Esperian Support Aircraft
The Esper Union pioneered aircraft in the modern Web, creating vast fleets of airships and corresponding craft to go with them. However, with time, many of these airships were upgraded into spacecraft with atmospheric capabilities. Since then, the Esper Union Aerospacy has come to employ a separate set of craft to support its operations. Furthermore, air power has often played a large role in defining the operations of the Esperian Ground Forces, which operate many of their own support aircraft.
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Helicopters
The EUS has made use of helicopters since its inception. The original Shoat airlift helicopters were brought in by the early Sky Riders and saw a great deal of makeshift combat use in the Esper Wars, Imperialist War, and Leviathan War. This later led to an expansion of their use following the Leviathan War, as they proved to be notably sturdy and reliable units. They serve as transport vehicles, aerial artillery, and direct combat units.
AH-3 Shoat Airlift Helicopter
- Manufacturer: Aerospace Esper
- User: All branches of the Esper United Soldiery, SRAN, former Fascist Pact nations, commercial groups
- Length: 30 feet
- Crew: 2 for regular flight, 3 with a gunner
- Optional Fixed Armaments (military use only):
The Shoat airlift helicopter dates back to 29 WR, when the Fort Locke Research Group originally designed it. Aerospace Esper now manufactures the helicopter. It has been in service since 29 WR, and has become one of the most widely used designs in the Web. The helicopter plays a major role in transporting personnel and cargo in all branches of the Esper United Soldiery, Sky Riders Aerospace Navy, numerous nations allied to the Esper Union, and as a commercial helicopter. The airlift carries cargo and personnel into non-combat situations in the Esper Union, though the heaviest loads are typically taken by the AH-4 Humbaba helicopter. The crew of the Shoat is a pilot and co-pilot, and sometimes two men in the back for managing weapons and cargo. The Shoat is a large, wide helicopter with a single set of four propeller blades and four turbo shaft engines. The helicopter has two doors on each side, which can be opened for mounting cargo inside them. It does not come standard with cargo, but military versions of the helicopter include fixed machinegun mounts on a hundred and eighty degree swivel inside each bay door. It includes a basic radio and radar for air traffic control and limited cargo purposes. The armor is decent, and can stop most small arms, and resist lighter cannon fire at direct spots. However, rockets, missiles, and heavier cannons will typically bring the Shoat down.
AH-3A Shoat Air Rocket Artillery Helicopter
- Manufacturer: Aerospace Esper
- User: Esperian Ground Forces
- Length: 30 feet
- Crew: 4
- Fixed Armaments:
- 12mm Pike gravitic machinegun x 2 (swivels on each side)
- 15mm gravitic vulcan (turret underneath nose)
- Missile hardpoints x 6 (3 per wing)
The Shoat air rocket artillery helicopter is a modification of the venerable Shoat airlift. The craft, designed by Aerospace Esper, was made for the Esperian Ground Forces to provide fire support and artillery for the Airmobile Regulars. The Shoat ARA has also been given the nickname “Dracoform Killer,” because it is far more maneuverable than the Scandian mecha and mounts missiles heavy enough to take the large draconic mecha down. The Shoat ARA has a crew of four: one pilot, one co-pilot/gunner, and two gunners for the anti-personnel machineguns. It has the same basic shape as a standard Shoat airlift, but the ARA version mounts six hardpoints on each of the small wings. These hardpoints can hold the Groundhog air-to-surface missiles designed for the helicopter. It also has a single hardpoint on the end of the wing nearest the fuselage that is large enough to carry a pair of Mole air-to-surface missiles for use against heavier targets. The Shoat ARA keeps the Pike machineguns mounted inside the craft, but adds a 15mm gravitic vulcan cannon on a turret under the cockpit. The sensors suite on the Shoat ARA has been drastically improved, including telescopic, night vision, and infrared optics, and a full-fledged combat radar. The armor is identical to that on the standard Shoat airlift helicopter.
