Ship FT-19 Fondor Haulcraft

[Mr. Teatime]

Fondor Haulcraft

AFFILIATION
Open Market

MANUFACTURER
Fondor Shipyards

CLASS
Anaxes War College System
Light Freighter/Courier

ROLE
High-value Freight
VIP Courier

COMPOSITION
Durasteel and Transparisteel

DIMENSIONS
Length : 31.5m, Width : 27m, Height : 6.4m

CREW
Pilot, co-pilot/gunner

PASSENGER CAPACITY
4

CARGO CAPACITY
80 tons

HANGAR CAPACITY
N/A
Whatever small speeders could fit in the hold

CONSUMABLES
3 standard months

SPEED/MANEUVERABILITY
85 MGLT with decent maneuvering characteristics

ARMAMENT

• 1x retractable double light laser cannon turret, dorsal

EQUIPMENT

• • 1x class 1 hyperdrive.
  • 1x navicomputer.
  • 1x medium deflector screen generator.
  • 1x docking ring with integrated docking tube.
  • 1x 6-being escape pod.
  • 1x long-range sensor suite
  • 1x long-range communication suite
  • 1x camouflage security system

DESCRIPTION​

The FT-19 Fondor Haulcraft was a ship design that came into being shortly after the end of the Clone Wars, during the Rise of the Empire era. An attempt by Fondor Shipyards to build a light freighter to compete with less imperially-inclined rivals, the Haulcraft rivaled models like the HWK-class in similar roles.

Decently armed for a fast vessel, the dorsal turret was ideal for anti-fighter defense. Utilizing powerful ion thruster strips, its speed and maneuverability allowed it to escape trouble, ideal for its intended use of moving valuable cargo quickly.

At the craft's aft are its main thruster and two wing-mounted secondary thrusters, giving the Haulcraft a high maximum speed compared to the average freighter. These wings are the most unusual feature, rolling to rotate into a streamlined form parallel to the main body and retracting the turret in-flight for atmospheric aerodynamics and a difficult target to fire at when chased. Subtle thrust angling and automatic power transfer grant the ship its above-average maneuverability.

When grounded, the wings have two configurations. The first is nondescript, with the wings above the ship to allow boarding and loading. The second 'secure parking' format lowers the ship on its landing gear and folds the wings over and inward as a security feature. To board when locked down, the ship must unfold to its standard landing configuration. Otherwise, the ramp and loading lift are locked and inaccessible.

This security system made the Fondor Haulcraft difficult to steal, although some criminally inclined pilots found it useful to reduce sensor shadow when hiding from authorities.

A single six-person escape pod is accessed through the cargo hold and fires from the front of the craft, designed to launch the crew and any passengers directly away from danger. The loading elevator gives it the ability to move even bulky cargo or smaller speeders, though it couldn't deploy any onboard vehicles especially quickly.

At its height, it was a fairly common sight in the core and colony areas, although not so common as the ubiquitous YT models.

LEGALITY​

Legal. Light freighters such as the Fondor Haulcraft are considered innocuous enough under most jurisdictions and are not restricted in most systems.

INTENT​

To introduce a cool ship design from canon to the forum.

 

[AutoFox]

While the Fondor Haulcraft in Andor is indeed sick as hell, I get the impression that all the hidden weapons and other capabilities were not stock. Luthen Rael's example was heavily modified, and I don't think a standard example would have anywhere near that many weapons, if any at all.

 

[Darasuum]

I did find this lore video on youtube that has possibly some informative info. This just means we can maybe get some sick ship mods submitted separately from this ship.

Spoiler: possible Andor spoilers

again, Andor spoilers

 

[Mr. Teatime]

I based the functionality/armament on concept art for the ship (relevant links in the highlighted bits) and didn't include stuff like the onboard droid, lasers, flechette launcher, automated turret, etc. Those were p clearly illegal mods. It's current armament isn't much different from the IFST-21 or similar ships (except for being concealed).

There's also no way to set up that functionality without a half-dozen mod submissions, some just for this ship. Could I edit the article so the 'stock' model is more normal and a Fondor-made modkit adds the concealed weapons?

@AutoFox

 

[AutoFox]

Upon investigation of the images you included, the turret weapons aren't exactly concealed, just retractable. Concealed would imply they're intentionally hidden, whereas these turrets just have a recess which is still visible.

However, those are the only weapons that are indisputably visible. Having truly concealed weapons on a stock ship seems like a legal liability for Fondor, as I'm sure it would violate some laws in various systems. That sort of thing I could see being a mod, but not something you could get from the factory. I could see third parties - or perhaps Fondor itself, under the table - offering the upgrade.

 

[Mr. Teatime]

@AutoFox
Edited based on recommendations

 

[AutoFox]

Approved.