EarthGov Gunship

The EarthGov Gunship was a large manned aerial vehicle developed to give EarthGov military and security personnel firepower, field support and transport. Built around a sealed, pressurized cabin, it operated as readily in vacuum and in space as in atmosphere, which made it well suited to law enforcement across Titan Station, the colony known as the Sprawl. During the 2511 outbreak the craft was used to hunt Isaac Clarke, and one later carried him clear of the Site 12 Marker.

Role on the Sprawl#

EarthGov Gunships were used throughout the 2511 outbreak on Titan Station, deployed by Director Hans Tiedemann to pursue Isaac Clarke across the Sprawl and later by Ellie Langford to rescue Isaac from Marker Site 12. The craft's technical and tactical capabilities made it a formidable assault vehicle, able to hunt and pursue specific targets and to engage them with superior firepower across a range of combat theaters. Although it was not a dedicated starship, the gunship could operate effectively in space and airless environments thanks to its sealed and pressurized cabin, which is what made it a practical choice for law enforcement operations on the station. In quieter times the same craft served as a patrol vehicle, and in hostile situations as a dedicated gunship.

Armament and systems#

A single craft measured at least ten meters in length from the cockpit to the tips of the thrusters and stood close to three to four meters tall. The gunship carried a wide array of weaponry in its role as a support and assault craft. Its armament included a pair of fully rotating tri-barrel gatling cannons under the nose, six homing missiles for ship-to-ship engagements, sensor and communication jamming devices, and fin-stabilized napalm bombs suspended behind swing doors on the belly of the ship, intended for atmospheric bombardment of enemy positions on the ground.

At the front, a pair of swivel-arm mounts held high-powered searchlights to detect and illuminate targets hidden from view, with a third light on top of the craft serving as a vertical source. One variant that pursued Isaac Clarke was fitted with a retractable slat armor assembly to protect its front from incoming fire and debris. The windscreen was polarized, useful in space combat where the sun would otherwise blind the pilot, and it could be adjusted to act as an ordinary window where polarization was not needed.

The gunship's engine control nozzles consisted of three large, independently steering thrusters, allowing the craft to execute flexible maneuvers and to compensate quickly against side winds and turbulence. That arrangement gave it an edge over Wai Lao-class shuttles such as the USG Kellion, which relied on more conventional fixed thrusters. Inside, the cockpit held two seats together with holographic displays, a thruster switch and the craft's other key controls, and the ship most likely carried a store of emergency EVA suits, one of which Ellie Langford used. Two doors allowed quick entry and exit from combat. Together this equipment let the gunship serve as a patrol craft in peacetime and as a dedicated assault vehicle in war.