View source for Joan's Ships of Known Space (handbook)

{{infobox Novel Chapter
|faction = terran
|title = War Hero Killed in Action
|image = image:Og-e9.jpg
|book = [[Wing Commander Confederation Handbook]]
|parts = 
|previous = [[History of the Pilgrim War]]
|next = [[Joan's Fighting Spacecraft (handbook)|Joan's Fighting Spacecraft]]
|pages = 23
}}

= Text =

== Confederation Fighter ==

=== SCREEN 1 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED</B>

<B>Joan's Ships of Known Space</B>

The following data files are the property of
Joan’s Interactive Data, Ltd. Every attempt has
been made to insure the accuracy of the statistics
and text, and where information is dubious,
this has been noted.

<B>CF-117b Rapier</B>

Currently the primary utility fighter of the
Confed space force, development on the
Rapier began in 2527 and the first order of
700 was commissioned in 2536. The B
model, with enhanced missile capacity and
the more efficient rotary-barrel neutron
gun, was phased in beginning in ’45, and
the A model has been completely phased
out. The Rapier has now largely supplanted
the earlier CF-105 Scimitar, particularly in
frontline operations. The Rapier combines
acceleration, maneuverability and firepower
to make it the premier one-on-one dogfighter
in space today. Its handling superiority
is necessary, since its short-range neutron
guns require close approach to the
enemy in combat.

The Rapier’s most distinguishing visual
feature is its rotary-barrel neutron gun. The
rotating multibarrel allows longer continuous
neutron fire. The duel neutron pulse
generators can be set to alternate or
synchronous fire. Wing-mounted lasers
provide longer-range fire support. It also
mounts up to ten guided or dumbfire
missiles.

The Rapier features the standard Confed
Tempest targeting and navigational AI, and
a jump-capable drive array. Its life-support
systems are rated for up to seven hours
cruise time. (A LARP variant exists, the
117b-L, with an enhanced sensor package
and rated for up to 72 hours life support,
but lacking the neutron gun.) The Rapier is
not capable of sustained atmospheric
operations—its wings function strictly as
weapon/missile mounts. It can generate a
retrieval tractor rated for up to 75 tonnes.
It is capable of ejecting its pilot into a
standard survival pod.

=== SCREEN 2 ===

<B>| subquery=“rapier” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.fgtr.ter.084956</B>

{| class="wikitable"
| <B><I>Class</I> </B>
| Medium Fighter
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Length</I> </B>
| 9 meters
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Mass</I> </B>
| 9 tonnes
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Cruise Velocity</I> </B>
| 250 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Max Velocity</I> </B>
| 450 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Weapons</I> </B>
| Two Wing-Mounted Laser Cannon<br>Duel-Pulse Rotary Barrel Neutron Gun (forward)<br>10 Missile Mounts
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Armor</I></B>
| Fore and aft phase shields rated to 7 cm<Br>5 cm fore armor/4 cm aft armor<br>3 cm port/starboard armor
|}

=== SCREEN 3 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED</B>

<B>CF-131 Broadsword</B>

The first Broadswords were deployed during the Pilgrim War to support Confed’s invasion fleet.
It still remains Confed’s primary fighter/bomber. In 2648 all in-service Broadswords were
upgraded to mount two antimatter torpedoes, but other than that change and minor upgrades
to ship’s systems, the Broadsword of today remains remarkably similar to those that flew with
the Grand Fleet.

The Broadsword stacks an amazing amount of destructive potential into a compact package, but
only at the expense of maneuverability. The Broadsword has virtually no evasive capacity—
it has to either destroy attackers outright or rely on escorts of lighter fighters. On the plus side,
its three recessed turrets can provide a full 360 degrees of fire support, and be set for independent
or synchronized targeting. There’s also a defensive AI mode that will automatically fire the
turrets at any enemy targets of opportunity.

Like all Confed fighters, the Broadsword mounts a Tempest targeting and navigational system,
and its drive array is jump-capable. The Broadsword is rated for up to 16 hours of life support.
It can generate a retrieval tractor rated up to 150 tonnes. It is capable of ejecting the pilot in a
standard survival pod.

