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The Ships of Wing Commander Arena
Each race in Wing Commander Arena has three spaceframes which each have three visually and technologically distinct variants - a total of eighteen playable fighters and bombers! Some game modes also include capital ships, space stations and cameos from other classic Wing Commander designs! We've put together a brief description of each ship's history, its original style and its Arena design and specifications.
Playable Ships
| F-27 Arrow V Light Fighter |
The Arrow was the signature fighter for Wing Commander's 3D RealSpace engine. It first appeared in 1994 in both Wing Commander Armada and Wing Commander III. Wing Commander IV had three different Arrows - a green Confederation version, a red and blue pirate version and a special purple cloaking Black Lance Arrow. The Arrow has a cameo in the first episode of Wing Commander Academy and also appears in both game novelizations... last, but not least, it is a playable card in the Wing Commander CCG! The Arrow has always been a fast, light fighter: the Armada variant remains the fastest Wing Commander fighter ever available!
|
Scout |
Eclipse |
Guardian |
|
 |
 |
 |
| GUNS |
Laser Cannon |
Meson Blaster |
Tachyon Gun |
| MISSILES |
Dart DF, Porcupine Mine |
Vampire HS, Dart DF |
Spiculum IR, Dart DF |
| DEVICES |
Engine Power Core, Flares, Sonar |
Gun Battery, Cloak, Flares |
Shield Battery, Shield Power Core, Flares, Deployable Turret, Sonar |
| SPEED |
645 kps |
570 kps |
470 kps |
| Y/P/R |
125 dps |
160 dps |
90 dps |
| F-44 Rapier II Medium Fighter |
The Rapier II was Wing Commander's first 'reward' ship: players who did well in the original game were assigned to fly the brand-new Rapier fighters. The ship went on to appear in Wing Commander II, where it remained an excellent dogfighter despite no longer being a cutting edge technology. Rapiers are especially popular in the novels - appearing in all but Heart of the Tiger. The Wing Commander movie offered tribute to the classic Rapier by making use of its predecessor, the CF-117 Rapier.
|
Blade |
Vanguard |
Cavalier |
|
 |
 |
 |
| GUNS |
Tachyon Gun, Meson Blaster |
Neutron Gun, Laser Cannon |
Ionic Pulse Cannon, Laser Cannon |
| MISSILES |
Dart DF, Javelin HS |
Porcupine Mines, Dart DF |
Spiculum IR, Dart DF |
| DEVICES |
Sonar, Flares, Shield Battery, Gun Power Core |
Deployable Turret, Sonar, Gun Power Core, Gun Battery |
Deployable Turret, Flares, Shield Power Core, Shield Battery |
| SPEED |
415 kps |
365 kps |
300 kps |
| Y/P/R |
90 dps |
75 dps |
65 dps |
| A-17 Broadsword Heavy Bomber |
The Broadsword was the original heavy bomber, introducing the concept of torpedo runs in Wing Commander II. Modeled after the B-17 Flying Fortress, the Broadsword bristles with turrets and munitions. They also appear in Privateer as the Confederation's heaviest fighter in the Gemini Sector. Broadswords were popular on screen - both the Wing Commander movie and the Wing Commander Academy include them among the Tiger's Claw's fighter complement. Finally, they appear in many of the novels - including End Run, Fleet Action, The Price of Freedom, Wing Commander, Pilgrim Stars and False Colors.
|
Executioner |
Warpig |
Behemoth |
|
 |
 |
 |
| GUNS |
Plasma Gun, Mass Driver Cannon |
Neutron Gun, Meson Blaster |
Neutron Gun, Tachyon Gun |
| MISSILES |
Javelin HS, Dart DF |
Torpedo, Dart DF |
Torpedo, Dart DF |
| DEVICES |
Tractor Beam, Deployable Turret, Shield Power Core, Gun Battery, Shield Battery, Bomber Turrets |
Gun Battery, Bomber Turrets, Gun Power Core, Shield Bettery, Cloak, Deployable Turret |
Engine Battery, Gun Battery, Shield Battery, Tractor Beam, DeployableTurret, Sonar, Bomber Turrets |
| SPEED |
300 kps |
275 kps |
225 kps |
| Y/P/R |
55 dps |
55 dps |
55 dps |
The Darket is Kilrah's most nimble fighter. It was introduced in Wing Commander III, where it was famous for operating in pairs. Since the Kilrathi war ended in Wing Commander III Darket are not as prevalent as Arrows... but they do manage to appear in three novels and the CCG!
