TTA: KT-01x Beetle

Contract illustration for the new Terran Trade Authority books by Morrigan Press.

This is the "Beetle", an experimental dropship develloped a while before the latter part of Alliance-Proxima War, when it was obvious that the Proximan ground forces would need a much more mobile form of transport than the reliable but slow and outdated KT-00 "Kangaroo". The Beetle featured a spatial distortion field-based sublight propulsion system. It provided acceleration comparable to a heavy fighter as well as 26.54 percent more maneuverability than any other ship of its class. To top it all off, the system completely negated the need for propellant, making it dependent solely on the ship's powerplant. Many agree that this was one of the most advanced craft of its time.

Only 15 Beetles were produced when the Terran-Alphan forces reached the proxima system, and they were made available only to elite troops. Because of their capabilities, the Beetles were prioritized by the allied forces as class A targets and as such none survived the war. The technology behind their propulstion system was effectively gone, and it would take decades before it would reappear again.