Why not take advantage of an aircraft that can theoretically stay in the air forever? HASF took the C-38 and turned it into an airborne drone airbase and an airborne artillery battery.
Named after the Greek god of death.
HASF operated six in 2054.
1 AIRCRAFT
Purpose[]
The AC-38 “Death God” is supposed to loom over a battlespace and provide excellent close air support- for up to a week.
Capacity[]
Thanatos needs no escorts nor dismounts.
Sensors[]
The AC-38 carries a Dauntless multi-face AESA in its nose. It also has several portions in its smart skin that can allow it to use thermal cameras to detect missile launch, and even cannon fire.
Anti-Surface Weaponry[]
Dual MAWS A-37 Turret (2)[]
The legendary revival of the man-portable Anti-Tank gun mounted on a tank, the MAWS A-37 is a high-end coilgun that can accelerate a 12mm x 300mm tungsten alloy projectile to about 12000 meters per second, giving it incredible kinetic firepower that can open up most tanks and armored vehicles. Recharged by an independent LFTR, it can pump out 6 rounds a minute. It is liquid nitrogen-cooled, and there are two of them per turret.
Dual GAU-8/A Turret (1)[]
A veteran of not only WW3 but also the pre-GNC period, the Avenger is the second oldest weapon in service with HASF. The cannon can choose from Hardened Steel AP, HEPF, or Thermite, normally linked together in a 1:3:1 ratio. 9000 rounds are stored on-board in a self-sealing fire suppressor-equipped drum. The gun gets binocular Nightvision-capable cameras, and Thermal cameras. There are two of them in the one turret, and they draw on 9,000-round drums. 20 more drums are carried internally.
Metal Storm 60 Turret (1)[]
To provide maximum suppressive destruction on a large area, the AC-38 carries a 20x80 tube 60mm Metal Storm weapon system with ten rounds per tube. Each round is a STW, a round with a small shape charge in the front, a pre-fragmented high explosive warhead, and last but not least, a touch of thermite to burn the crap out of anything. Deadly against just about any target. And they come in barrages of 16,000. Nothing on the ground can survive within a 1200-meter radius.
Rhinemetall L/62 Coilgun-assisted 140mm Turret (2)[]
Serving as the primary ground support weapon, the L/62 Coilgun-Assisted 140mm cannon is capable of throwing a magnetic strip-equipped Thermobaric-Thermite GPS-guided wind-corrected projectile to 50 km from 1,000 feet, but at 30,000, it can get rounds out twice as far.
Anti-Aircraft Weaponry[]
N/A.
Anti-Submarine Weaponry[]
N/A.
Upgrades[]
Weaponry[]
GSh-57-6 Turret (1)[]
Even though two Avengers fire faster, there still cannot match the sheer firepower of the GSh-57-6. A Russian six-barrel 57mm Gatling gun dating back to WW3, the GSh-57-6 can launch either HEPF, Thermobaric, or ballute-retarded acoustic-homing HEAT rounds. It fires them at 4,000 rpm, and the Thanatos can carry eight 6,000-round magazines. It can really bring the rain from a distance of 7 kilometers.
Protection[]
Passive[]
To survive being shot at, the AC-38 is plated in AKP. The armor consists of Supramolecular plastic, Ceramic plating, D-30 non-Newtonian foam woven into Kevlar layers, and Titanium. AKP provides armor protection from kinetic projectiles and can also help maintain aerodynamics and stealth after taking fire. It allows the Thanatos to survive a single 35mm AP round. It is also designed to reduce its signature- Infrared and Radar included. Plus, it has liquid nitrogen cooling to cool off the aircraft's skin and engine exhaust to make it nearly impossible for heat seekers to lock on. It also has its own magnetic field to ward off cosmic rays when it gets really high up in the atmosphere.
Active[]
To insure that this slow-moving monster survives being over the enemy's head for a week, it has dedicated portions of its skin as powerful standoff jammers. Massive sections on the belly of the aircraft allow for scrambling and/or interference of electromagnetic waves within 20 kilometers, making it nearly impossible to use any sort of communications or find this monster with a rudimentary radar, much less get missile lock.
A-THEL[]
The AC-38 has eight A-THEL turrets to fry a missile out of the air at 1.5 kilometers. Clear skies are required. Four are situated on the top of the aircraft, and four are situated on the bottom of the aircraft.
M302 CIWS[]
The AC-38 carries four of these monsters: a 1600-tube 16000-round 9mm Metal Storm close defense weapon that is able to shred just about any incoming projectile. They find and fire on their targets via rotating AESAs. A pair is installed on both the top and the bottom of the aircraft.
Locomotion[]
Like its original model, the AC-38 hull is shaped to create natural lift, and it is nuclear powered. Yes, nuclear powered. After getting into the air via four Rolls Royce Trent XMW-H10 Hydrogen-powered turbofan engines capable of producing 100,000lb of thrust at maximum capacity, it switches to four sets of counter-rotating propellers shrouded inside two separate ducts. Powered by nuclear energy, the motors there can insure that the aircraft stays at a steady 400 mph as it flies anywhere in the world- time spent in the air is only limited by the 30-day rations kept on board for the 40-man crew. A miniature LTFR powers each set of propellers.