Ascendant Salvage Yards

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Akrep Interceptor
Status unknown

Developed from: Scorpion IV Interceptor

"If you can't beat em', reverse engineer em'."
-Engineering slogan

Lore
Opportunists that they are, many space pirates use aging Trade Federation interceptors such as the Isanth VI as attack craft. These old interceptors are widely considered to be obsolete, even Ascendant Templar strike craft as ancient as the Scorpion III are able to fight Isanth VIs effectively.

The pirates had been trying to raid the Ascendant Salvage Yards for years, with their forces growing this was finally a chance to advance their own research and embarrass their enemies. The pirates launched a full scale attack on the Ascendant Salvage Yards and managed to hijack a couple decommissioned Scorpion III and Scorpion IV Interceptors before heavy reinforcements could arrive. The Ascendant Templar were baffled, the pirates had suffered many losses to Gun Platforms and drone controlled Zombie Ships for a couple strike craft that fleet command had retired decades ago. The reason for this costly raid soon came back to haunt them in the form of a re-skinned Scorpion IV, colloquially referred to as the Akrep Interceptor.

Borrowing many components from their own Isanth Type-Zero gunships, the pirates retrofitted the Scorpion IV's weapons and avionics into a narrow fighter chassis. The result was an ugly Interceptor that could almost go toe to toe with the Templar's own time honored Strike Scorpion V. Like the Scorpion III and IV, the Akrep Interceptor utilizes a jamming field to confuse enemies but its improved power output allowed the craft to maintain the field even while performing evasive maneuvers. It was only when the craft was pushed to its absolute limit that it began to deplete its power. The pirated ship even came with functioning energy shields as standard equipment.

The pirate's preferred fighter drives don't have the same overheating problems as the Ascendant Templar's

Outraged that the space pirates would dare use their technology against them, and infuriated that they would dare improve upon it, the Ascendant Templar hunted down the interceptors, destroyed them and hauled their scraps back to the Ascendant Salvage Yards "where they belonged". They also increased security in the yards to prevent this happening again in the future. Akrep Interceptors are rarely seen nowadays, but pirates can always build more and the hunt for the actual production facilities is ongoing.

A captured Akrep Interceptor rests next to its older Isanth sibling in the Ascendant Salvage Yards

Notes
This is the true scorpion IV. In reality, this ship was the result of my own efforts to best the Isanth Type-Zero by fighting fire with fire, not the other way around. I gathered together some of the Isanth gunships I had beaten and reverse engineered their systems. I compressed the design and mounted a dorsal gun featuring the same heat dispersing fins as the type zero's. The design was hideous as can be, but I did learn a few things about power reactor arrays.

I was getting close.

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[Krougal]

Really enjoying this thread. There's a lot of big fancy ships out there but as a new player it's a bit hard getting started so nice to see someone going through the process with small ships. You've also managed to turn it all into an interesting story.

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Really enjoying this thread. There's a lot of big fancy ships out there but as a new player it's a bit hard getting started so nice to see someone going through the process with small ships. You've also managed to turn it all into an interesting story.

I'm glad this thread is generating such positive responses. I appreciate the feedback.

What is arguably my best ship (so far) is up next, stay tuned!

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Scorpion V Heavy Interceptor
In service

Preceded by: Scorpion IV Interceptor
Variants: Strike Scorpion V

"Negative! My targeting computer's jammed! My wingmates are dead! What the-!"
-Last words of a pirate Isanth Type-Zero pilot

Lore
After years of unsuccessful tests and prototypes that failed to meet expectations, the Ascendant Templar finally produced an interceptor that they were happy with. During the Ascendant War, the dreaded Scorpion V was an iconic symbol of the zealous might of the Ascendant Templar. Even today, pirates live in fear of the deadly interceptors.

In the hands of a skilled pilot the Scorpion V can singlehandedly take on a whole squadron of Isanth Type-Zeros and win
(I apologize for the image compression, imgur was being a **** about the original version).

Like its forebears, the Scorpion V is armed with a dorsally mounted mass driver cannon. Unlike previous iterations however, this mass driver cannon fires heavier rounds that can punch through enemy hulls to damage vital systems below. As if that wasn't enough, Most Scorpion V's were upgraded shortly after rollout with hardpoints for launching homing or seeker missiles. These multirole fighters designated Strike Scorpion V, were widely used during the early stages of the Ascendant War, where alongside the newer Yellow Jacket II they made the "swarm, form, fire!" technique famous.

