Airun Class Carrier

(Version 1.00 - Last Modified: 10/09/2002)

The Airun Class Carrier was the mainstay for the Protoss Grand Fleet. There was nothing that a fleet of carriers, even a small one, could not accomplish. When the Zerg appeared in the Terran Confederacy, the Conclave dispatched a fleet of carrier groups and a field army to eradicate their presence. The fleet, under the command of Executor Tassadar, was viewed to be sufficient to deal with the threat, destroying the Terran Confederacy in the process, and the Conclave believed that it was Tassadar's fault that the Zerg were eventually allowed to invade Aiur.

The Grand Fleet consisted of a large number of Carriers, organized into smaller units for different missions, but they were still all carriers. The only other ships in the Protoss fleet were the Aetherian Shuttles and the Tempest Class Arbiters, but neither were designed for combat. The main combat formation for the Grand Fleet, and the one which most fleet tactics are based around, is the Carrier Wing, which consists of ten of these massive carriers, as well twenty shuttles and two arbiters in support roles. The Grand Fleet saw itself as prepared for any attack, even from the very dangerous Zerg Swarm, which was proven to not possess a significant space fleet of any type. Unfortunately, the magic of the Overmind proved the Grand Fleet's undoing, hurling over 90% of the fleet into another dimension and leaving Aiur virtually undefended.

The carrier consists of three large hanger bays in the front of the ship, with a large section in the rear of the ship holding all other systems. The large rear thruster serves as the ship's main propulsion system, but there are several secondary thrusters beneath the main thruster and jutting out from the main hull. The ship was only limited weapon systems, mostly dedicated to point defense, because nearly all internal space has been dedicated to holding and supporting the ship's large number of fighters.

Ship Information:

• Vehicle Type: Fleet Carrier
• Crew:
  • Regular Crew: 360
  • High Templar: 12
  • Total Crew: 372
• Troops:
  • Zealots: 160
  • Dragoons: 20
  • High Templar: 20
  • Templar Pilots: 90
  • Total Troops: 290
• Total Crew and Troops: 662
• Grand Army Complement:
  • The ship can carry approximately 800 soldiers, but usually carries only one battalion, if anything at all.

Vehicle Complement:

• Fighter Complement:

42	Lightning Interceptor
6	Venetir Heavy Space Fighter

• Robot Complement:

30	Utility Probes
5	Observers

M.D.C. by location:

• Scarab Launchers (2) - 1200 each
• Photon Rail Guns (24) - 200 each
• Mini-Missile Launchers (6) - 100 each
• Hanger Bays (3) - 15,000 each
• Main Engine - 10,000 *
• Secondary Engines (6) - 5000 each *
• Hull Regions (10, Engine Section) - 1000 each
• Hull Regions (50, Main Section) - 500 each
• Main Body - 35,000 **
• Shield Generator - 35,000 ***


M.D.C. Armor Rating - Hull Region: 10 (See Mega-Damage Properties for more details on M.D.C. Armor and Weapon Ratings)
M.D.C. Armor Rating - Main Body: 15
Notes:

*	Depleting the M.D.C. of the main engine will destroy the FTL propulsion system and ship's maximum sublight speed is reduced by 75%. Destroying the secondary engines will have no effect if the main engine is still intact, otherwise it will completely immobilize the ship. If both engine systems are destroyed inside the gravity well of a planet, the ship will crash.
**	Depleting the M.D.C. of the Main Body will put the ship out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity.
***	The shield generator creates a powerful shield around the ship. At maximum strength the shield has 35,000 M.D.C. and regenerates at a rate of 1500 M.D.C. per melee round and can remain active indefinitely. If completely depleted, the shield cannot be recreated for half an hour, after that time it can be reactivated at full strength.

Speed:

• Stardrive: Uses a Gravitronic Drive System with a maximum speed of 6 light-years per hour.
• Sublight: Can travel at up to 60 percent of the speed of light (0.60c) and accelerate / decelerate at a rate of 0.9 percent of light (0.009 c) per melee.
• Atmospheric Propulsion: Uses an anti-gravity drive that has a maximum cruise speed is 200 mph (322 km/h) and can enter and leave an atmosphere with Earth-like gravity.
• Maximum Range: Effectively unlimited by drive system and carries about two years worth of supplies for the crew and troops.

Statistical Data:

• Height: 250' (76.2 m)
• Width: 200' (61 m)
• Length: 1000' (305 m)
• Weight: 625,000 tons (566,990 metric tons)
• Reactor System: Khaydarin Crystal Reactor with a life span of 200 years.
• Propulsion System: Anti-Gravity Generator
• Cargo: Cargo holds are scattered throughout the ship with a maximum cargo capacity of 100,000 tons (90,718 metric tons). This cargo is almost always used to store additional ammunition and supplies for fighters and embarked troops.

