ONRC - 'Dragon' - Interplanetary Dropship

Introducing the ONRC - ‘Dragon’ - Interplanetary Dropship

WARNING: Contains an obscene amount of subgrids with no regard for survivability, be aware.

"A design that has transcended systems, the IDS-4 'Dragon' serves the ONRC and its citizens as its predecessors have for generations, delivering supplies and troops to all environments known to man, be they the depths of Trelan, or the peaks of Helghan. 

The Dragon is a beloved staple of the system mainly due to its role in the great exodus. The original IDS-1 variants helped evacuate thousands, many of whom were the ancestors of todays populous. As a result, even when better, more modern alternatives are still available, the marines would take the Dragon over that ship any day. 

Whilst each day, fewer and fewer of these behemoths remain to protect the skies, those that do grow stronger from it, adapting to each challenge, and learning from past mistakes. The Dragon's power is not in its size, but the versatility that size can allow for. Whilst smaller ships are far faster and more nimble, they do not have the margin to adapt that our prized drop-ship can offer."

Block Count: 3,843 PCU Count: 16,861 Grid Mass: 232t

Length: 26m Width: 20.5m Height: 8.5m

Space: Yes Planets: Yes - (Max 1.10g, switch to landing mode for higher gravity) Moons: Yes

The 'Dragon' features 2 Rocket Launchers, 2 Autocannons, 2 Gatling and 1 Autocannon Turret for weaponry. 1 large hydrogen tank with two large H2 thrusters are present with 10.8 minutes at full thrust. A vast array of Atmospheric and Ion thrusters complement this as the primary movement method. The dropships interior features capacity for 1 pilot, 1 gunner, as well as 10 passengers, and is fully airtight and pressurized via 2 O2/H2 generators.

Powering the ship are 2 Small reactors, 8 Large batteries and 67 small batteries (yeah) giving a flight time of around 30 minutes in atmosphere with connection ports in the Top, Bottom and Rear of the ship for external re-arm and recharging.

The VTOL function of the Dragon allows an additional 2 Large Ions, and 1 Large Atmospheric for two opposite sides to be rotated for better movement in the desired direction (Forwards/Backwards vs Up/Down), the feature also changes the lighting from red to green when activated so marines know when the dropship is safe to exit.

The Dragon has been classified as a dropship mainly due to its interplanetary capabilities and large troop capacity above all else. In a one on one against another small ship, it is unlikely that it has the necessary armament or turning speed to defeat it, however it excels at cargo hauling and has high calibre weapons that could easily allow it to act as air support for ground forces.

For these reasons, it made the most sense to me, that rather than class it as a gunship (where it would be under armoured and slow compared to other designs) it would make far better sense to have it remain as a higher tier dropship that could do its job to a good standard. For it to even be considered a gunship by my standards, I believe it would take far too much effort and potentially ruin the overall aesthetic for the sake of extra thrust, weapons etc.

Scripts Used:

- Whip's Subgrid Thruster Manager by Whiplash141 - Whip's Subgrid Gyro Manager (aka SuGMa) by Whiplash141

Screenshot Assets:

- Luma by Major Jon - Trelan by Major Jon - Large Magellanic Cloud HDR Skybox/Environment by Hadley T. Canine

This is quite possibly the hardest ship I have ever had to build. The number of subgrids it has attached meant I had to spend hours running trial and error trying to figure out the best way for it not to rotate into the ground at mach 10. The result is what you have here. I wish I could get the ship to turn faster, however doing so would require more gyroscopes which would further weigh the ship down.

The only reason that this ship is possible at all is because of Whiplash141's awesome scripts, that allow the ship to turn and move, I would like to give a massive thanks to him for taking the time to create them. If you enjoyed this workshop item, please leave a like or comment below, it means a lot to see what you guys think of my creations and helps motivate me to publish more ships.

As always, thank you, Omega