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Ryan Aeronautics Areodynes:

Areodyne Vehicles, or as they are commonly abbreviated, AVs, are unique aircraft, occupying a niche between helicopters and tilt-rotors. They are compact aircraft, small enough to navigate dense urban cityscapes and land in tight spaces with their ducted fans or jets and small airframes. Used by Ryan Industries for personnel and cargo transport, surveillance and patrol, naval patrol and anti-submarine warfare, Trauma Team medevac services, and more, AVs are highly versatile. Faster and more maneuverable than a helicopter, but slower than a fixed-wing aircraft (with some exceptions; they are often faster than small aircraft such as a Cessna), they excel in urban conditions, low altitude situations, and have been compared to in-atmosphere versions of Cybusian dropships.
Developed in secrecy by Ryan Aeronautics, the first few AV’s were unveiled to the world at the Santa Catalina Airshow in 2022 when several versions of the AV-4 were revealed.

AV-4: A compact AV and the first one to be mass-produced, the AV-4 is available in several varieties. The base variant can hold up to 12 people in cramped conditions in a bench configuration, 6 comfortably in the standard chair configuration, and 4 (or 2, depending on layout) in VIP configuration. Equipped with a side door and advanced AI, the AV-4 has a cruising speed of 160 mph and a maximum speed of 230 miles per hour. AV-4s have no windows; deemed a potential vulnerability, they instead have various small cameras which display the outside world on the cockpit and passenger compartments. In the passenger compartments, this can be changed to other media if desired, such as films or projections.

AV-4C: The AV-4C (AV-4 Cargo) “Hercules" is the industrial workhorse of the AV-4 line. The passenger compartment can either be wholly removed to hold a shipping container or underslung load, or can be used to stow up to 5,200 pounds of material or equipment. The AV-4C is frequently used for transporting material to and from Ryan factories and facilities.

AV-4B: The AV-4B (AV-4 Battle) “Cobra" is the standard Ryan Security combat model. Equipped with a door-mounted Gatling Laser or Eradicator machine gun, as well as a chin-mounted 40mm autocannon and hard points for up to eight missiles or other equipment, the AV-4C makes an effective and highly maneuverable gunship, well suited for urban combat and the deployment of up to twelve troops. Equipped with a shield generator, extra armor, and two Ember lasers to act as point defense systems, the AV-4B has yet to prove itself in combat, but has excelled in simulations and war games. Virtually never deployed outside of Rapture’s airspace, there is also a dedicated maritime patrol variant (the AV-4MP) with launchers for torpedos and depth charges, the troop bay full of a wide variety of sensors monitored by a pair of operators; the AV-4MP draws inspiration from the West African Dragonfly, and can land on the water. There is a specialized “missile bus” version; the AV-4BM, which holds up to twenty air-to-ground or air-to-air missiles on various pylons and internal bays; the idea being that, in cooperation with the AV-4N, missiles can be guided to targets from extreme range, potentially destroying more valuable enemy aircraft or ground assets for a fraction of the cost.

AV-4E: The AV-4E (AV-4 Executive) “Empress” is a specialized corporate transporter intended for executives and the rich. Equipped with a quartet of highly comfortable and fully adjustable shark leather covered seats which can be heated or cooled, surround sound audio systems, a minibar and mini-fabricator (acquired from a deal with Vostrov), and Braindance uplinks, the AV-4E is well suited for both luxury and business work, boasting a personal assistant AI from Rapture Central Computing, a full workstation and desk (which can fold away if not desired) as well as a small restroom. Equipped with an encrypted communications array to allow you to talk with corporate without anyone listening in, the AV-4E also has additional armor and a light shield system. The AV-4E has a sleeker design than the rest of the AV-4 family, and has a higher top speed as well.

AV-4N: The Netwatch version of the AV-4, the AV-4N (AV-4 Netwatch) is stealthy and optimized for gathering signals intelligence, tracking netrunners, or allowing Netwatch netrunners unparalleled field maneuverability while also vastly increasing their processing power. The AV-4N has it’s passenger compartment replaced with a pair of netrunning chairs with dedicated cooling systems, cryptanalysis suites, and a single Operator drone modified for stealth, to be used as a proxy or to gather intelligence more discreetly. The Operator can be deployed mid-flight. Specialized versions of the AV-4N are equipped with advanced radars and sensors, enabling them to function as AWACs craft; several of these variants are on permanent patrol in a radius around Rapture, extending the city’s extensive sensor arrays by several thousand square miles each (one AV-4N modified for AWACs duty can cover 150,000 square miles with it’s various sensors and radars), and are an integral part of Rapture’s early alert network. More conventional AV-4Ns are used to gather signals intelligence or allow a netrunner to conduct advanced electronic warfare to a much greater degree than on foot while still able to deploy to physically support ground units if the need arises. AV-4Ns are equipped with specialized self-destruct protocols, to be activated if the AV is about to fall into enemy hands. Nicknamed Ravens for their jet-black paintjob, AV-4Ns are occasionally used to deploy more discreet Ryan Security units due to their stealth characteristics.

AV-6T: Designed from the ground up for the needs of Trauma Team, the AV-6T “Angel” is faster than the AV-4, with a cruising speed of 200 MPH and a maximum speed of 300 MPH. The passenger compartment has been fully replaced with a bay for up to two stretchers, and plenty of emergency medical equipment. There is room for the three-man security detail (who sit in a sub-compartment after client pickup to avoid contaminating or interfering with medical care) and the two-man medical team, augmented by a Hippocrates Medical Operator. A full suite of sensors are mounted, and there are tanks of saline solution prebuilt into the vehicle, needing only the IV to be hooked up and inserted into the patient to begin providing fluids, saving a few seconds of having to find and hang bags. The AV-6T is only a bit larger than an ambulance, so it can land in surprisingly small spaces, allowing Trauma Team personnel to perform client medevacs almost anywhere.