Troop Transport/Dropship

[JacksonTaus (OP)]

According to the Class Design screen, my troop transport has a load time of 6 hours, but my dropship has a load time of 10 days.  Does this mean I need to add Improved Cargo Handling Systems to the dropships or something?

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Mars class Troop Transport    32,000 tons     260 Crew     1400 BP      TCS 640  TH 3000  EM 0
4687 km/s     Armour 1-89     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 27    Max Repair 125 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months    Spare Berths 0   
Troop Capacity: 6 Battalions    Cargo Handling Multiplier 40   

Moore-Davies 500 EP Commercial IFD (6)    Power 500    Fuel Use 4.42%    Signature 500    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 350,000 Litres    Range 44.5 billion km   (109 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes


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Planetfall class Landing Craft Assault    1,000 tons     7 Crew     215 BP      TCS 20  TH 160  EM 240
8000 km/s     Armour 4-8     Shields 8-300     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Maint Life 0.46 Years     MSP 13    AFR 80%    IFR 1.1%    1YR 28    5YR 427    Max Repair 60 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0.2 months    Spare Berths 1   
Drop Capacity: 1 Battalion   

Moore-Davies 40 EP Fighter IFD (4)    Power 40    Fuel Use 280.02%    Signature 40    Exp 20%
Fuel Capacity 15,000 Litres    Range 1.0 billion km   (33 hours at full power)
Norton-Cole Theta R300/480 Shields (2)   Total Fuel Cost  40 Litres per hour  (960 per day)

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes


[83athom]

Battalion drop modules are not the best for a drop ship (its also why your load times are so high). You can make a small one that is classed as a fighter for construction.  It loads faster and is a lot cheaper, but it is a bit more micromanagementy. Here is something quick I threw together as an example. (Moved to new post.)

[JacksonTaus (OP)]

Can I split battalions into companies for transport like that? Or am I fine if they're in the same task group?

Just in case this wasn't clear, I mean a drop ship for planetary assault not for like ship boarding.

My alternative is a 16000 ton destroyer with a ton of armor and shields and 6 cryo drop pods (whole brigade plus div HQ or replacement battalion), which would replace both ships.

[MarcAFK]

This is a good idea, I've been supplementing my inactive full size shipyards with 1000 ton designs of all types. They've been on add slipway (50%) for years because of resource shortage, in the meantime it's so cheap to retool my 3 slip FAC yard so it's been used to pop out magazine ships, tankers, light carriers (basically fuel efficient fighter delivery ships), scouts, rescue ships, and then back to AMM spam death swarm. However some drop module craft would be handy too.
Btw, how long can you keep your soldiers canned up in drop pods for?
I'm also wondering how viable 1000 ton capture craft would be at my tech level....
EDIT: I forgot about researching Marine companies, prohibitively expensive at the moment, especially considering the prequisite of first needing to research ssault battalion, then marine battalion, then finally marine company, and as far as I can see theres no other company sized ground units.

[83athom]

Can I split battalions into companies for transport like that? Or am I fine if they're in the same task group?

Yes you can... I think (in the same tg). I believe I did that in a previous game (for the construction brigades) but the last few versions I have gone the giant troop transport route.

Just in case this wasn't clear, I mean a drop ship for planetary assault not for like ship boarding.

Multirole, you can use it for either.

My alternative is a 16000 ton destroyer with a ton of armor and shields and 6 cryo drop pods (whole brigade plus div HQ or replacement battalion), which would replace both ships.

This is also a good idea. This is what the UNSC in the Halo universe handles it, EVERY ship doubles as a troop transport.

and as far as I can see theres no other company sized ground units.

Ship boarder defense and RP.

[JacksonTaus (OP)]

Yes you can. . .  I think (in the same tg).  I believe I did that in a previous game (for the construction brigades) but the last few versions I have gone the giant troop transport route.

OK, cool.  I've already got a 28000 ton carrier design I'm building with 9000 hanger space, I can just have an extra one I shove a bunch of these landing ships into.  20 (combat) companies in a brigade, right? So 7x a 3-company dropship would be sufficient, or 10x a 2-company dropship.

This is also a good idea.  This is what the UNSC in the Halo universe handles it, EVERY ship doubles as a troop transport.

Yeah, but I'm generally focusing on like dedicated ships.  The cryo-drop destroyer that's the alternative would have 6 battalion-sized cryodrop pods and that's pretty much it, once I add 6 layers of armor and like 20 shields there's not a whole ton of room left for payload.

