STR-55 Gorgon
The STR-55 Gorgon is a Commonwealth Colonial Navy twin-seat heavy strike craft. The gunship was developed for the Colonial Navy by the Commonwealth Industrial Ordinance Development, a subdivision of the Generalized Commonwealth Industrial Holdings Group, a partially privatised state-owned enterprise. Originally developed as an atmospheric strike gunship for the Commonwealth Colonial Marines with limited spaceflight capability, the design eventually became a dual ground support/bomber design for the Navy.
Due to the limited numbers and long turnaround time between strike craft close air support missions, the Marines concluded that they required a dedicated atmospheric strike craft that could be operated from the ground by Marine pilots. While the Marines operated a substantial fleet of rotary and repulsor craft for air support, the Navy was in command of all fast-mover strike craft. This new proposed design would be able to operate from both a planetary surface and low orbit, capable of resupplying at Navy ships if necessary. This first iteration of the Gorgon was armed with a flexible ground-support focused loadout: eight hardpoint-mounted MGHRC-48 rotary cannons and an equal number of universal missile hard points.
However, the Commonwealth Admiralty did not believe the proposed Tactical Atmospheric Strike Craft (TASC) would fit in with the miliary's budget, particularly in light of the rapidly expanding Colonial fleet. At the same time, however, the Colonial Navy was exploring options for their new LRMDS-50 mass driver. The LRMDS-50 was a relatively unproven weapon that nonetheless had a great deal of support within the Navy, as it packed a massive punch into a strike craft-sized weapon. It did not enjoy universal support, though, as many senior admirals still looked down on the strike craft branch as being too vulnerable to enemy point-defence fire.
After examining the initial Colonial Marine draft plans for the TASC, as well as hearing of the LRMDS-50, Jackson Orbital Yards (a sub-subdivision of the Generalized Commonwealth Industrial Holdings Group focused on small spacecraft manufacturing) developed a number of iterations of the strike craft. In the final prototype submitted to the Admiralty for evaluation, the LRMDS-50 was internally mounted below a tandem two-seater cockpit, two missile hardpoints were removed, two of the rotary cannons were replaced with anti-ship HLW-45 laser cannons, and the ship was made fully space-capable.
After a three-year period of testing and evaluation, the TASC was officially designated the STR-55 Gorgon. The ship quickly entered low-rate initial production, with the first factory-model Gorgon entering service in 2266 CE.
The Gorgon was first put to the test in border skirmishes against Tzynn incursions into Commonwealth border systems. The initial squadrons upgraded to Gorgons were located on starbases, rather than the destroyer-sized carriers of the time, and were relegated to waiting for Tzynn ships to appear from hyperspace.
After the first few engagements repelling encroaching Tzynn ships and disabling pirates, a flaw became immediately apparent in the Gorgon's design. Although the strike craft had been significantly enlargened and upgunned as per the requirements of the mass driver and space capability, its power plant remained the same size. This meant that the ship was remarkably slow and lumbering, and an easy target for enemy interceptors. However, the vast majority of Tzynn ships penetrating Commonwealth space were smaller corvettes attempting to raid civilian shipping routes, and were far too small to deploy interceptors of their own.
The first major test of the Gorgon would come during the Commonwealth-Ix'Idar War that began in 2268 CE. The deficiencies in the Gorgon's maneuverability had not been rectified by an updated variant when the war broke out, so the heavy strike craft were required to be escorted by more agile fighters. Initial battles in the Selnoc, Nendi, and Jarad Systems were over quickly due to the massive firepower disparity of the Commonwealth fleets involved, though the Gorgons performed their assigned roles without incident. Due to a lack of enemy point defence, only a single Gorgon was lost due to enemy fire, shot down by an Ix'Idar destroyer in the Nendi System. Against Ix'Idar ground targets, the Gorgons were highly effective. Their substantial ordnance load allowed them to loiter for far longer than expected, and the Gorgon pilots quickly gained a reputation among the Marines as "stone-cold killers".
Shortly after Marine forces made planetfall on the colony of Aruz III, the semi-autonomous Ix'Idar drone designated Motile Unit Prosecutor sprang a trap on Commonwealth forces. As marine units were being overwhelmed on the ground, Ix'Idar warrior drones deployed heavy anti-aircraft defences against their air support. Gorgon pilots, used to the Ix'Idar barely fighting back, were caught completely off guard, and many of them were shot down before they even knew what was going on. The devastating losses inflicted on Commonwealth forces and the detection of a large Ix'Idar fleet bearing down on the Navy caused the Admiralty to sound a retreat from the planet to refit.
