M87 Cricket

The M87 Cricket is the oldest VTOL in use by the Military Apparatus, and is one of the most rugged directed-propulsion airjet the Coalition has ever constructed. It is a large beast of an aircraft, capable of lifting a contingent of soldiers in tandem with a heavy cargo on it's rear boom, the Cricket is known throughout the Apparatus as the savior of the marine wounded, the god-send of the outgunned and surrounded unit and the provider of supplies and reinforcements to the front line. Even after it's years of distinguished service, it continues to serve the Apparatus and the rest of the government with valor. In it's latest evolution, the Cricket forms the backbone of the Marine Infantry and Air Cavalry transport force, often attached to the command and logistics battalions of the Marine Shock Regiment and the larger divisional forces.

Design
The Cricket is a large, robust vehicle designed to carry anything from personnel to radioactive materials in a vaccuum or atmosphere. Constituted of three main frames, the main control platform at the front of the VTOL, the troop compartment situated behind and beneath the platform and the engine housing suite which contains the three ion thrusters forming the primary source of power.

Manufacturing
(in development)

Weaponry and Equipment
The weaponry of the Cricket is not specifically designed to be offensive; considering it is a large target, in any environment, the Cricket's greatest advantages with its weaponry are in point-defense. Using speed and firepower, the Cricket is designed to disembark its contingent quickly and then evacuate the area.

2, 14.7mm door mounted HMR-5;
Situated on the lateral doors of the Cricket's troop compartment, the high-velocity 14.7mm rifles are the primary defensive weapon of a Cricket in flight. Capable of acheiving very high rates of fire, with a noticable accuracy at even long ranges, the HMR-5s often sweep a landing zone beforehand, allowing the marine of soldier contingent within to disembark with ease and quickness.

Deployment
The M87 Cricket is one of the largest Coalition VTOLs to see military service. It was initially designed in a zero-gee mass production yard in the far Eastern Republics and was first used to carry construction material, personnel and various cargo in between shipping yards and stardocks. The Cricket was designed in tandem to blend with autonomous vehicles for construction but has seen widespread use in the military, and the Cricket accompanies the smallest of marine forces to ease logistics, provide large transport and allow the rapid materialization of Coalition forces within their lines.