Varada
Varada - Light courier 
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| Manufacturer | Mandarava-Csepel | |
| Ship statistics | ||
| Price | 20,403 Cr | |
| Hull Mass | 4 t | |
| Capacity | 5 t | |
| Cargo capacity | 5 t | |
| Crew | min. 1 | max. 1 |
| Equipment | ||
| Hyperdrive mount | yes | Default class: 1 |
| Scoop mounts | 0 | |
| Max cabins | 0 | |
| Weapon mounts | 1 | |
| Max missiles | 0 | |
| DeltaV | ||
| Fuel tank capacity | 5 t | |
| Exhaust Velocity | 8,900 km/s | |
| deltaV | empty: 7,217 km/s | full: 3,932 km/s |
| Acceleration | ||
| Forward acceleration | empty: 4 G | full: 1.45 G |
| Reverse acceleration | empty: 2.3 G | full: 0.72 G |
| Up acceleration | empty: 3 G | full: 1.16 G |
| Down acceleration | empty: 2.3 G | full: 0.58 G |
| Lateral acceleration | empty: 2 G | full: 0.36 G |
| Angular acceleration | empty: - | full: - |
| Atmospheric characteristics | ||
| Atmo. shield mount | yes | |
| Atmo. pressure limit | 4 atm | |
| Lift coefficient | 0.2 | |
| Aerodynamic stability | 0.6 | |
| Frontal drag | 0.7 | |
| Sideways drag | 0.9 | |
| Top drag | 0.3 | |
Description
A small but fast one seater shuttle which is widely used as short range courier. It has a very small cargo hold and no weapon hard-point, but it makes up for that by its superb acceleration and maneuverability. The Varada is in production for about a hundred years, with only minor modifications.
Originally it was intended for short range travels, especially between stations orbiting the same planet. It was an instant hit among independent couriers. Also well known and appreciated model amongst sportsmen the tuning communities around the galaxy due to it's simple and reliable build.
It's a niche craft in some regards, because of its small size, which limits its usefulness for longer trips. Even this doesn't discourage the hardcore couriers, who compete constantly, who can endure the longest trip in its cramped cockpit. It's common practice to squeeze a Class 1 Hyperdrive and one ton of Hydrogen in. This gives gives the Varada about 60 light year range. It's not for the faint of heart though since typical travel times are at about 60 days for that range which is quite taxing both for the pilot and the craft. And this practice is strongly discouraged by most governments. There are even official endurance rallies spanning over several weeks or months.
Apart from endurance competitions, there are several fast paced racing events around SolFed space, with a slightly modified version. All pilots fly similarly built crafts, to make sure that it's a test of the pilots ability, not the amount of money available to any given team.
The Varada is also popular amongst ordinary people, due to its good performance and relative cheapness. It makes for a very fine recreational craft.
Improvements and changes
The Varada saw several updates to its components throughout the century. These were mostly regarding engine performance and handling. The basic model could be easily refitted with a fuel scoop adapter to its air intake, making it able to endure quite long trips.
Other uses
Varada's uses are quite limited due to its small size and capacity. It's sometimes used as a cheap police vessel in poorer systems, usually with some kind of jury rigged weaponry. It doesn't really make a good fighter, because it lacks the needed protection, but it can be a formidable opponent in the hands of an experienced pilot, because of its good maneuverability and low profile.
It's common for bulk ships to bring along one or two of these crafts, so there's a good, flexible, and light vessel available if the need arises. Its vertically pronounced layout makes it easy to store.