Reinforced with new ships and replacements, the pilots of Strike Force Behemoth would undergo the Gorgon's trial by fire during the Second Battle of Jarad. Over half of the Gorgons deployed in the first wave against the Ix'Idar ships were shot down, as the Ix'Idar interceptors sacrificed themselves to Commonwealth escorts to destroy as many bombers as possible. Overall, three-quarters of the Gorgons deployed in the battle were lost, as were many of their crews who failed to eject.
Despite the heavy losses, the Commonwealth ultimately emerged victorious in the "Bug War". The deficiencies in the Gorgon's engine would be partially rectified by the improved STR-55A Gorgon, and improvements in doctrine would significanly reduce its loss rate. Ultimately though, the Gorgon was viewed as a failure by the emerging carrier commanders of the Colonial Navy. The development of cruisers, and later, battleships, caused a revolution in strike craft doctrine, one that the Gorgon did not have a role in. The Gorgon was viewed as a fighter with the maneuverability of a bomber, and a bomber with the payload of a fighter. Its dual role as a ground attack and capital ship attack craft was split by its successor ships. The Gorgon itself enjoyed a life after Commonwealth service in the private sector, becoming popular with mercenaries looking for a cheap but extremely well-armed strike craft.
History
Design
In 2251 CE, the Commonwealth Colonial Marines undertook a study on the current effectiveness of space-based strike craft in supporting troops on the ground. The study concluded that Colonial Navy strike craft were insufficient to support the Marines in a timely manner, as they were required to return to orbiting motherships for resupply. Further, even dedicated carriers were still small at the time, capable of only carrying a small number of craft at once. Although larger cruisers were in development, it would still be some years before they were commissioned.Due to the limited numbers and long turnaround time between strike craft close air support missions, the Marines concluded that they required a dedicated atmospheric strike craft that could be operated from the ground by Marine pilots. While the Marines operated a substantial fleet of rotary and repulsor craft for air support, the Navy was in command of all fast-mover strike craft. This new proposed design would be able to operate from both a planetary surface and low orbit, capable of resupplying at Navy ships if necessary. This first iteration of the Gorgon was armed with a flexible ground-support focused loadout: eight hardpoint-mounted MGHRC-48 rotary cannons and an equal number of universal missile hard points.
However, the Commonwealth Admiralty did not believe the proposed Tactical Atmospheric Strike Craft (TASC) would fit in with the miliary's budget, particularly in light of the rapidly expanding Colonial fleet. At the same time, however, the Colonial Navy was exploring options for their new LRMDS-50 mass driver. The LRMDS-50 was a relatively unproven weapon that nonetheless had a great deal of support within the Navy, as it packed a massive punch into a strike craft-sized weapon. It did not enjoy universal support, though, as many senior admirals still looked down on the strike craft branch as being too vulnerable to enemy point-defence fire.
After examining the initial Colonial Marine draft plans for the TASC, as well as hearing of the LRMDS-50, Jackson Orbital Yards (a sub-subdivision of the Generalized Commonwealth Industrial Holdings Group focused on small spacecraft manufacturing) developed a number of iterations of the strike craft. In the final prototype submitted to the Admiralty for evaluation, the LRMDS-50 was internally mounted below a tandem two-seater cockpit, two missile hardpoints were removed, two of the rotary cannons were replaced with anti-ship HLW-45 laser cannons, and the ship was made fully space-capable.
After a three-year period of testing and evaluation, the TASC was officially designated the STR-55 Gorgon. The ship quickly entered low-rate initial production, with the first factory-model Gorgon entering service in 2266 CE.
Service Record
Almost immediately, the newly-adopted Gorgon began generating controversy. Although the design had originated within the Colonial Marines, the Gorgon was placed under the command of the Navy. This effectively meant that the Marines' initial reason for developing the Gorgon - low numbers of strike craft on call and long turnaround times - were completely unadressed. Ultimately though, their complaints were ignored by the Admiralty, who believed the first generation of cruisers would resolve both of those issues at once.The Gorgon was first put to the test in border skirmishes against Tzynn incursions into Commonwealth border systems. The initial squadrons upgraded to Gorgons were located on starbases, rather than the destroyer-sized carriers of the time, and were relegated to waiting for Tzynn ships to appear from hyperspace.
