CGV04 Raven

**Weapon Systems**

**AEROVCORP CGV04 Raven**

The Raven was designed around the concept as a needed medium sized, high speed, and heavily armored, and moderately armed transport craft for use by para-military, mercenary, and military groups.

**History**

Like the lesser armed and armored Crow the Raven has found a niche in the same market and is used by many of the same groups and has been in service from 5295 C.E. to date once again the Lѐgion de la Lumiѐre being the most prominent using of the craft.

**Development**

Active research and development began in 5290 with the initial design taking place from May 5290 and was completed in January 5291 with the first non-operable prototypes being manufactured in mid-5291 and the first operable units in early 5291 with design/concept proofing taking place until mid-5294 when the vehicles final testing began with final approval occurring in late 5294 with production beginning shortly thereafter.

**Variants & Upgrades**

There are technically no known variants of this vehicle and most changes are minor or cosmetic to meet the standards of whatever entity is using the vehicle.

**Design**

The Raven is a fat-bellied rounded craft with heavy armor and moderate weapon systems with the cockpit being similar to that of a Mil Hind.

The craft has three distinctive interior sections; the first of these is the cockpit area followed by the troop seating area followed finally by the cargo area.

The cockpit area has seating for the two pilots and jumpseats for the gunners/loaders with a pressurized hatch to the seating area.

The craft has a standard operating range of 1,250 hours during standard transport profiles but this drops to approximately 315 hours during high load and situations where speed and maneuverability is required with the environmental system good for approximately 750 hours if the vehicle is completely buttoned up or 1,125 hours if the outside atmosphere is moderately oxygenated.

The craft has a top speed of 600 KPH with everything being operated off of 50 standard HBT cells with five 10-cell energizers mounted three in the fore; three in the aft, and four in the amidships.

Finally the craft uses an Anaheim Arms AS-5/4-23 Sensor & Communications package which includes Pulse Doppler Radar Array, Multi-Spectrum Digital Camera System, Laser Terrain Guidance System, and a multi-band digital communications system.

**Armor**

The Frame is 1mm thickness Dimonotanium Ceramatite with an overall plating thickness of 5mm which combined can shrug off up to 90 kJ of kinetic energy every round with all of the windows and ports being 1mm thickness ceramo-glass and able to shrug off up to 15 kJ of kinetic energy.

The Raen also has a force screen system powered by 45 AN-M01V particle shielding system able to shrug off an additional 125 kJ of kinetic energy with a refresh rate of every twelve seconds giving the vehicle and overall defensive rating of 215 kJ of resistance before critical failure to anyone point.

**Armament**

The Raven is heavily armed with one 40mm auto-cannon, one 35mm auto-cannon, and six rocket pods.

**-AC40-9 -** The Raven’s main defensive weapon is a 40x364mm auto-cannon manufactured by AB Bofors; while some consider this to be overkill it does give the craft a moderate punch against medium armored vehicles, power armor, and light mecha allowing it to easily support itself and the troops that it carries if necessary. The AC40-9 fires at a rate of 300 rounds per minute and generally carries a mix of AP, HEAP, and Tracer rounds with an ammunition capacity of 200 rounds which is fed from on mount ammo bins that is part of the mount via an electrically driven belt feed. This gun is mounted in the port side of the nose.

**-35-1AC -** The Raven’s secondary defensive weapon is a 35x228mmmm auto-cannon manufactured by Oerlikon Contraves; while some consider this to be overkill it does give the craft a moderate punch against medium armored vehicles, power armor, and light mecha allowing it to easily support itself and the troops that it carries if necessary. The 35-1AC fires at a rate of 500 rounds per minute and generally carries a mix of AP, HEAP, and Tracer rounds with an ammunition capacity of 500 rounds which is fed from on mount ammo bins that is part of the mount via an electrically driven belt feed. This gun is mounted in the starboard side of the nose.

**-Ordnance Hard-Points -** To add more versatility to the Raven’s weapon’s load it also mounts six hard-points for ordnance under two rear mounted stub wings and generally is sold with a set of four Anaheim Arms M8R1 Rocket pods. Each of these pods has eight tubes and can fire either the Mk.116 Mynah or the Mk.518 Dryade. The Mk.116 is a guided rocket while the Mk.518 is unguided and often carries a mix of two pods loaded with each type of rocket and then a mix of HE, APERS, and APHE.

**Operators**

The CGV04 as stated earlier is very popular with police forces, security companies, and para-military forces.

Key Among these organizations are –

            - Lѐgion de la Lumiѐre Mercenary Group

- Martel Security Services Mining Operations Enforcement Task Force based in the oppressed Nymabia System

- Hathaway System Border Enforcement Agency

- Devil Brigade Mercenary Group

- Dire Company Mercenary Group

- Tormented Brotherhood Mercenary Group

- Honorable Dragons Anti-Yakuza Group Based On Old Earth

- Shadow Tigers Mercenary Group

- Brotherhood Of Fallen Nocturnus – Mercenary group that are the last living remnants of the planet Nocturnus

- Bloodshard Terrorist Organization

**Other Assault Transport Vehicles**