ATF/B-120 "Hell-Hawk" multi-role Fighter

Based on a pre-rifts experimental multi-role aircraft the Hell-Hawk has proven to be one of the best means of offensive support that the Alliance armed forces has at its disposal. The Hell-Hawk plays a key role in the defence of the Alliance when it is fighting the various creatures who inhabit the surrounding area and come to attack the alliances. It is used as a multi-role first strike weapon to soften the enemy before the main force of power armor infantry units got involved. Afterwards they are used for air support for the ground units as well as combat air patrol. There have been many modifications to the plane since its initial introduction to the armed forces and the newest has no known rival in the air and few flying power armor suits have any chance of survival against it.

The plane, due to its ducted thrust capability, can launch and land in VTOL, STOL, or the standard means of any aircraft using a prepared or unprepared landing strip. The five main bases of the DA have a different mode of launching all their aircraft. On the underside of the Hell-Hawk an observant person will notice a pair of doors on either side of the plane that, when open, reveal a pair of retractable magnetic rail guides. These are used for launching from the Sentinel bases 1 through 5. The five bases use a series of magnetic induction motors along one of their eight 1 km long launch tubes. This mode can essentially be described as a rail gun for aircraft. Depending on the situation, the aircraft can be launched at anywhere from Mach 0.9 to Mach 3 (this mechanism will be further detailed in a file for the bases themselves).

Due to the large number of aircraft in the DA inventory that are dedicated to interception and air supremacy the Hell-Hawk is used, for the most part, in its ground support role. It's ability to carry heavy ground attack ordinance as well as its massive 40mm reaper canon make it an ideal ground support vehicle. Once its ground support role is fulfilled the Hell-Hawk other abilities to protect themselves as they either leave the area or help with maintaining air supremacy.

The heads-up display is a special holographic projector that displays the area around the aircraft in a 250m grid with friendly and hostile forces marked and displayed in real-time. The pilot sees a holographic image of the terrain with his aircraft in the center at either 2, 5 or 10km diameter ranges. Anything at a greater range than 10km is displayed on the radar screen. The radar on the Hell-Hawk is extremely powerful and accurate. this high power and accuracy is needed to see vehicles and objects while flying in the heavy sandstorms that affect the DA's domain on a regular basis. The sensor system on all aircraft in the DA's airforce are very similar to the SNARLS sensor system from Rifts(R):World Book 8 - Japan (page 116), due to the supernatural nature of some of their enemies. The major difference is the range for the Hell-Hawk's sensors are 500 meters.

extra note: 90% of all the pilots in the DA are equipped with a headjack for piloting their vehicles.

Model Type : ATF/B-120 Hell-Hawk
Class : Multi-role (interceptor, Ground support, anti-armor)
Crew : One, with seat for a second crew member (the second seat is usually used for storing survival gear)

M.D.C. By location :

*Main Body - 500

Reinforced Pilots Compartment - 120

**Main Wings (2) - 185 each

***Canard Wings (2)- 100 each

***Tail Wings (3)- 125 each

****Landing Gear (3)- 75 each

*****Engines (2)- 150 each

40mm Reaper Cannon - 100

Wing Mounted Lasers (4) - 25 each

*Destroying the main body knocks the plane out of the sky and turns it into smouldering wreckage.
**Destroying one of the main wings will send the aircraft into an spin and rocketing to the earth.
***Destroying one or more of the small wings cuts the speed by -12% and handling by -10% for each of the five wings.
****if the gear is destroyed the plane can no longer perform STOL or conventional landing and take-offs.
*****if one engine is destroyed the aircraft's speed is reduced by 40% and handling by -30%

Speed :

Driving on the ground : only possible when using STOL or conventional take-offs and landings as well as parking/storage (10 mph / 16 kph)

Flying : Sea Level (0-50 feet)

-Mach 1.5 unloaded

-Mach 1.0 loaded

Combat level (0-20,000 ft)

-Mach 2.0 unloaded

-Mach 1.5 loaded

Max ceiling (85,000 ft)

-Mach 3.0 unloaded

-Mach 2.5 AA load only

Standard cruising speed varies depending on the situation But is generally around Mach 1.0

Attack speed for ground level attacks is between 250 to Mach 1.