After the first few engagements repelling encroaching Tzynn ships and disabling pirates, a flaw became immediately apparent in the Gorgon's design. Although the strike craft had been significantly enlargened and upgunned as per the requirements of the mass driver and space capability, its power plant remained the same size. This meant that the ship was remarkably slow and lumbering, and an easy target for enemy interceptors. However, the vast majority of Tzynn ships penetrating Commonwealth space were smaller corvettes attempting to raid civilian shipping routes, and were far too small to deploy interceptors of their own.
The first major test of the Gorgon would come during the Commonwealth-Ix'Idar War that began in 2268 CE. The deficiencies in the Gorgon's maneuverability had not been rectified by an updated variant when the war broke out, so the heavy strike craft were required to be escorted by more agile fighters. Initial battles in the Selnoc, Nendi, and Jarad Systems were over quickly due to the massive firepower disparity of the Commonwealth fleets involved, though the Gorgons performed their assigned roles without incident. Due to a lack of enemy point defence, only a single Gorgon was lost due to enemy fire, shot down by an Ix'Idar destroyer in the Nendi System. Against Ix'Idar ground targets, the Gorgons were highly effective. Their substantial ordnance load allowed them to loiter for far longer than expected, and the Gorgon pilots quickly gained a reputation among the Marines as "stone-cold killers".
Shortly after Marine forces made planetfall on the colony of Aruz III, the semi-autonomous Ix'Idar drone designated Motile Unit Prosecutor sprang a trap on Commonwealth forces. As marine units were being overwhelmed on the ground, Ix'Idar warrior drones deployed heavy anti-aircraft defences against their air support. Gorgon pilots, used to the Ix'Idar barely fighting back, were caught completely off guard, and many of them were shot down before they even knew what was going on. The devastating losses inflicted on Commonwealth forces and the detection of a large Ix'Idar fleet bearing down on the Navy caused the Admiralty to sound a retreat from the planet to refit.
Reinforced with new ships and replacements, the pilots of Strike Force Behemoth would undergo the Gorgon's trial by fire during the Second Battle of Jarad. Over half of the Gorgons deployed in the first wave against the Ix'Idar ships were shot down, as the Ix'Idar interceptors sacrificed themselves to Commonwealth escorts to destroy as many bombers as possible. Overall, three-quarters of the Gorgons deployed in the battle were lost, as were many of their crews who failed to eject.
Despite the heavy losses, the Commonwealth ultimately emerged victorious in the "Bug War". The deficiencies in the Gorgon's engine would be partially rectified by the improved STR-55A Gorgon, and improvements in doctrine would significanly reduce its loss rate. Ultimately though, the Gorgon was viewed as a failure by the emerging carrier commanders of the Colonial Navy. The development of cruisers, and later, battleships, caused a revolution in strike craft doctrine, one that the Gorgon did not have a role in. The Gorgon was viewed as a fighter with the maneuverability of a bomber, and a bomber with the payload of a fighter. Its dual role as a ground attack and capital ship attack craft was split by its successor ships. The Gorgon itself enjoyed a life after Commonwealth service in the private sector, becoming popular with mercenaries looking for a cheap but extremely well-armed strike craft.
Systems
Power Generation
The primary power source of the Gorgon is a Unity Engineering Corporation P-908 microfusion reactor. The P-908 is also used on the STR-50 Minotaur strike craft, and was chosen for parts commonality between the two ships. Although the power plant's specifications were adequate for the original TASC design specification, the addition of space-capable thrusters and the LRMDS-50 mass driver cannon mean that the ship is relatively underpowered. Consequently, crews are required to constantly balance power levels depending on the situation at hand.
Propulsion
A pair of Unity Engineering Corporation IE-220 ion thrusters are the main propulsion of the Gorgon. Similarly to the power plant, the thrusters were intended as an upgrade for the STR-50 Minotaur strike craft, but are also insufficient for the substantially increased mass of the Gorgon. The ship has a number of reaction thrusters for minute course correction, and a standard repulsor lift engine that can both hover the craft a short distance above the ground and allow it to make hard turns in vacuum.
As a strike craft, the Gorgon is designed to operate from a carrier or starbase. It is not equipped with any FTL capability, although it has enough speed, range, and provisions to engage in long-range patrols of star systems.
As a strike craft, the Gorgon is designed to operate from a carrier or starbase. It is not equipped with any FTL capability, although it has enough speed, range, and provisions to engage in long-range patrols of star systems.
