D-3 Petrel

D03UH-TVMC Petrel

"Can you believe the navy would put something this big in the sky, short of a capital ship?"

- Lieutenant Micheal Templar

The D03UH-TVMC Petrel is a heavy UNSC dropship, designed for transporting large amounts of vehicles, heavy vehicles, prefab facilities and large amounts of infantry. The vehicle is actual similar in design to the Gull, though on a much larger scale. It utilises two vector thrust tilt engines three quaters the way down of the wings that allow it to reach hypervelocity or break into orbit. The vehicle is organised conventionally with a cockpit at the front housing four of the five crew members then this banks onto the crew bay, wihch features a number of seats that can be folded into the roof to allow vehicles to be loaded. These are secured to palettes on a rail so they can be ejected safely. This bay is not ideal for general drops but more designed for launching air drops as it requires special LZs to load them on and off. Its true lift ability lies in the magnetic clamp that runs along the bottom of the fuselage. This can heft heavy duty equipment like the C-23 Infantry Carriage, a hexagon shaped pod that can be deployed ground side. It features folding doors that allow the infantry to disembark, the C-27 Heavy Carriage which is a large carriage that can carry heavy vehicels, the B-56 Firebase, a mobile artillery platform with armoured canopy for proection from counter artillery, the B-61 Redoubt, a mobile fortification and the B-68 Command Post, a mobile command post than can be dropped into position. The magnetic plate is held on by clamps and a number of winches, allowing it to be lowered to drop or pick up cargo with ease. This means it can access LZs slightly smaller than its size, with a maximum length of 49 meters.

The D03UH frame is constructed from superplastic-formed diffusion-bonded metal matrix composites. These light, oxidation resistant matrix composites are formed from high modulus, high strength gold and chrome doped zirconium oxide reinforced fibres and a titanium aluminide matrix. The skin is formed from four layerd plates attached to the frame. The inside layer is a carbon composite bonded to the middle layer of single crystal carbon, which does not melt on reentry and protects the ship and occupants. The third layer is a ceramic outer layer providing themral and oxidation protection. The top layer is a composite buffer system, with a depleted uranium mesh insert. The troop bay and the cock pit are situated in titanium alluminide 'tubs'. These give limited protection against enemy fire. The windscreen is bullet-proof diffusion-bonded stretched-acrylic.

The vehicle is studded with point defence lasers in reccess for cruising and numerous DECEPTION Countermeasure launchers, giving it effective all round cover. It features a high power millimeter wave RADAR, LIDAR, a 30mm rotary cannon on the nose for LZ supression along with a full TADS/PNVS suite for the co pilot.