Earlier prototypes had their entrance hatch situated farther back and also had runners trailing from them as shown

Well liked as they were, many of these hardpoints were subsequently removed during the Ascendant War since the development of the Venom Attack Bomber and the Halberd-class Missile Attack Craft had rendered the need for multirole fighters somewhat redundant. With the Ascendant Templar less numerous and specialized than they once were, the Strike Scorpion V's are now making a strong comeback.

The Scorpion V is powered by a pair of oversized fusion engines, cooled by positively massive intake/radiator vents. The drive torch provides ample energy to accelerate the armored chassis to combat speeds with more than enough left over to run the interceptor's weapons and avionics even while maintaining a constant jamming field, a huge improvement over previous designs.* Though it lacks the extreme maneuverability of smaller interceptors, such as the Yellowjacket II, the Scorpion V is still an agile craft that is very difficult for larger ships to hit. The fact that the craft is still used today is testament to its effectiveness in battle.

*Unfortunately, advances in jamming field technology have not been kind to the Scorpion V, and their ever-increasing power requirements means that this is no longer the case.

This resting astronaut puts the large engines of the Scorpion V in perspective

Statistics
Length: 19M, Height: 9M, Wingspan: 19M
Armament: 1 mass driver cannon (2.1 rounds/sec -adjustable), 2 missile hardpoints (optional)
Equipment: radar jammer, AI autopilot, shield generator (retrofit), additional upgrades pending

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Stinger SAM T-1B
Outmoded

Developed from: Stinger SAM T-1A

"With all due respect, commander, we can't install power and shield generators. Choose one."
-An engineer's ultimatum to fleet command

Lore
What do you get when you cross a list of unreasonable design objectives with a lowered projected cost? The first answer is a bunch of engineers with migraines. The second answer is the Stinger SAM T-1B.

The Stinger homing missiles were a big hit with Ascendant Templar terrestrial garrisons and the SAM T-1A dual launcher was widely used to guard planetoids marked for mineral exploitation. Impressed by the effectiveness of the missile defense system, Ascendant Templar military commanders requested that a smaller and cheaper single launcher be developed that could be installed on the same type of repulsor field turret mount as the Diamondback Turret. The advantage of spreading the same firepower across a number of cheaper turrets was an attractive one, but the commanders also wanted the new turrets to house their own self contained power and shield generator systems. The weapon engineers reeled in frustration, there was simply no way to house all that equipment in a smaller and cheaper turret.

Quantity has a quality all its own

In the end, a compromise was reached, each Stinger SAM T-1B fits nicely on a standard light repulsor field turret mount and houses a power system that virtually eliminates the need for external generators. The turret can provide defensive fire for a base under construction the moment it is installed and activated. This power system can later be swapped out for an energy shield system once a permanent power grid is constructed. This is rarely an issue for established outposts since they generally house multiple generators.

The turret is built around a single missile tube slightly offset to the left and looks like a bizarre hybrid between the SAM T-1A and the ship based Lancer Turret. An armored shield on the right hand side protects the vital control systems from enemy fire while anyone foolish enough to make a frontal assault will likely find out exactly what a Stinger surface to air missile tastes like.

Attacking from this angle would be suicidal

In spite of its limitations, the SAM T-1B rapidly overtook the SAM T-1A in terms of total number of units produced. The compact missile turrets replaced nearly half of all Diamondback Turrets as planetoid defenses before repulsor field turrets were outmoded.

The SAM T-1B is designed to work alongside existing defensive turrets

Notes
This was the last turret I designed for the old docking system.

Trivia
A big shout out to Traf's Starmade where I took all these pretty pictures. RIP Traf's Starmade.

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[AtraUnam]

Love this thread, the descriptions add a lot of flavor to the ships/turrets.

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Love this thread, the descriptions add a lot of flavor to the ships/turrets.

Thank you for commenting!
I haven't played Starmade in a while, I regret not responding sooner. I appreciate your patience.
I still have a couple designs left in the queue. I'll try to get them out next week.

 

[Dannage]

I'm glad you bumped this thread, it's been very enjoyable to read. You've done well to flesh out a backstory for all your ships. I like it.

 

[AtraUnam]

Thank you for commenting!
I haven't played Starmade in a while, I regret not responding sooner. I appreciate your patience.

Yes patience... I didn't completely forget your existence at all On that note I may attempt to steal your general idea/format if I ever make my own shipyard.