Weapons & Armament
The Gorgon is a heavily armed ship, with a fixed loadout of six MGHRC-48 rotary cannons, two HLW-45 anti-ship lasers, and a spinally-mounted LRMDS-50 mass driver cannon. The rotary cannons are designed for general-purpose use, featuring smart ammunition that can be configured to fire either armour-piercing or high-explosive rounds on the fly. As each cannon can fire at up to six thousand rounds per minute, it is highly effective against soft targets on the ground and any hostile strike craft unfortunate enough to get in the Gorgon's sights. Although the guns draw little power due to their ballistic nature, they only have a few seconds of total fire time due to the strike craft's limited internal storage.
A pair of HLW-45 anti-ship laser cannons are mounted on the exterior of the ship's wings. The laser cannons are mounted on gimbals, allowing them to maintain a track on extremely precise targets even as the Gorgon makes flight path adjustments. The laser cannons fire ultraviolet lasers, capable of quickly melting through solid armour plating. Against enemy interceptors or unshielded capital ship hard points (such as external turrets or thrusters), the HLW-45s can very quickly render critical systems inoperable. While not very effective against shields, massed fire from a squadron of Gorgons can strip the shields from a corvette.
The primary weapon of the Gorgon is the spinal-mounted LRMDS-50 mass driver cannon. Mounted below the cockpit, it fires an extreme-velocity armour-piercing high-explosive shell. Unlike most mass driver weapons, the LRMDS-50 shell is specifically designed to defeat armour plating, something traditionally reserved for energy weapons like plasma cannons and lasers. However, the classified composition of the shell's outer structure makes it crumble apart when impacting shields, making it far less effective than it would otherwise appear against energy deflectors. Despite initial optimisim over the unique capabilities of the LRMDS-50, it was quickly discovered that it was less effective at compromising armour than energy weapons, and woefully inefficient at defeating shields.
The Gorgon also features six missile hard points designed to accept all standard Colonial Navy missiles and rocket pods. In addition to standard infrared and radar shrapnel missiles, a number of experimental missiles were designed specifically for the Gorgon. The most common missile configuration includes the ASE-43 cluster area suppression missile pods, which can fire up to twenty short-range proximity-fuse micro-missiles. The ASE-43 is designed to create large kill zones in front of the Gorgon, forcing enemy interceptors to abort attack runs or destroy launched munitions. The other two rails are typically used for SHS-52 infrared swarm missile pods, which each carry forty direct-impact high-agility micro-missiles. Additionally, missile types such as the EWM-52 electromagnetic warhead missile, HRFSM-39 rapid-fire dumbfire rocket launcher, and ASM-40 anti-subsystem missile have been developed for the Gorgon.
A pair of HLW-45 anti-ship laser cannons are mounted on the exterior of the ship's wings. The laser cannons are mounted on gimbals, allowing them to maintain a track on extremely precise targets even as the Gorgon makes flight path adjustments. The laser cannons fire ultraviolet lasers, capable of quickly melting through solid armour plating. Against enemy interceptors or unshielded capital ship hard points (such as external turrets or thrusters), the HLW-45s can very quickly render critical systems inoperable. While not very effective against shields, massed fire from a squadron of Gorgons can strip the shields from a corvette.
The primary weapon of the Gorgon is the spinal-mounted LRMDS-50 mass driver cannon. Mounted below the cockpit, it fires an extreme-velocity armour-piercing high-explosive shell. Unlike most mass driver weapons, the LRMDS-50 shell is specifically designed to defeat armour plating, something traditionally reserved for energy weapons like plasma cannons and lasers. However, the classified composition of the shell's outer structure makes it crumble apart when impacting shields, making it far less effective than it would otherwise appear against energy deflectors. Despite initial optimisim over the unique capabilities of the LRMDS-50, it was quickly discovered that it was less effective at compromising armour than energy weapons, and woefully inefficient at defeating shields.
The Gorgon also features six missile hard points designed to accept all standard Colonial Navy missiles and rocket pods. In addition to standard infrared and radar shrapnel missiles, a number of experimental missiles were designed specifically for the Gorgon. The most common missile configuration includes the ASE-43 cluster area suppression missile pods, which can fire up to twenty short-range proximity-fuse micro-missiles. The ASE-43 is designed to create large kill zones in front of the Gorgon, forcing enemy interceptors to abort attack runs or destroy launched munitions. The other two rails are typically used for SHS-52 infrared swarm missile pods, which each carry forty direct-impact high-agility micro-missiles. Additionally, missile types such as the EWM-52 electromagnetic warhead missile, HRFSM-39 rapid-fire dumbfire rocket launcher, and ASM-40 anti-subsystem missile have been developed for the Gorgon.
