The Class E Lander–Type Drop Shuttle was a model of dropship manufactured by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Originally built for the colony ships Affiance and Covenant in the early 2100s, the lander later saw use on colony worlds across the Outer Rim Territories and the Frontier.
Overview[]
- "I don't like this terrain. We've got smooth water over there. I'm going to put it down amphib."
- ―Maggie Faris (from Alien: Covenant)
The cockpit of Lander One
Built by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, the Class E Lander–Type Drop Shuttle[1] was designed as an orbital to ground colonization personnel and equipment drop vessel.[2] Thirty–eight meters in length,[1] it was linearly constructed around three main decks—the bridge, payload bay, and medbay. The bridge area contained seating for the lander's pilot and co–pilot,[2] who could serve as minimum crew,[1] and seating capacity for ten crewmembers; this seating was arranged in twin sets of five facing each other,[2] though the lander could accommodate a total of twenty–four individuals.[1] The crew seating was also outfitted with restraint bars to secure personnel during complicated maneuvers.[2] The Class E Lander–Type Drop Shuttle could achieve a maximum speed of Mach 6.[1]
Aft of the bridge were the payload bay and medbay, each of which could be accessed via egress hatches at the rear of the bridge. The payload bay held the munitions locker and parking space for heavy machinery, while the medbay—accessible by way of a wraparound corridor leading from the bridge—featured a surgical bed, workbench, scrub sink, and medication dispenser. Personnel debarking or boarding the lander were able to do so via a retractable loading ramp in the payload bay.[2] The payload bay was capable of accommodating a JCB Skid Steer Loader and Audi Lunar Quattro rover.[3]
The lander's dorsal hull was equipped with latchpoints for mooring aboard its parent vessel, and heat shields were fitted just fore of the cockpit. A protruding primary communications array was located underneath the craft's nose. Powering the Class E Lander–Type Drop Shuttle were two rear–mounted main thrusters and a quartet of VTOL thrusters fitted in pairs to port and starboard.[2] The lander was capable of putting down in shallow water if solid ground was not an option.[3] The Weyland–Yutani Corporation's Model CY78.3 Affiance-class U extended range colony ship was equipped to carry two Class E Lander–Type Drop Shuttles as standard; incidentally, the lander was especially designed for two colony ships of that class, the Affiance and the Covenant, at the turn of the twenty–second century.[1]
As of 2186, the Class E Lander–Type Drop Shuttle was a common sight at colonies across the Outer Rim Territories and the Frontier, and carried a price tag of 1,500,000 United American dollars.[1]
Example ships[]
Appearances[]
- Alien: Covenant/novel
- Alien: Covenant - Origins
- Alien: The Blueprints
- Alien: Augmented Reality Survival Manual
- Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Building Better Worlds