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Jackal-class Scavenger
Retired

"Cloaked miners? Now I've seen everything."
-Intercepted radio chatter from a seralux flight lieutenant

Lore
While any spacecraft capable of maintaining a constant jamming field is technically a stealth unit, those equipped with visual distortion fields take the stealth concept a step further, becoming virtually invisible. One of the Ascendant Templar's first and only experiments with cloaking technology wasn't a warship or a fighter, but a humble salvaging exoship known only as the Jackal-class Scavenger.

The strange, spindly craft is essentially a mobile generator designed to keep up with the massive energy requirements needed to surround the machine in a sustained distortion and jamming field. Without the aid of advanced sensors, the Jackal is completely undetectable. Undetectable that is, until it has to mine something, distortion fields are disrupted by sudden radiation spikes such as those produced by a phased disassembler array.

The Jackal's drive system is designed to minimize heat radiation at the expense of thrust

Thanks to their stealth technology, Jackals can venture into contested areas to mine asteroids or pick apart disabled warships after a battle. They must decloak to actually do the deed which leaves them rather vulnerable. If enemy reinforcements do happen to arrive, Jackals must cloak and wait for the danger to pass, if the enemy is actively searching for them with advanced scanners they must flee or face destruction. The exoship lacks a protective hull of any kind and has precious little shields.

In spite of its ultra specialized stealth chassis, the Jackal is a serviceable light salvager, its single mining array is stronger than those carried by the Acquisition-class Resourcer allowing it to easily drill into asteroids to probe for valuable minerals. Though the craft was a modest success, commanders largely dismissed distortion field technology afterward. They considered it far too specialized and energy intensive to be adapted for weaponry.*

As for the scavenger operators themselves, they liked the ships but those who were exposed to the stealth field for extended periods of time were often rumored to be somewhat unstable. In one unusual instance, a Jackal pilot was forced to hide from an enemy fleet for several hours. Though he survived the debacle and returned to base, he went mad.

*The ever-increasing amounts of power needed to fool even the most basic modern nav sensors eventually outpaced the jackal's turbocharged power system entirely. The ships could maintain a modern jammer, but they cannot power a modern distortion field generator for more than a few seconds at a time. After these developments in distortion fields were made, Jackals were decommissioned en masse.

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[Peekie30]

[/SPOILER]

I sense some KSP in that picture...

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

I sense some KSP in that picture...

...KSP?

Oh wait, you must be referring to Kerbal Space Program.
I've never actually touched that one, the illustration came from my own head.

I'm glad you like it.

 

[Peekie30]

...KSP?

Oh wait, you must be referring to Kerbal Space Program.
I've never actually touched that one, the illustration came from my own head.

I'm glad you like it.

haha i played that game waaaay to much, i thought i recognised parts from it...

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Corvid-class Fast Attack Craft
Retired

Variants: Corvid-class Fast Attack Craft Type R

"We've come to realize that bringing a ground attack craft into an environment with no ground was a bad idea."
-Ascendant Templar Fleet Command

Lore
The Corvid-class Fast Attack Craft is based on a decidedly archaic airship of the same name. The vintage Corvids were once used by the Archivist Cult to provide medium bombardment support for ground troops and were continually produced and improved after the organization became the World Archivist Guild. Plans to build a space capable gunship based on the same airframe were instantly approved by Ascendant Templar Fleet Command and a batch of prototypes were accepted for production without a second thought.

The shape of the hull remains almost the same as the very first steam powered Corvid airship

The commander's nostalgic outlook for the time honored airframe turned out to be its undoing. The Corvid's systems may have worked for an armed airship, but they did not translate well into a combat spacecraft. The new "Space Corvids" had respectable flight performance and reasonable armor, but their light mass driver turrets simply couldn't hack it against the hardened armor of other combat ships, their low rate of fire was another limiting factor, as they could not track fast moving strike craft (but in its defense, fighters were a weakness of the original Corvid too). Simply put, without slow, soft-skinned soldiers and airships to hunt, the Corvid had nothing to prey on. The design was an abject failure.

The Corvid shares the oversized intakes of other Ascendant Templar strike craft

The Corvid's performance in combat was positively dismal and after just a few deployments, they were relegated to light escort and harassment duty. Even then, they were seldom effective on their own. It wasn't long at all before the battered Corvids began to congregate in the Ascendant Salvage Yards.

Some great pieces of history are better left buried.

