Dralthi I

Drathli
File:Wc1drathli.jpg
Type	Medium Fighter
Manufacturer
Primary user	Kilrathi Empire

The Dralthi was a Kilrathi medium fighter. It was included in Joan's Fighting Spacecraft Vega Sector Supplement for 2654.092.

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 silouette 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 Though superceded by later models, the KF-100 remained in service through the last year of the Vega Campaign - ultimately playing a key role in the destruction of the Pegasus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 plauged 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 suceeded on the production lines in 2655 by the Dralthi II.

On 2654.110 Jeannette Devereaux reported to Christopher Blair that the dralthi fighter was the most seen kilrathi fighter in the Vega Sector. She also told him that it took 1.4 missiles or over seven laser blasts to destroy the fighter.

When an enemy pilot is on the Dralthi's tail, the Dralthi will always loop up or down to shake them, never to the left or right. This is due to the fighters large wings, which limit the pilots vision to the left or right, leaving them with a clear view only above and below the fighter. TCS Tiger's Claw pilot Chen Kien pointed this fact out to Christopher Blair on 2654.132.

Specifications

Class:	Medium Fighter
Length:	28 meters
Mass:	14 metric tonnes
Max Velocity:	400 kps
Cruise Velocity:	230 kps
Acceleration:	Good
Max Y/P/R:	10/14/10 dps
Fore Shield:	5.0 cm equivalent
Aft Shield:	5.0 cm equivalent
Front Armor:	4.5 cm
Right Armor:	3.0 cm
Left Armor:	3.0 cm
Rear Armor:	3.5 cm
Guns:	Laser Cannon (2)
Missiles:	Porcupine Space Mine (3), Stalker HS (2)

Images

• Cm-dralthi.jpg

  Dralthi from the Joan's Fighting Spacecraft supplement in the Vol. 1 No. 4 issue of Claw Marks

• Dralthi.gif

  Dralthi in fleet colors as seen in the Vega Sector in 2654.