Joan's Ships of Known Space (handbook)

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Book	Wing Commander Confederation Handbook
Previous	History of the Pilgrim War
Next	Joan's Fighting Spacecraft
Pages	23

Text

Confederation Fighter

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| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED

Joan's Ships of Known Space

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.

CF-117b Rapier

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.

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

Class	Medium Fighter
Length	9 meters
Mass	9 tonnes
Cruise Velocity	250 kps
Max Velocity	450 kps
Weapons	Two Wing-Mounted Laser Cannon Duel-Pulse Rotary Barrel Neutron Gun (forward) 10 Missile Mounts
Armor	Fore and aft phase shields rated to 7 cm 5 cm fore armor/4 cm aft armor 3 cm port/starboard armor

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CF-131 Broadsword

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.

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

Class	Fighter/Bomber
Length	12 meters
Mass	14 tonnes
Cruise Velocity	150 kps
Max Velocity	320 kps
Weapons	3 Mass-Driver Cannon (2 wing-mounted, one nose-mounted) 3 Missile Mounts 2 Torpedoes
Turrets	3; 2 Neutron Guns in each
Armor	Fore and aft phase shields rated to 13 cm 10 cm fore/aft armor 8 cm port/starboard armor

Kilrathi Fighter

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KF-100 Dralthi

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.

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

Class	Medium Fighter
Length	9 meters
Mass	10 tonnes
Cruise Velocity	230 kps
Max Velocity	400 kps
Weapons	2 Laser Cannon (wing-mounted) 4 Missile Mounts
Armor	Fore and aft phase shields rated to 5 cm 4.5 cm fore armor/3.5 cm aft armor 3 cm port/starboard armor

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KF-227 Salthi

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	Light Fighter
Length	6.5 meters
Mass	12 tonnes
Cruise Velocity	300 kps
Max Velocity	480 kps
Weapons	2 Laser Cannon 1 Missile Mount
Armor	Fore and aft phase shields rated to 3.5 cm 3 cm fore armor/2 cm aft armor 1.5 cm port/starboard armor

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VRsports

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

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KF-402 Krant

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	Medium Fighter/Bomber
Length	11 meters
Mass	11 tonnes
Cruise Velocity	200 kps
Max Velocity	360 kps
Weapons	2 Laser Cannon (wing-mounted) 4 Missile or 2 Torpedo Mounts
Armor	Fore and aft phase shields rated to 6 cm 6 cm fore armor/6 cm aft armor 5 cm port/starboard armor

Confederation Capital Ship

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| query “joan’s ships of known space” level=UNCLASSIFIED

Concordia-Class Supercruiser

Currently the largest battleship in Confed’s fleet, the Concordia class was originally developed during the Pilgrim War. The original Concordia was named the Confed flagship in 2645 and serves as a mobile command center for Naval operations.

Defended by 30 point-defense missiles (for fighter defense) and 4 primary antimatter guns, the main offensive asset of the Concordia class is its 50 torpedo tubes, capable of launching both ship-to-ship and ship-to-planet munitions, including strategic weapons. It also mounts a small fighter deck capable of carrying a light squadron of about 20 medium fighters or fighter/bombers.

In keeping with its fleet command function, the Concordia class mounts enhanced longrange communications and sensor packages.

Standard protocol calls for a Concordia-class ship to travel in company with at least two destroyers and a cruiser (or larger battleship). Transports frequently convoy with a Concordia-class ship, since its fleet command function makes it a natural focus for ship tenders and other resupply operations.

The Concordia class takes 700 officers and crew, plus additional space for up to 350 working supercargo (command support and fleet operations personnel, plus a full hospital facility with a standing staff of 75). There’s additional space for up to 300 hospital patients and up to 60 prisoners in the brig, plus limited accommodations for noncrew passengers.

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

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

Kilrathi Capital Ship

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

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

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

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

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

Merchant Vessel

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Proxima Spaceworks Errant

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.

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

Class	Merchantman
Length	25 meters
Mass	100 tonnes
Cruise Velocity	100 kps
Max Velocity	150 kps
Weapons	2 forward hardpoints 1 turret hardpoint amidship

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