Weapon Systems:

1. Scarab Launchers (3)
   While only recently developed for use by the Reavers, the Scarab launcher has been used by the Grand Fleet for many decades and to good effect. Scarabs are similar to missiles, but are built slightly differently. Once within range of their target, their specially designed warhead explodes causing incredible damage as the atoms within the blast radius attempt to rip apart. This creates a small nuclear-type explosion centered at the point of the scarab's explosion. One launcher is located in each hanger bay.
   • Range: 5 miles (8 km) underwater, 10 miles (16.1 km) through atmosphere, and 100 miles (161 km) in space.
   • Damage: 6D6x100 M.D. per single shot.
   • Blast Radius: 25' (7.6 m) underwater, 50' (15.2 m) through atmosphere, and 5000' (1524 m) in space.
   • M.D.C. Weapon Rating: 22
   • Speed: The Scarabs travel at a constant speed of 500 mph (804.7km/h) underwater, 1000 mph (1600 km/h) in an atmosphere, and accelerates at a rate of 2% (0.02c) the speed of light per melee in space.
   • Rate of Fire: Each launcher can fire twice per melee.
   • Payload: 50 scarabs per launcher, for a total of 150 scarabs.
2. Photon Rail Guns (24)
   The Photon Rail Guns are an improved version of a regular rail gun. They fire charged particles encased inside of solid shells. When the shells hit a target, they burst and the charged particles create a small, explosive chain reaction, which causes increased damage to the target. Five turrets are located around each hanger bay, four on the top of the ship, two on the bottom, and the final three are mounted in the rear section. Each of these point defense turrets can rotate 360 degrees and has an arc of fire of 180 degrees.
   • Range: 5 miles (8 km) underwater, 10 miles (16.1 km) through an atmosphere, and 1000 miles (1609 km) in space.
   • Damage: 3D6x10 M.D. per burst of 30 rounds from a single rail gun or 6D6x10 M.D. per burst of 30 rounds from both rail guns.
   • M.D.C. Weapon Rating: 12
   • Rate of Fire: Equal to number of combined hand-to-hand attacks (usually 4 to 6).
   • Payload: 45,000 rounds per turret, for a total of 1500 bursts per rail gun.
3. Mini-Missile Launchers (6)
   These are missile turrets used for point defense against enemy fighters and missiles. One launcher is located in each hanger bay, two on the top of the ship, and the final launcher is in the rear section.
   • Missile Size: Mini-Missiles
   • Range: 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere and 100 miles (160.9) in space.
   • Speed: 1000 mph (1609 km/h) in an atmosphere and an acceleration of 2% of light (0.02c) per melee in space.
   • Damage: Varies with type of missile warhead.
   • Blast Radius: Varies with type of missile warhead.
   • Rate of Fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2, 4, or 8 missiles.
   • Payload: 128 missiles per launcher, for a total of 768 mini-missiles. Another 1536 mini-missiles are in storage, but reloading each launcher requires 1D6 minutes.

Special Systems:

1. Fighter Launch System
   The carrier is equipped with a fast fighter launching system, designed to get as many fighters as possible into combat as quickly possible. Each hanger can release 6 Lightning interceptors and 1 Venetir fighters per melee. If the fighters are evenly distributed between the three hanger bays, which is standard procedure, it will only take 3 melees, or 45 seconds, to launch all 48 fighters.

Standard Systems:

1. Life Support System
   The ship has a fully operational life support system that provides fresh atmosphere throughout the ship. The life support system can sustain a maximum of 1000 people indefinitely or 2000 people for a short period of time in case of an emergency.
2. Electronic Warfare System
   The ship is equipped with an EW package that allows it to generate 4 points of ECM and 3 points of ECCM. The following EWS special functions are available: Attract Tracking Device, Break Tracking Device Lock-On, Scramble Communication, and Scramble Sensor Information. See Electronic Warfare and EWSs for more details on Electronic Warfare and Electronic Warfare Systems.
3. Communication System
   The ship is equipped with a Crystal Communicator that has no maximum range, even when communicating with devices that are not crystal communicators. Also, the system can instantly communicate with crystal communicators in other dimensions. The ship's communication array can contact with up to 200 ships simultaneously.
4. Sensor Systems
   The ship is equipped with four powerful sensor systems. The first is a powerful radar array that has a range of 30 million miles (48.3 million km) and uses standard radar waves, which are fairly easy to jam, but it is obvious when the radar array is being jammed. The second is a standard gravity sensor that has a range of 90 million miles (144.8 million km). The third is a standard neutrino sensor that has a range of 50 million miles (80.5 million km). The final system is a magical energy sensor that will detect anything that has more then 50 points of PPE or ISP, is a supernatural creature or creature of magic, or is a dimensional anomaly within 5 light-years.
5. Targeting Computer System
   Connecting the ship's sensor systems with the weapon systems is the Targeting Computer System. The system is designed to control all of the weapons currently equipped on the ship. This system can track up to 500 targets simultaneously, providing detailed information about the targets from the ships data files. All direct fire weapons receive a bonus of +5 to strike and all missile weapons receive a bonus of +3 to strike. These bonuses are in addition to any previously stated bonuses or penalties.

Combat Summary:

• ECM: 4
• ECCM: 3
• Combat Actions: 6
• Strike: +5 to strike with direct fire weapons and +3 to strike with missile weapons.
• Targeting System: Can track up to 500 targets simultaneously.