An Orbital Dive in progress.
Orbital Divers are pilots who specialize in Hive infiltration. They are dropped from HSSTs in Re-entry Shells, special equipment used for atmospheric re-entry which serve serve two possible purposes; one is to burst open after descending through a certain height and provide debris to inhibit the ability of Laser-class BETA from hitting the TSFs of the Divers, or to shield the Diver if Laser-class BETA manage to target and shoot at the shell before it reaches the altitude at which it would open. Once inside the Hive, the general objective of the Divers (and subsequently the troops that follow them in) is to conquer the Hive by taking control of, or destroying the Reactor inside the Hive.
During the Dive itself, the pilots experience forces of up to 8.2G's, and velocities during the drop exceed 15,000 kilometers per hour. Ground forces usually smother the area in heavy metal particles to prevent the Divers from being targeted by Laser-class and Heavy Laser-class BETA, although the bombardment only works up to a minimum height; a short distance still exists inbetween the metal cloud and ground where the Divers are exposed to Laser-class fire.
Hives which had been attempted to be taken via Orbital Drops include:
- Lyons
- Mandalay
- Sadogashima
- Kashgar
Prior to Operation Ouka on January 1st, 2002, where the Primary Objective/Kashgar Hive was taken, no Orbital Drop operation alone had ever succeeded in taking a hive.
"Divers" and "Chicken Divers"[]
The pilots who are tasked with infiltrating a Hive after an orbital drop are known as "Divers", and Divers who survive to their third dive are known as "Chicken Divers". Casualty rates of the Orbital Diver Corps are among the highest of all TSF pilots due to their equipment and the nature of their operations.
Notable Orbital Divers[]
These include, but are not limited to:
Trivia[]
- The Orbital Divers are a reference to the Mobile Infantry of Starship Troopers.