Two Corvid gunships and a Type R variant days before being retired
​

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Corvid-class Fast Attack Craft Type R
Retired

Developed from: Corvid-class Fast Attack Craft

"Personally, I think they're wasting their effort. We should just let the Corvid die already."
-A fleet mechanic on the repulsor retrofit project

Lore
Repulsor field turret mounts were all the rage for a short while throughout the galaxy. Defensive drones buoyed by repulsor fields, such as the Stinger SAM T-1A were widely used by the Ascendant Templar during this time. The mania for these turrets was great enough for Ascendant Templar commanders to briefly recommission several Corvid-class Fast Attack Craft. Most of the remaining Corvid squadrons were recalled and dozens of the gunships were retrieved from the Ascendant Salvage Yards so that their conventional turret mounts could be swapped out for repulsor field generators. While mechanics worked around the clock to repair and retrofit the corvids (some of which had already been partially disassembled), engineers designed and produced a new type of defense drone at a feverish pace. The result of these efforts was the Corvid Type R Variant.

Devices of this type were often referred to as turrets

The Type R is easily distinguished from the default model by its defensive drones. Unlike the asymmetric mass driver turrets used by the original corvid, the drones swivel freely in an equilibrium of opposing magnetic and repulsive fields, and are armed with a single mass driver cannon mounted centrally. Each defense drone also housed its own self contained shield generator to improve its combat survivability (since ship mounted shield generators were unable to transfer their energies to other units through repulsor fields).

Unfortunately, the new technology didn't help the Corvid. In fact, the repulsor mounted drones that replaced the Corvid's turrets actually had less firepower than their predecessors. The Corvid was cursed with the same problems it had from the beginning, it just wasn't powerful enough to put a dent in the advanced armor alloys used in modern space warfare. Both variants of the Corvid did see some use as an anti infantry weapon. Their ability to loiter in the skies for long periods and pin down advancing soldiers was useful in a few cases, but it was nothing that a couple squadrons of Viper-class Gunships couldn't handle. A few Type R Corvids even suffered control failures during atmospheric flight since their rudder linkages were made smaller to cut costs.

Corvid gunships have been used as infantry suppressing weapons throughout history

In the end, repulsor field technology only served to delay the inevitable. The Corvid-class was decommissioned entirely a few short years after the rollout of the Type R.

This time the old time-honored warship was buried for good.

This Corvid was vandalized by pirate Isanths long after it was decommissioned

Notes
This is another example where the lore deviates from the truth. As some may know, the old hovering turrets were phased out with the new rail docking system in Starmade. The Corvid Type R actually came first! I've always liked the Corvid ever since I first designed the steampunk ship in Minecraft. (Complete with a water filled boiler, and a netherrack powered firebox that slid open with pistons!) My building a high tech version of the Corvid for Starmade was inevitable. Thing is, I always pictured the futuristic version having conventional turrets, but those didn't exist in this game at the time so I went with the hover turrets since that's what was available. Once the new docking system came out, I had a chance to redesign the "space Corvid" with the kind of turret I wanted. I did so a few days ago, fully aware that it would still be just as useless as the other one. It was fun though, and I did manage to squeeze out a little more damage with some overdrive modules. It's been a real treat to bring the Corvid to life, even if it can't beat an Isanth VI.

This is why the other version of the Corvid comes first in the lore. The Corvid with the hovering drone turrets may have been the one I built first in Starmade, but the one with the conventional turrets is the Corvid as I always imagined it.

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Lungfish-class Planetary Surveyor
Outmoded

"If you're going to be carrying turrets, they might as well be armed."
-A commander's suggestion

Lore
You are unlikely to find an uglier craft in the Ascendant Templar's fleet than the Lungfish-class Planetary Surveyor, but the engineers will happily point out that it was never made to look good. They will also point out that the planetary surveyor designation chosen by their superiors is a bit misleading. The Lungfish seldom performed an initial survey of a viable planetoid, rather, it was used primarily as a turret and equipment hauler for the establishing of a forward base.

The dome-shaped bridge provides a good view for the command crew

The Lungfish looks like a tough ship thanks to its standard loadout of five Diamondback Turrets and Stinger T-1A SAM Launcher, but it wasn't actually built for front line combat. If one of these ships was sailing with a full complement of turrets, chances are those turrets were going to a planetoid somewhere, preferably intact. The surveyor would only use its precious cargo defensively in emergencies.