=== SCREEN 4 ===

<B>| subquery=“broadsword” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.fgtr.ter.084956</B>

{| class="wikitable"
| <B><I>Class</I> </B>
| Fighter/Bomber
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Length</I> </B>
| 12 meters
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Mass</I> </B>
| 14 tonnes
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Cruise Velocity</I> </B>
| 150 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Max Velocity</I> </B>
| 320 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Weapons</I> </B>
| 3 Mass-Driver Cannon (2 wing-mounted, one nose-mounted)<br>3 Missile Mounts<br>2 Torpedoes
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Turrets</I> </B>
| 3; 2 Neutron Guns in each
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Armor</I></B>
| Fore and aft phase shields rated to 13 cm<Br>10 cm fore/aft armor<br>8 cm port/starboard armor
|}

== Kilrathi Fighter ==

=== SCREEN 5 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED |</B>

<B>KF-100 Dralthi</B>

There is anecdotal evidence that the Dralthi was the primary space fighter of all
Kilrathi clans for as much as a century before first contact with humanity. Dralthi
have been in the forefront of virtually every naval engagement of the present war. The
utility fighter-ship of the Kilrathi arsenal, the lightly armed and armored Dralthi relies
on its remarkable speed and maneuverability, plus effective group tactics, against
superior Confed fighters like the Rapier.

From captured Dralthi, we know that the ship’s targeting systems are at least equal to
the best Confed can offer, allowing Kilrathi pilots to take the best advantage of the
ship’s limited offensive potential. Their life-support systems are capable of supporting
a Kilrathi for about 10 hours (about four hours longer than an equivalent system
could support a human, since Kilrathi physiology is better adapted to privation than a
human’s). Its impulse engines are based on the same basic concepts of ram-scoop
technology used by the interplanetary craft of humanity.

Dralthi are not jump-capable. They can generate a light tractor beam rated to about
5 tonnes, used primarily for salvage. Dralthi do not have an ejection system—Kilrathi
warriors are expected to live or die along with their fighters.

=== SCREEN 6 ===

<B>| subquery=“dralthi” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.fgtr.kil.083952</B>

{| class="wikitable"
| <B><I>Class</I> </B>
| Medium Fighter
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Length</I> </B>
| 9 meters
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Mass</I> </B>
| 10 tonnes
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Cruise Velocity</I> </B>
| 230 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Max Velocity</I> </B>
| 400 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Weapons</I> </B>
| 2 Laser Cannon (wing-mounted)<br>4 Missile Mounts
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Armor</I></B>
| Fore and aft phase shields rated to 5 cm<Br>4.5 cm fore armor/3.5 cm aft armor<br>3 cm port/starboard armor
|}

=== SCREEN 7 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED |</B>

<B>KF-227 Salthi</B>

This small, dangerously fast and maneuverable ship was seen more frequently in the
early stages of the Terran/Kilrathi war. At present, it seems to be falling out of favor in
the Empire, at least for front-line use. Intelligence suggests that the Salthi is still seeing a
great deal of use deeper inside the Empire, for scouting and planetary defense.

A coordinated wing of four or more Salthi can represent a severe challenge to an
opposing pilot, but their light defenses mean that even a single hit from most Confed
fighters can take one out of action. Offensively, the Salthi’s inability to respond to a missile
assault with equivalent power is a debilitating flaw.

Salthi possess sophisticated targeting routines equivalent to those of a Dralthi. They are
not jump-capable, do not mount a tractor beam, and have no ejection system. A Salthi’s
life-support system is capable of supporting a Kilrathi warrior for about 7 hours.

{| class="wikitable"
| <B><I>Class</I> </B>
| Light Fighter
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Length</I> </B>
| 6.5 meters
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Mass</I> </B>
| 12 tonnes
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Cruise Velocity</I> </B>
| 300 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Max Velocity</I> </B>
| 480 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Weapons</I> </B>
| 2 Laser Cannon<br>1 Missile Mount
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Armor</I></B>
| Fore and aft phase shields rated to 3.5 cm<Br>3 cm fore armor/2 cm aft armor<br>1.5 cm port/starboard armor
|}

register now

are you worthy?

VRsports

=== SCREEN 8 ===

<B>| subquery=“salthi” “krant” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.fgtr.kil.083952</B>

Visit Worlds Away...<BR>
Right Next Door

The undisturbed worlds of Gemini Sector. The tour of a lifetime.

<B>KF-402 Krant</B>

The Krant seems to have predated the current conflict, but Intelligence believes that it
was relatively little used, until it proved useful against Confed cap ships.
The Krant is more heavily defended, but much less maneuverable, than the Dralthi. It
appears to have been originally designed for cap-ship defense. When the development
of meson shielding made capital ships effectively immune to conventional ship-to-ship
missiles, the Kilrathi pressed the Krant into service as a dive-bomber, capable of delivering
a pair of antimatter torpedoes to a meson-shielded target. In that capacity the Krant
has become (along with long-range strategic missiles) the Kilrathi’s primary anti-cap-ship
asset, a function which has currently nearly displaced their original purpose.

