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The AT-99 “Scorpion” Gunship is a VTOL rotorwing light attack aircraft used by the Dark Angels. Outfitted with a Mosquito-class targeting and missile launch platform, the Scorpion is the gunship of choice to escort shuttle landings and take-off, for close fire support for military operations, and air support for ground assault.
Specifications/Overview
Crew
The AT-99 Scorpions are operated by a single pilot, who must coordinate what is happening with and around the aircraft, control and fire weapons, operate communications and navigation.
Weapons/Armament
Scorpion Gunships are known for their superior frontal firepower, while not lacking in speed, agility, and maneuverability.
The Scorpion has two forward-mounted stub pylons that are armed with four gimbal-mounted .50 caliber machine guns with a 700-rounds per minute cyclic rate of fire as close-range primary weapons. It carries two dual 50 cal. Machine Guns and two triple-barrel 20mm Gatling Guns. The Scorpion has two pairs of huge stub-wing pylons to carry its armament of 190 TK-411 WAFAR (Wrap-Around Fin Aerial Rocket) in ten 19-tube rocket launchers. The use of the rocket varies according to the warhead that can range from tactical applications to impact-based sensor systems. Eight Hawkeye HELLFIRE (Helicopter Launched Fire-and-Forget), are used to engage air-to-air targets in conjunction with the nose-mounted sensor suite.
Weapons fire is constrained by an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Lockout system, which prevents friendly fire incidents in complex engagements with multiple aircraft and targets. Essentially, any of the weapons refuses to fire if the projected probability cone of a friendly vehicle’s flight path will put it in the trajectory of the bullet downrange. All air vehicles in Angelian service can track each other in a battle theater in real time, using IFF beacons, and this data is integrated into the weapons systems via the IFF Lockout System.