Orbital Drop Insertion Pod

Production information
Class
Insertion Vehicle (Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle)

Technical specifications
Length - 2.7 meters
Width - 2.6 meters
Height/depth - 5.5 meters

Maximum acceleration
Freefall

Armament
Small arms for ground combat are located within the vehicle.

Passengers
1 Trooper


The Orbital Insertion Pod is a one-man high-altitude deployment vehicle. It is roughly cylindrical in shape. Upon impact with the ground, the pod opens, revealing the interior and allowing the person inside to escape and move.

Orbital drop pods allowed for the rapid deployment of ground assault troops near or right onto an objective. Their smaller profiles made them more difficult to destroy by defensive fire than conventional dropships. The large number of pods dropped at once also increased the probability of some of the attack force surviving to the land. Each pod bore the name of the soldier inside; amongst other things this identification could be used to identify the unfortunate occupant of a destroyed pod. Use of these pods is very hazardous and is reserved only for critical situations, or when a surprise attack is necessary.

A drop pod slightly resembles a somewhat sleek teardrop and is made of a strong metal shell, radiation shielding, and a heat resistant skin. The skin burns away during atmospheric reentry, protecting the rest of the pod and its occupant from the worst of the considerable heat.

Once within the atmosphere and at a height of 3,000ft, a metallic drag chute deploys for a short while before detaching to steady the descent, keeping the pod on course, and providing some deceleration. A more conventional backup chute is provided for landing, although final deceleration is typically accomplished using retro rockets forcing the passenger to experience significant g-forces. Needless to say, failure of any combination of components could be fatal. If the Pod encounters an EMP pulse during mid-flight, its navigational and safety systems could be fried, leaving the occupant free-falling to certain death.

Drop pods are capable of smashing through almost any surface during re-entry, including buildings.

The vehicle contains weapons, ammunition, rations and a radio, and can be used as a shelter if need be. It is also possible to store a light vehicle or weapons inside of a standard sized drop pod.

The pods also store an extra tank of rocket fuel, which is not used up in the landing, but is rather used for moving to a different location. The pod, however, must be stood up in the position designed to land in.