F-104 Bearcat

F-104 Bearcat
Type	Heavy Fighter
Manufacturer	Douglas Aerospace
Primary User	Terran Confederation
Additional Users	Black Lance
General Characteristics
Length	27 meters
Mass	14 tonnes
Crew	1
Performance
Velocity
Maximum	550 kps
Afterburner
Maximum Afterburner	1400 kps
Max Acceleration	1200 k/s^2 k/s2
Armament
Guns
Light Tachyon Cannon (4)
Default Missile Loadout
4x2 (2HS/2IR/2IR/2HS)
Components
Modules
None
Decoys	24
Cloaking Device	None
Jump Drive	None
Defense
Shields
Fore	280 cm equivalent
Aft	280 cm equivalent
Right	280 cm equivalent
Left	280 cm equivalent
Armor
Front	150 cm
Rear	150 cm
Right	150 cm
Left	150 cm
F-104 Bearcat Target Designation, circa 2673.]]

The F-104 Bearcat was a heavy fighter in the service of the Terran Confederation.

Overview

Designed and manufactured in the aftermath of the Terran-Kilrathi War, the Bearcat was to be the next top-of-the-line heavy fighter in the Terran Confederation Space Force. A peacetime design, it was to defend the Confederation against future enemies and against Kilrathi raiders who were still intent on continuing the war with the Confederation. With a standard armament and fair speed, it had potential as a formidable dogfighter on the frontlines.

History

The Bearcat was one of many new Terran innovations to come forth during the peacetime era. By 2673, several combat-ready prototypes of the Bearcat were in testing. A number of them fell into the hands of the Black Lance, who used them in an attempt to provoke war between the Confederation and the newly-independent Union of Border Worlds.

One notable action undertaken by the Bearcats was their role in the Black Lance assault on the Peleus System, where they were charged with defending a jamming ship that was creating a communications blackout across the system. They also were present at the BWS Intrepid's assault on Ella.

In Speradon, a trio of Confederation pilots sympathetic to the Border Worlds defected to the Union after hijacking a squadron of Bearcats. The Union, in desperate need of fighter pilots, acted quickly to rescue the defectors before the Black Lance could intercept them.

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  The F-104 Bearcat in the prototype stage in 2673.