Karnov

The Karnov UR Transport is a heavy lift VTOL which has been in service for hundreds of years. The tilt-rotor design is one of the fastest of its type in use. A reliable and hardy machine, all of the Successor State armed forces and many mercenary units employ Karnovs for supply and logistics missions. Many commercial firms also use the machine for local transportation of cargo in its sizable 6-ton bay or as a flying crane.

Although the Karnov is a thoroughly conventional design, this appearance belies an unusually mysterious origin. Since New Earth Trading Company first began distributing the design in 2920, many were baffled how a company with no known VTOL production facilities could offer brand new Karnovs for sale. In fact NETC received their entire supply from ComStar, as part of an secret agreement with the Order in exchange for food, resources and information. When ComStar publicly revealed the existence of the Com Guards they retained more of the machines for their own troops, reducing the quantity shipped to NETC. The company finally constructed their own factory in late 3043. This enabled the NETC to continue offering the Karnov following the ComStar's abandonment of the agreement in the aftermath of the Battle of Tukayyid.

Weapons and Equipment
Like most support vehicles, the Karnov UR is not designed for combat. While its Star Slab armor gives the Karnov a reasonable amount of protection against light weapons, the slow and vulnerable tiltrotor is a sitting duck for any combat unit.

Variants

 * Field Mod : Though only a single standard model was supplied by ComStar to the NETC, some buyers made field modifications, arming the Karnov with light weaponry such as machine guns or missile racks in the cargo bay.


 * AC : This variant is equipped with a fusion engine, somewhat heavier armor, and mounts an autocannon/20 with two tons of ammunition. The added weight of the armament reduces the machine's cruising speed to 86 kph. BV (2.0) = 556


 * Artillery : This variant is similar on the AC variant, with a Thumper artillery piece with 20 rounds is installed in place of the autocannon. BV (2.0) = 227


 * Gunship : The gunship configuration sacrifices the cargo space to mount two machine guns in each bay along with two tons of ammunition. BV (2.0) = 221


 * Upgrade : First offered in 3055, this was the first NETC-made factory variant. The upgraded version uses Ferro-Fibrous armor, giving increased defensive power. It also features a manned Machine Gun turret on each side and an enlarged 7-ton cargo bay. The upgrade is somewhat slower than the original due to switch to the lighter and less powerful DAV 160 power plant. BV (2.0) = 152


 * Battle Armor Transport : Mounting a pair of ER Medium Lasers and two tons of Ferro-Fibrous Armor, this Karnov variant can deploy battle armored infantry directly from its eight ton cargo bay. To provide electronic protection a Guardian ECM Suite is mounted in the nose. BV (1.0) = 620 BV (2.0) = 499


 * Periphery : This quick-strike variant carries 1.5 tons of standard armor and sacrifices its cargo capacity to mount four Rocket Launcher 20s and six Rocket Launcher 10s firing forward. BV (1.0) = 937 BV (2.0) = 590

Custom Variant

 * Karnov (Heavy Stealth) : First seen in 3082 this version of the Karnov is 50% heavier than the base model. The forty-five ton VTOL is protected by four tons of Vehicle Stealth Armor powered by an Angel ECM Suite. An 85 rated XL Fusion engine allows it to move at a flank speed of 96km/h, but it also carries a VTOL Jet Booster that allows it to "sprint" at speeds of up to 120km/h for fast insertions or extractions. A pair of Sponson Turrets each mount a single Machine Gun for suppressive fire. The Heavy Stealth Karnov was used by a group of criminals called "The Master's Chosen." They deploy rapidly from the four ton Infantry Bay, and steal equipment and supplies that fit into the Karnov's ten ton cargo bay. BV (2.0) = 416

Related Designs

 * Cobra VTOL
 * King Karnov