AV-306 Sarissa

One of a series of prototypes produced by Project EXCALIBUR, the AH-306 Sarissa was a proposal for an atmospheric-based gyrodyne capable of conducting close-air-support and tactical airstrikes, incorporating many stealth features, to complement and eventually replace the aging Hawk in a limited capacity.

History
While the Hawk Gunship has proven itself effective, it has found itself in situations it was never designed for. It was originally intended to provide close-air-support against an entrenched but disorganised militia organisation, where the UNSC would have aerial superiority. Against the Covenant, the Hawk has increasingly been forced to fill the role of a tactical fighter, engaging aerial and ground targets on the same mission, forcing it to carry mixed payloads and preventing it from specialising for either role.

The Hornet has been adopted, and for the most part has proven effective at supporting UNSC ground forces in combat theatres, but only at low-grade conflicts, where enemy air support is limited. Their small size and low payload capacity make them a poor substitute for the devastating Hawk, but their manoeuvrability has been invaluable. Nevertheless, UNSC HIGHCOM was forced to consider supplementing the Hawk with a dedicated gunship – one designed to fly despite Covenant air support.

The Sarissa was the result of HIGHCOM’s interest, with Misriah Armouries, Sierra Space Systems, and Bellum Aerospace Industries all submitting designs – though the other two produced craft that were essentially reconstructions of previous craft, Bellum Aerospace submitted concept outlines for a radical redesign – rather than focussing on superior firepower, BA proposed instead that the focus should instead be placed on the craft’s observability – if it was rendered undetectable, the enemy’s air superiority advantage would be rendered moot, allowing the craft to perform its mission unimpeded. HIGHCOM approved the project, placing its development under Project EXCALIBUR, a massive armament project with participants from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. Between 2546 and 2549, three prototypes were produced, each demonstrating a specific attribute of the overall design – “Avalon” demonstrated its propulsion systems, using a central ducted fan for lift and momentum and a second ducted fan in the tail to offset the rotation of the central fan, and was the first prototype produced. “Bermeja” demonstrated the weapons systems of the design, displaying the internal missile bays and retractable chin-mounted 40mm autocannon, and also showcased the state-of-the-art equipment available to the crew – an advanced Target Acquisition and Designation System, linked to a helmet-mounted display worn by the co-pilot, which would be adopted by the later D77H-TCI Pelican. The third prototype, “Shambhala”, demonstrated the stealth system used by the Sarissa, and was by far the best-received of the three prototypes, with ONI planning to purchase the rights to the design from Bellum Aerospace and incorporate it in furute stealth craft.

The first operational craft, codenamed “Tiamat” produced first flew in September of 2549, and accidentally took part in the Battle of Delta Pavonis – its transport ship, the UNSC Unattainable, suffered a slipspace drive failure, dropping into realspace right in the middle of the battle, and the ship narrowly managed to avoid being destroyed by a Covenant destroyer. Joining up with the rest of the fleet, the prototype was requisitioned by the local theatre commanders, and became an integral part of a major operation – conducting a tactical airstrike against a Covenant base, distracting enemy forces long enough for ground forces to break through. The success of the prototype, even with several design flaws yet to be worked out, led to CENTCOM immediately putting the design into service, and an initial order was put in for 300.

Operations
During the battle of Pavo Prime, UNSC ground forces suffered heavy casualties from Covenant artillery and mortar attacks – enemy Wraith tanks would deploy, shell an area for a time, and then redeploy, making it difficult to pinpoint their position. Furthermore, the Covenant had established long-range sensor towers, allowing them to detect and target UNSC air support, preventing the artillery from being destroyed by fighter or gunship support. Theatre commanders struggled to counteract the threat, but ultimately the timely arrival of the UNSC freighter Unattainable provided them with the perfect tool – the prototype Sarissa gunship. A pilot was pulled from his Pelican, briefed by the technicians on the different systems and functions, and hastily deployed to take out the Wraiths, leaving the sensor towers unmolested – confused by the loss of artillery by aircraft, and its failure to register, the Covenant diverted their aircraft to protect their artillery batteries – unintentionally leaving their frontlines open to attack. With ODST forces launched from orbit taking down the sensor towers, allowing air support to be brought in, the infantry made a significant push, overrunning the Covenant base – all thanks to the prototype Sarissa.

Nevertheless, this battle saw only a single gunship take part, and then only in a minor, though vital, capacity. Still, it showed CENTCOM the superiority of the design, and an order was placed for 300 of the craft, to be increased over time. Assigned to Operation HOT GATES, the first major deployment of the Sarissa gunships to the frontline was at Minorca, where they performed tactical airstrikes and provided close air support for UNSC soldiers and Marines, their stealth features confounding Covenant sensors. Only fourteen Sarissa’s were lost to enemy fire, usually through unintended collisions, and though limited in numbers, they had a 92% success rate. Covenant forces never found an effective means by which to counter the Sarissa’s effectiveness.

The initial order of 300 was delivered in 2551, later orders were unable to be delivered – all of the airframes had been on Reach during its fall, and were deemed destroyed by the enemy occupation of the planet. Creation of new airframes wuld take too long, and using pre-existing frames would negate the stealth aspects of the design. The surviving 300 Sarissa gunships would be the only members of the series to see action, almost all destroyed in action against invading Covenant forces during the Battle of Earth – they would be succeeded by the AH-309 Halberd Attack Aerodyne, based on its predecessor but incorporating post-war innovations in technology.

Design
The Sarissa was designed to supplement and complement the Hawk, rather than replace it. A specialist craft, and exceedingly expensive to manufacture, field and maintain, the Sarissa was intended for short-range tactical airstrikes against fixed targets, with a secondary close-air-support function, while the Hawk was shifted into more of an attack fighter role. The two worked well with each other, with Sarissa strike formations escorted by Hawk protective flights, which would engage attempted interceptors. Fielded in limited numbers, the Sarissa nevertheless proved extremely effective in its role.

The most dramatic design innovation of the Sarissa was its stealth. Utilising an angular airframe intended to deflect and confuse enemy radar. Furthermore, the metamaterials used for the hull have unusual properties – they are, for example, resistant to forms of LDAR and MASER, and when an electrical current is run through it, it allows the Sarissa limited active camouflage properties, confusing optical sensors. The latter is highly contested, with Sierra Space Systems alleging that it was developed using stolen test products from the development of their own stealth metamaterial, but no evidence has surfaced to support their claims of industrial espionage. There is one major flaw in its stealth system – it is disrupted when the craft opens the doors of its internal weapons bays, making it visible for a short time to enemy sensors. This is one of the reasons why close-air-support is discouraged by its operators – having a stealth aircraft with negated stealth ability loitering in a combat zone is counter-productive.

For propulsion, the craft uses a similar system to that used by the Hawk – a ducted fan incorporated into the hull, in the centre rather than in the wings, to provide lift and directional momentum. Since it incorporates only one such fan, it uses a second tail-mounted ducted fan to provide counter-force to offset the “spin” inherent in the design of single main-rotor helicopters.

Quotes

 * “Jesus. Christ. That’s all I have to say about it.”
 * “It looks ugly as hell, but to me it’s the sweetest damn thing in the air.”
 * “I guess people see it as a step back, with the rotating fans instead of the vertical jet thrusters the Pelicans use – but jets produce a thermal, which can be detected. A fan doesn’t.”
 * “I don’t see what the big deal is – as soon as it opens its weapon bays, its becomes visible. What kind of attack craft is that?”