|
Dragonfly |
Raptor |
Stalker |
|
 |
 |
 |
| GUNS |
Tachyon Gun, Laser Cannon |
Meson Gun, Ionic Pulse Cannon |
Neutron Gun, Laser Cannon |
| MISSILES |
Fang HS, Paw DF |
Paw DF, Stalker HS |
Vampire HS, Paw DF |
| DEVICES |
Engine Power Core, Cloak, Sonar |
Shield Battery, Flares, Cloak |
Gun Power Core, Cloak, Deployable Turret |
| SPEED |
680 kps |
515 kps |
425 kps |
| Y/P/R |
110 dps |
90 dps |
80 dps |
| Dralthi IX Medium Fighter |
The Dralthi is the most famous ship in Wing Commander history, appearing in some manner in every single game except Wing Commander II and Secret Ops. From the cover art of the original Wing Commander to the Kilrathi missions of Wing Commander Prophecy, bat-winged Dralthi are Wing Commander's signature fighter. Many Dralthi variants have been seen over the years, including the KF-100 in the movie, the Dralthi II in Secret Missions, the Dralthi VII in Privateer and the Dralthi IV in Wing Commander III.
|
Striker |
Shank |
Rhino |
|
 |
 |
 |
| GUNS |
Mass Driver Cannon, Laser Cannon |
Neutron Gun, Meson Blaster |
Plasma Gun, Tachyon Gun |
| MISSILES |
Vampire HS, Paw DF |
Porcupine Mines, Paw DF |
Stalker HS, Paw DF |
| DEVICES |
Cloak, Flares, Gun Power Core, Shield Battery |
Sonar, Cloak, Shield Power Core, Gun Battery |
Cloak, Flares, Gun Power Core, Shield Battery, Gun Battery |
| SPEED |
420 kps |
365 kps |
300 kps |
| Y/P/R |
75 dps |
65 dps |
55 dps |
The Paktahn is Kilrah's heaviest bomber, carrying even more torpedoes than the Confederation Broadsword. They are best known for destroying the TCS Behemoth in Wing Commander III, a gut-wrenching cutscene remembered by all who played the game. Paktahn also appear in the CCG and in the novel False Colors -- where they are flown by human pilots on a secret mission!
|
Phantom |
Tusk |
Mauler |
|
 |
 |
 |
| GUNS |
Plasma Gun, Mass Driver Cannon |
Ionic Pulse Cannon, Meson Blaster |
Neutron Gun, Tachyon Gun |
| MISSILES |
Torpedo, Paw DF |
Porcupine Mines, Paw DF |
Torpedo, Paw DF |
| DEVICES |
Gun Battery, Flares, Cloak, Shield Battery, Bomber Turrets |
Gun Battery, Sonar, Deployable Turret, Shield Power Core, Bomber Turrets |
Deployable Turret, Flares, Shield Power Core, Shield Battery |
| SPEED |
300 kps |
260 kps |
215 kps |
| Y/P/R |
75 dps |
65 dps |
50 dps |
Capital Ships & Stations
| Confederation Battlecruiser |
These massive warships are new to Arena's capital ship combat mode!
These massive warships are new to Arena's capital ship combat mode!
The original TCS Midway was 'home' in Wing Commander Prophecy - a massive space carrier which managed to beat back the first Nephilim invasion. At the time, the Confederation was busy building a fleet of ten Midways... presumably, this is one of them! It makes up one of the single player levels in Arena.
These small stations can be used to reload and recharge your fighter in different ways (from left t o right: energy, hull and weapons).
This space station is new to Wing Commander Arena. It serves as both the game's "lobby" and as a map for the multiplayer melee and single player combat modes. The station seems to be home to a Confederation Space Force presence.
The Bearpit is a huge starbase with an arena at its center. Pairs of fighters face off in the central 'bearpit' while others wait their turn in the space around the rest of the base. During the wait they can engage in practice dogfights, play mini-games and even shoot into the arena stage.
Cameos
The original Perry Naval Base appeared in Wing Commander Privateer, home to the Confederation's war effort in the Gemini Sector. Another Perry-style station is set to appear in the Wing Commander Arena menu.
The Longbow was a Confederation bomber introduced in Wing Commander III. It returned as a flyable ship in Wing Commander IV, and also had a surprising cameo appearance in the Wing Commander Academy television series. Textually, Longbows are mentioned in Heart of the Tiger, The Price of Freedom, False Colorsand the Secret Ops fiction. In Arena, Longbows bearing the blue and gray WCIV paint scheme make an appearance sitting on the runways of th Space Station map.
The Centurion was the 'star' fighter in Wing Commander: Privateer, the ultimate goal of every player. While it is not known whether or not Centurions appear in Arena, they do appear in some of the early artwork... and in early concept sketches photographed at the Gaia Industries offices.
The Gothri is a Kilrathi heavy fighter introduced in the Wing Commander II addons. it went on to play the role of the main Kilathi fighter in the Privateer spinoff. It is not known if the Gothri actually appears in Arena, but sketches appear on the walls of the game's developer, Gaia Industries.
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