|
F80a1 Thunderbird
- Attack-Fighter/Fighter-Bomber
The Thunderbird
development began as part of a contest to win exclusive
manufacturing rights from the Confederacy for a new
series of medium fighter/bombers based on the Havoc
design. The winning company, Cordine Arms Inc of the
Trillieen system, created a starfighter equipped with
5 ordinance hard points and 4 rocket launchers, average
speed and maneuverability, and extremely tough armor
and shielding, while only slightly compromising the
primary laser weaponry. The main drawback that keeps
the Thunderbird from wider use, is the cost of manufacture.
At present, Cordine Arms contract has several more decades
before the ship can be mass-produced by any other government
contractor, and the advanced energy systems used to
maintain ship's speed and shielding are difficult and
expensive to produce. Despite the expense, it has proven
to be money well-spent, as the fighter has performed
exceptionally in the capital-strike and bombing roles
it was intended.
Stats:
Primary Lasers:
3 Defender class medium blaster cannons
Primary Missiles: 4 Guardian class high-velocity rocket
launchers (dumb-fired due to unit cost and high availability
vs. missile jamming technology)
Available hard points: 6 - two under wings, two upper
fuselage and two under fuselage
|
