Coalition Deaths Head Transport tactics and organization

[slade the sniper]

Are the Death's Head's part of the unit they are transporting (so it is basically a flying APC that sticks around the area of operations and provides air support for the whole operation and then transports the troops back) similar to how the dropships in Aliens are, or are they a part of a separate unit that just drops and leaves like how it works in the modern world so that the dropships are purely transport.

Any ideas or canon info on this?

-STS

[Jefffar]

I think the DHTs are primarily a transport force (though a few have some considerable fire support capability) that works in conjunction with ground units on an as needed basis.

I also treat them as very rare and expensive, with only Chi-Town itself having more than a handful available at any one time.

[glitterboy2098]

I also treat them as very rare and expensive, with only Chi-Town itself having more than a handful available at any one time.

which would help explain why in CWC we got several salternate flying APC types that fills a similar battlefield and strategic niche, but with smaller size and less inbuilt firepower.
like the Deathbringer APC (WB11 pg160) that is a quarter the size of the DHT, and the Skylifter (pg 162). the latter of which is the size of the deaths head transport, but has much more emphasis on the "transport" aspect, without the heavy armor or weaponry the DHT carries.

[Warshield73]

I think the DHTs are primarily a transport force (though a few have some considerable fire support capability) that works in conjunction with ground units on an as needed basis.

Agreed, I have always treated them as separate airlift elements and ones that do not operate in frontline areas.

I also treat them as very rare and expensive, with only Chi-Town itself having more than a handful available at any one time.

which would help explain why in CWC we got several salternate flying APC types that fills a similar battlefield and strategic niche, but with smaller size and less inbuilt firepower.
like the Deathbringer APC (WB11 pg160) that is a quarter the size of the DHT, and the Skylifter (pg 162). the latter of which is the size of the deaths head transport, but has much more emphasis on the "transport" aspect, without the heavy armor or weaponry the DHT carries.

This is one of the problems with Rifts in general but large groups like the CS specifically not having real numbers. I view DHTs as the most rare thing in the CS order of battle but what does that mean? Is that a dozen or a hundred?

[slade the sniper]

OK, so it's decided that the DHTs are a transport unit.

I am going to assume that the unit being dropped off is "in charge" of the DHTs until some set time period when they break off and go home.

This leads to an interesting question. For aggressive assault commanders may want that additional DHT firepower for their drop on a hot LZ, and if some higher up doesn't kibosh that by saying "you get 30 minutes of DHT support" or you get "a 5 minute window of insertion and at D+5 minutes the DHTs break off and head home" I can see a few ground commanders being loathe to give them up.

That would mean that DHT type and loiter time after insertion are a variable and thus mostly depends on the situation and somewhat on whether that ground commander is liked or not.

-STS

[ShadowLogan]

I think the DHTs are primarily a transport force (though a few have some considerable fire support capability) that works in conjunction with ground units on an as needed basis.

I also treat them as very rare and expensive, with only Chi-Town itself having more than a handful available at any one time.

While I agree with this, it is also possible that due to the way the DHT (at least the original) is designed, that said force could have two missions:
1. Transport (and once its charges are dropped off)
2. Fire Support (AC-130 style). On the original DHT it had 2mile rail-guns and 6000ft lasers (plus MRMs though not enough for sustained support like the guns), which means they could hover out side of pretty much any infantry weapon (even mini-missiles) and provide support fire from above. Heavier platforms (like armored vehicles and 'bots) and fliers would be a bigger threat since they tend to have longer range weapons.

I do admit that #2 while possible, seems less likely in terms of actual use in-universe.

[desrocfc]

OK, so it's decided that the DHTs are a transport unit.

I am going to assume that the unit being dropped off is "in charge" of the DHTs until some set time period when they break off and go home.

This leads to an interesting question. For aggressive assault commanders may want that additional DHT firepower for their drop on a hot LZ, and if some higher up doesn't kibosh that by saying "you get 30 minutes of DHT support" or you get "a 5 minute window of insertion and at D+5 minutes the DHTs break off and head home" I can see a few ground commanders being loathe to give them up.

That would mean that DHT type and loiter time after insertion are a variable and thus mostly depends on the situation and somewhat on whether that ground commander is liked or not.

-STS

I'll caveat my response with two statements:

1. If it fits in the context of what story you want to play out in your campaign, GO FOR IT!
2. I'm not an Air Force officer, but I am an Infantry officer that has done multiple RFEs (request for effect) to the Air Force.

