A-14 Raptor

A-14 Raptor
Type	Heavy Fighter
Manufacturer	Origin Aerospace
Primary User	Terran Confederation
Additional Users	Free Republic of the Landreich, Union of Border Worlds
Introduction	2630s
Retirement	Confederation Service - 2660s
General Characteristics
Length	36 meters
Mass	20 tonnes
Crew	1 (pilot)
Performance
Maximum Yaw	6 dps
Maximum Pitch	5 dps
Maximum Roll	6 dps
Acceleration	Good
Velocity
Cruise	250 kps
Maximum	400 kps
Afterburner
Maximum Afterburner	1200 kps
Armament
Guns
Mk. 40F Neutron Guns (2) Mk. 30A Mass Driver Cannons (2)
Default Missile Loadout
Javelin HS (2) Spiculum IR (2) Pilum FF (1) Porcupine Mine (1)
Components
Decoys	None
Cloaking Device	No
Jump Drive	No
Defense
Shields
Fore	7 cm equivalent
Aft	7 cm equivalent
Armor
Front	8 cm
Rear	8 cm
Right	6 cm
Left	6 cm
Raptor Target Identification, circa 2654.

History

The A-14 Raptor was a Terran Confederation heavy fighter. It was included in the Joan's Fighting Spacecraft Vega Sector Supplement for 2654.092.

Raptors came into the spotlight in 2639, during the McAuliffe Ambush and Enyo Engagement. Then-Captain Geoffrey Tolwyn's daring plan rested on the abilities of a small force of Raptors outfitted as mine-layers. The plan worked, rescuing hundreds of thousands of captive civilians and ensuring the Raptor a place in history. Over the next fifteen years, through to the close of the Vega Campaign, the Raptor would see success in several roles: as a commerce raider, as a heavy handed answer to swarm fighter tactics and, when used in co-ordinated attacks, as a strike craft against line targets as large as cruisers.

During the height of the Vega Sector Campaign, Raptors from Star Slayer Squadron based on the TCS Tiger's Claw scored a string of impressive ship-to-ship victories.

Raptors continued to see service with front line squadrons through to the 2668 Battle of Earth. Following the conclusion of the Kilrathi War, surplus Raptors found their way to the service of the Free Republic of the Landreich - where they continued to see service through the border skirmishes of the early seventies.

An earlier variant of the Raptor carried a different missile loadout: two Phalanx missiles, three missiles of another type of missile and a Porcupine Space Mine. It also mounted laser cannons rather than neutron guns.

Specifications

Middle Terran-Kilrathi War

	Raptor	Raptor	Raptor
Source:	Joan	WC	SWC
Class:	Heavy Fighter	Heavy Fighter	Heavy Fighter
Length:	36 meters	36 meters	36 meters
Mass	20 tonnes	20 tonnes	20 tonnes
Max Velocity:	400 KPS	400 KPS	400 KPS
Cruising velocity:	250 KPS	250 KPS	250 KPS
Afterburner Velocity:	1200 KPS	1200 KPS	1200 KPS
Acceleration:	Good	Good	Good
Max. YPR:	6/5/6 DPS	6/5/6 DPS	6/5/6 DPS
Guns:	Mk. 30A Mass Driver Cannon (2)	Mk. 30A Mass Driver Cannon (2)	Mk. 30A Mass Driver Cannon (2)
Guns:	Mk. 40F Neutron Gun (2)	Mk. 40F Neutron Gun (2)	Mk. 40F Neutron Gun (2)
Missiles:	Javelin Heatseeker (2)	Javelin Heatseeker (2)	Javelin Heatseeker (4)
Missiles:	Spiculum Image-Recognition (2)	Spiculum Image-Recognition (2)	Spiculum Image-Recognition (4)
Missiles:	Pilum Friend-or-Foe (1)	Pilum Friend-or-Foe (1)	Pilum Friend-or-Foe (2)
Missiles:	Porcupine Mine (1)	Porcupine Mine (1)	Porcupine Mine (2)
Armor (Fore/Aft/Sides)	8.0/8.0/6.0 cm	8.0/8.0/6.0 cm	8.0/8.0/6.0 cm
Shields (Fore/Aft)	7.0/7.0 cm	7.0/7.0 cm	7.0/7.0 cm
Shield Recharge:	3 seconds	3 seconds	3 seconds
Missile Decoys:	None	None	None
Jump Capable:	No	No	No

