ATT-36 Harbinger Assault Dropship

ATT-36 Harbinger Assault Dropship

The Harbinger is one of the most common- and feared- sights on battlefields throughout Known Space, delivering its cargo of armour and heavy infantry directly into the front lines with a vengeance. Unlike most dropships, which generally transport troops to an established LZ and deploy them under moderate threat, the Harbinger is a heavy assault dropship and shoves the troops it carries right up the enemy’s nose. Used by mercenary corporations, militaries- both Terran Alliance member nations and indie systems in Freespace- and even some alien militaries such as the Sarza and Namaran, the Harbinger has become the Huey of the 24th century.
The Harbinger is one of the largest dropships commercially available, being larger than many light freighters at 372’ (113m) in length, as it is designed to carry a full mechanized company. Such a company consists of four thirty-two-man heavy infantry platoons, a six-man company command staff, and eight support battlewalkers, all wrapped up in one very tough delivery box. The dropship drops at super-mach velocities, using advanced inertial dampeners, top-notch AG fields, and heavy shields to go from high-orbit deployment (or jump for jump-capable models) to dirtside in under thirty seconds, minimizing PDC* and defense platform intercept times.
The Harbinger may not be overly well-armed, but she is a brute when it comes to armour. Two-to-three meter thick atomically-bonded carbon-turine battleplate designed for warships gives the Harbinger a thicker skin than most corvette-class warships, and her triple-layered Class II combat shields are better than most privateers have. Only the lack of long-term quarters and life-support keep her from being classed as a starship, and some models even come with factory-installed class II jump drives. Generally, however, jump-capable Harbingers ride the wormhole wake of larger, faster warships and rely on their own for emergency evac or tactical exfiltration only.
The Harbinger is designed to get troops on the ground fast and in one piece, not duke it out in combat. Thus, she is lightly armed compared to corvettes and other smaller warships and privateers. Two medium APPC turrets on the ventral side are used to clear an LZ- either erasing buildings and other obstructions, or blowing inconveniently-placed enemy troops to flinders to make a nice landing spot- and two medium AP lancer spinals can be used as offensive weapons against enemy vessels if necessary. Six pop-up light AP lancer ball turrets- three dorsal, three ventral- are used for point-defense weapons, rounding out the small selection of weapons available.
Accommodations aboard the Harbinger are designed for minimal occupancy, consisting of a common mass-use latrine area, prep couches with VR interface for briefings or entertainment while in transit, and coffin-bunk quarters for the two-man crew in the bridge (located deep in the bowels of the center-spine). The rest of the space is designed to carry troops and war machines. A no-nonsense transport designed to carry, place and open a very large canister of Whoop-Ass, the Harbinger has made a name for itself.

* PDC- Planetary Defense Cannon