Diamondback Turret ammo drum

Once in position, the Lungfish maintained orbit while its turrets were disconnected and moved to permanent terrestrial mounts by a designated Turret Hauler. The Lungfish was usually loaded with enough supplies and blueprints for additional turrets to be constructed. Because it carried weapons and blueprints it was an attractive target for pirates and enemies alike, but a tough one to take intact, especially considering that they were generally escorted.

All planetary surveyors have been recalled to the Ascendant Salvage Yards pending the discontinuation of repulsor field docking systems. With both chassis and cargo rendered obsolete, its future remains uncertain. It is likely that a few will remain in service to haul the turrets they once deployed to the Ascendant Salvage Yards.

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Turret Hauler Mk I
Outmoded

"Repulsor field turret mounts are being phased out of production in favor of magnetic rail systems. All Planetary Surveyors and their attendant Turret Haulers must report to the Ascendant Salvage Yards for immediate refitting or disassembly."
-Message to all fleets from Ascendant Templar Command

Lore
The Turret Hauler Mk I is a small utility exoship that was often slung underneath the Lungfish-class Planetary Surveyor. While the surveyor transported Diamondback and Stinger turrets to a forward planetoid base, this little ship was used to actually ferry the devices down to the planet's surface where they could be transferred to a waiting turret mount. The simple, lightweight design has 8 small thrusters, widely spaced for balance, and 4 landing legs, also widely spaced for stability. Early Turret Hauler prototypes relied exclusively on their reverse thrusters to slow their descent, while the final model incorporated a passive grav field generator (or "stop module") to nullify gravity (though these were deactivated upon contact with the surface to settle the craft in place).

A Diamondback Turret is transferred from a Planetary Surveyor to a waiting Turret Hauler

Once a turret was disconnected from the surveyor and secured to the rear of the exoship, the operator would carefully descend to the surface "head first." The face down configuration of the apparatus made it easy for the operator to see the ground below and avoid landing on uneven terrain. Ideally, the exoship would touch down as close to the turret mount as possible. At this point, the turret could be detached. The repulsor field above the exoship's turret mount would buoy the turret upwards slightly and support it until it could be transferred to the repulsor field of the terrestrial turret mount. After the turret was secured, the hauler could return to the surveyor and fetch another turret.

A Turret Hauler carrying a SAM T-1A to a planetoid base

Due to the unexplained spontaneous decay of unobtainium isotopes (cubatomic element 138) found in syntir and jisper deposits, repulsor field generators can no longer be manufactured. This has forced the Ascendant Templar to revert to conventional turret mounts. Turret Haulers were ironically used to uninstall the very same turrets they helped to set up! Because their design is cheap, efficient, and very well-liked, it is probable that most of them will simply be refitted to carry a new generation of magnetic rail turrets.

A recently uninstalled Diamondback Turret is ready to be hauled away to the Ascendant Salvage Yards

Notes
Yes, I've tested this design extensively. It worked a treat with the old docking system and saved me the trouble of having to mount temporary thrusters to turrets. For some reason, undocked turrets would continue to behave as if they were in zero gravity as long as they didn't leave the Turret Hauler's "area of influence" (on some versions of Starmade anyway). This quirk with the old docking system permitted me to undock the turret and then dock it to another nearby turret docking unit. I used this trick to great effect and set up planetary defenses like clockwork.

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[Calhoun]

Loving this thread! The Ships! The Lore! The Funnies!

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Repair Craft
In service

Variants: Repair Craft Type R

"No! We didn't build it sideways! It's supposed to look like that!"
-A frustrated engineer answering a very common question

Lore
The Repair Craft is a relatively small utility ship geared toward the maintenance of larger ships and the servicing of strike craft. The vessel first appeared rather late in the Ascendant War and utilizes technology reverse engineered from the seralux. Prior to their discovery of phased assembly arrays (more commonly known as repair beams), the Ascendant Templar were forced to use conventional methods to repair their equipment. The phased assembly array found in the Repair Craft utilizes particle beams and nanotechnology to remotely reconstruct damaged components on a molecular level. This technology is highly precise, even while the target is moving relative to the array, but there are limits to what it can accurately repair. It can fix micro fractures and other imperfections, but it can't refill gaping craters in a ship's hull. Often these ships use their repair arrays to perform minor touch-up work or to buff out damaged sections of a larger ship's hull prior to the application of a replacement patch. In addition to their phased assembly arrays, Repair Craft also utilize reverse engineered energy shield technology to protect themselves. They can even transfer their shield energy to other ships through a specialized shield supply beam.

