[MOC] LL165 Locust Gunship

[ZCerberus]

After establishing air superiority , Blacktron changed tactics and began harassing OrionBlu’s ground operations with ground based guerilla strikes with shock troopers and Harvester Terror Drones.  The Harvesters were faster and capable of traversing rocky and hilly terrain better than any ground based vehicle in the OrionBlu arsenal. 

In order to counter the strikes, Orion Blu initially believed countering Blacktron assaults could be accomplished with retrofitted Grasshopper with stronger ground clearing weaponry.  The modifications were unsuccessful as Blacktron implemented several technologies used to confuse the auto-targeting sensors on the Hoppers.  OrionBlu tried a second modification by removing the cargo bay doors and adding gunner station inside the bay.  This methodology proved in effective as the Hopper’s maneuverability was weak and seriously dangerous as the engine pods also produced heat and radiation that could be lethal to the gunners after the radiation shielded cargo doors were removed. 

To counteract these problems, OrionBlu commissioned Cerberus Systems to develop a new engine with reduced downward heat and low radiation to employ on the modified Hoppers.  As part of the requirements, the new engine design was required to fit inside the same engine housing that fit the current Grasshopper engine pods.  Based on the parameters, the new engine pods were completed and built to spec, but the reduced thrust in the new engine modules made the Grasshoppers even less maneuverable than before. 

As a result, Cerberus designed a fighter specifically designed as a gunship to highlight the benefits of creating a ship with a specific purpose in mind.  With its role at the forefront of every design decision, Cerberus created a fast, light, and maneuverable ship with a slight forward rake to keep the gunner always angled for ground view.  The engine pods were successful in eliminating nearly all radiation and dangerous levels of heat in the VTOL enegines and a large front mounted search light on the front of the ship was implemented to enhance the ship’s spotting capabilities in poorly light conditions.  The ship was idealized as a smaller version of the Grasshopper used to swarm ground based enemies.  The ship naturally earned the nickname “Locust” and was quickly approved for production after a porotype cluster of Locusts dispatched an entire squad of Blacktron Harvester Drones with no casualties. 

The Locust also proved to be an adequate air-to-air fighter with strong forward mounted medium laser cannons and a heavy chain rail guns matching the fire power of the Blue Jacket, though the Locust’s top air speed and maneuverability were considerably less than the Blue Jacket.  The result was a gunship that did not require air to air support, but greatly benefitted when included. 

The Locust also featured a utility drone mounted in a top cargo bay.  The utility drones were common equipment on several OrionBlu vehicles of the time and this one was used primarily as a search and recon to help flush out enemies taking cover in tight spaces.

[Digger of Bricks]

Very nice, I like the thruster design on this creation, much like the ones on your previous LL929 Galaxy Explorer MOC with their rounded, squarish build. I loved your take on the original set, especially since you utilized the TLBM Batmobile windshield for it, a most perfect fit indubitably.  

[badgerboy]

Lovely work.

[Kodan Black]

I like the design, seems to have the right amount of greebling and the nice little drone compartment up top. The search light seems a bit oversized. Maybe use twin clear inverted round tiles instead? Or one red and one clear for some sort of IR search light? Just a thought. Good design and backstory overall.

[ZCerberus]

2 minutes ago, Kodan Black said:

I like the design, seems to have the right amount of greebling and the nice little drone compartment up top. The search light seems a bit oversized. Maybe use twin clear inverted round tiles instead? Or one red and one clear for some sort of IR search light? Just a thought. Good design and backstory overall.

I should perhaps have mentioned the search light is actually operation- as in it has three LEDs in there.  That is the reason for the size.

[Leonardo da Bricki]

Really nice gunship. I like the ability of the gunner to move between both sides of the craft.

[CrashHelmets]

Brilliant work.