Introduced in YE 29, the Firefly Class was designed to give Nepleslian an effective means to carry out their jobs. It as since become a common site in the sector due to salvage and its simple design.

Being a Biologist at heart, Melchoir proposed this radical design as NAM's first aircraft.

The firefly has very “bubblebee” insectoid appearance with a small head, larger and wider engineering section behind it, and a very large rear section when fully inflated. Faux insectoid wings that provide propulsion and 6 landing structs complete the apperance of the “Space Bumblebee”.

General notes about ship stats and performance

• Crew: 1
• Passengers: 0
• Max Capacity: 2 (extremely cramp)

• Length: 6m
• Width: 2m (wings folded), 6m (wings unfolded)
• Height: 2m

• Cruise STL: 0.2c
• Max STL: 0.25c
• Airspeed (at 5km): Mach 1.2

A round transparent ball that contains one seat and the pod controls, with hatches on the side of the sphere to enter/exit. The sphere gives the pilot an almost complete 360* view, with enough legroom and reclining space inside to be comfortable. It is pressurized and oxygenated but it is recommended that the pilot wears an environmental suit due to the nature of the sphere.

For protection, a small localized force field is in effect around the sphere to protect against radiation, projectile and energy damage. As there is no personal space for a bathroom, catheters are located under the seat if the pilot needs to do his thing. Also under the pilot's legs is a small storage hatch for personal luggage and supplies.

The controls of the Firefly are located to the front of the pilot, integrated with the ship's computer. This gives the pilot an uncluttered view of their surroundings. Other visual aids are provided by a holo projector above the pilot's head. The Firefly is controlled by two diagonal joysticks on the left and right of the console and two foot pedals below it.

Even when used by experienced beta testers, the micromanagement of the Firefly is a pain in the ass, as not everybody is a natural with flying, let alone flying with two pairs of wings. This prompted the Savtech programming team to automate the wings to have it fly like a traditional craft with one stick.

Experienced pilots can control the left and right wings with their respective joysticks, or configured for rudder on one side and directional movement (strafing) on the other. The pedals control the speed of the craft. Veteran pilots are suggested to program complicated maneuvers into the Savtech and activate them through voice. Then control finer details in-maneuver through the sticks.

Larger than the pilot sphere, the adomen of the Firefly is the location of many engineering related systems such as the shields, nano sac, etc. The 4 wings of the firefly is attached to this section.

A Savtech is installed which is capable of acting as a basic autopilot. Has an attachment for a Savtech-JANE if you don't want to be bored. The computer is also capable of simplifying the controls for those who are incapable or do not want to micromanage 4 wings.

Provides general scanning of 1/4th of an AU. Has a secondary mode that scans in detail in a short cone area in front of the Firefly, good for analyzing asteroids. Found under the Pilot Sphere.

Deflects away space dusts and small calibre weapons. Can be overcharged for larger projectiles, but will fully drain the generator in 1 minute. Located within the abdomen.

Radio and Laser

Two inch Durandium Alloy with a small reflective layer sandwiched in between against small laser weapons. Strictly not for combat.

Temperature regulators and Oxygen recyclers, nothing new here. Located under the Pilot Sphere.

With the bag deflated, the Firefly can sit on it's ass with the Pilot Sphere looking straight up. Good for strapping to hulls and UNV- A Clamps. Found at the back of the base.

Upon shield and armor failure, the MEC automatically beheads and cyrofreezes the head. The head container is strapped to a homing beacon and jettisoned with a JAM Bottle. Located behind the pilot's seat.

Composed of Nanofibers and chains, this strong sac inflates to store whatever that is needed. Included within is a Nano Digester which filters out unwanted rocks and breaks down ore into smaller pieces for higher compact ratios. Located under the abdomen and opens under the base.

A jointed pole with an Ion Propulsion Array at the end, highly efficient and fully rotatable allowing for some wicked trust vectoring, VOTL and hovering. Four are joined to the base and tucks under and above the abdomen when not in use.

Contains the Xenon Ions for powering the Ion Drives, doubles up as a landing gear on the ground. One pair under the base.

A compact fusion generator for the power needs of the ship's systems. Located in the abdomen.

A small generator is located at the abdomen, it dampens G-Forces and eases flying and cargo carrying when in earth conditions. Located in the abdomen.

Used for general manipulation and mining, can carry a 500KG weight with both hands. Each contain a mining laser.

It is suggested for the craft to be stationary when using the claws, due to the need to switch the twin joysticks from wing control to claw control. If one needs to use the claw while flying it is recommend to go traditional with one flying stick and one claw stick. A neural interface of some kind is needed to finely use both the claws and the wings.

Location: Under the base Primary Purpose: Grabbing objects and cutting out ore from asteroids. Secondary Purpose: Cutting out pieces of scrap, cutting out pieces of human. Damage: Small. Area of Effect: One inch thick beam. Range: 100m Rate of Fire: Constant Payload: As long as generator permits.

Good for hauling ore and cargo (Miner/Industry), Spraying water (Farmer/ Police).

Location: Under the base, in the mouth of the sac. Primary Purpose: Pulling objects into the sac. Secondary Purpose: Pushing things out of the sac. Area of Effect: 50m Cone, can be reduced or concentrated. Range: 150m at max Rate of Fire: Constant Payload: Generator dependent.

Demibear created this article on 2023/02/09 20:36. Design made by Fian. Approval thread: https://stararmy.com/roleplay-forum/threads/nam-aerotech-firefly.13554/#post-197171