Repair Craft utilize captured technology to repair ships from a distance

Both the repair and shield supply beams are situated in the bow of the ship. A landing platform oriented to the YZ plane of the repair craft is mounted on the port side, an unusual choice in keeping with the left handed appearance of Ascendant Templar utility ships. The platform is large enough to refuel and repair a single strike craft and is perfectly compatible with the Scorpion V Heavy Interceptor, the Yellow Jacket II Light Interceptor, and the Venom Attack Bomber. Personnel can move between ships via an airlock that lies flush with the landing platform, but crew transfers are a somewhat unusual occurrence. There simply isn't much room for relief crews aboard the Repair Craft.

The primary decks of the Repair Craft were not designed with comfort in mind

While a single Repair Craft is not nearly as capable as a larger support vessel, a small shoal of these ships can help patch up a larger ship while simultaneously getting a squadron of interceptors back into the fight. They're also a tad faster than bigger support ships which makes them better for rescuing stranded strike craft and their crew. Sadly, many pilots still have to wait until the Repair Craft can reach a larger support ship to get full medical attention. The lack of a medbay on the Repair Craft is considered a grievous oversight by medical officers, who often wind up having to stabilize injured pilots near the entrance to engineering, or adjacent to one of the two fusion cores.

In spite of their limitations, Repair Craft have been in service for a very long time and have had many upgrades and refits over the years. They've seen the rise and fall of repulsor field docking systems, and improvements to armor and thrusters. The Repair Craft is now approaching the end of its operational life. Its latest armor refit has made the craft very heavy and unable to generate enough energy to maintain full thrust for more than a few minutes at a time. Rather than redesign the drive systems (again), the Ascendant Templar have opted to make plans to retire the Repair Craft and begin the development of a new one.

Newer versions of the Repair Craft have two large engines instead of three smaller ones

Statistics
Length: 37M, Width: 23M, Height: 33M
Armament: 2 Lancer Point Defense Drones (Type R variant)
Equipment: Phased assembly array, shield supply array, docking pad

Trivia
The Repair Craft used to have blue colored lights on its landing pad, this was inspired by the Homeworld series where most docking bays are very bright and very blue. I eventually changed my mind and used yellow instead since I thought it fit the style better. Other factions in my stories will use other colors for their service bays to help differentiate themselves.

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

* This thread has not been updated in a while, you may want to start from the beginning and take a second look to refresh your memory and see what has changed. *

Archer AA Turret
In service

Preceded by: Diamondback Turret

Lore
Following the withdrawal of repulsor field technology and the retirement of the Diamondback Turret, the Ascendant Templar went back to basics. Their new planetary defenses would utilize conventional linkages for turret traversal and elevation. They would also be designed to track and engage a variety of fast-moving targets. The T-42 Archer AA Turret is based on several much older designs that were used during the Ascendant War. Unlike the repulsor mounted Diamondback, the Archer is armed with four mass drivers that fire smaller caliber rounds at a much higher rate of fire. The purpose of all these changes is to put more projectiles into the air, increasing the likelihood of scoring hits on fast moving strike craft.

The T-42 is able to pivot almost 90 degrees vertically to hit targets flying overhead

Archers are designed to be deployed in groups so that their weapons can create an umbrella of fire that discourages drones and strike craft from getting close enough to accurately target planetary installations. While a single round won't put much of a hole in a strike craft, a focused rapid fire barrage from several four-barreled AA turrets will relentlessly chew through shields and light armor. Any small enemy craft that doesn't take the hint and pull out of gun range is liable to either succumb to the AA fire, or be unceremoniously swatted out of the sky by defending strike craft or surface to air missiles. On a side note, archer turrets can also be rather effective anti ground weapons in a pinch.

Archers were designed primarily as an AA gun but can engage ground targets in emergencies

As simple as these turrets may be, the prototypes did have a few issues during live fire exercises. Their power requirements were much greater than initially anticipated and additional generators had to be brought online to power them. One of them also jammed up and ceased functioning during a test due to an improperly aligned component. Once their kinks were worked out, Archers were manufactured and deployed by the dozens.

A pair of Archer prototypes installed at the Geothermal Dynamo testing center

Notes
This was my first ever turret designed with the new docking system. I think it came out pretty well all things considered. It's certainly more accurate than the Diamondback. The design is inspired by four barreled AA cannons such as those carried by the ZSU-23-4.

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