Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Quasar Drone

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The ASM-152 Quasar Drone is an aerial unmanned combat support vehicle used by the Federation of Aquila. Their operator is planned to be voiced by *TBA*

Appearance
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History
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The success of the ASM-1303 Pulsar was undisputable; the UAV was able to conduct long term reconnaissance over time spans that were unheard of a few years ago. However, the Aquilan Air Forces wanted more. Ever since the C-17s became top priority targets on the Voshkod "Kill First" list, they have been taking massive casualties. The loss of such well qualified crew was unacceptable to the Aquilans, and they requested an unmanned aerial vehicle that could fulfil a close support role.

Norwell-Hucks immediately started Project Quasar. Teams of top scientists were recruited to facilitate in the creation of the new drone, an entire research institute was set aside for research into UAVs and research started off at a quick pace.

The first attempt was at a ground support drone was a modified Pulsar drone armed with a cryobeam. The idea looked good on paper; however the entire operation was plagued with problems. The cryobeam was ridiculously heavy, and the resultant contraption was too heavy to fly. In the few tests that the Pulsar did fly, it often would do forward flips and sudden dives at random as the wings were too small to support the heavy craft. It was obvious they needed a bigger UAV.

Two years later, the ASM-1404 Predator was unveiled. It was twice the size of the Pulsar and could easily lift a microwave beam and two storage tanks. However, due to the drag caused by the large wingspan and wing mounted tanks, all it could do was lumber down the runway at 20km/h and barely take off. Slower than even a Kirov flying backwards in the air, the prototype was a complete flop. It could not even turn without risking complete stalling. Unless they could find a more powerful engine, and fast, the entire project was doomed.

AseliaTech was nearing bankruptcy after several poor investments. The board was desperately looking for solid down-to-earth Aquilan and Hawke supported projects that they could use as stepping stones to get back into the game, such as the Mesofortress Gunship. Project Quasar was exactly what they needed.

On a rainy day sometime in mid-march 2007 V.C., Kelly Weaver herself was seen appearing at the HQ of Norwell-Hucks, a first, since the two companies had been at loggerheads since their formation. Norwell-Hucks Corporation was not doing too well either. Project Quasar was sapping their company of resources, and as the deadline loomed ever closer, many major stockholders feared that it would all be for nought.

The engine problem was still plaguing the team. It was next to impossible to find an engine compact enough to fit into a UAV that could provide sufficient power. The team tried everything. Ramjets, turbofans, gravitational distortion, even fusion torch propulsion (which resulted in 5 injuries, a hole in the wall and a rather well cooked squirrel). The problem was that either the propulsion was too weak to be of much use, or that it was so heavy and bulky that the UAV would crash tail first into the ground.

FutureTech's solution was not a complex one. In fact, it was unbelievably simple, and remarkably crude. Take a Scrambler's SHRINK ray, shrink an SR-71 engine, and mount it onto the UAV. Crude as it was, the method worked, producing a whooping amount of thrust, and the engine was able to propel the UAV at 250 km/h.

Even with the new engine, the Shrinkray was still too bulky. The first three prototypes all nosedived into the ground due to the bulky device. Once again, the project threatened to grind to a halt. However, just when all hope seemed lost, a young technician came up with a brilliant solution. The Microwave Tank's microwave array. Although the full-sized version was too big to be mounted on the drone, they were able to fit a compact version that required more time to fully disable the target.

The now empty cargo bay was a great source of interest. One of the proposals was to fit an EMP device into it. However, the idea was scrapped in favour of a cheaper alternative, a bomb filled with magnetised strips that interfered with weapon electronics and radar. Lo and behold, the ASM-1542 Quasar Drone was soon flying.