Aerial attacks are all varied to the type of dog fight.

Range :

Nuclear powered, giving it continual energy, but the engines begin to over heat after 20 hours of flying time at cruising speeds. Occasional rest stops of 4 to 6 hours, giving the engines 1 hour to cool down, will allow the aircraft to travel indefinitely.

Height : 16 feet gear extended - 12 feet gear retracted
Width : 50 feet
Length : 80 feet
Weight : 20 tons unloaded - 25-30 tons loaded
Cargo : none, other than the seating for one behind the pilot, which can be used for storage when not occupied.
Power System : Nuclear, 20 year life span
Features of Note : Pilot compartment ejection system with pop-up stabilizing fins, as well as a self destruct system that can be activated by the pilot or automatically 30 seconds after emergency ejection or impact, which ever comes first. The plane's radar and sensor system can track and identify up to 200 targets in clear sky conditions and 100 targets in sandstorm conditions.
Black market cost : Not available, Desert Alliance military only.
Flying Bonuses : There is an automatic +2 bonus to all low level (25 - 5000 ft) dogfighting rolls due to the planes manuverability in low level combat. The Hellhawk is large for a fighter and operates far better in the low-level envelope and for long range interception. (This is basically an F-14 that is the size of an F-111)

Weapon Systems :

1. 40 mm Reaper Cannon -

Primary purpose : Anti-armor

Secondary purpose : Anti-air / anti-fortification

Damage : 3d6 x 10 + 10 M.D.

Rate of fire : burst only (each 2 second burst shoots 100 rounds)

Effective range : 12,000 feet (3600 m - 3.6 km)

Payload : 1500 rounds

Notes: when the radar targeting system is inoperative there is a -3 to hit penalty to targets beyond 5000 feet. There is an experimental version equipped for firing a larger version of the Banshee round, but no production versions have been produced.

2. Wing Mounted Laser Cannons (4) -

Primary purpose : Anti-air

Secondary purpose : Anti- armor

Damage : burst - 1d6 x 10 +10 M.D.

Strafe (ground attacks only) - 1d4 x 10 M.D. To a 10m x 500m path

Rate of fire : burst or strafe

Effective range : 3000 feet (900m)

Payload : unlimited (connected to aircraft power source)

Notes: although this is not the most devastating attack that this aircraft is capable of, it is very disconcerting. The lasers Fire at an incredible rate of speed (for an example watch the U.S.S. Defiant of DS9 fire its phasers while you're playing the tape on fast-forward and you get the idea.)

3. Heavy Hard Points (2) - each can hold one of the following

for ground attack - 2000 lbs of free-fall bombs or

6 Air to Surface guided missiles (Maverick type) or

2 Air to Surface unguided rocket pods (each with 30 rockets)

for interception or CAP - 2 long or medium range Air to Air missiles

4. Medium Hard Points (4) - each can hold one of the following

for ground attack - 1000 lbs of free-fall bombs or

One thermite Plasma tank (M.D.C. napalm)

for interception or CAP - 1 medium range or 2 short range Air to Air missiles

5. Light Hard Points (2) - each can hold one of the following

all missions - One short range AA missile

6. ECM pod -

35% chance to block or distort hostile radar and sensor signals

60% if the aircraft is flying below 50 feet (nape of the earth(25ft) or contour chasing (50ft))

7. Chaff / Flare Dispenser - (the Triax system of Chaff and flares is a little unrealistic...most present day system fire 3 or more flares at once)

Flares - 40

Chaff - 30

Special maneuvres :

I am doing some research on the the Harrier Jump jet and will try to get descriptions and diagrams of some of their maneuvres posted here...until then its up to the player who is piloting the aircraft (and to the GM for what he will allow).