Overview

The N.DS-13 Shore Sparrow was a variant of the Elementian DS-13 Sparrow, manufactured by Elementian aerospace company, Aires Dynamics. It was developed at the request of the United Elementian Navy to replace their M.DS-10 Puffins that operated from their ships.

The Shore Sparrow can handle anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), close air support (CAS) naval special warfare (NSW) insertion, search and rescue (SAR), combat search and rescue (CSAR), vertical replenishment (VERTREP), and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC). Due to the Shore Sparrow's size, it was unable to operate on the smaller class of ships in the United Elementian Navy and Coast Guard, and as such, operated alongside the M.DS-9 Tern until the latter's retirement in 2104 NGE, being replaced by the M.DS-15 Murre.

The different circumstances surrounding the operations of ship-deployed aircraft required the hull of the Sparrows to be modified extensively (most notably, making the rotor blades collapsible and allowing the wing structure to rotate to reduce size). The United Elementian Navy and Marine Corps began training for the Shore Sparrow by 2088 NGE, before completion of the modified hulls. Training was done on the United Elementian Army's U.DH-13 Boxer Sparrow for SAR, NSW, CSAR, and MEDEVAC operations, while the A.DH-13 Thunder Sparrow was used for CAS and ASUW operations.

The first Shore Sparrows were delivered to the UEN in mid-2089 NGE, supplanting the M.DS Puffins serving on their ships. Delivery of the Shore Sparrow would reach the UEMC at the beginning of 2090 NGE. The Satonlion Federal Naval Air Corps would acquire the craft in 2089 NGE, followed by the Umeran Naval and Coastal Defense Forces in 2091 NGE. In 2094 NGE, amidst more aggressive actions from the West Pirate Enclave on Elementia's Western coast, the UECG would order 47 Shore Sparrows to supplement their aging fleet of M.DS-7 Gulls and recently passed-down Puffins from the UEN and UEMC.

The Shore Sparrow would serve in countless combative and non-combative operations by the United Elementian Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, and would be used extensively in numerous skirmishes between CURAD member states and the various pirate enclaves in the Ormic and Tanzania Oceans. During the 4th World War, it served as the UEN's primary dropship throughout the war for various missions, and was heavily utilized for ASW "Hunter-Killer" missions on the coast of North and South Upotima against Legion submarines.

Development

During the 2070s NGE, the United Elementian Navy began to look for a new drop ship to replace their aging fleet of M.DS-10 Puffins for long-ranged missions. in 2079 NGE, the UEN opened the Variable Mission Dropship Contest to find a suitable replacement, however, by 2085 NGE, the contest was defunded after its failure to procure a prototype that satisfied the Navy's needs.

In 2086 NGE, Aires Dynamics was granted $1.6 billion dollars by the United Elementian Armed Command to further develop the X.DS-13 into a full-production model for usage by the United Elementian Army. The Navy confronted the company about the project, and requested for modified version of the developing DS-13 Sparrow for usage aboard ships. The design for the modified Sparrow would be completed in early 2087 NGE, followed by an additional $2.9 billion in funding from the UEAC for development and production of the additional dropships.

Operational History

United Elementian Navy

Since 2088 NGE, the UEN has conducted training for the N.DS-13, however, initial training was done on the Army's Boxer and Thunder variants until the delivery of the first batch of N.DS-13s in 2089 NGE. The first units were stationed at Carson Naval Base and the 7th Fleet, primarily aboard the supercarriers, Kerena, and Ollivan, and the railgun battleships, Lumerace, Tecara, and Dawntun.