Armor and defense
The main shield generator of the Gorgon is a FlashTech DEF-90 energy deflector. It is capable of withstanding limited fire from point-defence lasers, flak rounds, and strike craft-level weapons fire. Anything larger, however, will very quickly tear through the shield. Due to the ship's lack of speed and maneuverability, it is equipped with a pair of shield capacitors that can be drained to quickly reinforce the ship's shields if damaged. The Gorgon is armoured with standard strike craft-level ceramo-metallic plating, effective against enemy gunfire and shrapnel.
In addition to the shields and armour, the Gorgon has an electronic warfare suite designed to interrupt enemy targeting and tracking capabilities. These systems are managed by the Combat Systems Officer in the back seat of the Gorgon, who is also responsible for the ship's weapon systems. The EWAR suite onboard the Gorgon includes high-powered jamming systems, infrared dazzlers, datahazard emitters, and automated hacking systems, all of which are designed to prevent the enemy from locking on to the ship or calculating its trajectory. If the ship is targeted by missiles, it can deploy chaff or flares as a measure of last resort. Should the craft be hit and crippled, it features an ejection system to allow pilots to escape in an emergency.
In addition to the shields and armour, the Gorgon has an electronic warfare suite designed to interrupt enemy targeting and tracking capabilities. These systems are managed by the Combat Systems Officer in the back seat of the Gorgon, who is also responsible for the ship's weapon systems. The EWAR suite onboard the Gorgon includes high-powered jamming systems, infrared dazzlers, datahazard emitters, and automated hacking systems, all of which are designed to prevent the enemy from locking on to the ship or calculating its trajectory. If the ship is targeted by missiles, it can deploy chaff or flares as a measure of last resort. Should the craft be hit and crippled, it features an ejection system to allow pilots to escape in an emergency.
Communication Tools & Systems
Gorgon strike craft in Colonial Navy service have been continually upgraded to the latest communications and information warfare standards, though private sector Gorgons typically use off-the-shelf solutions. As Gorgons are not designed for interstellar travel, they are fitted with a low-power realspace communications suite designed to cut through jamming and maintain squadron cohesion. Gorgons share critical information with their squadron and mothership, such as ammunition, fuel, and shield status. They are also equipped with an emergency subspace beacon, primarily for use in long-range patrols where the speed of light becomes a limiting factor. The subspace beacon can theoretically send a signal between star systems, but its signal quickly diffuses through hyper lanes.
Sensors
The Gorgon is equipped with a standard Colonial Navy RDR-15 phased-array radar, LDR-16 lidar scanning system, and IFR-16 infrared tracker. Although some prototypes were fitted with downscaled gravimetric scanning systems, they were deemed too expensive for a negligible effect, as the craft's weapons would never have an effective range to utilise the extreme-range sensors. Instead, the Gorgon relies on SEWAC (spaceborne early warning and crontrol) craft, such as its mothership or friendly ships, to feed it information on any level above tactical.
Additional & auxiliary systems
Even with the Gorgon's reputation as a slow and sluggish bomber, it is still capable of executing maneuvers that would seriously injure a human. To counteract this, Gorgons are fitted with inertial dampeners, allowing pilots to move their ships far beyond their bodies would typically allow. Some variants of Gorgon, specifically the E/STR-55B, had most of their weapon systems removed and replaced with electronic warfare systems. During the Second Commonwealth-Xanid War in 2293 CE, "EWAR-gons" as they were nicknamed, were deployed alongside traditional gunship-pattern craft. These ships disrupted the delicate Xanid command-and-control systems in their strike craft, drastically reducing Gorgon casualties in engagements. Many of these systems were integrated into the STR-55C, but the series was ultimately retired from service before it could be widely deployed.
First Flight
2263 CE
Entered Service
2266 CE Armament
1x LRMDS-50 mass driver cannon
6x MGHRC-48 rotary cannon
2x HLW-50 laser cannon
6x universal missile rails
2263 CE
Entered Service
2266 CE Armament
1x LRMDS-50 mass driver cannon
6x MGHRC-48 rotary cannon
2x HLW-50 laser cannon
6x universal missile rails
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