The Semper Fi power is a pretty incredible power armor in many respects but had one great weakness. This is that the armor could not fly. The United States Navy and Marine Corp saw the need to have a flying power armor for both rapid ground strikes and low level patrol. Several solutions for this problem were proposed and at one time it was planned for the Marine Corp to operate SAMAS like the United States army did. This would have cost a huge sum of money and the United States Congress did not want to pay for it. A secondary problem with using SAMAS was how many of them were needed and how many Semper Fi to displace. The debate lasted for almost a year. One sub-contractor that would on subsystems for the SAMAS had come up a design for a flight pack for the Semper Fi. The marines quickly grabbed the prototype to test it and pushed the navy to procure the flight pack. It was able to be pushed through Congress because of the rising tensions and the company found itself with a contract that was far larger than any of their expectations. They had a very hard time keeping up with production dates and had to subcontract out the design themselves in order to keep up with desired output. The United States Navy began getting shipments of the flight pack just before the coming of the Rifts but they had no were the numbers of the flight packs that they needed and have converted one of their factories to produce more flight pack. The flight pack is considered very useful

In many ways, the flight pack is physically similar to the flight pack used on the much later Coalition Super SAMAS and like that one can be detached when needed. One difference between the light pack is that it has a small nuclear fusion power system of its own. In flight speed, the Semper fi, when equipped with the flight pack, is slightly slower than the SAMAS produced at the same time. The flight pack replaces the armors standard underwater pack with a giant jet pack. The Jet pack has two larger intakes that fit over the should mounted missile launchers and two wings are attacked to the flight pack. The flight pack can be quickly detached as needed. Originally, the flight pack did not carry any weapons but some have been adapted to carry several missiles on the wings on hard points. These hard points are slightly recessed so that the missiles cause little reduction in the power armors fligh characteristics. The hard points can carry both short range missiles and mini-missiles.

Model Type: APA-15-FP
Class: Flight Pack
Crew: One Semper Fi Power Armor

M.D.C. by Location:

	[1] Shoulder Wings (2):	60 each
	Main Rear Jets (2):	50 each
	[1] Lower Maneuvering Jets (2; rear):	20 each
	Twin Air-Intake Jets (2; top):	60 each
	[2] Main Body of Flight Pack:	120

Notes:
[1] These locations are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a "called shot," but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.
[2] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut the flight pack down completely, making it useless. If in flight, the power armor attached will crash. Note: Destroying a wing will make flight impossible. However, even with no wing(s), the Semper Fi with a flight pack can make jet powered leaps and hover stationary above the ground. Destroying one jet thruster reduces speed by 25%.

Speed
Running: Reduce running speed to 50 mph (80.5 km) maximum with the flight pack attached, 60 mph (96.5 km) without it. Note that the act of running does tire out its operator, but at 10% of the usual fatigue rate.
Leaping: The flight Pack is heavy and bulky reducing leaps when not assisted by the jet pack. With the flight pack. The powerful robot legs can leap up to 8 feet (2.43 m) high or lengthwise. A jet thruster assisted leap can propel the unit 100 feet (30.5 meters) high and 200 feet (61 meters) across without actually attaining flight.
The Semper Fi can unlatch and remove the flight pack to which the wings and jet thrusters are attached. This lightens the power armor by 30%! It takes two melee rounds (30 seconds) to remove the flight pack, but requires 2D4 minutes and the help of one other power armored troops or a crane to reattach it.
Flight: The flight pack system enables the Semper Fi power armor to hover stationary in mid-air at any altitude and fly. Maximum flying speed with flight pack is 300 mph (482.8 kph) but cruising speed is considered to be 150 mph (240 km). Maximum altitude is 5,000 feet (1524 meters). Higher than this, high winds and rough weather make flight both erratic and dangerous.
Flying Range: The nuclear power supply gives the Semper Fi flight pack years of life but the jet rockets get hot and need to cool after a maximum of 10 hours of continuous flight at speeds above cruising, 24 hours at cruising speed. It can fly indefinitely with rest stops every few hours.
Underwater Capabilities: Using the jet thruster pack, the Semper Fi can travel underwater at 25 mph (40.2 km/21.7 knots) or fly above the water's surface at normal speeds.
Maximum Ocean Depth: 1,000 feet (305 meters). Note: Maximum Depth for Semper Fi power armor is one mile (1.6 km).

Statistical Data:
Height: 5 feet (1.5 meters) for just flight pack. Increase height of power armor by 1 foot (0.3 meters) to a height of 9 feet (2.74 meters) with flight pack carried.
Width: 3 feet (0.9 meters) for just flight pack. Flight pack does not increase the power armors width.
Length: 2 feet (0.6 meters) for just flight pack Increase length of power armor to a length of 4.5 feet (1.37 kg)
Weight: 200 lbs (90.7 kg) for flight pack. Semper Fi power armor weight 550 lbs (249.5 kg) with flight pack and 350 lbs (158.8 kg) without flight pack. Underwater pack weights 100 lbs (35.8 kg)
Cargo: None, does not include hard points
Power System: Nuclear Fusion, with an average energy life of 5 years.
Market Cost: 1.2 million credits for a new, undamaged fligh pack for Semper Fi power armor. Never traded or sold to outsiders (Tritonia is not considered an outsider).

Weapon System:

1. Wing Mounted Missiles (optional): Four mini-missiles or two of the larger short range missiles can be mounted on each wing (8 or 4 total) in partially recessed hard points. The wings can also carry a mixture of missiles if required by the mission or desired by the pilot. The missiles are launched by voice command or by hidden firing studs in the forearm.
   Missile Type: Any mini-missile or short range missile can be used (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Mega-damage: Varies with mini or short range missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Range: Varies with mini or short range missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Rate of Fire: One at a time or in volleys of two, three, or four.
   Payload: Total of 8 mini-missiles or 4 short range missiles. A mixture of missiles may also be carried, one short range missile may be substituted for two mini-missile.

[Coalition TM, Northern Gun TM, Golden Age Weaponsmiths TM, and Triax TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]

By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune ).

Copyright © 2000, Kitsune. All rights reserved.