Designation: C-10 Challenger personnel shuttle C-11 Big Boy cargo shuttle

I. Dimensions:

II. Type:

• (C-10): Two seat space light cargo shuttle.
• (C-11): Two seat space passenger shuttle.

III. Service History

• C-10: Served with the New Republican Navy from 2060 until present.
• C-11: Served with the New Republican Navy from 2060 until present.

IV. Propulsion:

(All):

• 4 Pratt & Whitney LHP-16 main thrusters aft.
• 2 Pratt & Whitney LHP-12 hover thrusters recessed in the ventral landing pads.
• Eight Nakajima NBS-1 high-thrust vernier thrusters.
• Six P&W LHP04 low-thrust vernier thrusters distributed around the aircraft.
• Powerplant: 2 x RRL-2P miniaturized protoculture-cell energizer.
• Fuel Capacity:
  • 10 Standard Canisters of Protoculture.
  • 16 lit. D₂O reactant for fusion engines. External tanks can be fitted for longer journeys.

V. Performance:

• Range (space): Total Δ-v 5.7 kps on internal reaction mass. 
• Protoculture supply: 300 hours operational use.
• G limits: -5/+8.

VI. Electronics:

Radar tracking:

• Hughes APG-102 UWB pulse-Doppler phased array, providing spherical medium-range detection and tracking of objects at all altitudes. Equipped with stealth and passive modes.

Optical tracking:

• Ricoh MOS-110X optical composite tracking system, using sensors for high-quality basic optical, UV, IR and x-ray.

Countermeasures:

• Chaff decoy dispenser with 20 shot capacity.
• Flare decoy dispenser with 20 shot capacity.
• Smoke decoy dispenser with 20 shot capacity.

VII. Armament:

Miscellaneous:

• 2 x crews' personal sidearm. Typical issue for Navy pilots is the M29 revolver or M39 Mesa Eagle automatic, both chambered in .44 Magnum.

VIII. Armor:

The skin of the Challenger and Big Boy is composed of an advanced titanium-steel alloy. The skin stops all small arms fire, provides excellent protection against heavier infantry weapons, such as a 12.7mm machinegun round, and good to fair resistance to light mecha-mounted weaponry, such as the Zentraedi 22.3mm HE autocannon round.

The shuttles' life support system provides full protection from nuclear, biological, and chemical hazards, using a constant overpressure cockpit environment. The internal consumables supplies can provide atmosphere for 144 hours maximum; life support can recycle enough air to provide 72 more hours of atmosphere.

IX. Development:

The need for a basic space-only shuttle aboard Republican ships-of-the-line became apparent after in-transit failures of much older Rabbit shuttles, which formed the bulk of the Republican auxiliary fleet. At the same time the inability of smaller craft to carry larger cargo shuttles such as the Horizon-T and Predator was causing operational difficulties. Complex docking systems needed to be employed when using these craft as transports or shuttles; otherwise the older and less reliable Rabbits had to make multiple trips on large loads. The Horizon-T and Predator were needed for combat operations more than rear-area transport assignments in the first place.

The solution was to design a new, larger cargo and passenger shuttle to be assigned to all naval ships. The Rabbit was a very useful space transport, and it was hoped that a successor could be designed that built on the Rabbit's successes. General Galaxy eventually came up with a design for a ten-passenger personnel shuttle, with improved thrusters, a simplified non-combat avionics set, and a very comfortable interior designed by the Takemi Corporation architectural design department. Shortly after the construction and demonstration of the first prototypes, one was returned to the General Galaxy plant. Upon arrival it was stripped of its interior and outfitted with cargo restraint equipment, turning it into a cargo shuttle with higher capacity than the Rabbit. Republican planners asked for production of both designs to begin immediately.

The passenger version received the designation C-10 and the name Challenger, while the cargo variant was designated C-11 and called the Big Boy; both names were references to large steam locomotive types of the mid-20^th century. In service both shuttles have been huge successes. Losses have been rare and largely limited to landing and takeoff accidents. Unfortunately, a large number of brand new shuttles of both models were captured by the Tirolian Socialist Bloc after the retreat from the Factionalist Control Zone; these were in transit to a number of allied Factionalist nations.

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