The FTL Sensor Drone is designed to detect starships moving in FTL. It became available in YE 31.
The FTL Sensor Drone provides the means to locate and track vessels in FTL over an extended area. With it the Star Army of Yamatai can create a web to monitor ships traveling in areas under their control.
During the Second Mishhuvurthyar War the Star Army of Yamatai needed away to detect and track enemy vessel movements. Usaga Hisa of the YSS Aeon came with an idea to deploy small remote drones or buoys that could detect the movement of ships in FTL. The system can not identify the type of ships, just their presence.
The FTL Sensor Drone is painted in a radar absorbing paint to help mask its presence.
Organization Using This item: Star Army of Yamatai Type: Star Ship Detection Nomenclature: Ke-O5-1a Designers: Ketsurui Zaibatsu Research and Development teams, Usaga Hisa Manufacturers: Ketsurui Zaibatsu, Star Army of Yamatai Entered service: YE 31
Length: 3 meters ( 9.84 feet) Width: 3 meters ( 9.84 feet) Height: 3 meters ( 9.84 feet)
The FTL Sensor drone is only capable of moving via maneuvering thrusters, intended primarily for station keeping.
See Damage Rating (Version 3) for an explanation of the damage system.
Hull: 2 SP (Armor) Shields: N/A
Service Lifespan: Estimated 5 years of constant use, possibly longer with maintenance.
The FTL Sensor Drone can be deployed from the shuttle bay, power armor bay or even cargo bay of any Star Army vessel provided the compartment has been set to zero gravity. Drones are deployed fifteen light years apart from each other, which create a five light year overlap between drones.
Upon detection of FTL activity within its area the drone will track the speed, heading, and number of ships. It will then start sending status updates to the nearest drones. The other drones relay it to the drones closest to them until it has spread across the deployment and is received by a Star Army of Yamatai vessel.
When a drone detects FTL traveling vessel dropping out of FTL within ten AU of its position; the drone will signal the other drones, and then go into standby mode to avoid detection. The drone will remain in standby mode for one hour then return to activity. It will then conduct a passive scan with the Ks-MIES-E3021 sensor. If the scan is clear the drone will resume normal operation. Otherwise it will go back into standby for another hour.
It is constructed out of a Durandium Alloy frame and covered in Durandium panels.
The primary sensor for the FTL Sensor Drone is the MEGAMI Ks-MIES-E3013 sensor.
Secondary sensor is Ks-MIES-E3021 used when a vessel drops out of FTL in proximity to the drone.
The FTL Sensor Drone uses the Armor Integrated Electronics System (AIES) from the Ke-M2-2D "Mindy II" Power Armor for its control.
It uses a subspace communicator to communicate with the other drones in the network. It has an effective range of twenty light years.
The drone has two Ke-M2-G2901 Aetheric Generator and Capacitor Systems from the Mindy 2 to power the drone. Two are installed for redundancy.
The FTL Sensor Drone uses sixteen KiMT-n2419 Maneuvering Thrusters for keeping the drone in position.