The following is based on point 2, which is superseded by point 1 as required:

I consider the DHT akin to the Globemaster or a Chinook, just with (MUCH) greater capacity/capability. A unit making an RFE is typically limited to pick-up at Point A and drop-off at Point B. If the drop-off is in hostile territory, the inclusion of fire support is more likely by means of self-defense than to support the dropped off unit. Once the boots are offloaded, the DHTs break clean. Very rarely would a transport platform be leveraged as a fire support platform - they are not designed for it, while other aircraft are (e.g. you could theoretically street race with a tractor trailer rig, but it's not specifically designed for it). In my opinion, ground commanders would *never* have tactical or operational control over the DHT - the pilots would ultimately have full authority to waive off the landing zone in favour of something more reasonable (e.g. not the middle of a raging battle zone).

Alternatively, you could consider them glorified Hueys/Black Hawks, which certainly have a more tactical flavour to the support they provide, as they are typically an integral resource to a ground unit (e.g. Black Hawk Down or We Were Soldiers). Bear in mind though, these are huge aircraft. The same limitation on fire support applies though.

[Mack]

It depends on how plentiful you consider Death Head transports to be. Does the CS have enough of them to assign to individual units? Or are they scarce enough to be managed at the strategic level?

Personally I go with somewhere in the middle. Each Division or Corps has a few assigned for logistics support, but the bulk are held at the strategic level. So moving a company can be handled by the Division, but larger movements require pulling resources from higher up.

As an aside, you might want to look at pages 28-29 of Free Quebec.

[desrocfc]

As an aside, you might want to look at pages 28-29 of Free Quebec.

LOL, sometimes it's nice to be reminded about the thought and research I put into that manuscript. Man, that was almost 25 years ago......

[glitterboy2098]

It depends on how plentiful you consider Death Head transports to be. Does the CS have enough of them to assign to individual units? Or are they scarce enough to be managed at the strategic level?

Personally I go with somewhere in the middle. Each Division or Corps has a few assigned for logistics support, but the bulk are held at the strategic level. So moving a company can be handled by the Division, but larger movements require pulling resources from higher up.

As an aside, you might want to look at pages 28-29 of Free Quebec.

i'd argue that the DHT is a combo of C-17 globemaster and AC-130 "spooky".. it has high transport capacity for troops and vehicles, but also a high amount of firepower for use in providing a degree of ranged ground strike capability. (the MRM's especially, as well as the C-200DH railgun turret, which with it's 10,000ft range (almost 2 miles!) and fairly high damage and payload for a rifts railgun would allow a degree of ground support fire from a safe distance. even its laser turrets are more offensively focused, with their 6000ft (over 1 mile) range and heavy damage. but it is certainly not really optimized for heavy fighting.

and i would assume that they are managed as separate units from the ground troops they carry, probably at the Regional Command level. regional command is the level that manages "Logistics, transportation, communications, maintaining supply lines, and internal security" (CWC pg37.) the DHT would be core bits for transportation and supply lines, and thus i suspect that they'd be assigned as transport squadrons at that level, to be assigned to carry whatever units or supplies need moved.

and i'd assume they have several hundred of the things, since each regional command (each state) is supposed to have about 6 army corps total troops (about 11,520 troops each corps) for its defense (the state of chitown is indicated to have 36 army corps, 6 of which are in the city proper). (again CWC pg37)
presumably part of the reason they switched to building the smaller Deathbringer APC and the effectively unarmed Skylifter was to try and increase the numbers of DHT free for frontline use. the Skylifter is better suited to the day to day logistical work and behind the lines deployments, while the Deathbringer can handle most of the airmobile infantry deployment and long range patrol dropoff/pickup jobs that prior you'd need a full DHT for.


and the only forces i'd guess would have DHT's assigned permanently as integral elements would be the 4 combat divisions (2 army corps worth, using the CWC pg37 breakdown) of the "Rapid deployment force" that is spread across 4 states[1]. since they're meant to be able to deploy to just about anywhere in the (known) NA within two days, suggesting that they wouldn't have to compete for access to transport with regular units or logistical flights.

[1] CWC pg39. oddly, while we're told there are 4 divisions of RDF.. the breakdown of the existing units a few sentences later says six.. one division each at Iron Heart, Missouri, and Lone Star.. and then three divisions in the state of Chi-town.

[slade the sniper]

As an aside, you might want to look at pages 28-29 of Free Quebec.

LOL, sometimes it's nice to be reminded about the thought and research I put into that manuscript. Man, that was almost 25 years ago......

From that book: "each Air Company usually has 1D4+6 Death's Head Transports and 40-60 other types of aircraft of various makes at their disposal."

That is an absolutely massive expenditure of manpower. Aircrew, groundcrew, security personnel, headquarters to include comms and planners.
For a squadron of F-22's (12 aircraft) that is 400 personnel. A C-17 squadron (of 12 aircraft) has 500 personnel, a C-130 squadron (12 aircraft) has 790 personnel, bomber squadrons like the B-2 have 2,030 personnel. For less aircraft that can be adjusted of course.

That is just for the operation of the aircraft, not the airfield.

source: https://www.cbo.gov/system/files?file=2021-05/57088-Chapter4.pdf

-STS