[drejr]

Lately I've just been ripping out most of the launchers, magazines and sensors out of my standard 6000 ton AMM escort and replacing them with a cryo battalion drop module and some cargo handling. This gives me a cheap but flexible ship--with a twin laser turret and 48 AMMs (ideally these would be supplemented by size 1 bombs I never get around to) it has organic fire support and limited self-defense capability. The main advantage is logistical, as it can easily use the same yard as an escort. The downside is that it's a little to slow to easily capture ships, but honestly that's usually more trouble than it's worth unless you stand to gain significant research bonuses.

[MarcAFK]

Design completed.

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Pelican class Dropship    1,000 tons     12 Crew     119.745 BP      TCS 20  TH 55  EM 0
2750 km/s     Armour 1-8     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Maint Life 5.73 Years     MSP 37    AFR 16%    IFR 0.2%    1YR 2    5YR 29    Max Repair 17.745 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 1   
Drop Capacity: 1 Battalion   

54.6 EP Ion Drive (1)    Power 54.6    Fuel Use 25.34%    Signature 54.6    Exp 6%
Fuel Capacity 30,000 Litres    Range 21.3 billion km   (89 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposesIs cheap, has range and speed to keep up with the main fleet, and capacity for a whole battalion. What's not to love?*

*Ok fine, it takes 10 days to load, which could be a problem

[83athom]

 

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Coontz class Dropship    500 tons     2 Crew     102.1 BP      TCS 10  TH 125  EM 0
12500 km/s     Armour 1-5     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Maint Life 0 Years     MSP 0    AFR 100%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 11    5YR 167    Max Repair 15 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0.1 months    Spare Berths 8   
Drop Capacity: 2 Companies   

25EP 1HS MMCFFD (5)    Power 25    Fuel Use 59.4%    Signature 25    Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 10 000 Litres    Range 6.1 billion km   (5 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes It is classed as a fighter so you can build them from factories instead of your shipyards.

[JacksonTaus (OP)]

Design completed.

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Pelican class Dropship    1,000 tons     12 Crew     119.745 BP      TCS 20  TH 55  EM 0
2750 km/s     Armour 1-8     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Maint Life 5.73 Years     MSP 37    AFR 16%    IFR 0.2%    1YR 2    5YR 29    Max Repair 17.745 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 1   
Drop Capacity: 1 Battalion   

54.6 EP Ion Drive (1)    Power 54.6    Fuel Use 25.34%    Signature 54.6    Exp 6%
Fuel Capacity 30,000 Litres    Range 21.3 billion km   (89 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposesIs cheap, has range and speed to keep up with the main fleet, and capacity for a whole battalion. What's not to love?*

*Ok fine, it takes 10 days to load, which could be a problem

The 10-day load was the thing I was most trying to avoid with my redesign of my 1kT dropship. I'm hopeful that splitting into using a ton of company-sized drop pods lets me avoid that?

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Coontz class Dropship    500 tons     2 Crew     102.1 BP      TCS 10  TH 125  EM 0
12500 km/s     Armour 1-5     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 0
Maint Life 0 Years     MSP 0    AFR 100%    IFR 1.4%    1YR 11    5YR 167    Max Repair 15 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0.1 months    Spare Berths 8   
Drop Capacity: 2 Companies   

25EP 1HS MMCFFD (5)    Power 25    Fuel Use 59.4%    Signature 25    Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 10 000 Litres    Range 6.1 billion km   (5 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes It is classed as a fighter so you can build them from factories instead of your shipyards.

I'm researching company-sized drop pods now to try to build or design something like this. It loads faster, right?

[Erik L]

Y'all might want to add Troop Transport Bays to your designs. Otherwise you are basically loading the troops into their drop pods and then shipping them for weeks to their drop site. Their morale will be in the crapper.

[JacksonTaus (OP)]

Y'all might want to add Troop Transport Bays to your designs. Otherwise you are basically loading the troops into their drop pods and then shipping them for weeks to their drop site. Their morale will be in the crapper.

That's what the Mars class is for. How long does it take for morale penalties to kick in? Like it's not within the few days to load dropships, fly the last few hundred million miles and drop, right?

[Erik L]

That's what the Mars class is for. How long does it take for morale penalties to kick in? Like it's not within the few days to load dropships, fly the last few hundred million miles and drop, right?

I haven't done it recently, but I believe the penalties start around a day or so.

And Cargo Handling Systems will shorten the time to load.

[83athom]

Y'all might want to add Troop Transport Bays to your designs. Otherwise you are basically loading the troops into their drop pods and then shipping them for weeks to their drop site. Their morale will be in the crapper.

Troop Transport Carrier aka Amphibious Assault Ship.

[MarcAFK]

The pelican is just a cheap way of transporting meat towards my colonies :p once I have marine companies researched it'll become a true dropship.