Nightwing
Sarna News
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| Nightwing | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Di Tron Heavy Industries[1] |
| Introduced | 2447 |
| Production Year | 2447[2] |
| Use | Surveillance |
| Tech Base | Inner Sphere |
| Cost | 1,517,966,000 C-Bills[citation needed] |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 100,000 tons |
| Length | 305 meters |
| Sail Diameter | 571 meters |
| Fuel | 5,600 tons |
| Burn Rate | 19.75 |
| Safe Thrust | 1.5 g |
| Top Thrust | 2.5 g |
| Sail Integrity | 3 |
| KF Drive Integrity | 4 |
| LF Battery | No |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | 129.5 tons standard |
| DropShip Capacity | 0 |
| Crew | 108[1]
Bay Personnel: 20 |
| Grav Decks | 1 x 80 meters diameter |
| Escape Pods/Life Boats | 0/15 |
| Heat Sinks | 1200 single |
| Structural Integrity | 65 |
| BV (1.0) | 34,174[1] |
Description[edit]
The Nightwing-class WarShip was designed with one mission in mind: surveillance. Superficially, the Nightwing was designed to look like smaller civilian JumpShips which commonly plied trade routes during the Age of War. However, upon closer inspection, the Nightwing is much better armed and armored, and lacks docking collars. The Nightwing also possessed the most advanced surveillance equipment of its contemporaries.[1]
A small WarShip, the Nightwing was most commonly deployed with Tracker-class surveillance vessels, another Age of War–era WarShip which shared its civilian appearance at first glance. A squadron containing paired Nightwings and Trackers would routinely jump into a system and conduct long-range surveillance before continuing upon a preestablished patrol. The fact that the Tracker possessed a pair of docking collars aided in the ship's cover: by deploying with Tracker WarShips with DropShips in tow, the casual observer was much more likely to dismiss the group as a trade convoy.[1]
In a twist, the advanced sensor suite of the Nightwing proved the class's undoing. As electronic warfare became more sophisticated, the Nightwing's sensors required replacement, an extremely difficult task, due to being literally interwoven through the hull of the WarShip. The Nightwing's slow speed and loss of secrecy among its intended targets ultimately led to the Hegemony placing requests for new designs of surveillance ships in 2525. The heir to the Nightwing was the venerable Bug-Eye surveillance vessel and the Nightwing was phased out over the next century.[1]
Armament[edit]
The Nightwing is a formidable vessel for its size. Capable of moderate-g maneuvers, the Nightwing is also well-armed and armored, possessing an array of capital-scale PPCs, lasers, and autocannons, capable of deterring DropShips, JumpShips, and small WarShips. However, the Nightwing does not employ any point defense weaponry; the Nightwing is dependent upon other vessels for defense from smaller aerospace assets.
The prize of the Nightwing's repertoire is its large sensor array. Embedded throughout the hull and armor, the sensors are capable of taking passive readings without raising suspicion. The Nightwing may also deploy a longer-ranged, retractable sensor array, or allow small craft deployed from the vessel to conduct long-range surveillance. However, embedding the sensor array made refits, repairs, and upgrades nightmarish.[1]
Cargo[edit]
The Nightwing was designed for surveillance, not for transportation. The ship contains a small cargo bay and lacks docking collars, but does have space to support up to four small craft or light aerospace fighters. Up to 75 tons of sensor and spy gear, including the retractable sensor dishes and antennae, are accessed through 3 cargo doors.[1]
- Bay 1: Cargo (2,295.5 tons), 1 door
- Bay 2: Sensors/Spy Gear, 3 doors
- Bay 3: Small Craft (4), 1 door
Gallery[edit]
Original Nightwing from TRO:3057 Revised