A-550 Thunderhawk

The A-550 Thunderhawk is a heavy attack craft made by Ares Systems,  and was widely used by planetary defense forces, and the PLIN during Era-1. 

Strictly a short-range attack craft with no FTL capabilities, it was designed to fly in space or in atmosphere with folding wings.  The A-550 is heavily armored, and accelerates slowly.  No consideration was given to stealth in the design of the craft, and its profile on a sensor scan usually strikes fear into most enemies.

The main armament of the craft is a Danforth-Galactic heavy plasma beam capable of penetrating all but the heaviest armor with a single strike.  This is backed up by twin heavy ion-bolt throwers, and an array of bombs and missiles.

Wyvern Space Capsule

The Wyvern Space Capsule was originally made by Astro-Dynamics, inc. and was important to the early exploration and settling of the Solar System.  Production of an upgraded version continued even after Astro-Dynamics was bought by Ares Systems, mid-way through Era-1.  Although it was designed only to make short journeys, and could not take off on its own after landing, it saw wide use as a single-use landing craft, and as an escape pod. 

The Wyvern could seat five, and carried enough provisions for five days at full capacity.  It's construction was as light as was practical, and therefore the Wyvern was virtually defenseless.  Its sole role was to move people through space. 

When humankind first seriously undertook the colonization of space, the Wyvern was the vehicle of choice.  Many early settlers landed on the Moon, and Mars in Wyverns, and their supplies were often delivered in Sorcerer Pods. 

Variants

The Sorcerer Cargo and Logistics Pod was the most common variant on the Wyvern, relying solely on autopilot, and trading in all seating and life-support for cargo space.

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The Stormrunner

Description

Manufactured by Ares Systems, the Stormrunner was first introduced midway through Era-1.  Larger and more capable than the Aurora class, the Stormrunner is slower, with a longer range it can travel before resupply.  

Designed with a generous rear cargo bay, the Stormrunner is customizable with six mounting ports for turrets or other auxiliary equipment. Crew access is through two airlocks on the lower deck of the cockpit section, and the cargo bay is accessible through a large door in the stern.  The rear section has four decks, with the cargo hold spanning two decks.  The cockpit section has three decks, and the mid-section has two decks.  

Designed for versatility, the Stormrunner is typically used for cargo hauling.  Its combination of speed and potential for firepower make it a favorite among pirates and smugglers.  It is also well suited to the role of blockade runner in siege situations.  Like many of the products of Ares Systems, the Stormrunner was built to last.

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Systems+specs

The Stormrunner's standard engines were known as HIgh-Power Propulsive-Ion Engines, or referred to more affectionately by captains and crews as "Hippies".

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Aurora-class light transport

Overview

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This variant, the Aurora-P is designed to ferry passengers.

Captain Briggs:  ‘A fast ship’?  This is the Eon Eagle, son.  She did the Antares Circuit in less than a week.

Johnny Starchild:  Golly!  That’s over twelve parsecs!

Manufactured by Ares Systems, the Aurora class light transport was a mainstay of short-range transportation in the Planetary League during the early part of Era-1.  It filled many roles, from ferrying passengers and cargo within a system, to tugboat operations, to mining asteroids. Most organizations within the Planetary League made extensive use of the Aurora, including the PLAS and the PLIN. Few ships of the time were as versatile, and some individual ships flew as late as the War of the Gods (mid-way through Era-2).

First seeing service before the advent of FTL travel, the Aurora was originally designed for interplanetary missions.  When fitted with five high-power Ion drives, it had better acceleration than most ships its size when unloaded.  Its modular cargo bay was designed to allow for easy modification, and often housed spatial-compression equipment, after that technology was developed. Although it could land on the surfaces of most habitable planets, the Aurora was not intended for extended atmospheric flight, as its boxy lifting body form was not very aerodynamic.

Although the Aurora could be operated autonomously, or by a lone pilot using automation, the most typical configurations had a crew of three, consisting of a pilot, a navigator and an engineer.

Variants

The Aurora had a long history, and was popular both with civilian operators and government agencies. Most Auroras were built either for passenger accommodations or cargo hauling, but over the years a large number of variants were created for this highly adaptable craft.

On outpost missions, an Aurora class vessel typically carried five Tardigrades in suspended animation modules, and flew to its destination on autopilot.  

There was also a fleet-escort variant that was heavily armed and widely used.

There was a mini-tanker variant designed to haul liquids in bulk.