AH-3T Shoat Airmobile Transport Helicopter
- Manufacturer: Aerospace Esper
- User: Esperian Ground Forces
- Length: 30 feet
- Crew: 4
- Fixed Armaments:
- 12mm Pike gravitic machinegun x 2 (swivels on each side)
- 15mm gravitic vulcan (turret underneath nose)
The Shoat airmobile transport helicopter is another modification of the Shoat airlift helicopter. The transport helicopter is mass-produced by Aerospace Esper, and is used as the primary means of mobility for the EGF’s Airmobile Regulars. It takes men to and from the field, and will also carry supplies to battles and carry wounded away from them. The Shoat transport helicopter is designed to fly into battle zones. It has a standard crew of four: a pilot, co-pilot, and two gunners. The transport can also carry either a platoon of men (twenty soldiers), or enough ammunition and supplies to outfit an entire company for two days of fighting. It has the same shape as the standard Shoat airlift, keeping the twin 12mm machineguns mounted inside the doors to cover men leaving the helicopter, and also has the 15mm gravitic vulcan on a turret beneath the cockpit. It has the same sensor suite as the Shoat ARA, and will sometimes act as a mobile radar and communications station for its soldiers. Its armor is identical to that on the standard Shoat airlift helicopter.
AH-3C Shoat Aerial Civil Defense Helicopter
- Manufacturer: Aerospace Esper
- User: Police departments throughout the Esper Union
- Length: 30 feet
- Crew: 5
- Fixed Armaments:
- 8mm Scythe gravitic machinegun x 2 (swivels on each side)
- Missile hardpoints x 4 (2 per wing; generally non-lethal payloads)
The Shoat aerial civil defense helicopter is a modification of the Shoat airlift helicopter, produced by Aerospace Esper, which is intended to serve as a patrol helicopter for the police and civil defense forces inside the Esper Union. It can serve as an aerial observer to coordinate efforts on the ground, or provide actual air support such as firing gas rockets or covering fire from the air. It comes standard with a crew of five: a pilot, co-pilot, two gunners, and commander. The helicopter can also carry two Ifrit Power Armor battlesuits. The helicopter is painted in white and black or dark blue. It contains a 8mm gravitic machinegun on the two doors on each side. Its armor is the same as a normal Shoat airlift, as is the sensor system.
AH-4 Humbaba Airlift Helicopter
- Manufacturer: Aerospace Esper
- User: All branches of the Esper United Soldiery
- Length: 50 feet
- Crew: 4
- Fixed Armaments:
- None
Aerospace Esper first designed the Humbaba airlift helicopter in 35 WR. It has since become the primary heavy lifting helicopter of the Esper Union and is used in all branches of the military, as well as by civil defense and police units. The Humbaba can carry supplies and personnel into secured landing zones. It is sometimes used as-is in a limited capacity to assist the Airborne Regulars, though the more agile AH-3T Shoat transports are preferred for this. The Humbaba has a pilot and co-pilot, and can carry two platoons (forty soldiers) in its cargo bays. The machine is typically painted in camouflage colors, and has two very large bay doors to access its considerable cargo bay in the main body of the craft. The Humbaba boasts two sets of rotor blades, one on the front and one on the back, of the ship. It unfortunately comes with no defense mechanisms, though machineguns and personal arms can be fired from the bay doors in an emergency. The armor on the Humbaba is heavy for a helicopter, but does not compare to that on the Shoat ARA or Shoat transport. Its sensor system consists of a basic radar package and communications suite.
AH-5 Siren Marine Assault Helicopter
- Manufacturer: Aerospace Esper
- User: Esperian Naval Marines
- Length: 25 feet
- Crew: 2
- Fixed Armaments:
- 15mm gravitic vulcan (turret underneath nose)
- Missile hardpoints x 4 (2 per wing)
- Torpedo hardpoints x 2 (fuselage)
The AH-5 Siren was developed by Aerospace Esper for the Esperian Naval Marines with their inception. It is intended to provide air rocket artillery assistance to Marines on the land, as well as air cover. It also has a limited anti-naval capacity to provide assistance to ships at sea, and is stationed on aircraft and troop carriers. The Siren is also capable of making landings on bodies of water, though they generally must be still for a safe landing to be done. The Siren has a pilot and a gunner. The helicopter is smaller and more agile than the Shoat airlift helicopters, and the front of it has a distinctive two-terrace appearance. The pilot sits on a seat that is located lower than that of the gunner. It has one set of rotor blades in the center of the fighter, and a pair of short wings. Each wing holds hardpoints for launchers of Groundhog surface-to-surface missiles. The fuselage of the Siren holds a pair of hardpoints, and each can hold a Bottlenose aquatic torpedo. The assault helicopter also has a turret with a 15mm gravitic vulcan mounted underneath the nose of the helicopter. The armor is comparable to that on the Shoat ARA helicopter. It includes a short-range radar and communications package.
