster mountings. It
should be noted that small wings are very efficient for high-speed flight, as
demonstrated by the F-104 Starfighter. It is also a benefit for operations in
the upper atmosphere, especially re-entry, as was the case with the X-15.

Law Enforcement Variant

   The D77C-NMPD is a variant of the D77H-TCI that was utilized by the New
Mombasa Police Department in Kenya, Africa, on Earth.[8] It was differentiated
from its military counterpart by a black and white color scheme, with the word
"POLICE" replacing the traditional "MARINES" on the external hull, and a noted
lack of armament. Under the craft's chin, where a machine gun turret or
autocannon would normally be installed, were various interchangeable sensors
used by the police for aerial surveillance and crowd control. An AIE-486H Heavy
Machine Gun was typically mounted in the personnel bay of the D77C-NMPD,
similarly to the D77 and D77H models.

OTHER INFO

Production Information
-Manufacturer: Misriah Armory
-Class: Dropship/gunship
-Role: Dropship, air assault/close air support
Technical Specifications:
-Length: 30.5m/100ft
--Troop Bay: 6.19m/20.3ft
-Width
--Wingspan: 23.4m/77ft
--Troop Bay: 4.64m/15.22ft
-Height: 10.0m/35.9ft (10.5m with landing gear)
--Troop Bay: 3.23m/10.6ft
-Engine: Two main engines housed in middle section of ship; Ten maneuvering
thrusters housed in four vector pylons
-Slipspace Drive: None
-Armaments: One chin-mounted weapon (optional; Rotary machine gun; M638 20mm
autocannon; 40mm chain gun; or 70mm chain gun); Two ANVIL-II Air-to-Surface
Missile pods (Six missiles per pod); One rear-mounted AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun
-Complement; M808B Main Battle Tank (1); or M12 Force Application Vehicle (1);
or resupply canisters (4-6); and M274 Ultra-Light All-Terrain Vehicles (1-2,
internally and externally)
-Crew: Pilot (1); Co-pilot (1); Crew chief (1)
-Passengers: 10 seats in internal troop bay amidships, plus an additional five
people sitting: (These numbers are doubled in case the ship carries a troop
deployment pod.)
Chronological and affiliation:
-Affiliation: United Nations Space Command