Designation: SC-32 Gossamer Trans-orbital Transport Space Shuttle EC-32 Eyrie EWACS Shuttle

Names and disposition:

Shuttles were officially only given numeric designations.

Ship's Complement:

• 3 crew
• 120 troops maximum (with elimination of mecha)

Eyrie Control Shuttle

• 23 Aerospace Control Specialists

Dimensions:

Length:	80.2 meters
Height:	18.3 meters
Span :	25.3 meters
Weight:	200 metric tons unloaded.
	400 metric tons at full load.

Propulsion Systems:

• Reaction Mass Thrusters (6) : Turbomeca RT-50 reaction mass thrusters, with sufficient hydrogen fuel for 2 g of acceleration to be sustained for six minutes.
• Secondary Reaction Thrusters (6) : lower-powered reaction thrusters (various designs) for VTOL and hover capabilities. These VTOL thrusters are designed for use on planets with 0.25g of gravity or less.
• Main Power : Protoculture generators supplied by various manufacturers.
  
• Reusable Detachable Fuel Tank, containing sufficient hydrogen fuel for 2.0 g of acceleration to be sustained for 10 minutes. The tank is 80m long and masses 420 metric tons fully loaded. The fuel tank is usually ejected after orbital insertion, and can be recovered for reuse. The tank also contains a parachute mechanism in case of atmospheric ejection.

Performance.

• Atmospheric cruise speed : Mach 2.5
• Maximum Range (space) : Delta-v limit of 4.2 kps.
• Maximum Range (boosted) : Delta-v limit of 13.6 kps.
• Generator endurance : 12 years.
  Orbital insertion requires the use of the detachable fuel tank and take-off from an erector pad at an aerodrome with the required installations for launch.

Electronics Systems.

Radar tracking:

• Westinghouse APS-145 E/F-band pulse-Doppler forward-looking radar.
  

  Eyrie EWACS

• Westinghouse APY-8 very-long-range wideband surveillance and tracking radar system using dual phased arrays mounted within 15m canoes on the shuttle fuselage, where the doors used to be located.
• Loral ASARS-5 I-band Side-Looking Synthetic Aperature Radar (SLAR) for imaging and target determination using the phased arrays. System is capable of tracking larger targets out to 220.5 km and small vehicles out to 52 km.
• AlliedSignal APX-7 IFF secondary surveillance transponder.

Optical tracking:

• Phillips AllView II multi-band omni-directional digital camera system, for medium range all attitude infra-red imaging, optical and ultra-violet band detection and tracking

Tactical Electronic Warfare System (TEWS):

• Elettronica Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)
• OlDelft Infra-red Warning Warning Receiver (IRWR)
• Selenia Sky Warrior active/passive sensor jammers
• Chaff dispenser
• Flares.
  

  Eyrie EWACS

• Selenia QRC-92 Infra-red Jammer
• Westinghouse ALQ-285(V) bandwidth-tunable, frequency-agile active radar jammer
• GEC Marconi ALA-220 COMINT Pulse Analyzing Receiver
• Expendable jammer dispenser

Weapon Systems:

• None.

Air Group Complement: (Gossamer Only)

• 18 mecha units, packed
• or 12 mecha units, launchable

Design Notes:

The Gossamer is an unarmed space shuttle. It is designed to transport cargo to Moon Base Luna and Space Station Liberty. Their layout reflects these simple design goals. They were designed for rapid production and as such have a questionable reliability. Like with the old pre-war shuttles, the Gossamer is launched vertically from a platform. The design mounts a cockpit up front, a small cargo bay behind that, closed by a full-length hinged door, and six main engines mounted at the stern. Two delta wings are mounted at the rear, and two tails spring from the corners of the box-like fuselage. The Gossamer uses a liquid fuel tank package attached to the underside to provide sufficient reaction mass for long trips, thus increasing its delta-v by 6 kps.

The shuttles require their detachable fuel tank to launch if they are fully loaded, even if a high atmospheric altitude is their destination.

The Southern Cross Aerospace Command had the need to replace the aging Tiger's Eye and Cat's Eye AWACS. Due to budgetary constraints due to the focusing on rebuilding the combat forces in the wake of the departure of the REF, the Gossamer shuttle was selected as it provided a common platform to replace both roles, thereby cutting costs. In space, it was almost always equipped with the external fuel tank to maximize its operating radius.

History:

During the war with the Robotech Masters, these simple cargo shuttles were rapidly built and modified to carry mecha into combat. These craft have very few amenities and the mecha pilots have to ride within their mecha, as the mecha are tightly packed within the cargo bay. These craft proved no match for the far more powerful Assault Carriers and larger ships and most were destroyed in the repeated pointless offensives against the Robotech Master Motherships.

The Eyrie EWACS was used extensively by the Tactical Space Corps and Tactical Air Force for patrolling duties. The Eyrie were used extensively to guard Earth against rogue Zentraedi on Earth and in system. An Eyrie was the vessel to make first contact with the Robotech Masters forces as one was dispatched to investigate sensor anomalies from Space Station Liberty. The ship never reported back and was assumed lost. The Tirolian Assault Carriers made short work of the TAF Eyries. Those few that survived the war were mostly destroyed by the Invid Invasion.

See Southern Cross Naval Gallery.

See additional design notes.

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