When configured for defensive operations the Krant deploys with four missiles and no
torpedoes; when attacking an enemy cap ship it mounts torpedoes but no missiles. Krant
bombers are virtually unique among Kilrathi pilots, in that they do not dogfight an
enemy—they deliver their load to their target, and immediately return to their carrier to
reload. (If possible. The Kilrathi have also been known to send Krant through jump
points with one-use jump drives on suicide missions against Confed targets.)

Under normal mission conditions Krant are not jump-capable. They possess the same targeting and tractor systems as the Dralthi. Their lifesupport systems are capable of supporting a Kilrathi for about 15 hours. Like all Kilrathi ships, they possess no ejection system.

{| class="wikitable"
| <B><I>Class</I> </B>
| Medium Fighter/Bomber
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Length</I> </B>
| 11 meters
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Mass</I> </B>
| 11 tonnes
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Cruise Velocity</I> </B>
| 200 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Max Velocity</I> </B>
| 360 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Weapons</I> </B>
| 2 Laser Cannon (wing-mounted)<br>4 Missile <i>or</I> 2 Torpedo Mounts
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Armor</I></B>
| Fore and aft phase shields rated to 6 cm<Br>6 cm fore armor/6 cm aft armor<br>5 cm port/starboard armor
|}

== Confederation Capital Ship ==

=== SCREEN 9 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED</B>

=== SCREEN 10 ===

<B>| subquery=“concordia” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.cap.ter.084956</B>

=== SCREEN 11 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED |</B>

=== SCREEN 12 ===

<B>| subquery=“bengal” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.cap.ter.084956</B>

== Kilrathi Capital Ship ==

=== SCREEN 13 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED</B>

=== SCREEN 14 ===

<B>| subquery=“snakeir” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.cap.kil.083952</B>

=== SCREEN 15 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED</B>

=== SCREEN 16 ===

<B>| subquery=“kilrathi dreadnought” | sort=bestmatch return=all | source=joanships.mil.cap.kil.083952</B>

=== SCREEN 17 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED |</B>

=== SCREEN 18 ===

<B>| subquery=“concom” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.cap.kil.083952</B>

=== SCREEN 19 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED</B>

=== SCREEN 20 ===

<B>| subquery=“kilrathi cruiser” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.cap.kil.083952</B>

=== SCREEN 21 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED</B>

=== SCREEN 22 ===

<B>| subquery=“kilrathi destroyer” | sort=bestmatch | return=all source=joanships.mil.cap.kil.083952</B>

== Merchant Vessel ==

=== SCREEN 23 ===

<B>| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED</B>

<B>Proxima Spaceworks Errant</B>

The first Errants were produced in 2614, and the design has remained virtually unchanged
since that time, aside from the addition of the optional-weapon hardpoints in 2621, incremental
upgrades in the standard command and control software, and the evolution of the
Hastings-Sakura drive array.

The lightest commercially available, jump-capable utility ship, the Proxima Errant is a
workhorse of the Confed economy. The Errant is greatly valued for its modular construction
and extreme customizability. Weapons and armor, for example, can be added and
changed at will. The 10,000-cubic-meter hold can be fitted with a cabin module containing
living space for one to four passengers (the unconfigured Errant includes cabin capacity
for a crew of two, although only a single pilot is needed to operate the ship). By itself
the Errant can be used effectively for light cargo, for passenger charter or as a courier, and
it can even be customized for use as a recreational cabin cruiser. Its most common function,
however, is as a control module for cargo drones or towed cargo units. Under its own
power, an Errant has impulse capacity to effectively maneuver up to 20,000 tonnes of
towed cargo. If its cargo units are independently powered, its capacity becomes effectively
unlimited.

=== SCREEN 24 ===

<B>| subquery=“diligent, ?errant class” | sort=bestmatch return=all | source=joanships.mer.ter.074932</B>

{| class="wikitable"
| <B><I>Class</I> </B>
| Merchantman
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Length</I> </B>
| 25 meters
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Mass</I> </B>
| 100 tonnes
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Cruise Velocity</I> </B>
| 100 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Max Velocity</I> </B>
| 150 kps
|-
|style="vertical-align:top;"| <B><I>Weapons</I> </B>
| 2 forward hardpoints<br>1 turret hardpoint amidship
|}

= Scans =

<gallery>
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Wing_Commander_Confederation_Handbook_page_047.jpg
</gallery>

{{novelindex/handbook}}

[[Category:Wing Commander Confederation Handbook]]