Shiva

Description
Developed with aid from the Word of Blake, the Free Worlds League's first OmniFighter the Shiva is deadly and effective aircraft that lives up to its name - that of the multi-armed Hindu god of destruction.

Using an XL Engine to save weight rather than speed, though marginally slower than aircraft of a similar mass, the Shiva has the capacity to carry a phenomenal array of weapons with over 50 tons of pod space for weapons and equipment. Though it has performed well in exercises, the Shiva's critics have seized on the design's weak armor for its size, only carrying ten tons of Andurien Composite 3 Ferro-Aluminum armor, though the eighteen Double Heat Sinks mounted on the base chassis has attracted praise. Originally intended as the League's principal carrier aircraft, the complex logistics required to supply the Shiva with pod-compatible weapons has limited its effectiveness in that role.

Weapons and Equipment
The primary configuration features short-range combat loadout consisting of a balance of energy and ammunition dependent weaponry. A large LB 20-X AC, SRM-6 and ER Small Laser crowd the nose mounts, with twin Large Pulse Lasers mounted in each wing, three additional double heat sinks added to keep the extra heat in check.

Alternate Configurations

 * Alt. Config. A : The A configuration again mounts a mix of energy and ammunition hungry weapons, this time focused on longer ranges. An Artemis IV FCS enhanced LRM-10 and ER Small Laser are mounted in the nose, supported by the ER Large Laser and Gauss Rifle mounted in each wing. Two tons of missile reloads and four of gauss rounds keep those weapons in operation during the length of a standard sortie. BV (1.0) = 2,225 (2,153) BV (2.0) = 2,300


 * Alt. Config. B : A massive missile boat, the B configuration carries two Artemis enhanced LRM-20 launchers in each wing, with eight tons of CASE protected reloads giving this variant moderate combat endurance. BV (1.0) = 2,081 (1,913) BV (2.0) = 1,999


 * Alt. Config. C : An energy weapon heavy ranged combat variant, the C configuration mounts a ER PPC, Light Gauss Rifle and twin ER Medium Lasers in each wing supported by a a further two ER Mediums and a single ER Small Laser in the nose. Four tons of reloads keep the Gauss rifles fed while four additional double heat sinks strive to keep the PPCs and lasers in check. BV (1.0) = 1,838 (1,790) BV (2.0) = 2,165


 * Alt. Config. D : This variant carries a Gauss Rifle in each wing and a Light Gauss Rifle in the nose. A single Medium Variable Speed Pulse Laser covers the aft arc, and a Guardian ECM Suite provides electronic warfare support. BV (2.0) = 2,019

Variants

 * SHV-S : Using Experimental Technology allows the Shiva S to function as a dedicated anti-WarShip platform. Equipped with two Improved Heavy Gauss Rifles, the Shiva-S can inflict large amounts of damage to even the largest ships. Naturally those ships have many weapons to destroy single Aerospace Fighters, so to protect itself the Shiva-S is clad in eleven tons of Vehicular Stealth Armor. The Guardian ECM Suite that powers the Stealth Armor can also be used to interfere with targeting systems. BV (2.0) = 2,216