[Spaceships] Ornithopter Wings no longer TL5+2!

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

So, just pondering this, ornithopters could be interesting as a transportation option. But I think they entirely lack a rationale as a combat aircraft; modern fighters and versatility aircraft are intentionally aerodynamically unstable. The trend has been toward the least wing-like behavior you can get away with.

The 'thopters in Dune (the book at least) could "lock" their wings to serve more like aircraft IIRC; something like that would have some Vertol-like functionality, locking the wings for high velocity maneuvers and unfurling them to be able to ~hover in place and have increased maneuverability. But I suspect Vertols would be more effective in both roles (maybe an ornithopter would be a bit more fuel efficient when hovering, but I'm not sure - and if it were, I'm not sure it would be worth it), so this is probably more alternative tech than any sort of advancement in functionality.