Dropship (science fiction)

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A dropship is a science fiction landing craft used to deploy troops and vehicles from an orbiting mothership to battle on a planet's surface. Dropships vary in size and capacity. Small dropships may transport only a single squad and may have VSTOL technology such the Pelican dropship in the Halo franchise while larger dropships can accommodate an entire regiment.

Dropships are usually heavily armored, and may possess some weapons for suppression fire. Often times, they tend not to be very maneuverable, but do usually have a high speed descent, making them difficult targets. Dropship ascents from planets meanwhile are typically much slower, if used at all. In many fictional scenarios, dropships are a hybrid version between a true spaceship and an atmospheric aircraft, capable of flying in both environments, but not especially well in either.

Dropships are the space equivalent of current U.S. military utility/transport helicopters such as the V-22 Osprey, UH-60 Blackhawk[citation needed] and CH-47 Chinook.

Contents

[edit] Examples

Some examples of dropships include:

[edit] Literature

  • The dropships featured in the Starship Troopers (though not called thus) in the film based on the novel by Robert A. Heinlein, in the novel dropships are used for the extraction of forces landed by individual drop capsules and for the landing of support echelons.
  • The term dropship is explicitly used in the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons.

[edit] Film and television

  • UD4L Cheyenne from the 1986 film Aliens.
  • The Republic Attack Gunship (LAAT) appearing predominatly during the Battle of Geonosis in Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The LAAT/i configuration is the one seen during the film. This variation is the one used for troop transport.
  • The Colonial Raptor in Battlestar Galactica (RDM)
  • Arnhem from the animated series Exosquad.

[edit] Games

  • A vehicle similar to Cheyenne is featured in the Sony PlayStation video game G-Police.
  • A variety of craft featured the Sony PlayStation 2 video game Dropship: United Peace Force.
  • Small and unarmed dropships are used by Terran armies in the science-fiction series StarCraft.
  • BattleTech DropShips.
  • The Pelican, Albatross, Spirit and Phantom dropships, appearing in the video games Halo, Halo 2 and Halo 3.
  • Thunderhawk Transporter/Gunship utilized by the Space Marines in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
  • Combine Dropships in Half-Life 2. These dropships are more versatile and maneuverable than most variations of the concept - indeed, they are closer to a military transportation helicopter in function. They are a flying, semi-organic creature with magnetic feet, used to carry troop containers or armored personnel carriers.
  • Galaxy Dropships appear in the game PlanetSide.

[edit] See also