Scorpion Gunship

The **AT-99 “Scorpion” Gunship** is a VTOL rotorwing light attack aircraft used by the Dark Angels Air Force. Outfitted with a Mosquito-class targeting and missile launch platform, the Scorpion is the gunship of choice to escort shuttle landings and take-off, for close fire support for military operations, and air support for ground assault.

## Specifications/Overview

### Crew

The AT-99 Scorpions are operated by a single pilot who must coordinate what is happening with and around the aircraft, control and fire weapons, and operate communications and navigation.

### Weapons/Armament

Scorpion Gunships are known for their superior frontal firepower, while not lacking in speed, agility, and maneuverability.

The Scorpion has two forward-mounted stub pylons that are armed with four gimbal-mounted .50 caliber machine guns with a 700-rounds per minute cyclic rate of fire as close-range primary weapons. It carries two dual 50 cal. Machine Guns and two triple-barrel 20mm Gatling Guns. The Scorpion has two pairs of huge stub-wing pylons to carry its armament of 190 **TK-411 WAFAR** (Wrap-Around Fin Aerial Rocket) in ten 19-tube rocket launchers. These are guided, air-to-ground rockets that are designed to clear out light enemy combatants over a large area. The TK-411 WAFAR rockets are housed in a hexagonal rocket pod, with each pod housing 19-tubes each. Scorpions are capable of carrying an impressive 190 rockets for mass devastation. The use of the rocket varies according to the warhead that can range from tactical applications to impact-based sensor systems and can be swapped out with the even more devastating **AG-MFM 332 thermobaric warheads** for mass incinerations. Eight **Hawkeye HELLFIRE** (Helicopter Launched Fire-and-Forget) Missiles, are used to engage air-to-air targets in conjunction with the nose-mounted sensor suite. These are guided, air-to-air and missiles that are designed to target and engage enemy aircraft at long distances. They are housed in two quad-stacked missile pods, with each pod housing four missiles each.

Weapons fire is constrained by an **Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Lockout system**, which prevents friendly fire incidents in complex engagements with multiple aircraft and targets. Essentially, any of the weapons refuses to fire if the projected probability cone of a friendly vehicle’s flight path will put it in the trajectory of the bullet downrange. All air vehicles in Angelian service can track each other in a battle theater in real time, using IFF beacons, and this data is integrated into the weapons systems via the IFF Lockout System.

In addition, Scorpions can be armed with two chaff pods to counter radar-guided missiles. When activated, they release copper nickel-coated glass fibers or silver-coated nylon fibers having lengths equal to half of the anticipated radar wavelength. An **infrared countermeasure (IRCM)** is also implemented to protect aircraft from infrared homing ("heat seeking") missiles by confusing the missiles' infrared guidance system so that they miss their target. IRCM systems are based on a source of infrared radiation with a higher intensity than the target. When this is received by a missile, it may overwhelm the original infrared signal from the aircraft and provide incorrect steering cues to the missile. The missile may then deviate from the target, breaking lock.

### Navigation and Imaging

The Scorpion is equipped with instruments for navigation such as FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) for night time sorties and operations and radar capabilities for low visibility circumstances.

### Propulsion and Capabilities

The Scorpion features a dual coaxial ducted-fan tiltrotor system similar to that of the Hornet, with a total of four 3-bladed prop-rotors as well as Twin Magnussen KE-76 turbine generators driving counter-rotating annular ceramic motors. This gives the Scorpion an effective combat range of 800 kilometers at 100 mp/h cruise. The top speed of the Scorpion is 200 knots on Terra.

There is no ejection seat, as inertial auto-rotation is the preferred method of surviving a power-out scenario. There is an ultracapacitor backup system which can sustain rotor RPM for two minutes in the event of a full engine failure, which would be enough time to perform an emergency landing.