I am looking at doing some fiction writing for PP and I have a question about the Manticore and its use.
Do we have deck plans for the Manticore, or its basic specifications, point defenses, other non-squad crew? Does a squad member have to pilot it or can it operate with just a touch screen like a Tesla?
How do squads get inserted to a mission?
- HALO Drop?
- Manticore lands and then we hoof it to the mission point?
How do we leave a mission area?
- Skyhook?
- Or is is assumed we take an Armadillo or other Armed Personnel Carrier to and from the the mission site?
- Something else?
… and then to the Manticore?
Literally all we know about the Manticore is its name and what it looks like in concept art. Anything else is speculation. That said the concept art can give us some good speculation, as does our knowledge on the Phoenix Project.
Based on the concept art below, it is a VTOL craft of some kind, strong enough to carry an APC and soldiers at the same time. It would likely do a combat drop similar to a current VTOLs in that it would hover just above the LZ and the troops and APC would be dropped off, it’d then fly away and loiter in the general area. With upgrades it could likely provide CAS as well.
As for leaving the LZ, it’d be a case of landing at the site, or hovering just high enough to grab the APC, load the troops and then fly away.
The Project invested heavily in AIs so a VTOL craft autopilot system is guaranteed. They already get used in current day VTOL craft. With the advanced systems the Project had access to, there could be AI level systems on board in addition to backups in the form of a fly home button and a stick.
So, currently, I have a lot of literary license going in.
Good to know!
It does not look like a luxury ride.
Just enough for everyone and maybe a smidge more.
Thanks!
