Statbloc
Crew: 12 (4 officers, 8 enlisted)
Capacity: 210 t (170 usable with full combat load)
Length: 80.1 m
Wingspan: 48 m
Height: 23 m
Empty weight: 330,000 kg
Max takeoff weight: 570,000 kg
Powerplant: 8 × MIT-14 turbofans, 150.4 kN thrust each (190 kn of thrust during opening stage of taking off.)
Maximum speed: 430 mph
Cruising speed: 350 mph at 1.5 m
Range: 3,000 km
Service ceiling: 8,500m or 8 m (Ground Effect)
Armament:
Guns- 2x Compact Lyran 50mm Autocannon turrets: One on the right side, one on the left side, 2x guns in each turret. (300 rounds per gun)
Missiles- 2x Missile Launchers outfitted with Hellion LY589Bs, 6x missiles each.
Electronics: Flare/Chaff Pods; LA-22 Radar Warning Receiver, AN/APG-63(V)3, AN/APQ-281 'Tiamat' EW system, SACHERI Combat Information System and HOLY AVENGER-AA APS.
Background
The Marshite Marines and other amphibious forces had clamored for a new Landing Craft for some time. With the Hardliner victory in the Civil War meaning a new phase of Crusading was likely, the Military went about creating brand new means for the Marshite Marines to inflict horror upon their foe. The result was the MGV-02, or the Warbeach.
Propulsion and Design
Powered by eight turbofans recently created by Marshite Intelligent Technologies, each one gives 150.4 kn of thrust. The MIT-14 is capable of up to 190 kn thrust over a short period of time to enable take-off, but outside of that, using the higher limits of the turbofans puts strain on the Warbeach and the turbofans themselves. Once in flight, it can achieve a speed of 430 mph fully loaded, or 350 mph in Ground Effect mode at around 1.5 meters. The wings of the Warbeach are removable, allowing it to be transported and moved into launch position in spaces as small as 14m wide. The wings are also resistant to minute differences in water pressure, enabling some contact with water before disaster. It is capable of transporting up to 200 tons, often used to transport a company of infantry or its compliment of vehicles or tanks. Thanks to the hybrid-fuel nature of the turbofans it has good speed and effectiveness of the energy usage by the engine gives the range of 3,000km, long enough to launch surprise attacks against enemy targets who considered themselves safe from attack.
Combat Payload- Transport and Firearms
The Warbeach is considered a transport aircraft, beach assault vehicle, and close-air support specialist. It features two missile launchers outfitted with the advanced Hellion missiles, allowing it to target and hit around three-hundred and sixty targets at extreme range before the Warbeach is within range of any enemy counter. It has three turrets, one under the nose of the craft and then one on either side to the rear side of the wing. Each turret has two compact 50mm autocannons with four-hundred rounds of ammunition. This compliment of weapons give the Warbeach the ability to engage and destroy hundreds of targets in support of the ground invasion when counting both the Hellion missiles and the compact autocannons. It can carry into combat a company of infantry with supplies, or it can carry a mixed half combat with armor. It has enough room for three LY4A2 main battle tanks, and whether it is men or machine, straps and harnesses are used to keep everything in place until moments before contact.
Electronics
The Warbeast features a full compliment of Lyran and Marshite electronics. Flare/Chaff Pods; LA-22 Radar Warning Receiver, AN/APG-63(V)3, AN/APQ-281 'Tiamat' EW system, SACHERI Combat Information System and HOLY AVENGER-AA APS give it a full spectrum ability to track targets for its weapons, feed information to and from the SACHERI battlespace network, track and destroy dangerous anti-air weapons, and survive in an active-warzone. In almost every circumstance, the combination of the battlespace network, hellions, and the Holy Avenger protection suite give the Warbeast the ability to survive extended period of time at the front in an active warzone. SACHERI Flight Systems also help it sustain flight, and keeps the Warbeast in stable flight above the water despite conditions by analyzing the nautical conditions below. It should be noted that like most transport planes, it is very vulnerable to opposing interceptors and aircraft and is not intended to engage them under any circumstance.
As part of the SACHERI Combat Information System, it is part of the Battlespace Network which keeps the Warbeach abreast of developments as well as developing targeting information. This enables it to keep low to the surf while maintain full combat capability with the targeting systems of its Hellion payload.
