SDF Carrier

The SDF Carrier is a type of warship encountered in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, part of the Settlement Defense Front military.
==Overview==
Among the most powerful weapons in SetDef's arsenal, SDF carriers are massive space warships encountered throughout the campaign by SWC-141 Retribution and her crew. Among the Front's many warships, they are second only to the pride of the Martian fleet, the supercarrier SDS Olympus Mons.
The naming convention for SDF carriers is the three-letter prefix "SDS" followed by a name. Much like SDF destroyers, these ships are usually named after Martian geographic features such as mountains (SDS Cerberus), or outflow channels (SDS Ares Vallis).
==Characteristics==
Leviathans of spacecraft, SDF carriers are intended to function as carrier vessel for Skelter fighters and Warden dropships while also engaging in ship-to-ship combat. The design of this ship class is suited for the vacuum of space, lacking much in the way of aerodynamics and being rather angular. The ships are quite oblong in construction, with a notable cavity at the bow of the ship - a common trait amongst SetDef ships. The dorsal aft section of the ships host a prominent superstructure which appears to contain each vessel's bridge and Combat Information Center (CIC), with a horizontal conning tower mounted on the top.
The dorsal forward section of the vessel seems to be taken up by a hangar bay, possessing eight large pressurized deck hatches (which seem to be able to double as landing pads), which open up to allow access to the hangar bay via a large vertical airlock. The hangar bay can also be accessed via airlocks on the port and starboard sides. The ship also seems to have at least one vertical airlock on their ventral surfaces as well, which also allows access to the central hangar bay. The ship's surface is covered with various features such as access hatches, radars, supply tanks and weapons systems.
Internally, the ship possesses features similar to those of terrestrial warships as well as those required for space combat. Areas such as the administrative sections, armouries, cafeterias, cargo holds, computer mainframes, conference rooms, crew accommodations, hangars, life support systems, medical bays, ordnance bays, and so on are all present within the ship. The ship has various bulkheads and pressurized doors that allow it to be compartmentalized in the event of a hull breach or depressurisation. The ship's CIC has windows but can cover these with armoured shutters to maximize protection during combat. The sides of the ship also appear to have windows that can also be covered with armoured shutters, as well as several airlocks allowing access to the ship's interior. The interiors themselves are also fairly spartan, even by military standards, reflecting the SDF's focus on efficiency and functionality over comfort and luxury.
Like many spaceships in Infinite Warfare, SDF carriers are capable of generating their own artificial gravity. While the exact method by which this occurs is unknown, it would appear that the mechanism ensures that the gravitational field generated is perpendicular to the ship's floor, ensuring that crew members are only pulled downwards towards the immediate floor and not in different directions. This gravity can seemingly be disabled quite selectively, with gravity being deactivated in one room but left on in others.
The ship has a crew complement of both sailors and security personnel. This includes C6 androids, which are often found docked at various stations when not in use.
===Offensive and defensive systems===
SDF carriers are heavily-armed vessels; while principally serving as transports for Skelter fighters, they are also capable of engaging targets themselves. Carriers possess a variety of offensive and defensive weapons systems.
====Point-defense weaponry====
For defense, SDF carriers use 30mm Grunion autocannons and MMT38 Whiplash missiles. These are often used to target anything small that might threaten the ship, such as Jackal fighters, but they can also be used in an offensive role against other warships if required. Grunions appear to be tri-barrelled rotary weapons; these autocannons are mounted in rotating turrets and distributed across the vessel's dorsal side to provide a large amount of fire cover.
The Whiplash missiles are located in a bulge just forward of the superstructure, behind a pressurized door. Each Whiplash launcher is actually a square pod of four missiles that protrudes from the launch bay when in use.
In addition, carriers possess four deck-mounted multi-missile launchers, resembling an oversized RAM missile launcher; though the exact designation and function of these weapons is unknown.
====R-28 Taskmasters====
For both offense and defense, the ships use R-28 Taskmasters, which are twin-barrelled cannons mounted on the sides of the ship's dorsal centreline. The R-28 seems to be a fairly high calibre-cannon with a low rate of fire that can inflict considerable damage upon warships, judging by what can be seen at the end of Operation Blood Storm, when Nick Reyes is trying to hold on to a hijacked SDF destroyer. Carriers seem to be able to mount up to twelve Taskmasters, distributed evenly across the dorsal surface of the ship.
The R-28 Taskmaster can be used either for defending the vessel in point-defense roles vessels or for attacking enemy vessels.
