Dralthi in fleet colors, Vega Sector circa 2654.

There is no single ship that more symbolizes the Empire of Kilrah than the bat-winged Dralthi fighter. A string of early successes combined with a distinct silhouette permanently imprinted the Dralthi in the minds of its human opponents. This psychological impact was furthered by the fighter's huge production run - it was the most commonly encountered fighter in the Vega Sector theater of operations.

The first production model, the tiny KF-100, entered service in 2529; as such, it saw service during both the 2594 invasion of the Varni Republic and the 2598 battle with the Mantu. When the conflict with the Terran Confederation began in earnest, the KF-100 Dralthi remained one of the Empire's premiere medium fighters. Though superseded by later models, the KF-100 remained in service through the last year of the Vega Campaign - ultimately playing a key role in the destruction of the Pegasus Naval Station.

The second design (classified simply as Dralthi) entered service in the late 2640s. The new model featured a host of technical improvements, including extended life support and the introduction of an ejection system. They made their debut during an attack on the Epsilon Prima System, catching the TCS Tiger's Claw by surprise. Terran intelligence had failed to predict their extended range - costing the Tiger's Claw five pilots.

The Dralthi was, however, by no means a marvel of Kilrathi engineering: The huge, ovaloid wings blocked visibility to the sides of the fighter, forcing Kilrathi pilots to pitch rather than yaw during combat. Even worse, the shield generators were plagued by technical glitches - if hit too quickly, they would often fail completely.

Notoriously merciless ace Dakhath nar Sihkag ("Deathstroke") was credited with 78 space-to-space kills flying a Dralthi during the last years of the Vega Campaign. His fighter was shot down in 2654 by 1st Lt. Tanaka Mariko.

In one particularly unique use of surplus Dralthi, the commander of the Dioscuri System garrison issued the fighters to the planet's low technology natives, teaching them to defend their planet from human 'aggressors'. The Dralthi was succeeded on the production lines in 2655 by the Dralthi II.

Claw Marks Class: Medium Fighter Length: 28 meters Mass: 14 tonnes Max. Velocity: 400 kps Cru. Velocity: 230 kps Aft. Velocity: 1200 kps Acceleration: Good Max. Y/P/R: 10/14/10 dps     5 cm         4.5 cm       3 cm n/a 3 cm       3.5 cm         5 cm     Shield Recharge: 5 sec Guns- (2) Laser Cannon Missiles- (3) Space Mine (2) Stalker HS Decoys: None Cloak: No Jump Drive: No Crew: 1 (Pilot) Service Entry: 2534

Handbook Class: Medium Fighter Length: 9 meters Mass: 10 tonnes Max. Velocity: 400 kps Cru. Velocity: 230 kps Aft. Velocity: 1200 kps Acceleration: Good Max. Y/P/R: 10/14/10 dps     5 cm         4.5 cm       3 cm n/a 3 cm       3.5 cm         5 cm     Shield Recharge: 5 sec Guns- (2) Laser Cannon (1) Light Tractor Beam Missiles- (4) Stalker HS Decoys: None Cloak: No Jump Drive: No Crew: 1 (Pilot) Service Entry: 2534