Single Highspeed Orbital Vehicle
The Single Occupant Highspeed-Orbital Vehicle, informally known as the drop pod or egg, is a class of Human Entry Vehicle used by the United Space Command Armed Forces to deploy an individual from high orbit to the surface. Manufactured by Northern Defense Corporation, SOHOVs are deployed from orbiting Space or Air Force vessels and are launched at near or right onto a particular objective, a method known as "transorbital support interdiction", often behind enemy lines. Their smaller profile makes them more difficult to destroy by defensive fire than conventional dropships. Upon entering a world's atmosphere, a SOHOV employs brakes to slow itself down just short of impact. SOHOVs are often operated by the USC Armed Forces' Tactical Orbital Defense Troopers.
Specifications
Design Details
The Single Highspeed Orbital Vehicle is an angular pod which varies in size. Within the pod is a crash seat, communications gear, numerous equipment and weapon racks and lockers, and a rudimentary control system that allows for pod maneuvering. A "blunt carriage", a SOHOV has a single entry and escape hatch on one side. There is a braking chute system on the pod's top to slow it down and a reinforced impact plating on the bottom of it to absorb crash impact. The hardened and shielded communications systems within a SOHOV is built directly into the pod's hatch and enables its operator to synchronize deployment with others. In spite of the pod's apparent size, there is not much room for its occupant to move around, as most of the bulk is reserved for heat shielding, electronics, the safety harness, and equipment storage. A SOHOV is coated with ceramic plating, with an alloy crash cage underneath. To allow safe re-entry from high orbit or insertion from deep space, the top of the SOHOV possesses a rocket thruster that also serves as a maneuvering aid during the drop. The top of a SOHOV houses the pod's automated braking chute system, which itself is an extended cable attached to four petal-like flaps. The back of a SOHOV is entirely sealed off and the front often includes a variety of windows—though the latter feature is not present in every model of the pod. A gas-bolt–operated hatch system is incorporated into the pod's front half.
The average SOHOV can vary dramatically in size from pod to pod. Typically, a SOHOV is 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) in length, 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) in width, and 5 meters (16 feet) tall. However, some SOHOVs are approximately 2.74 meters (9.0 feet) in length, 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) wide, and 5.5 meters (18 feet) in height, or taller. The average pod weighs 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms).
Capacity
A Single Occupant Highspeed Orbital Vehicle is only capable of safely holding a single occupant. Each SOHOV contains a variable number of weapons, ammunition, rations, a radio, and can be used as a shelter if need be. Dedicated SOHOV variants exist to deliver supply caches to ground forces, ranging from weapons and ammunition, to small light vehicles such as an M7 Wolverine, and even a MK-3 nuclear missile. These SOHOVs are slightly larger in size.
The SOHOV also stores an extra tank of rocket fuel which is not used up in the landing but is rather used for moving to a different location if the vehicle has somehow been knocked off target or is in a currently undesirable location; however, the pod needs must be in the proper upright landing position in order for the booster to be usable.
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