====Tactical cruise missiles====
For offense, the ship uses tactical cruise missiles. The missiles are launched from fixed launch bays. It seems there are at least three cruise missile variants, judging by what can be seen in the ship's armoury, each differentiated by their colour. The missiles seem to have their warhead type written on them, followed by a alphanumeric designation:
*Black - Fuse Class F6
*Red - Impact Class O2
*White - NCLR N15
The missiles are loaded onto mobile racks in the ordnance room, where they can presumably be supplied to different parts of the ship. Ordnance rooms on SDF carriers seem to have different racks and control systems for different missiles, with the control consoles having the missile type clearly marked on the floor underneath them, though different missiles have been seen on the same rack.
The missile's name seems to indicate what kind of weapon they are, with O2s detonating on impact and F6s having a delayed fuses. The N15 missiles are actually equipped with nuclear warheads, as writing on the floor in front of consoles controlling their racks clearly states "NUCLEAR", which is presumably also what the "NCLR" written on the missiles stands for. They also seem to possess yellow warning hazard labels on them which the O2 and F6 missiles lack. While the yield of the N15 is unknown, SDF carriers are shown to carry numerous N15 missiles, potentially granting each carrier a devastating amount of firepower.
Some carriers, such as the SDS Hellas, are known to have outfitted their missile warheads with a unknown type of chemical weapon.
====Additional weapons====
SDF carriers may be equipped with railguns, consisting of two barrels each. This was observed on the SDS Cerberus, which had two of these weapons. These railguns were very powerful, capable of annihilating the Retribution with ease. However, they required a substantial amount of power in order to operate.
===Air wing===
SDF carriers possess an air wing. While its exact size is unknown, it does involve at least several R-7 and/or R-16 Skelters, as well as Warden dropships. The SDS Cerberus was notable in that it carried a stealth prototype Skelter.
This air wing can engage in a variety of operations including air-to-air combat, ground attack, reconnaissance and ship assault.
===Protection===
SDF carriers are reasonably well-armoured and can withstand a fair degree of punishment before being destroyed (this may also be due to their large mass and size). Jackal fighters do not seem to be able to easily destroy the ships directly, often having to rely on boarding actions or fire support from UNSA ships such as the UNSA Tigris. Jackals can destroy some of the carrier's weapons however.
Carriers also seem to be equipped with a system reminiscent of chaff/flare launchers like the , consisting of five tubes, mounted across the dorsal surface of the hull.
===Mobility===
The ships are propelled by massive thrusters located at the very stern of the vessel. Carriers have a total of nine thrusters, divided into two sets of four on both port and starboard aft sections and a single unit in the middle. Like other warships in the game, SDF carriers are also capable of faster-than-light (FTL) travel, which requires the use of a Drop Engine. SDF carriers are also capable of hovering within a planetary atmosphere.
==Role==
SDF carriers act as spacefaring airbases, transporting aircraft across the Solar System. SDF carriers may operate on their own or in conjunction with other warships such as SDF destroyers. It is not unusual for carries to operate by themselves, possibly due to the relatively low number of warships in Infinite Warfare relative to the sheer size of the solar system.
When operating alongside other ships, SDF carriers often act as the primary strike force due to the amount of firepower both they and their Skelters can collectively carry, making them a key target in any battle.
==Named Ships==
Below is a non-exhaustive list of all named SDF carriers and their current status. Note that several unnamed carriers can be seen at the Tharsis Shipyard.
*SDS Ares Vallis (destroyed)
*SDS Centauri (active)
*SDS Cerberus (out of commission)
*SDS Hellas (destroyed)
==Gallery==
SDF Carrier model concept IW.jpg|SDF carrier concept art
SDF Carrier Concept Front by Andrew Stevenson IW.jpg|Carrier concept art (fore)
SDF Destroyer Ordnance Bay by Eric Widner IW.jpg|Carrier ordnance bay
SDF Cruise Missile NCLR Model by Eric Widner IW.jpg|N15 NCLR cruise missile
SDF Cruise Missile Impact Model by Eric Widner IW.jpg|Impact-class O2 cruise Missile
SDF Cruise Missile Fuse Model by Eric Widner IW.jpg|Fuse-class F6 cruise missile
SDF Ares.jpg|The carrier SDS Ares Vallis
SDF Carrier early concept art by Simon Ko IW.png|Early concept art of the SDF carrier; note the aircraft for size comparison
SDF Carrier early concept rear by Simon Ko IW.png|Early concept art for the SDF carrier, from the aft
Carrier Briefing Display by Andrew Hawryluk IW.jpg| A carrier on UNSA Retribution's mission display briefing
Category:Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Settlement Defense Front Warships