The MGV-02 Warbeach in Action
A formerly allied nation undergoes a swift coup that threatens Marshites in a coastal city. Hours after the coup begins, the Marshite Church decides to intervene. located some 1,000km away is a small Marshite base and on deployment to the region is Task Force 181, which is made up of several vessels including three Kazatlan-class amphibious vessels. They hold the 314th Marine Regiment, comprising 3,000 Marines with limited Heavy Armor. The small Marshite base houses the 87th Airborne Battalion. The order is received by Task Force 181 and the 87th Airborne to intervene within six hours.
Task Force 181's Kazatlan vessels are outfitted in both the Hammer pattern- normal full compliment of aircraft- with one being oufitted in the Whale pattern- modified to have two Warbeaches on top as well as two below. Task Force 181 can deploy a total of eight Warbeaches, and the 87th Airbrone has eight of their own. The go-order is given thirteen hours after the coup begins, one hour after the intervention deadline is given. The Warbeaches are launched.
The first Warbeach on each Kazatlan are prepped beyond the bridge and fully assembled. They start up and are held back by the catapults and rail system until they reach a certain speed, at which time they launch off of a modified ramp at the end of the Kazaltan that sends them in ascendant flight.
The second Warbeaches on the Kazatlan vessels have their wings removed, placed on either side of the deck and strapped down until now. The Warbeach is attached to the modified rail system on top of the vessels and then use one single turbofan engine to move closer to the front of the vessel on rails. When they are clear of the bridge, the wings are attached in an automated system that takes ten minutes. They then repeat what the first Warbeach did. After a few seconds, the Warbeach reaches speeds at which it has full operational capability. The Task Force launches six of eight Warbeaches, which are joined by all eight 87th Airbrone Warbeaches. This force masses up 950km away from the target and moves in pairs, choosing seven continuous beachheads some ten miles away from the target city.
As this force flies towards the target above the water, information from SACHERI filters in as it flies towards the target beachheads. Eventually, they reach hellion range. The system, based on data from SACHERI picked up by recon drones placed ahead of the invasion by Task Force 181, prioritizes anti-air as well as targets arranged in order of danger to the ground invasion. Once all targets are sorted and filtered by SACHERI and assigned to all Hellion warheads and they are within 5km of the beaches, they launch a brutal fusillade of missile fire. More than four thousand warheads impact against around twenty-thousand targets, ranging from anti-air to heavy weapon emplacements and armor. Swiftly afterward, Warbeaches drop off their transport loads to much lower resistance. More than one thousand infantry and a dozen heavy armor pieces alongside two dozen smaller armored vehicles hit the beaches within moments of one another along with two-hundred tons of ammunition and supplies.
Warbeaches then pull back to the sea and use Ground Effect to get up into the air. They ascend to reach combat altitude and move over the battlespace, using their compact autocannons to reign fire down on the counter attacks being launched on the beachheads. They are able to repel light and medium armor as well as light infantry forces while Task Force 181's aircraft compliment launch their own airstrikes. By the time the six hour mark has passed, thanks to the LCACs that come in and the remaining two Warbeaches, more than two thousand Marshite infantry have taken a large beachhead against a vastly larger military force. The Warbeaches leave the area and prepare to continue dropping forces in while the military at large moves to take advantage of the beachhead.
Other Variants
There are currently two other variants of the Warbeach, each one meant for combat.
The MGV-02 WarbeachSC (HASC) High-Altitude Support Craft- Outfitted with thousands of rounds of 50mm autocannon fire and twice the missile output at the cost of carrying only a few tons of supplies.
MGV-02 WarbeachSB Support Bomber- Modification for underside, cargo bay, and wing-tip bombing hardpoints. 22,500 kg worth of explosive ordanance can be carried.
Export
The Warbeach is an advanced combat platform and is restricted level III to close allies of Lyran Arms.
MGV-02 Warbeach: NS$190m
MGV-02 WarbeachSC: NS$195m
MGV-02 WarbeachSB: NS$180m
DPRs to the three marks together are available at NS$1.2 trillion.
Sales are through Covenant Arms and Lyran Arms.