Support Airships
The Aerospacy makes wide use of planes and airships to support its operations in the atmosphere. These include aerospace shuttles that service both atmospheric and spatial functions, as well as aircraft that provide a variety of battlefield roles.
ASTS-2 Shepherd Transport Shuttle
- Manufacturer: Aerospace Esper
- User: Police departments throughout the EU, and commerical use
- Length: 50 feet
- Crew: 3
- Fixed Armaments:
- None
The ASTS-2 Shepherd was a transport space shuttle designed and initially produced by the Fort Locke Research Group in 29 WR, but production has since been taken over by Aerospace Esper. The shuttle was the first vehicle capable of reaching space produced by what would become the Esper Union. It also one of the few space-capable vehicles in use by the Esper United Soldiery and civilian organizations in the Esper Union that does not make use of gravitic engines, and instead relies on a chemical-magilyte fuel that was much more common when the shuttle began production. The Sky Riders Aerospace Navy used this shuttle until 33 WR, when the Ranchman shuttle replaced it. Aerospace Esper now produces it for civilian use, and police forces, militias, and corporations make use of the Shepherd. The shuttle has a crew of three, and can transport sixty people if designed as a passenger shuttle, or simply carry cargo crates if designed as a cargo shuttle. Modifying the shuttle from one type to the other is a simple affair. The Shepherd has a simple white hull, with a traditional rounded nose and large wingspan typical of space shuttles in the back. A pair of hatches on each side allows access for the crew and passengers of the shuttle, while a large pair of doors on the top of the shuttle conceals the cargo bay. When on a launching pad, the shuttle must carry a disposable fuel tank several times its size to escape the pull of gravity, which is summarily dropped and burnt up in the atmosphere after escape velocity has been achieved. The Shepherd carries no weapons, has minimal armor, and only a basic radar and communications system.
ASTS-2G Ranchman Shuttle
- Manufacturer: Aerospace Esper (EUS units), Strategic Weapons Research Institute (SRAN units)
- User: Police departments throughout the EU, and commerical use
- Length: 50 feet
- Crew: 3
- Fixed Armaments:
- None
The Ranchman shuttle is a modification of the Shepherd shuttle done by the Fort Locke Research Group in 33 WR. Production of the shuttle has since been taken over by Aerospace Esper (for Aerospacy units) and the Strategic Weapons Research Institute (for SRAN units). The Ranchman uses the same hull as the Shepherd, but has added a gravitic engine to the shuttle to allow it to escape space without the need of an auxiliary fuel tank. The shuttle has been adopted by the Aerospacy and SRAN as a preferred way of moving relatively short distances in space. It has the same crew of three, and can carry sixty people, several tons of cargo crates, or a squadron of KN Garrison or Ifrit IV mecha. It has the same appearance as the Shepherd shuttle, but the Aerospacy typically paints the shuttle in olive drab, while the SRAN prefers a navy blue. The shuttle never has to carry an extra fuel tank for escape. It is still unarmed and has poor armor. The Aerospacy version uses an only slightly upgraded sensors and communications system, but the SRAN has added laser communications and a stronger radar system to their Ranchmen.
EC-6 Starlet AWACS Plane
- Manufacturer: Aerospace Esper
- User: Esper Union Aerospacy
- Length: 200 feet
- Crew: 12
- Fixed Armaments:
- None
The EC-6 Starlet is the primary airborne warning and control systems aircraft of the Esper Union Aerospacy. The Fort Locke Research Group and Aerospace Esper designed the plane in 35 WR in a cooperative effort. Aerospace Esper assumed production after the design was completed. The plane is intended to act as a mobile aerial command center and an airborne air traffic controller. It provides the aerial fighters of the Aerospacy with a much greater range. The crew of the Starlet is up to twelve: two pilots, a commander, a weapons controller to direct other craft in the theater, a surveillance controller, five surveillance operators to man the surveillance center, a communications operator, and an equipment technician. The Starlet has the appearance of a large, rounded passenger jet and uses the same frame as an Aerospace Esper-1100 passenger airliner jet, but adds the trademark radar and communications disc on it. It is painted in a solid white color, with a dark crimson lining. The civilian AE-1100 airliner has blue lining instead. It has no weapons on it, and the armor offers only limited protection against near misses. The strong point of the Starlet is its sensors and communications systems. It has radar and laser sensors, radio and laser communications, and a full suite for directing the efforts of entire wings.
