----Albatross----

Sigmatek's latest cargo craft, the STHL-100 "Albatross". Built to the exacting specifications of the G.P.S. (Galactic Parcel Service) to replace their aging HL-650s, the Albatross is designed for use both in space and in an atmosphere. it is not, however, capable of re-entry to an atmosphere. it can be delivered to an atmosphere by a class 2 or class 3 airburst drop pod, and can escape an atmosphere under its own power.

obvious in the design of the albatross are the heavy-duty shock absorbers mounted on the landing legs. the pistons are controlled by the ship's computer (mounted in the cockpit, behind the pilot), and allow it to lower the body of the craft for the offloading of fragile or volatile materials. while the albatross is expected to carry mainly standard size G.P.S. cargo pods, the shock absorbers allow it to carry larger loads than are normal, or to "kneel" and pick up smaller cargo pods. thanks to the versatile Mag-lock container attachment system, the Albatross can carry any suitably equipped container, or any container with a ferrous body. the holding power is weaker in the latter case, and we expect that that ability will not be used often, as the entire G.P.S. cargo container fleet is Mag-lock equipped.

Also obvious are the two large ducts leading off the dorsal engines. these ducts re-route the exhaust from these engines forward. the purpose behind this design is to counter the outboard engines forward thrust when at maximum elevation. it was found that engines capable of rotating to +90 degrees had a nasty tendency to damage or destroy the hings couplings. rather than scrap the design, Sigmatek R&D cam up with the idea of limiting the engine's ROM, and using an extra engine to counter the forward thrust. the first design under this new philosophy had a single, backwards mounted engine. unfortunately, its mounting had atmospheric material being blown into the exhaust, resulting in major damage, due to the infeasibility of screening the exhaust. for this reason, the albatross was redesigned with two aft-facing engines, with exhaust mounted ducts which can re-direct the exhaust force in the desired direction. thanks to this redesign, the albatross can attain higher speeds than originally intended (thanks to the two extra engines) and still take-off and land vertically.

the angled tailplanes are adjustable, and can be pivoted flat to reduce needed hangar clearance. coupled with the shock absorber systm, this allows the Albatross to fit into almost standard size hangar. 

Statistics:
Max. container W: 14 S.hU. (standard horizontal units)
Max. container length: ~35 S.hU.
min. mag-lock offset (front): 2 S.hU.
	(rear mag-lock must be 13 S.hU. behind fron mag-lock to allow full engagement)
Max. forward speed: 300 kts.
min. forward speed: 000 kts.
Max. rate of climb: 50 feet per second
min. vertical clearance: 24 S.vU. (standard vertical units)
	(note: 3 S.vU. = 1 Major vertical unit, the more common measurement)
Max. lift capacity: 1000 tons (with RATO boosters: 1500 tons)


-Sigmatek: One step ahead of the Next Generation