Appearances

Wing Commander/Super Wing Commander

Wing Commander Conversations

• Beta Wing (McAuliffe System)/Delta Wing (Gateway System)/Omicron Wing (Cheng-Du System)
  • Michael Casey: Maverick. They call me Iceman. Don't let Knight here fool you about the Scimitar. It's a gun-heavy slug. Forget finesse in a Scimitar.Just head straight in, guns blaring. Give me a ship that lets me use my skill... A Raptor, even a Hornet... ...or one of those new Rapiers! If half of what they say is true, the Rapier's a true artist's ship!
• Omicron Wing (Gimle System)
  • Shotglass: Hey, Maverick. How’s it goin’? You heard about those new Rapiers? Ever'body's talkin' about 'em. I'm not so sure about 'em, though. I flew jus' about my whole career in Scimitars an' Raptors. Liked the Raptor best, even though she didn't handle too good. She sure was fast once you got her goin', though!
• Tau Wing (Rostov System)
  • Shotglass: Have a seat, Maverick. This place is getting empty these days. I hear you've been flying the Raptor. She's a good ship, fast but a bit clumsy. It's an aggressive ship...if you're an aggressive pilot. I'd bet you could stand off a Gratha or two with that kind of ship. Oh well...you've probably got a better feel for the ship than me. Pay no mind to this ol' has-been.

Wing Commander Missions

• Flyable Missions
  • Zeta Wing (Gimle System)
  • Tau Wing (Gimle System)
  • Gamma Wing (Dakota System)
  • Lambda Wing (Dakota System)
  • Epsilon Wing (Dakota System)
  • Gamma Wing (Rostov System)
  • Xi Wing (Rostov System)
  • Tau Wing (Rostov System)
• Appears in Mission
  • Zeta Wing (Gimle System)

The Secret Missions Missions

• Flyable Missions
  • Beta Wing (Jotunheim System)
  • Alpha Wing (Jotunheim System)
  • Psi Wing (Bifrost System)
  • Iota Wing (Retreating from Kilrathi Territory)
  • Upsilon Wing (Near the Kilrathi Border)

The Secret Missions 1.5 Missions

• Flyable Missions
  • Alpha Wing (Anchorage System)
  • Gamma Wing (Anchorage System)
  • Iota Wing (Jakarta System)
  • Xi Wing (Jakarta System)
  • Delta Wing (Jakarta System)

The Secret Missions 2: Crusade Missions

• Flyable Missions
  • Omicron Wing (Firekka System)
  • Beta Wing (Firekka System)
  • Sigma Wing (Corsair System)
  • Mu Wing II (Corsair System)
  • Iota Wing (Charon System - Border Zone)

Wing Commander: Freedom Flight

• "Spirit rolled her Raptor fighter hard right to stay close behind the Kilrathi, glancing desperately at the power readings on her ship's neutron guns, slowly building up to full power again. The small fighter's powerplant was straining to recharge the weapons… she waited until the last moment, when the Kilrathi fighter was veering sharply away, to pull the trigger and let loose the volley of deadly red fire. The aft engine of the enemy fighter peeled away and exploded, taking the rest of the fighter with it. Spirit veered again to avoid the debris, scanning her aft view for Youngblood."
• "She felt the vibration of the engines straining at the base of her spine as she flew at top speed, willing her Raptor to leap across the remaining distance and into the rocks..."
• "Spirit punched on the Raptor's engines… for an awful second, all she could hear was the splutter of her ship's engines as they failed to ignite. Then they roared back into life and she hit the afterburners. She was beyond the diving Kilrathi a moment later, using the asteroids to block their weapons' fire. But she knew she couldn't play this game forever… soon they'd maneuver to box her in, to force her in front of their guns, and it would be over."

Star*Soldier

Classifieds

"Used ships available! Navy surplus means your lucky day! Fighters? F-36 Hornet, F-38 Talon, F-71 Stiletto, F-98 Phantom, F-95 Morningstar, F-97 Wraith! Bombers? A-14 Raptor, A-15 Gladius, even A-20 Banshee! Collectables and like new!

Contact crazyjoe@shipsmustgo.corporation"

Gallery

• 

  Raptor-class line drawing from Joan's Fighting Spacecraft.

• 

  Origin Aerospace blueprint.

• 

  Origin Aerospace blueprint.

• 

  Origin Aerospace blueprint.

• 

  View from a Raptor cockpit as it engages a Krant.

• 

  Raptor as seen in Super Wing Commander